Team villains except me

The photo of Dooku looks somewhat worn; he's not wearing a mask, and his face is covered in scars.

This photo was probably taken right after Dooku emerged from the abyss. Dooku's eyes are blank, showing a mix of bewilderment and wariness in a new world.

Norvia lowered her eyes, then asked Adega in a soft voice.

Do you know who he is?

“Of course I know. How could I put a stranger’s picture here? His name is Dooku Nifas. Of course, I know what you’re going to ask. I know he’s your teammate. Norvia Riley, you and Dooku Nifas are in the same squad at Abosgar Academy.”

Yadega rubbed his hands together. He was more candid than ever before at this moment.

“I didn’t really know you at first. When Lulu asked me to take care of a child, I didn’t think much of it. My focus was on Dooku Nifas. You’re all on the western continent, and I wasn’t that familiar with you. But after I met you, I started to associate you with your name.”

All of this became clear. You are Dooku Nifas's teammate, and you came to the northern continent to gather information about Dantles. You are one of the few allies I can win over.

So Adagio gradually shared his existence with Norvia, allowing Norvia to understand everything about him.

"Gaining someone's trust in a short time is difficult. I'm doing something very dangerous. Danteles is a psychopath, but he's a genius. The destructive power of a genius without morality is terrifying. No one will sacrifice their own interests to fight against Danteles with me unless that person shares the same goal as me."

Adaja looked at Norvia.

“I’m not lying to you. I’m just telling you the truth piece by piece. You already know my demands. If Dantles is alive, not only am I threatened, but also Dooku Nifas. I assume you came to the northern continent for your teammates.”

Norvia raised her head and looked directly at Adega. Adega then noticed a coldness in her eyes that seemed to belong to the northern continent.

Norvia smiled.

"Your assumption is correct."

Yadaijia shivered, as if struck by the cold.

“That’s good. I need more power. I need a strong ally who is eager to kill Danteles. Like I said, I don’t know much about the western continent, and if Danteles runs there, I’ll be stretched thin.”

"Could Dantles have fled to the western continent?"

“Yes. After all, Dooku Nifas is on the western continent. Riley, what I’m about to tell you might overturn your understanding and shake your faith in the gods, but if I don’t tell you this, you won’t be able to understand what Dantles really is.”

Yadega sat on the sofa. He didn't look at Norvia, nor at the photo covered by the red line on the clue board. He tilted his head back, his gaze unfocused.

"The fewer people who know about this, the better, but now, in order to drag you into this—no, in order to make you my ally—I also need to show my sincerity. I must tell you some things that only our family knows."

My predecessors, those geniuses before Danteles, possessed extraordinary abilities. They discovered something.

The Abyss. That abyss, almost synonymous with sin, a place perhaps devoid of gods. There lies a space there, unbound by any laws, a safe haven for our family. Even if the world is destroyed, our family will still exist—”

Adaja turned his head, looked at Norvia with a heavy expression, and then he froze.

"No, you're not surprised? Why aren't you surprised? You already knew?"