Chapter 24: The Crazy Sentinel

Celestine trembled as the man casually pulled a chair toward the side of her bed.

He sat down without a hint of urgency, then leaned closer, resting his chin against his palm while his elbow settled comfortably on the edge of the bed. His posture was almost relaxed, completely different from the tense atmosphere surrounding him.

"I heard you were trying to change your Fated one..." A faint smile appeared on his lips. He paused for a brief second, his eyes remaining on Celestine. "Am I really that unlikeable that even my Fated Guide wants to replace me?"

Celestine’s face turned even paler. "I... I didn’t..."

"You didn’t?" He tilted his head slightly, his smile remaining in place. "Then perhaps I misunderstood what happened."

He leaned back in the chair, looking almost thoughtful. "I should probably sue that influencer for spreading false rumours." His gaze shifted toward Felix and Esther. "Right?"

Felix’s expression tightened and Esther immediately lowered her gaze, her hands clenching at her sides.

The man chuckled softly at their silence.

"Strange." His eyes returned to Celestine. "I watched the livestream myself. There were quite a few people broadcasting the ceremony, weren’t there?"

Celestine’s lips trembled.

"I saw your father introduce you as Evan’s Fated Guide," he continued casually. "I also saw Evan go into Rampage, watched your family try to stop him, and watched the girl standing beside you eventually calm him down."

His gaze shifted toward Lumi. "So imagine my confusion when I saw the livestream comments calling you his Fated Guide while the girl who actually stopped him was someone else."

The faint smile returned to his lips.

"I thought perhaps the internet had finally gone completely insane." He paused, then looked directly at Felix. "But judging by everyone’s reaction in this room..."

His smile faded. "It seems the rumours weren’t rumours after all."

"Young Master Valen... that’s not what it—"

Raphael Valen tilted his head slightly, and that small movement was enough to make Felix’s words die in his throat.

"I couldn’t wait to see Evan’s reaction the moment he awoke and settled the score..." Raphael said casually as he rose from his chair, straightening his clothes. His gaze drifted toward the door as though he could already imagine the scene waiting for him.

Then he turned back, and the lazy amusement in his eyes disappeared.

"And me..." His voice became quieter. "I don’t like being second to anyone."

His gaze shifted toward Lumi, lingering on her for a moment before returning to Celestine. "Especially not to Evan Caesar."

He then walked toward Lumi, his eyes lingering on the wound across her forehead, the red mark on her cheek, and finally the wet fabric of her dress. His brows lifted slightly.

"Tch... an ugly duckling?" His gaze shifted toward Celestine.

"Interesting..." A faint smile returned to his lips. "Same face, different treatment..."

Raphael turned back toward Felix, his expression calm as though the tension in the room had nothing to do with him.

"Since you already thought of replacing your daughter..." He paused, his gaze briefly returning to Celestine. "I’m not the type to linger where I’m clearly unwanted."

Felix’s face immediately paled. "Young Master Valen, please, you misunderstand—"

"Do I?" Raphael interrupted, his tone still lazy, but there was no amusement left in his eyes. "You wanted to replace your daughter because you thought Evan Caesar’s Fated Guide was more valuable than mine."

He glanced at Lumi again, then back at Felix. "So perhaps I should simply take the daughter you were so eager to throw away."

The room fell silent.

Lumi’s eyes widened.

’Wait... what?’

She stared at Raphael in disbelief, completely unable to understand how the conversation had somehow turned toward taking her.

Raphael’s lips curved into a faint smile as he looked at her. "I really would like to see what Evan would do."

Lumi’s eyes widened.

’Why does this sound like he’s planning to use me just to annoy Evan?!’

Raphael chuckled softly, as though he had somehow heard the thought.

"Don’t look so frightened, little duckling. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with you yet." His gaze shifted toward Felix, the smile disappearing again. "Since you were already willing to replace her, why should I hesitate to take her?"

Felix’s expression darkened. "Young Master Valen, Lumi is—"

He couldn’t finish his words.

A sudden pressure swept through the room as Raphael released a considerable amount of his power. The air seemed to grow heavier, forcing everyone nearby to tense under the overwhelming presence of a powerful Sentinel.

Raphael’s lazy expression remained unchanged, but his eyes had turned cold. "Do I look like a pushover?"

Felix’s face paled.

Raphael took another step toward him, the pressure around him intensifying just enough to make the warning unmistakable. "If I say I want her, do you really think you have the right to tell me no?"

Standing directly before Felix, Raphael was close enough to make him instinctively take a step back.

The pressure surrounding Raphael hadn’t disappeared. If anything, it had become heavier, making the entire room feel as though it had been sealed beneath an invisible weight.

Felix’s lips moved, but no words came out.

Everyone in the Pei family knew why.

Raphael Valen wasn’t called the Crazy Sentinel for nothing.

There had been an incident a year ago when a group of A-rank Sentinels had surrounded him during an Anomaly containment mission after Raphael refused to retreat. They had tried to force him away from the battlefield, only for Raphael to turn around and break through their formation by himself.

By the time the higher-ups arrived, the Anomaly had been eliminated, three containment barriers had been destroyed, and Raphael was standing in the middle of the ruined district with blood covering his uniform.

When asked why he hadn’t followed orders, he had simply answered, "They were slowing me down."

Since then, nobody in their right mind had mistaken Raphael’s lazy attitude for harmlessness.

He was calm when he wanted to be.

He was polite when it benefited him.

But when Raphael decided he wanted something, trying to stop him was often more dangerous than letting him have it.

Felix swallowed hard.

Raphael leaned slightly closer, his voice dropping into an almost conversational tone. ℴ

"So, Father Pei..." His eyes moved toward Lumi for a brief moment before returning to Felix. "Are you still planning to tell me no?"