MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

The rest of the drive home proceeded without much problem as Adam continued to have some discussions with Makarov.

He had expected Makarov to ask more deep questions that would paint a picture of him in his mind. Like what were his convictions or his goals in life?

But unexpectedly, there were no such heavy questions or the feeling of interrogation in their discussion.

Makarov just asked relatively simple and normal questions while trying to understand him on a deeper level without making him uncomfortable about it. He also wanted to know where he came from.

He whistled out loud when Adam told him he was studying to become a lawyer and clapped his big hands to encourage him in his studies.

From what he relayed to him, it seems like many hunters actively hid their true identities in the real world when working and led kind of a double life. A normal one with their families and friends and on the flip side, the life they led as hunters.

It was normal. Even cops and judges could sometimes receive retaliation from criminals. Even though what their jobs entailed was just the detention and judgment of individuals.

For hunters whose job was to simply kill and root out the supernatural threats that haunted the world, 8 out 10 times, the degree of retaliation they received was much higher and deadlier than anything any human job could hope to entail.

This was how the world worked. This was also why hunters received quite a bit of money as payment for their hunts.

Official hunters could be related to the Paranormal department of their countries or they could also opt-out to work independently. Some hunters specialized in exploration and adventuring, while others like Makarov were more focused on working with monster materials to create a multitude of items.

Makarov even talked about gourmet hunters who would search for the best supernatural ingredients in the world to create the best buff-inducing food with overwhelming effects.

Children from rich hunter families were basically fed the best elixirs and the greatest food possible from the start of their hunter journey, making it so that they had quite a bit of advantage compared to other unprivileged hunters. This was also one of the reasons why clans and families were so good at producing strong individuals consistently.

Small talk like this between them continued on until they finally reached their destination. Thanks to Makarov, he had been able to get a deeper insight into the hunter community of the present times as a whole. He was positive that this bit of information would help him greatly in future scenarios.

Knowledge was power. This was a motto that Adam had made his lifelong goal to abide by. Even if he was cursed as stupid in the future because of his way of living, he believed it was still worthwhile. After all, the demarcation line between a madman and a prodigy was finer than what most were aware of.

"This is a cozy-looking house."

When the two cars pulled over in front of their apartment, Makarov looked at the small house and commented in a positive light. He could see that it was well-built and beautiful with nothing extra. The beauty of this property was relayed in its simplicity.

A simple house for a simple family—

Well, not really that simple if one were to dig deep but that didn't matter…

"Is it your way of saying my house is small?"

"Well… I doubt there will be much space for two big men like us in there."

Cecilia chortled out loud and brought them inside the relatively small house.

"Adam, please help Viktor put the baggage in the Guest room. I need to talk with Makarov in private."

Adam simply shrugged in acknowledgment and motioned the gentle giant to follow him to the Guest room. Which resulted in Cecilia and Makarov together and they climbed the stairs to reach a particular room.

'As expected, huh…'

The room in question was the one where Mei Kaminari was enshrined. Cecilia said nothing as she led him and closed the door behind them.

Makarov also asked nothing of Cecilia. He simply walked up to the altar and sat down to pay his respects to the departed woman.

While he wasn't close to the girl, he knew that she was an exceptional hunter. A person who always gave her all to protect the common people without being blinded by greed or a desire to become some sort of celebrity. Neither seeking attention nor asking for acknowledgment. A lone wolf.

A cold and lonely blade.

The two of them stayed silent for one minute straight. Both of them were praying and asking for the betterment of the soul of the wonderful and brave woman.

In the end, after observing one minute of silence, Makarov couldn't help but question…

"Can I ask what happened?"

Cecilia continued to stay silent for a while and Makarov did not interrupt her silence with further questioning. In the end, she gave her answer,

"This is not my secret to share so I cannot go into details."

Even though she knew everything about Adam and his origins, she had no right nor did she wish to spread his true origin from his paternal side.

She believed in Makarov and knew that the man was a staunch ally of peace between the different species. A pretty ironic reality when one realized that many of those going against the so-called peace he preached and worked for to uphold all his life had weapons created by he himself.

In the end, anything related to Cain was bound to bring a change to the world. So, she deemed it better to be kept a secret.

"What I can say though is that Adam is indeed Mei's biological son."

She wished for Adam to return back to his roots sooner or later. This meant visiting Japan and entering the main family.

Makarov frowned at her words. This situation was becoming pretty complicated, far more than what he initially of it. He had no doubt that once politics was involved things always progressively turned to a worse fate.

"Well, either way, his ancestry doesn't change much to my plan. Once I get to know him better, I will create the weapon."

When Makarov decided to create a unique weapon, he would take his time to observe all the smallest details possible for the one who would use it.

This went beyond simply taking a few measurements of the body.

Not only would he measure the body proportions, but he would also calculate, the strength, speed, and motor reflexes of the individual. Even establishing a complete phycological record to understand what might plague their minds and how to use or destroy those plagues.

Creating weapons or armor was an art that started with rather tiring but worthwhile work.

"So, what is your opinion for now?"

"Heh, he is alright. I do not feel much passion from him. I can see that he isn't really happy about becoming a hunter or maybe simply doesn't care about it. But, I still like his personality. At least for now."

Makarov grinned, "Now I will go, I need to find a good place to open our forge."