《The Path of Ruin》


 Chapter 1: An Impossible Goal

    --Volume I: The Birth of a False King--The sky was a light shade of gray, as usual... flat and hopeless. It looked like it was going to rain, but... it was fooling those underneath. It was always like this, after all, gray and... endless.


    And then there was the sun, faintly visible behind the grayness of the sky. It cast only as much light as it was allowed to, and with it, heat. It was as hopeless as the sky itself. And just as... lonely.


    One of the places where it managed to get its light and heat despite all this was a rather large palace with a large garden in a kingdom west of the largest continent on the planet.


    It was not in the middle of any city, there were no buildings or living people around it. It was built as if the king wanted to stay away from everyone else.


    And in one spot in the garden of this palace was a skinny, rather thin-looking young man, but as thin as he was, his eyes were sharp. His black hair fluttered a little as he walked, with the light breeze blowing across his face, adding a pleasant air to his appearance. But... that was it. He had no other distinguishing features. Even the simple white one-piece outfit he was wearing was of poor quality.


    The young man paused for a moment when the wheelbarrow he was pushing caught on something. Sighing, he turned his brown eyes skyward, towards the pale sun. Finally, he lowered them and looked at the palace next to him.


    He had dreamed of it for many years. Just to force himself to live, maybe, yes... But now... he was really here.


    ''I really did it, huh... Who would have guessed?''


    That was the only thing going through his mind.


    He was fifteen now. Three years of hard work were paying off. He had managed to leave the filthy mansion where he had spent almost all his life and stepped into the palace.


    After years of living in such an environment, the palace environment was... so new. There was no smell of feces, his clothes were spotlessly clean, not even dust in his hair. It was certainly going to be hard to get used to, and it was.


    But... there were a few things that had not changed.


    "Hey, slave! What are you standing there for? Why did you stop?!"


    A smile appeared on the young man''s face. If there was one thing that hadn''t changed... it was certainly people''s behavior.


    He lifted the wheelbarrow again, in which he had carefully sorted the herbs from the garden, and gently pulled it aside. His voice, like his body, was weak as he answered the man.


    "Something got caught in the wheels of the wheelbarrow. I apologize!"


    He looked at the man speaking to him. He was bald, but also well-built and slightly older. He was a servant, in charge of supervising the slaves, at least those who worked in the garden.


    At the young man''s words, his eyes dropped to the wheels of the wheelbarrow, and when he saw the relatively large stone nearby, he sighed.


    "Go on, be quick!"


    He said nothing more. The young man lifted the wheelbarrow and walked on without another glance at the bald servant. Breathing in the autumn air, he made his way through the huge gardens of the huge palace and reached his destination. But, before he entered the greenhouse reserved for botany, he paused again at the sound of a voice.


    It sounded like a... collision. And it was.


    It was the sound of the palace knights.


    The barracks were not far from the greenhouse. So when they were training, if something serious was going on, some of the sounds could reach the greenhouse.


    The young man sighed lightly and turned back to the front again.


    He had dreamed of becoming a knight as a child, like so many other. But... dreams were different from reality. He needed a strong body to be a knight, something he didn''t have as a slave... And even if he had a strong body, he could never rise because he didn''t have a blessing. Knighthood aside, he would most likely be one of those soldiers who would be sent to die in regional battles.


    For these and other reasons, he had long ago given up the dream of becoming a knight. As a slave, he had no right to dream anyway. At least... not according to others. He did more than dream, after all.


    When he entered the greenhouse, the first thing he did was to remove the plants from the wheelbarrow and set them aside. He sorted them one by one, removing the seeds from those with any.


    His skills in botany had gotten him here, and that was exactly his job. He was in charge of collecting, growing, and sorting the special herbs in the palace garden. He knew what each plant was and what it could do with others, and if he encountered something that he didn''t know, he learned it.


    As he was separating a few plants from each other, his steady hands slowed down a little, and he paused as he squinted his eyes. He thought about what he had been through and what he had done to get to this point. But then he shook his head from side to side with a determined look on his face and went on with his work.


    He had a goal, a goal he wanted to fulfill, no matter what. He would most likely die trying to fulfill it, the probability of survival was... low. Even less likely to succeed. But no matter what, even if he had to devote his whole life to it, he would try... he would succeed. At least... he was convincing himself that he would succeed, fooling even.


    Because that was his reason for living. That''s why he gritted his teeth instead of committing suicide a long time ago.


    Revenge.


    No, rather than something grandiose like revenge... an excuse to keep on living.


    ~crack!


    He stopped what he was doing and quickly turned his head at the sudden sound behind him. And what he saw in front of him... he could only sigh inwardly. Yes, inwardly. If he had done it from the outside...


    "Brat, what are you doing? Move aside!"


    He said nothing to the woman who suddenly entered the greenhouse. He stepped aside meekly and did as he was told.


    The woman quickly glanced at the plants lying on the table. Then, without turning to the young man, she asked in a bored tone.


    "You have collected plants to make narcotics. How much demand is there?"


    He bowed his head and answered in a submissive voice.


    "About three bowls. But they asked for five, just in case."


    The woman frowned for a brief moment when she heard what he said. She looked at what plants he had collected to make the medicine once again. And... she saw that he had collected some very potent herbs.


    "Five? With five bowls of these, they can put almost a hundred and fifty soldiers to sleep..."


    She thought for a while longer, as if... something was wrong. But then, suddenly, she yawned, as if tired. But she still didn''t look at the young man. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Whatever. Do you know how to do it?"


    "Yes. I crush the lorasa, mix it with water, then-"


    "Okay, okay. It was enough to say that you know. Don''t talk too much and keep doing what you''re doing."


    The woman moved away from the table, went to the plants on the other side and started checking them, ignoring the young man completely.


    He looked at her back for a while. He was not even a fly in her eyes, but he could understand. It annoyed him, maybe, but he could understand. And he was also aware that he had to be obedient. That''s how he had gotten to where he was.


    No matter what, don''t make a sound, don''t disobey, don''t smile in silly ways or show emotions... The list went on, but these were the principles he followed for his purpose.


    After looking at her back for a while, he went back to work, doing what he had to do.


    But... just then, someone else entered the greenhouse and his work was interrupted again.


    When he saw the person entering... all he could do was bow his head.


    After all, there was one of the palace knights in front of him. As a slave, he was too lowly to look at him directly.


    "Elsin, are the requested narcotics ready?"


    Elsin, the head botanist of the greenhouse, the woman who had just spoken to the youth, turned to the knight.


    "I have just entered the greenhouse, Manar."


    Then her eyes shifted to the youth, who still kept his head bowed, and she pointed at him with her eyebrows. The knight named Manar also turned to the young man.


    "Oh, I see. You can raise your head."


    The youth slowly raised his bowed head.


    The knight was not wearing a helmet, his face was exposed. He had blondish curly hair and brown eyes. He was almost two meters tall and had a well-built body, although it was not obvious from the armor he was wearing. Other than being a little taller than normal, he was not much different from a normal knight.


    The youth did not look the knight directly in the eyes, even though he studied him briefly. He wasted no more time and quickly explained the situation.


    "It will be ready in two minutes, sir."


    The knight nodded his head in understanding, which the youth did not expect.


    "Go on with your work, I will wait."


    Normally, the answers he would have received would have been... ''hurry the fuck up'', ''I have more work to do!'', ''don''t keep me waiting!'', or something like that.


    Nevertheless, he quickly returned to the table in front of him and continued to prepare the narcotics. Even though the knight in front of him seemed to be understanding, he was not going to waste his time.


    So, Knight Manar and Botanist Elsin began to talk amongst themselves as the youth prepared the requested narcotics. They did not care much about the young man''s presence.


    "What were the narcotics requested for?"


    The ease in the tone of the woman''s voice, even though she was facing a knight, caught the young man''s attention. He thought they might be close to each other, so he listened to the conversation while doing his job.


    "All I know is that the palace healers want it, and they''ll want more. War is coming, Elsin. The empire is practically on the kingdom''s doorstep. Probably some of the scouts have been wounded, and they''ll be making things up for them. In short... your workload will increase considerably."


    The woman''s expression fell even lower. She was definitely not happy with the situation.


    "If we had more botanists, it wouldn''t be much of a problem. But..."


    She looked out of the corner of her eye at the young man preparing the last bowl of narcotics.


    "Not many people know about plants, and it''s a pain to train someone from scratch. I don''t even understand how this slave knows almost as much as I do."


    Following her, the knight turned toward the young man.


    "He knows almost as much as you, huh?"


    At that moment, the youth finished preparing all the bowls and placed them in a bag, sealing it so that it would not open by itself. Then, without looking anyone in the eye again, he turned around.


    "I''ve prepared the narcotics, sir."


    From the corner of his eye, he saw the knight smiling slightly.


    "Good, then follow me. Let''s deliver these."


    He turned quickly towards the exit of the greenhouse, then just as quickly paused. He turned slowly towards the young man.


    "Do you have a name?"


    The woman jumped at the knight''s question before the young man, though.


    "You ask a slave if he has a name? Of course not. Don''t waste time with idle talk, Manar, get the narcotics away quickly. If what you say is true, we will have way too more work to do here."


    The knight sighed slightly. Without another word to the woman, he walked out of the greenhouse. The young man followed behind him.


    As they walked through the palace garden, the knight kept opening and closing his mouth. He was trying to say something and then giving up continuously.


    The young man... looked at him in surprise every time.


    ''Most people are not so... kind.''


    Even though he could only see his back, he understood what the knight was trying to do and that he was actually a good person. It was not easy to meet good people, especially as a slave.


    He let out a deep sigh that no one could hear. His eyes shifted to the sky, and in his mind... Elsin''s words echoed.


    Most things didn''t bother him, and even if they did, he kept it to himself and kept quiet. Because the moment he did otherwise, he could lose everything. But... this one in particular was hard to hold back.


    The reason slaves didn''t have names was often because they didn''t have families. Even if they did, they were separated from them at a young age and trained to be obedient. So they didn''t need a name.


    But... he was different. He had a family, at least back then... And his late mother had given him a name, even though she knew it meant nothing.


    A name that no one else needed to know, a name that his mother had decided on without much thought, but a name that reminded him of who he was and what he was for. A name that he liked.


    ''Kael. My name is... Kael.''


    He looked up at the pale sun that would soon set and squinted. As he reminded himself of his name, he repeated his purpose, which seemed even more impossible than a dream in a world where it was forbidden to even imagine things.


    ''My goal is... to kill the king''s brother.''

 Chapter 2: Mysterious Man in Robes

    Kael and Manar made their way to the two-story building next to the palace. Soon, they were inside.What they saw was the kind of sight Kael had been expecting.


    This was the building where the palace healers worked. There were beds for many patients, medical supplies, and more. There would normally be few or no one here. But... this time, it was quite full.


    As Manar had predicted, a large military unit was injured and it was hard to see an empty bed, at least on the first floor.


    Just then, one of the healers scurrying inside saw the pair, and his eyes widened.


    "Ah, finally!"


    He grabbed the bag from Kael''s hand without even asking what it was and rushed into a room without saying anything to the duo.


    "What... happened here?"


    Manar''s question, asked in a low voice to himself, was answered quickly and unexpectedly.


    "The Empire... It is coming, that''s what happened."


    On a bed quite close to the entrance was a soldier who appeared to have lost an arm. His condition was not too bad, except for the missing arm, but he had such an expression on his face... as if he had narrowly escaped death.


    Manar squinted his eyes slightly when he saw him, and a look of sadness appeared on his face.


    "Gab... were you in the scout troop? Why didn''t you tell me?"


    Kael waited in the background for the dialog between the two. ''Empire'' and ''coming'' were important words, after all.


    As the eyes of the man whose name, or shortened name, was Gab, fixed on Manar, probably a close friend of his, he continued with an expression as if he was screaming that he was mad.


    "Forget about me, Manar... You must escape from here, everyone must get away from this kingdom before it is too late... They... They are coming..."


    Manar looked at his friend with an even sadder expression. Then, he sighed.


    "Everyone knows the war is coming, Gab, but everyone who can escape is already too late. And-"


    Unexpectedly, however, Gab suddenly jumped up from his sickbed and stood over Manar. His face suddenly showed signs of terror.


    "No, no! There is no war, Manar! It''s not going to happen...! The Empire... the Empire doesn''t even take us seriously, it doesn''t even need to!"


    Manar put a hand on his friend''s shoulder. Even though his action was very sudden, it didn''t scare him at all.


    "Calm down, man, calm down..."


    But Gab pushed Manar''s hand back over his shoulder.


    "No, no you don''t understand... It was one person who did this to us, Manar, one person. A unit of almost eighty men was destroyed at the hands of one single human. She didn''t kill a single person, she left everyone alive on purpose. She wasn''t even sweating when it was all over. Just... just..."


    He paused, his eyes widened, as if remembering things he didn''t want to remember. As the strength in his legs disappeared, he fell back onto his bed. His unfocused eyes fixed on the ceiling. The corner of his lips curved upwards slightly and he smiled painfully to himself.


    "She was laughing... Hahahaha... That woman was just laughing..."


    Manar''s expression suddenly changed as his friend spoke. He looked around, at the condition of the soldiers. Some of them were indeed badly wounded, but just as he had heard, not a single one had died.


    This was... serious. Much more serious than he had thought.


    After a while, he turned around. He looked towards Kael, who was quietly watching the whole thing from behind. He then let out a deep sigh.


    "Go back to the greenhouse, your work here is done. At least for now..."


    Kael nodded meekly. He actually wanted to hear more. What was happening here... was as important to him as it was to everyone else.


    If the Empire was really coming for the kingdom, then... everything he thought about the future would change.


    Halfway to the greenhouse, he paused, looking up at the huge palace. Somewhere inside, he was sure, the king whose brother he wanted more than anything to kill was comfortably enjoying himself. Now, of course, if the Empire was really at the gates, that comfort must have been translated into endless worry about the impending end.


    He thought for a moment.


    Actually... if the Emperor killed the king, wouldn''t they kill his brother too, to leave no royal family? As long as the king''s brother got what he deserved, did it matter who brought about his end? Yes, he wanted revenge, but... it was hard to do. In fact, it was almost impossible. His fate as a slave, the limits of what he could do, were clear.


    This time, his eyes left the palace and traveled far away. The walls of the palace largely blocked his view of the outside. Yet the light gray sky was still in front of him.


    ''Empire, huh...''


    He turned again and continued towards the greenhouse. But this time, he was much more thoughtful, his eyes fixed on the ground.


    He had heard a few things about the Empire. It had taken over almost the entire continent in just nine years. There were only a few kingdoms left. The kingdom he was now a slave to, the Kingdom of Arcanoa, was one of them.


    He didn''t know why they had left the kingdom alone until now. Yes, the Kingdom of Arcanoa was not a very big one. It was actually quite small... but its position on the continent was quite important. That''s why he had previously thought that the king was on good terms with the emperor and that''s why he hadn''t attacked yet. But now... that was clearly not the case.


    The emperor probably had a reason for ignoring this place, and now that reason was gone.


    He took another deep breath.


    ''If they are really going to end this kingdom... I hope they make sure the king''s brother suffers too.''


    And so, he reached the greenhouse. He put all his thoughts aside so as not to be distracted in front of Elsin, prepared to go inside... but then paused again at the sound he heard.


    His eyes quickly darted to where the sound had come from, the entrance to the palace that was not far from the greenhouse. The huge gates of the palace were creaking open, attracting the attention of almost everyone around.


    Kael focused his attention on the gate in the center of the walls. Yes, the greenhouse wasn''t too far from the entrance, but it wasn''t close either. He had to focus to understand what was happening.


    And so, he saw six people entering the palace.


    Five of these six were palace soldiers. Two of them were even knights, he could tell by the armor they were wearing. The other three... even if they were not knights, they were relatively strong enough to stand out from the other soldiers. He had even heard that one of them was a knight candidate.


    But none of that mattered. Because... these five people had not entered the palace just like that. They surrounded the sixth person who had entered the palace with them, as if to protect him. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As Kael continued to study them, he realized that this thought was wrong. No, these five people were not protecting the person he had taken in between them. They were... they were afraid of that person. They were protecting their surroundings from this person.


    Kael couldn''t help swallowing. He focused on the person among the five, trying to figure out who it was.


    Thanks to the brown robe he wore from head to toe, it was impossible to see his face. But he looked like a skinny man. A lock of blond hair peeked through his hood, the brightest yellow Kael had ever seen.


    Nothing more than that could be said about the man. But... As Kael continued to look at this man, he couldn''t help but feel uneasy. It was as if there was something, something not right... something that was affecting him. He felt like he was going to lose himself as he looked at this man. But he couldn''t take his eyes off him either. It was like he was locked in.


    It was like... it was like seeing a beautiful, really beautiful flower.


    The soldiers and the robed man moved steadily through the garden towards the palace. Kael could not rest until they were finally out of sight, his eyes following them constantly. Finally, when these six people entered the palace, his eyes widened. He looked around, at the other people. And what he saw... were dozens of people, just like himself, staring at the palace gate, not understanding what was happening.


    He was not the only one affected. Everyone in the palace garden was mesmerized by the man from earlier.


    "Hey, what are you standing there for? Come in, we have more work to do!"


    When he heard Elsin''s voice from inside the greenhouse, he swallowed involuntarily, turned to the door, and entered the greenhouse. But his mind could never forget what he saw. Even if he didn''t want to be distracted in front of Elsin, there was only one thing on his mind.


    ''Who was... that man?''

 Chapter 3: Darkness and Silence

    In the time, since seeing the mysterious man, Kael has made countless different medicines with herbs. He listened to Elsin''s nagging and sighing. Sometimes, Elsin would randomly turn to him, say some nonsense, and then wait for his approval without saying anything. Kael did what was expected of him.When midnight came and Elsin finally decided she was sleepy, she left the rest of the work to Kael and went to sleep. Kael didn''t complain about that. He liked to be busy with something. It was fun to work with plants too, at least it made the time pass quickly and it was... much easier than what he had done before.


    So, even after Elsin left, he prepared and sent out countless medicines that the healers requested, and started making new ones.


    But... eventually, he got tired too. After the last bag he sent, there had been no further requests. So, he went outside, looked at the position of the moon, which, like the sun, had a definite orbit in the sky, and realized that it was quite late. Even if he was a slave, there was no one to resent him sleeping at this hour.


    It would be different if he had a task at hand, but he didn''t... and he had already prepared a lot of medicine.


    He went back inside, towards the far end of the greenhouse. There was a wooden bed reserved for him. It didn''t have any sheets or a quilt. It was just... a big piece of wood, really. But he never complained about it. He had a bed, even if it had a rough surface.


    So, he laid himself down on the piece of wood. He fixed his brown eyes on the hill and the dark sky. The transparent roof of the greenhouse was a bit dirty, so there was no clear view, but he could see the moon and some of the bright stars.


    His eyes squinted. Memories from a few years ago came to mind.


    His mother liked to look at the stars. She didn''t have much time to look at the sky because she usually worked at night. So whenever she had the chance, she would stare at the night sky. And Kael would see his mother''s happy face, which he didn''t get a chance to see, and he would be happy too.


    He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He stopped himself and surrendered to sleep before the good memories were buried deep in his mind with bad nightmares. He would probably be very busy tomorrow. The knight, whose name was Manar, was sure the healers would want even more medicine. After the sight he had seen today, he was sure of it too. So he wanted to sleep well.


    So all his senses slowly shut down, his connection with the world was gone. He waited for one of the usual nightmares or to wake up directly into the next day with the birds chirping.


    But... he did not wake up directly to the next day. Instead... he saw himself looking up into a dark sky. Stars were everywhere, twinkling with a dazzling light.


    He was having a dream. But this dream... was a little different from the normal ones. It was neither a nightmare nor did it feel like a normal dream. It felt... much more real.


    Kael focused on the stars in the sky. He just watched for a while, not moving. He couldn''t move anyway. But then... finally he realized something.


    The stars... were getting brighter and brighter with each passing second, as if they were approaching the ground. It was only now that he realized it because they were slow. But he did, in the end.


    The stars came closer and closer, closer and closer... Kael did nothing, he just watched them.


    After a while... he realized that the stars actually looked like flowers. Snow-white, and strangely... beautiful flowers with five petals.


    He raised his hand and tried to reach for one of the flowers, the biggest one, the closest one. He didn''t know why, but... they felt so beautiful. If he could, he would give himself to them, that''s what he was trying to do...


    But then something happened. Everything froze, crackled... and broke. His eyes were suddenly wide open.


    He couldn''t hear the birds chirping, he couldn''t find Elsin in front of him, angry with him for working, nor could he see anyone else to remind him that he was a slave. Instead...


    "Ah... AAAAAGGHHHHHHHH!"


    He heard a scream.


    *******


    Kael jumped out of bed. The first thing he did was to look around. His vision was a little blurry as he had just woken up from a nap, but the first thing he noticed was... that it was darker than usual for some reason.


    His eyes quickly shifted to the sky, looking at the moon, trying to figure out how long he had been asleep. But... all of a sudden, he just froze where he was.


    He looked blankly at the sky, or rather at the place where the moon should be. But... the moon was not there. He couldn''t see the stars either. Just... endless darkness.


    Slowly, step by step, his eyes widened.


    It was not cloudy before nightfall. Even just before going to sleep, he was sure that there was not a single cloud in the sky. Clouds were not something that gathered quickly, at least not unless someone or something was involved that could do it.


    In short, what was in front of him was not something that happened naturally. And to think of the scream just now...


    ''Oh, the scream!''


    Kael quickly stood up from the piece of wood that had been his bed and crouched down in the middle of the greenhouse, among the plants.


    Of course, the first thing he did when he heard a scream was not to jump out. He was not an idiot, he was well aware that screams were not good things.


    In such a situation, since the walls of the greenhouse were mostly transparent, the first thing he had to do was to move to a place where he could not be easily seen from the outside. One such place was between the plants in the greenhouse. And so he did.


    He pricked up his ears, listened outside. It was strangely quiet. Nothing had happened after the clear scream he had just heard. But he still waited... and waited.


    Then, in the middle of all this silence and darkness... he heard something. A singular footstep.


    It was slow, really slow. It was also... heavy. Too heavy to belong to a human being.


    Kael felt the sweat beading on his forehead, felt the calm he had always taken care to maintain slipping through his fingers. Everything seemed to freeze as his eyes widened. He could hear nothing but the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer, but he still couldn''t move his body.


    ''Move, you idiot!''


    Cursing himself inwardly, he gritted his teeth, realized that the footsteps had reached the door of the greenhouse, and silenced his thoughts as if he had swallowed his little tongue. With a swift movement, he threw himself down among the plants at the edge, making no sound and covering himself with the scattered plants.


    If he had a little more time, if he hadn''t just frozen, he would have been able to hide much more perfectly. But now... some of the plants he had used to hide were broken. It was obvious to anyone paying attention that someone had gotten between them.


    He waited, praying that whatever was approaching the greenhouse, be it a creature or a malicious human being, someone unwary of his environment. He had no choice. And after this waiting... the footsteps stopped. An intense silence fell over the greenhouse.


    Kael moved his head as close to the ground as he could, as far into the plants as he could. He restricted his own vision a little, he could only see the ground and a little above it. But instead of giving himself a better view, he just kept waiting. He was scared.


    After the silence that settled over the greenhouse and his efforts to conceal himself... he finally heard a creaking sound. A slow creaking sound that spread throughout the greenhouse. It was the first time he had witnessed the greenhouse door, or rather a door, open so slowly.


    His eyes, which could only see the floor, shifted to his left. He saw the end of the door opening with a creak, then stopping. He held his breath, his eyes never leaving the door.


    ...


    Seconds passed.


    ...


    But... nothing else happened in the following seconds.


    The door just stayed open. There were no footsteps, no people or creatures, literally nothing... S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seconds finally turned into a minute. A single minute in which nothing happened. Silence continued to reign in the greenhouse. Time continued to pass under the absolute darkness of the night. Yet Kael did not come out of hiding.


    Finally... the sound of a footstep echoed through the greenhouse again. Kael tried to stop his body from trembling, his eyes completely fixed on the edge of the door. But... he paused at the sound of the next step. Because it wasn''t coming from close, but from further away... farther away than before.


    Whoever or whatever had opened the door to the greenhouse was walking away.


    Kael felt his heartbeat relax. His body had stopped shaking on its own, he was... safe again.


    He pricked up his ears. He waited until the sound of footsteps reached the point where he couldn''t really hear them. He had to wait for almost three minutes. And with that, he was certain that this... thing... was not a human being. No human being would walk so slowly.


    But now... he had another problem.


    ''Should I go out or should I stay here?''


    He could wait for the morning, maybe... But the fact that he could not see the moon when he looked at the sky frightened him. What if it wasn''t morning, what would he do then?


    But it was also dangerous to go outside. It was unclear whether the only danger outside was the owner of the footsteps he heard. The fact that he had experienced such an event in the palace in the first place showed that there were certainly no simple things here.


    He took a very quiet but deep breath in and out. He lifted his head out of the plants he had buried it in. He simply wanted to put himself in a more comfortable position, and if he could, he would simply take a look outside and then wait inside the greenhouse until morning.


    But when the rustling sounds of the plants rubbing against him as he moved echoed in his ears, he stopped.


    There was no rustling of the wind, no plants stirring in the gentle breeze. Just... everything was as it was. Silent, motionless...


    Nothing.


    His eyes slowly lifted upwards, looking towards the door the creature had just left open. He could see out through one of the gaps between the countless plants. Thanks to a tiny hole there, the palace garden behind the open door was in front of his eyes.


    But... he was not the only one looking through this hole.

 Chapter 4: The Struggle for Survival

    Kael froze for a moment. He could see out through the hole in the plants, yes... But it should have been impossible for those outside to see him. He was right next to this little hole and the people on the other side were not. On top of that, it was quite dark outside. After all, the moon and the stars were not in the sky... or were being blocked.So why... was there... something beyond the door of the greenhouse... looking in his direction?


    In the distance, in the very center of the palace garden, he could see a tall silhouette. It was impossible to see its whole body because of the darkness, but he could more or less make out that it was quite hairy. Another thing he could make out... was a pair of red eyes staring at him.


    Kael just stood still. He didn''t move a muscle.


    ''That thing... it doesn''t see me. It''s only looking this way, it''s impossible for it to see me... Even I can barely see it.''


    He was sure that if he didn''t move, this creature wouldn''t see him. The only reason it was looking here was coincidence.


    But then he saw the creature move. It was walking towards the greenhouse, never once taking its red eyes off Kael. It was a little slow at first. But as it kept taking steps, it seemed to... speed up.


    ''Oh...''


    Kael paused, his eyes widening again and again.


    ''This thing... it can see me!''


    Terror gripped his whole body, fear began to override his thoughts.


    Was he going to die here? Was he going to die in the safest place in the kingdom, in the king''s palace...?


    He swallowed, trembling with fear, and looked again at the creature approaching him. The closer it got to the greenhouse, the clearer it became what its body was.


    It had a human-like appearance and was indeed quite tall. However... it was very hairy. On top of that, its skin color had turned gray, almost black. The brightness in his red eyes continued to increase every second.


    Kael clenched his fist. The creature''s steps continued to quicken. In fifteen seconds, at most, he would be inside the greenhouse.


    His death was closing in on him.


    This time he clenched not only his fist but also his teeth. His whole body trembled once again at the thought of dying. He was not sure what to do.


    ''Damn it...''


    Finally, he let go of his clenched fist, his teeth stopped chattering. His eyes left the creature and wandered around the greenhouse. He looked at the plants. Some he had grown with his own hands, others had been grown by Elsin or long before.


    But the plants were not his main focus. Instead, he looked towards the table where he had worked before he fell asleep, and then at the bags there.


    The bags were full of medicines that he had prepared for future use. And also bowls with materials that have been pulverized but not all of them have been used.


    "Tch."


    With a click of his tongue, he darted out of the plants and approached the table. He opened one of the bags and took out a bowl. He then took one of the pulverized herbs and mixed it all into the medicine from the bag. He covered the bowl and began to shake it rapidly, turning around and looking at the creature.


    The creature''s body was now easier to see. It was almost two meters tall, but it looked as if it had been forced to grow taller. As if... it had previously been the size of a normal human being. Its body hair was definitely much longer than it should have been, and its extremely dark skin color made it look like an overly tall monkey that had tried to transform into a human being, but the transformation had been interrupted. But it was wearing clothes, so... it was probably the other way around.


    And its eyes... they were much redder than they had just been. Each of its fingers was strangely elongated. The tips were bloody and they had what looked like the claws of a wild animal. Its footsteps, inaudible before because it was so far away, now rattled the ground.


    It would be five seconds at most before it reached the greenhouse. It was much faster than before. A little more and it would start to run.


    Kael finished shaking the bowl in his hand. He pulled aside what he had covered himself with and ran towards the plants. He uprooted one with purple flowers and dipped it into his bowl. Just then, the sound of footsteps reached inside the greenhouse.


    ~bam! ~bam! ~bam!


    He heard the sound of the creature approaching him. Each step sounded as if it weighed hundreds of kilograms. Yet he did not turn around. Instead, he gripped the bowl tightly with both hands and waited only a second or so.


    ''Now!''


    In an instant, he turned around, finding the creature literally right in front of him. He had a huge, black, and bloody palm coming towards his face. Each of its five abnormally elongated fingers was spread out, ready to grasp the skull, as if preparing to crush it.


    The creature''s face was right in front of him, behind the claw pointed at him. It did indeed resemble a human face, but it was anything but human. With its black skin and emotionless face, it was like an emotionless puppet programmed to kill.


    Kael threw the bowl with all his might at the creature''s face. At the same time, he threw himself to the side.


    The bowl shattered in the creature''s face. But the creature did not make a sound. Its claw tried to follow Kael as he darted to the side, but only half succeeded as its vision narrowed. It only managed to create a long scratch on Kael''s back with the sharp piece of bone at the end of its index finger.


    Kael felt his back burning, yet he did not stop. He had thrown himself so suddenly that he landed unbalanced on the ground, but he quickly got to his feet, glancing behind him out of the corner of his eye. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The creature was right behind him, staring at him. On its face were the broken pieces of the bowl and traces of the reddish liquid inside. It trickled down to its chin and fell drop by drop to the floor. Its lips were flat, completely emotionless.


    After locking eyes with Kael, it tried to take a step towards him again, but then... it paused. It almost fell to the ground, as if its entire balance had been thrown off, but it managed to stay standing, even if only barely.


    Kael couldn''t help but smile when he saw the creature struggling to take a step. His plan had worked. He had multiplied the dosage of the anesthetic used to relieve the pain of the soldiers several times over and thrown it directly into the creature''s face with a plant that would amplify its effect even more.


    Even if it wasn''t a normal human being, a drug of that intensity should at least have had enough effect to disorganize its movements. And it did.


    Kael quickly jumped to his feet, grabbed one of the bags on the edge of the table without thinking, pulled out another bowl, and prepared to throw it in the creature''s face.


    But the creature was already on the move again, this time using both hands to grab him by the shoulders! And Kael had no chance to dodge it, the creature had less than half a second to grab him! As a fifteen-year-old slave, with no blessings or curses whatsoever, it was impossible for him to react!


    But there was one detail that Kael did catch. And that detail... was that the creature''s hands were shaking. It was not as if he was facing a creature that could easily cut a man in half... but an old man who had difficulty moving due to old age.


    But it was still a creature. The force behind those hands must have been much greater than he thought.


    So... Kael took a gamble. He didn''t try to run, he didn''t try to dodge the attack. He simply threw the bowl into the air, right back into the creature''s face, and let it catch him.


    The bowl shattering again in the creature''s face with all its contents happened at the same time as Kael felt fingers on his shoulders. He fell on his back, the creature on top of him, and together, they found themselves on the floor. The only difference... Kael was on the bottom while the creature was on top.


    Kael quickly held his breath, not inhaling the smell of the drug dripping from the creature''s face, even as it dripped down his face. The creature... raised one of the claws on his shoulders, prepared to tear Kael''s face off. But then... it paused, looking down at the hand it was trying to raise.


    It could barely keep its hand in the air, trembling uncontrollably. It couldn''t even lift him up the way it wanted to. As if... it couldn''t feel its arm enough.


    Kael took the opportunity to quickly try to get out from under the creature. With his skinny body, he really could do it, all he needed was a little time... but the creature noticed. It aimed for Kael''s face once again, not caring how much force it could transfer to his arm.


    Kael moved his head to the side as fast as he could. If the creature''s movements hadn''t been slowed down, this would have been certain death... But thanks to that and the small size of his body, he managed to dodge the creature''s claw, just barely. There was now a cut on the right side of his head, extending from above his ear to the nape of his neck.


    Kael was locked in place thanks to the hand on his right side. He could move nowhere, and so... he turned to face the creature. There was still uneasiness in his eyes, but thanks to the adrenaline, he was still almost conscious.


    Turning back to the creature, he waited for it to attack him again. In that case, he would no longer be able to dodge any attack, but that did not happen. The creature just waited. And Kael... finally met its eyes.


    The creature had a tired expression on its face as if it was forcibly resisting sleep. The glow in its red eyes had faded a little, but not completely. Its lips were still straight, indicating its lack of emotion, and its nose moved slightly, showing that it was breathing.


    Kael realized that the arm on the right side of his head was shaking. The creature was trying to keep itself upright with the support of its arm. It didn''t seem to care about Kael anymore, just trying to cope with the sleep and the overdose of medicine... in this case, though, probably poison... that had entered his system.


    But it failed. After a short time, it just collapsed on Kael''s skinny body. And even though it didn''t succeed in killing him... it took all his breath away with that one act alone.

 Chapter 5: Dark Garden of the Palace

    Kael tried quite hard to get the creature''s body off of him. Even though it didn''t look like it, the creature was truly heavy... and also difficult to move. But eventually, he managed to get himself to a point where he wasn''t suffocating to death. Then, he crawled out from under the creature and got as far away from it as he could.Now, as the adrenaline was slowly wearing off, he could feel the pain of the wounds on the side of his head and back. He was panting and his heart was beating so fast that his chest felt like it was going to burst. Still, he restrained himself as best he could, looking down at the creature''s body on the ground.


    Its chest was rising and falling, however weak it was. He couldn''t see its face because it was face down, but it probably still had the same straight lips and expression. He was sure of that.


    He gritted his teeth, stood as far away from the creature as he could, and approached his table. He picked up the knife he used to cut the roots from the plants and approached the creature once again.


    He got on its back, crouched down. He grasped the knife with both hands and raised it, then took a deep breath in and out.


    He had never killed anyone or anything before, but he had seen a lot of corpses and bodies covered in blood. Where he lived before coming to the palace... people were sometimes even slaughtered for fun or something so stupid that it didn''t even make sense. Just like someone he knew closely... So he was not far from the concept of ''killing''.


    Finally, he gritted his teeth and brought the knife down firmly where the creature''s heart was. The tip of the knife broke before it pierced all of the creature''s skin... but it did manage to pry it open a little.


    The creature''s body shuddered violently as if it were trying to respond in pain to the poison coursing through its system... It even noticed Kael on its back and tried to throw him aside. But Kael didn''t stop. Even though his knife was broken, he lifted it again, and brought it down in the same spot as before.


    This time, the blow went much deeper, as the creature''s skin had already been opened once... The broken piece of the knife also touched the creature''s heart, and because Kael was a bit clumsy, he scratched the side of his hand.


    But Kael did not stop again. He raised the knife once more, ignoring the knife fragment that scratched his hand, and struck again at the creature''s heart. And this time... the fragment of the knife reached the creature''s heart, piercing it. Kael''s broken knife also went deep.


    The creature struggled and struggled, but it didn''t have enough strength. Its red blood watered the clothes it was wearing, spreading to form a small puddle on the ground. After a few seconds... it finally stopped moving.


    Kael inhaled the deepest breath he could, then exhaled it back as deeply as he inhaled. He looked up towards the sky. Then... he couldn''t see the moon and he remembered his situation again. His eyes widened.


    ''Idiot! Why are you relaxing, nothing is over!''


    He quickly jumped to his feet, throwing himself back into the plants. He constantly looked around, watching the palace garden through the transparent walls of the greenhouse. If someone or something from the outside had even glanced once in here, they would have easily seen everything that had happened. It was a mistake to be relieved that he had managed to kill the creature!


    ''Huh, though... why is there a creature inside the palace in the first place?''


    It was easy not to think about things when he was struggling to survive... Though, now, he could think.


    ''That man in robes who entered the palace... I think of him for some reason.''


    That man was too suspicious. He would not have been surprised if he was the cause of what was happening here now. But... why was this happening in the kingdom, especially in the king''s palace?


    It was at this moment that he remembered what he had heard the other day.


    ''The empire, one woman destroying an entire scout troop... Ah...''


    It was just a simple thought, but it made a lot of sense. The Empire was powerful, he had learned that the other day in the healers'' building. If one woman could destroy an entire scout troop... why couldn''t someone more powerful take over a single palace? The world was full of crazy things, after all, full of blessings and curses impossible to comprehend...


    ''But if it''s really the Empire... Why bother with something like this? Kill the king, announce that you''ve taken over the kingdom, and be done with it. Isn''t that easier?''


    Even though he could understand some things, there were things he could not. His eyes shifted to the body of the creature that had formed a pool of blood.


    ''It was a human, at least it used to be a human. I''m sure of it.''


    There was no way it could have gotten the clothes it was wearing from some random place. So... he was a human back then and had been transformed into this creature.


    An ugly expression appeared on Kael''s face. He tore his eyes away from the creature, back towards the palace.


    Was it... safe for him to stay here now? He had heard that some creatures were sensitive to the smell of blood, and this place was... very bloody. And even though he was hiding in the plants, this creature had spotted him easily just a few minutes ago. It only had to look in his direction to do so.


    ''It is... not safe here. I have little chance of survival in this place if there are other creatures. I must act, I must find a safer place...''


    So, he quickly came out of hiding. First, he checked his surroundings, but there was no danger anywhere he could see... for now.


    He quickly went to his table. He looked for Elsin''s bag and found it. Even though he didn''t have such a thing, Elsin always used it to make her work easier. It was quite a big bag, he could store a lot of things in it.


    So, he quickly filled it with herbal powders, bowls, and ready-made medicines. He had three bowls of anesthesia that he had overdosed on, two narcotics, two medicines for his wounds, four knives, and two bowls of poison to use with them. He would have liked to take more, but that was all he could fit in his bag.


    ''Okay, here we go...''


    He slung his bag over his shoulder, then took a deep breath... and finally made his way to the door of the greenhouse.


    The first thing he did when he got to the door was to check outside again. And again, he could see no danger.


    Still, he took no chances. He ran towards the wall of the palace, clinging to it, his eyes darting here and there. He wasn''t sure where it was safe, but he certainly didn''t want to be exposed in the open. Entering the palace through a window was the most logical option and that''s what he was going to do.


    So, he made his way across the garden along the palace walls. He knew a window within his reach, he had seen one on his way to the healers'' building. He could use it, it was not far from the greenhouse.


    He went on, and on... He kept walking while always looking around.


    He didn''t have to walk far to reach the window. At most... two minutes? That would be enough, he was sure. So, he kept going. But when he reached the end of the first minute, for the first time, his eyes caught something... and he quickly crouched down.


    He had seen something moving. It was quite far ahead, the window should have been closer to him than what he saw... but he couldn''t risk it.


    He crawled to the nearest bush, then raised his head slightly and looked up at the movement.


    There was indeed something there. Something tall, just like the creature before, another... creature. But the same.


    It was so far away that Kael could not see it properly. But he was sure it was a creature, its red eyes glowed no matter how far away it was.


    As he watched the creature for a while, he realized that it was moving. It was quite slow, but it was definitely moving. It seemed to be... moving away. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kael breathed a sigh of relief. He could wait for the creature to move away, then keep moving towards the window. The danger in front of him now was... not a great one.


    At least, he thought it wasn''t...


    Kael continued to watch the creature, and the creature continued to move away... But then there was a change. Although Kael couldn''t quite make out what it was... it was as if the creature had stopped moving away for a while. It just stayed where it was.


    ''What is it doing...?''


    As this thought crossed his mind... the creature suddenly turned its head so quickly that Kael blinked and the creature''s appearance seemed to change in an instant. The single red glow that he could see because he had been looking at the creature from the side... now there were two.


    The creature was looking at him.


    ''Oh, shit...''


    Kael didn''t even think twice. He jumped to his feet and ran towards the window. He didn''t stop, he didn''t even slow down. He just ran.


    But he wasn''t the only one who started running. Along with him, the creature suddenly increased its speed.


    ''Fuck, fuck, fuck!''


    It was a stroke of luck that he was able to defeat the previous creature, he was aware of his capabilities. He had little faith that he could kill a second one. So he had no intention of engaging in a fight with this one. But... could he reach the window?


    And... what if the window was closed, what would he do then?


    ''Of course I''ll break it, don''t think about stupid things! Run!''


    And once inside...?


    ''Don''t think!''


    He looked at the creature out of the corner of his eye. It was a woman this time, but just like before, she had black skin and was tall. The clothes she was wearing were... strangely familiar. But the problem was that, just like the previous creature, it was speeding up!


    Kael stopped thinking, put everything he had into his legs, and ran with everything he had.


    Soon, he saw a slight protrusion in front of him, at one point in the palace walls.


    ''The window!''


    He forced himself to run even faster. The window was definitely closer to him than the creature, he could make it! No, he would make it! There was no room for hesitation!


    He finally made it in front of the window he remembered. Just as he remembered, it was high enough for him to easily enter.


    But there was one problem...


    The damn window was actually closed!

 Chapter 6: A Familiar Creature

    Kael didn''t even look at how close the creature was to him, he quickly grabbed one of the knives in his bag and drove the hilt into the window. The window rattled, but did not break. But Kael didn''t stop either.He realized that the sound of footsteps behind him was getting closer. Adrenaline surged through his body again and he hit the window again. Cracks appeared on the window, but again... it did not break.


    "Aaaah! Come on, come on!"


    Once again, he hit the window, this time literally with all his strength and without a care in the world.


    The cracks on the window suddenly widened, then the glass quickly shattered. Some of the glass shards rained down on Kael, leaving two small scratches on his face. But he didn''t care.


    He went up to the window, heedless of all the shards of glass that might sting his hand. His hands were covered in blood, his fingers were bloody from the shards of glass... but he didn''t care. He pulled himself up and threw himself through the window. He tumbled across the floor, dragging something like a rug with him.


    He quickly straightened the knife he held upside down in his hand, pointed it at the window, and waited for the figure of the creature preparing to pounce on him... but all he saw was a pair of red eyes staring back.


    The creature was in front of the window, standing there, tall and tall, and... looking right at Kael.


    Kael swallowed. He remembered that the same knife in his hands had failed to make a proper wound on the creature before, but he held on it tightly nonetheless. But, even then, the creature did not attack him. It just continued to stand where it was.


    After a short time, Kael realized something was wrong, and his eyebrows raised. Finally, instead of waiting for an attack, he began to study the creature. And as he did so, he realized something.


    When he had looked at the figure of the creature before, he had realized that it was familiar, yes... But the creature in front of him was actually someone he knew! The dark hair falling over its shoulders, the clothes it was wearing...


    It was none other than Elsin!


    Is that why it didn''t attack her...? Because it recognized Kael?


    Kael looked into Elsin''s eyes, which were glowing with a deep crimson color. He quickly erased what he had just thought from his mind.


    No, it wasn''t ''Elsin'' in front of him. He was sure she wasn''t or couldn''t think straight... Even if she was, why wouldn''t she attack him just because she recognized her? Kael was a slave, a simple slave... Nothing important in her life.


    Well, maybe a little... just because he could halve her workload. But that wasn''t the point!


    Elsin, or rather the creature, turned around after a short time... and walked away from the window as if nothing had happened.


    Kael found himself staring blankly out the window.


    "H- huh?"


    As the adrenaline in his body began to recede, he realized he could barely hold the knife in his hands. A few of the glass shards had sunk into his palms, cutting his fingers. But he didn''t care, he moved to the left where he could see where the creature had gone, and tried to see it. Of course, he didn''t go near the window... he wasn''t stupid enough to do that.


    The creature was really moving away. Its back was completely to the window, walking slowly towards the greenhouse.


    "A- Ah..."


    Kael felt the strength in his legs disappear, he let himself fall to the ground. His breathing and his heart were in the greenhouse again, fast and like it was going to burst his chest.


    ''I''m alive...? I''m alive...''


    He did not know why the creature did not attack him, but he was not going to complain. He was happy to be alive. After all, that was his goal in the first place!


    ''Strange things are happening here... damn it.''


    Calming himself, he finally checked what kind of place he had entered. It was a small room, there were cupboards everywhere and the floor was pretty clean... at least it should have been clean before because it looked pretty bad now thanks to him.


    ''Is this... some kind of storage room?''


    It was obviously too small for a storage room in a palace. But he couldn''t find any other explanation. There was so much he did not know about the world. He had never needed to learn such things as a slave. He didn''t even know how to read and write. This room must have been one of the things he didn''t know.


    After spending a short time recovering, he stood up, then paused suddenly.


    ''Ah, right...''


    He went to the wardrobe closest to the window, then moved next to it, and started to push it very quietly and slowly. He struggled because the wardrobe was heavy, but gradually he kept moving it.


    Even though it hurt him because of the wounds on his hands, he finally brought the wardrobe to the front of the window he had broken and closed his only connection to the outside. He wasn''t going to take any chances just because the creature hadn''t come in, he certainly wasn''t going to do that.


    Finally, he took a deep breath, as he always did, and looked at the wardrobe, which was quite difficult to push.


    ''Let''s see, let''s see...''


    He opened the door carefully, checked inside.


    Inside the wardrobe... there were clothes. A lot of clothes, all similar to each other, made for different bodies.


    ''Are these... for the servants?''


    He went to another wardrobe and found the same clothes in it. Another one had the same clothes in it.


    ''Tch, it would have been better if there was food...''


    He looked at the clothes in one of the wardrobes, studied them for a while. Then he raised his hands and looked at them. He could see a few pieces of glass, and his fingers didn''t look very good...


    Couldn''t he use one of the clothes in the wardrobes to wrap his hands?


    He didn''t think anyone would care about a single piece of clothing... Although, what would someone do if they met him in such a situation?


    ''I don''t know until I see it, I guess...'' S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He sighed, took a piece of clothing out, and cut it with one of the knives from the greenhouse. One by one, he removed the shards of glass from his hands, gritting his teeth even though it hurt so bad. Then, he used one of the antiseptics from the greenhouse on his wounds and wrapped his hands before they continued to bleed, and when he finally finished everything... he actually looked fine.


    He stood there in the room for a while.


    ''Now... what should I do?''


    He could choose to wait in the room, it seemed logical. He could wait until morning and then go out again and return to the greenhouse. He had damaged a part of the palace, and as a slave, the consequences would certainly not be good... So he would prefer that his actions were mysteriously attributed to a random person no one knew who he or she was.


    Being held responsible for the corpse in the greenhouse was more than enough for him. He could at least blame the creature for the damage there, which was already dead.


    ''I''ll wait until morning, then I''ll go back to the greenhouse... They''ll soon find out what happened here, and when they do, they''ll start cleaning up the creatures. They won''t leave the palace abandoned... will they?''


    He wasn''t sure, but one thing he did know... his life was likely to change.


    If the Empire was really responsible for what was happening now... then he had no idea what would happen to him.


    What kind of people were slaves to the Empire? He had heard of a kingdom where there were no slaves a few years ago. Who knows, maybe the Empire was one such country and he would be freed from his slave status...


    But he knew he had to wait for the bad, not the good. Having high hopes often ended in disappointment. He had learned that the hard way as a child. So... in all likelihood, when he was discovered to be a slave, he would either simply be killed or left in someone else''s hands.


    Although... wasn''t it optimistic of him to think he could leave here alive in the first place?


    So far, he had literally danced with death and managed to survive by pure luck, but there was no guarantee that he could continue to do so. Like... what if the door of the room opened, a creature entered... and slaughtered him before he even realized what was happening?


    ''Idiot... just hide in one of the wardrobes, why are you just standing out in the open?''


    He sighed, approaching a wardrobe. He was going to make room for himself by moving the clothes aside.


    But... just then... he heard a rather loud noise.


    ~crrak!


    It came from the door he had turned his back to. And it had opened so fast that he didn''t even have time to react.


    ''Hah, knew it! Fuck my luck!

 Chapter 7: Bloody Corridors

    Kael turned around quickly. He knew he didn''t have time, there was a good chance that whatever was behind him would quickly slam him to the ground and kill him... But he took his chance anyway.And he didn''t actually find himself suddenly on the ground. What he found in front of him was not... a creature.


    "Huh?"


    He should have been surprised, but he was not the one who made that sound. On the contrary, what he found in front of him... was a flesh and blood human being like himself. A real one, not a monstrous one.


    He was dressed in the servant''s clothes of the palace. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had a skinny body, unkempt black hair, and beard.


    He seemed surprised to find Kael. Kael was the same way, of course.


    "W- what are you doing here? Ah, fuck! RUN!"


    Kael''s eyes widened. This man had rushed into the room, and now he was telling him to run.


    He didn''t have to wait long to confirm his suspicions. Within seconds of the man''s words, a shadow appeared in the doorway, and... two eyes, glowing red as always.


    Kael was already thinking before he even saw the creature.


    Could he reach for his bag? No, the creature was too fast.


    Could he somehow use the knife in his hand? Same thing, the creature was too fast. And... he didn''t trust himself.


    Could he escape? It was clearly impossible.


    The creature was probably extending its claw towards them when he looked momentarily at the man in front of him, and saw the terror on his face. He wasn''t even looking at himself, his eyes were on the shadow looming in the doorway. His expression was as if his life was passing before his eyes.


    So... Kael made a decision that he would probably never make faster in his life.


    "I... am sorry."


    He put his hands on the back of the man whose back was turned towards him, pushing him into the creature''s claws. The creature''s claw sliced through the man''s abdomen at the same time. The man''s blood splattered on Kael, but he didn''t even think about it.


    The thrust of the man''s body had knocked the creature slightly off balance, and thanks to that same body, it now had a blind spot on its left side.


    Kael quickly passed through this blind spot with his small body and was out of the room in an instant. He didn''t look back, he didn''t think about what he might find in front of him. He just ran, without stopping... completely ignoring the fatigue and the pain. He prayed that the creature would be preoccupied with that man,


    After a while, whether he wanted to or not, things started to catch his eye.


    The corridors of the palace were quite wide. But... empty as well. Empty for the ''living'', at least. As he ran and ran, he could see so many corpses of people and creatures. The walls and even the ceiling were splattered with blood in some places. The palace... it literally had become a bloodbath.


    But what he found strange... was that he could see hardly anyone alive.


    Were they hiding? Were most of them already dead? Most of the bodies he saw out of the corner of his eye in the corridors were human. Servants, soldiers, unknown people and so on.


    But there were also bodies of creatures. So someone had fought these creatures and managed to kill them.


    Exactly how long after the events had started had he woken up and the palace was already like this?


    Kael swallowed, took one last look around, and then he saw a room with no trace of blood at the entrance. There was also no one alive around him, at least not that he could see.


    He swallowed again, ran into the room, and opened the door without thinking. He only glanced inside briefly, but could not see any creatures. It was a small room anyway.


    He quickly closed the door, distanced himself as far away from it as possible... and then just collapsed where he was.


    He was panting again, his heart beating too fast. Was this the third time? It was becoming... tragicomic, frankly. If he found himself like this one more time, maybe he could laugh.


    Unless... he dies.


    He paused with that last thought. He squinted, just staring at the ground.


    It was strange. Everything was so strange. Yes, he suspected an attack by the Empire, but it didn''t change the fact that it was still very strange. He didn''t understand anything.


    ''Could I be... dreaming or something?''


    That was the first thing that came to his mind. What he had been going through for the last hour... was too fantastic for a slave like him. But then he quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''No, it can''t be a dream.''


    The way he was breathing, the way it hurt, the way his muscles ached... everything was too real. And he couldn''t remember ever being so lucid in a dream.


    He waited again in silence.


    Why was he trying so hard to stay alive? He had stopped expecting anything from life a long time ago, the only reason he had ever strived was for an empty goal that he didn''t even believe he could achieve; he only used it as an excuse to move forward. But... what was the point of a goal when the palace was like this?


    He thought of the man he had pushed to his death a few minutes ago. He hadn''t even thought twice, he had thrown someone who had no idea who he was into the claws of a creature. He had done it to survive.


    His already slightly squinted eyes narrowed even more. He heard a voice slowly rising from the depths of his mind, a sweet memory from years ago... a short sentence.


    ''Everything so I can live, huh...''


    He took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, waited for a while... then opened them again. His lungs and heart had calmed down.


    He lifted his head. For the first time in absolute silence, he looked carefully into the room.


    It was certainly bigger than the room full of servants'' clothes. But... it was not much different. At least in terms of the number of wardrobes. Apart from that, there was a table, an armchair, and a bed. It was as if it was the room of someone who lived in this palace.


    Kael paused, and for a moment, a terrible thought entered his mind.


    ''I... I haven''t been in the prince''s room, have I?''


    He quickly surveyed the room again. Then he heaved a deep sigh.


    ''No, it''s too... austere for a prince''s room. I heard the prince was a snob.''


    He stood up slowly, his eyes lingering on one of the wardrobes.


    ''I suppose the best way to find out is to look at the clothes?''


    After all, the better the quality of the clothes, the more important was the person who wore them.


    So, he approached the wardrobe and calmly opened the door without thinking too much about it. But then... his eyes widened again at the sight before him.


    The wardrobe was not empty. And no, he wasn''t talking about clothes. Inside... there was a person. A living person. And when the door of the wardrobe he was in was opened, he didn''t just... stand still.


    Kael saw something glowing faintly in front of his eyes, then a... sword aimed right at his chest.


    ''Hol-''


    The person in the wardrobe was fast, and he did not expect to find himself in such a situation. He believed he was alone in the room! But he wasn''t!


    He saw the sword approaching his chest, he was watching in slow motion what was happening... but he couldn''t move.


    ''After all that, am I going to die because of someone who doesn''t even look at who is in front of him...?''


    Wasn''t such a death... too funny? Even for him?


    However, just as he was thinking this... the sword suddenly stopped. Kael''s eyes slowly left the sword as a deep silence fell over the room again, finally getting a chance to look properly at the person inside the wardrobe.


    Before him stood a man in his late forties. His neatly coiffed orangish hair was gray in places, and his face had visible, if not obvious, wrinkles. His light brown eyes stared at Kael in surprise.


    ''Is this... a nobleman?''


    Kael jumped to that conclusion as soon as he saw the man. He couldn''t believe that someone with such neat and well-groomed hair could be a normal person. And the clothes he was wearing... they were exactly what a noble would wear. He was wearing a simple tunic with a light pattern that matched his hair color. His brown pants were of good quality fabric, and the boots he was wearing looked like leather.


    "Ah, a h- human...?"


    When the old nobleman stuttered, Kael froze in place for a moment.


    Meeting a nobleman was not a good thing for him!


    The old noble''s eyes roamed over Kael''s body as he thought about it. But soon, he stopped at his neck, staring for a moment at the mark on that very spot. Then... the surprise in his eyes disappeared in an instant.


    "A... slave?"


    Kael cursed his luck again. Of all the things that could have happened, he had met a nobleman!

 Chapter 8: Old Noblemans Room

    The old nobleman drew back the sword, which was clearly trembling in his hand. He looked disappointed while trying to hide his fear. It was clear that he would prefer a knight or anyone who knew how to fight to the skinny, fifteen-year-old slave in front of him.His eyes quickly shifted to the large bag Kael had slung over his shoulder.


    "Hey, what''s in the bag?"


    Kael cursed his luck inwardly, but answered the man softly.


    "I''m a slave working in the greenhouse on the palace grounds, sir, and inside my bag are a few bowls of medicine and poison I''ve prepared for when I encounter the creatures."


    The old nobleman''s eyebrows rose slightly.


    "What kind of medicine?"


    "Narcotics, anesthetics, and poisons that I''ve overdosed on, as well as antiseptics in case I''m injured."


    The man looked genuinely surprised.


    "You''re a bit clever for a slave, huh? Have you ever met one of those... creatures that people turn into?"


    ''Aaahh... I wish I had no restrictions...''


    "Three, sir. I killed one."


    This time the man seemed genuinely surprised. His eyes went back to the mark on Kael''s neck, the mark that told him he was a slave. He couldn''t see anything strange about the mark. So... there was no possibility that the slave in front of him was lying.


    But... how could this frail boy have survived three creatures and even killed one of them? He knew the creatures were not extremely dangerous. His own knight had easily taken down two of them at once before they had to part ways because he had to run. And yet, this skinny boy...?


    "Do you... have a blessing or a curse?"


    That was the first thing that came to mind. But when Kael shook his head from side to side, his confusion only increased.


    "No, sir. Like I said, I''m just a botanist. And any medicine overdosed is a poison."


    The nobleman thought for a moment. The boy before him... perhaps he was not as useless as he thought.


    "How is the palace? Tell me what you saw until now."


    Kael remembered the scene he had seen in the corridors. Squinting slightly, he answered calmly.


    "The corpses of men and creatures litter the halls. As a slave, I beg your pardon as I don''t know exactly what happened... but it doesn''t look good."


    The noble''s expression suddenly soured. He cursed several times as his focus shifted away from Kael.


    "The fucking Empire... Damn it! We shouldn''t have let that man into the palace!"


    As he continued to mutter to himself, Kael quickly realized that everything he had been thinking was true. The Empire was really behind it all, it was all happening because of that man he had seen in the morning.


    But there were still things he didn''t understand.


    The palace was not full of powerless people. Knights, soldiers, more... The Kingdom of Arcanoa may not have been a big kingdom, yes... but this was a fully furnished palace. So what if a few of the people turned into creatures? Even the King himself was a strong man to begin with, it should have been impossible for the palace to get like this.


    He paused for a moment.


    Although... why had he thought that only ''a few'' people had turned into creatures? If a large number had turned, especially important people like knights and soldiers... Then it was quite easy for the situation to come to this.


    "Hey, slave! Step aside!"


    At the old nobleman''s words, he suddenly came to his senses and quickly stepped back. The old nobleman finally came out of the wardrobe where he had been hiding, shook himself off, and sighed lightly.


    "Do you have any food with you?"


    Kael shook his head from side to side. The old noble swore again. He didn''t seem to have any intention of leaving this room.


    But then... suddenly, a deep silence fell over the room. The old nobleman and Kael looked at each other, and then both of their eyes slowly turned towards the door of the room.


    The old nobleman swallowed. Without taking his eyes off the door, he spoke in a whisper. He turned back to the wardrobe from which he had emerged.


    "Hey, check the hallway. If there''s a creature, get it out of here."


    Kael wanted to turn toward him and stare blankly at his face. He was... just leading him to his death! He was telling him to feed the creature, to literally take it away from him by sacrificing his life!


    He swallowed, realizing he was frozen in place. His legs were not moving.


    He turned towards the old nobleman and he looked at him without saying anything. There was no compassion in his eyes as if he didn''t even see Kael as a human being.


    ''Why should he...''


    It made sense that someone who had lived as a noble until this age would see slaves simply as ''tools''. In the eyes of the other man, Kael was like a pebble they could throw away to distract those nearby.


    "Go on, go!"


    He felt the mark on his neck burn as he stayed where he was. A nobleman was giving him orders, after all, not a normal person. The pain of disobeying orders was much more severe.


    ''Damn it... Damn it!''


    His legs finally moved. As the pain from the mark on his neck slowly disappeared, he approached the door. But he didn''t stop there. No, he still hadn''t given up. So he took out from his bag a poison so thick that it could easily kill a normal human being, dipped it into the metal of his knife just enough to soak into it, and let it sit. Finally, he rewrapped the poison, put it back in his bag, and looked at his knife.


    The blade that had resembled the color of normal metal was now slightly... darkened. It was no longer a normal knife.


    Kael swallowed again. Clutching the knife tightly in his left hand, he reached for the door handle and looked behind him.


    The old nobleman was nowhere to be seen, and the door of the wardrobe he had just left was closed.


    Kael clicked his tongue, turned around, and took a deep breath.


    ''If I stay here, I will die from my restraint, and if I go outside, I will be chased by the creatures and most likely die again.''


    He felt like laughing, because it was really funny. He ''had'' to throw himself to his death with just one word from a human being.


    ''Well, whatever happens... here we go...'' S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He braced himself, turned the door handle silently, and opened the door as quietly as possible. He looked to his right and then quickly to his left. There was nothing but corpses and blood in the wide corridors of the palace. It looked clean.


    ''Huh, am I lucky?''


    He went out with calm steps, closing the door to the room again as quietly as possible. Now... he was in the corridors again. But he had no idea where he was supposed to go.


    He got as close to the wall as he could, slowly making his way along the corridor. After only a few seconds, a window caught his attention.


    ''I wonder what it''s like outside...''


    He approached the window cautiously. There were still no creatures in the corridors. It seemed he was really lucky... and so, he reached the window.


    He looked out, not showing his whole body. He really wondered what was happening. But with what he saw... he literally froze.


    ''This... This... What the hell is this...''


    The greenhouse was quiet and empty when he woke up. He couldn''t see anything until he reached the window of the room full of servants'' clothes. But the place he was looking at now, the place he would have reached if he hadn''t broken the glass and jumped in, but had kept walking for another minute...


    A great battle had raged outside. He could see more bodies, more blood than even the palace corridors contained. It was literally a massacre.


    But the massacre was already over. There was no one fighting now, only... the victors of that battle.


    There were almost twenty of these tall creatures, maybe more. Some of them just wandered around the garden as if on patrol... All were slow, their steps too heavy. A few were crouched over the corpses on the ground, not caring who or what they were... they were eating them.


    But they weren''t the important thing, Kael couldn''t even focus on them. He wouldn''t have been so surprised if he had only seen them.


    There were three other creatures in the garden. Unlike the human-turned-creatures, they were not extremely tall, but not short either. Yet the main difference was definitely their bodies.


    These three creatures... looked like werewolves. But they were not exactly ''werewolves''. Their whole bodies were completely covered with hair, like fur. They had huge claws, claws that were out of proportion to their bodies. The clothes they were wearing before were torn to a great extent because their bodies had expanded, emphasizing their frightening bodies even more. They seemed to have a slight hunchback, which made them look strange. Their faces looked like human faces, just like the weaker ones. If it weren''t for their red eyes and dark skin, they would definitely look like ugly humans.


    On top of that... underneath these creatures, the cause of the massacre outside, there were not only normal people.


    There were knights on the ground. Knights whose armor was shattered, crushed... ''knights'' whose organs were scattered here and there, obviously having a painful and agonizing end.


    These creatures could kill knights! Knights with blessings, knights who were the most powerful people Kael had ever seen!


    ''No way...''


    Kael looked at the scene in front of him with genuine shock.


    ''Are there... any of these inside the palace?''


    If so, it would explain much more easily why the palace was in such a state. There were only three of them outside, if there were more inside the palace... with the other creatures, it would all be over in no time at all.


    But Kael couldn''t stay in his thoughts for long. Because the next second, all those red glows in the garden suddenly turned towards him. Every one of the creatures outside, including the three furry creatures that looked like werewolves, were looking in Kael''s direction... no matter how far away they were.

 Chapter 9: Entrance Hall

    Kael ducked quickly. He had ducked so fast that it hurt, and his knees were begging him not to stand in the position he was in now. But Kael didn''t care.All the creatures in his field of vision had turned toward him, all of them, without exception! Was he going to care what position he was in, that he was hurting? Of course not!


    He crawled across the floor to the other side of the window, then jumped to his feet and started walking away from it. He didn''t even look outside, he was just trying to get away from the window. Even if the creatures were coming here, he would have already gone somewhere else. Still, he was careful not to make a sound so as not to attract the creatures inside the palace. At the same time, he was thinking. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''These creatures... they can tell when they are being watched.''


    It was like this every time. Whenever he looked at a creature and was sure it couldn''t see him, it would instantly turn towards him. The most logical conclusion he could reach was that the creatures could sense that they were being watched. Not only that, they could pinpoint where they were being watched.


    ''In how many seconds? I didn''t look out the window for very long, seven or eight seconds at most. Then I have to look at each creature for a maximum of two seconds, three if I need to examine something. More than that is dangerous.''


    He paused with these thoughts. His eyes squinted slightly, slowly focusing in front of him.


    For a brief moment, silence surrounded him. There was nothing, just... nothing.


    In his left hand, he gripped the knife tightly. Meanwhile, his right hand was ready to pull a bowl of narcotics from his bag.


    He took a slow step, then another. All his senses were alert, at least as alert as a slave''s can be.


    Soon, he found the cause of what was bothering him.


    ''The smell of blood is getting stronger.''


    He was not sensitive to the smell of blood, but even a normal child could detect the intensity of the metallic scent wafting through the corridors.


    If he continued on the path he was on now, he was in for a very unpleasant sight.


    He looked around, trying to find a room, but there was not a single one. The corridor only stretched forward. But it curved in a strange arc, so he had to move forward to see beyond a certain distance.


    ''I can''t turn around. I already came here running from a creature...''


    But he was also afraid to move forward. The smell of blood was so disturbing that he would not be surprised to find an army of creatures ahead.


    ''Still, I have no choice...''


    So he kept on stepping. He was praying to find a room. He didn''t want to go any further in these corridors.


    But his prayers were not answered. Instead... the corridor continued to move forward and the smell of blood intensified.


    After a short while, the curve of the corridor finally began to lessen. After a few more steps, Kael would finally either come to a straight corridor, come to the end of it, or come out into a large hall or clearing.


    He glued himself to the wall on his left. Up to now, he had been going on the right side of the corridor so that he could see directly where he could not see because of the curvature of the corridor, but this time, he was not sure what to expect. So he kept moving forward.


    When the curve of the corridor finally disappeared... he found the third of the three possibilities he had just thought of.


    Yes, it was indeed a big room. But it was not just a ''big room''. This was... the entrance hall of the palace.


    *******


    Kael looked around the hall, trying hard not to hold his nose.


    The spectacle before him made the massacre in the garden seem like a mere trifle. There was such a pool of blood on the floor that he couldn''t see what the floor was made of. There were dozens of bodies, perhaps more than a hundred. Nobles, soldiers, servants, creatures... There was even a corpse that looked like one of the three creatures he had seen in the garden.


    But... ''corpses'' were not the only things in the hall.


    There were four creatures walking around. With slow, heavy steps, just like before. The red of their eyes glowed as bright as ever.


    Kael soon stopped looking at the hall and stepped back. He had only looked inside for three seconds, following his self-imposed rule as closely as possible. While he followed it, he also managed to quickly examine everything in the hall.


    ''Now... what can I do?''


    Turning back was not an option. It was also too dangerous to hide where he was now. If one of the creatures in the hall started moving towards where he was, he would be finished.


    For a moment, he thought he could go to the corridor directly across the hall. But one of the creatures was right at the foot of that corridor and facing that way. So he would probably start moving down that corridor after a short time.


    So... if he didn''t want to stay where he was, there was only one place he could go. That is, up the stairs to the second floor.


    ''Hahaha... look what I have to do. Is it better if I just die painlessly so that these creatures... don''t eat me while I''m still alive?''


    Killing himself was an option, of course. In fact... it was a rather sweet option, actually.


    He thought for a while. Even if he was short on time, he thought. But then... he clenched his fist and his teeth.


    ''No, I''ll survive, at least I''ll try my best to try.''


    He held his breath, he had made up his mind. He moved forward again and leaned at an angle where he could see the hall.


    Just as he had predicted, one of the creatures was moving towards the corridor opposite. It had its back to him. So, there would soon be only three creatures to deal with.


    And these three creatures... were not in positions that would overly impede his ascent upstairs.


    One was in front of the entrance door to the palace, not looking towards the stairs. The second was busy eating a corpse, and it didn''t look like it would be finished any time soon. In fact, he had only just started. The third one... was in the middle of the hall. He was staring at a spot between the creature that would soon leave the hall and the massive staircase leading upstairs.


    Kael stepped back again as his mental count reached three. He took a deep, really deep breath.


    ''Well, I don''t have to worry about my smell. It''s impossible for anyone here to smell anything but blood anyway... I don''t know how developed their senses are, or if they are, but I''m sure if I take off my shoes, I can move without making a sound. I just... have to stay out of their line of sight, that''s all.''


    And there were places in the hall where he could do that. First of all, there were a lot of wide pillars, and he could hide behind them. Apart from that... he could use the corpses, although he was sure it wouldn''t be a very pleasant experience. He wasn''t going to resort to that option unless he really had to.


    ''Well... I''ll wait for that creature to move into the hallway.''


    He looked around the hall again. None of the creatures were looking in his direction, a good sign.


    Quickly, he looked for a path to the stairs. There were almost seven meters between him and the stairs, and within those seven meters were two huge pillars.


    If he could get behind the first pillar, he would be out of sight of all the creatures. But the problem was the second pillar. Once there, there was no way to avoid the creature gnawing at the corpse. If it raised its head, it could see him. Even if he moved out of his line of sight, using the pillar, then there was a chance that the creature in the center of the hall would see him.


    So... what if he crawled slowly between the corpses, while the creatures were not looking at him? He was pretty sure he wouldn''t be noticed in a place where the smell of blood was so strong. The only problem was... He wasn''t sure of the creatures'' level of intelligence and perception abilities.


    Would they be able to recognize that a body that appeared out of nowhere had not been here before? Or was there a way for them to detect that Kael was alive, regardless of the scent?


    He sighed slightly. He wasn''t really sure what he should do.


    But... just then, something caught his attention. A faint sound suddenly entered his ears, an... echo. An echo coming from behind him.


    His eyes widened. He quickly turned around and focused.


    A second passed, then two seconds... and then... the sound of a footstep.


    A slow, slow yet heavy step. One he was unfortunately getting used to hearing... and the harbinger of very bad news.

 Chapter 10: Gamble

    Kael did not know what to do for a brief moment. There was a creature approaching the hall, he was sure of that. But he couldn''t jump straight into the hall in front of him!He looked towards the hall, then back again. He stopped for a while, turned in front of him. He looked back again and then in front again.


    ''What should I do... What should I do?''


    The footsteps were not so close, they had only recently begun to echo. And because the corridor was curved, he had some time. But not much.


    ''Damn it...!''


    He took a deep breath. Fear and nervousness had enveloped his whole body. But, even then, he made up his mind. He wanted to live, after all.


    He took another look at the hall in front of him. The fourth creature he had expected to leave the hall had already entered the corridor, but he could still see its body. It was close enough to turn back if there was a commotion in the hall.


    He tore his eyes away from it and took a quick look at the positions and movements of the other creatures. The creature at the foot of the entrance door had its back completely turned. The other one was completely detached from the world dealing with the corpse, it didn''t seem to care about its surroundings. And the last one... he would have to be really fast if he wanted to avoid being seen by it.


    The sound of the next footstep behind him was the trigger. Kael quickly took off his shoes and put them aside, then looked at the pillar closest to him. He took one last look at the creatures and moved as quietly as he could, without turning towards them again, to the back of the first pillar.


    Two meters, that was how far he had to go without being seen. But if even a single one of the creatures turned towards the stairs, they would see him. He was standing in plain sight.


    In the same room with three of the creatures.


    He found it difficult to control his heartbeat. But, even then, he finished the first meter quickly, meanwhile closing his eyes to avoid looking at the creatures.


    Soon, a shadow appeared in front of his closed eyes, the shadow of the pillar.


    Kael quickly crouched down, holding his breath. The hall was silent, there was no change around him.


    He had successfully passed behind the first pillar unnoticed.


    He only looked at the creatures for a second and then hid back.


    They were still in the same place, he had to move now! This was his chance! So, he prepared to move towards the second pillar, held his breath, and... suddenly froze in place.


    The sound of the footsteps that forced him to move echoed through the hall, even though it was quite low in volume. The hall was already silent, but with the sound of that step... an even more abnormal silence enveloped Kael''s body.


    He heard a footstep from inside the hall. Then another. Then... another.


    The creatures he had tried to avoid were on the move!


    Kael didn''t dare look behind the pillar. Before, he could, because the creatures moved quite slowly unless they saw a target, and their faces were not turned towards him. But now... they should all be facing towards the corridor he had just come from. On top of that, the creature at the entrance to the hall must have been facing directly towards the pillar where Kael was hiding now!


    ''Fuck... fuck! I should have been faster!''


    Now, there were two possibilities. Either one of the creatures would discover his hiding place as it made its way down the corridor, or it would cross the corridor before the creature coming down the hall, giving Kael the perfect opportunity to actually escape.


    Kael would have really liked the second possibility to happen. But he didn''t trust his luck that much. So, he had to think of something.


    He looked at his knife, which he had never put down until now. Then, he thought about the medicines, or rather poisons, in his bag.


    ''Can I do it?''


    With the amount and intensity of the poison in his knife, even if he simply scratched a person, he could paralyze them within five seconds at most. He had a really powerful poison. But... three creatures? Or even four with the one coming into the hall?


    ''No, I have no death wish.''


    Although... if he didn''t hurry, he wouldn''t have to wish for his death to die. His time was limited.


    So... as difficult as it was, Kael finally made a decision rather fast.


    He couldn''t move. If he moved an inch, one of the creatures would notice him.


    He could not fight either. The outcome of the fight was death.


    So... he decided to wait, to take a gamble. He had no other choice, anyway.


    He waited.


    Their footsteps grew closer together.


    He waited.


    One of the creatures paused where it was, then the others did likewise.


    He continued to wait.


    The seconds were filled with silence, an intense silence in which no one moved a muscle. The creatures had met each other.


    Kael, meanwhile... still waited.


    After a short time, the sound of footsteps echoed once more in the entrance hall.


    Kael focused, trying to discern from the sound of the creatures'' footsteps where they were heading.


    Two of them... were actually moving away. And even better, in the opposite direction of the hall, towards the corridor he had come from! Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. But he decided to do neither, as he wasn''t trying to die, and continued to listen.


    After a while, his expression fell.


    Yes, two of the creatures were indeed moving away from the hall. However... the other two seemed to have no intention of leaving. On the contrary, they started moving around the hall again.


    ''The ones walking away must have been the ones who heard the sound of footsteps at the beginning and headed towards it. Then, the ones who wandered into the hall... are probably the ones who came here from the corridor and ate the corpse.''


    He was afraid to turn around and look at their position. Only then did he realize that one of the creatures actually had its back to him. The footsteps were moving away from him, and the creature couldn''t walk backwards.


    At least... not if the world was mocking him. With what he had been through so far, he wasn''t sure if it was trying to be helpful or if it was really mocking him.


    Although... if the world was trying to help him, he shouldn''t have gone through this in the first place, right?


    Kael pushed his thoughts aside and reassessed the situation.


    He was now sure that he wasn''t in the line of sight of one of the creatures. The only problem was... the other one. Because it was no longer moving, so there were no footsteps. Kael had no idea where it was facing.


    ''Well... I think I can handle the two creatures somehow. If I can poison the other one before it reaches me, we''ll be one on one.''


    Of course, this was a backup plan. His main plan was never to fight the creatures directly. He would take his chances first.


    So, he held his breath again, turning around as slowly as he could. As the rest of the hall slowly unfolded before his eyes, he saw the first of the creatures. It was the creature that was moving away from him. And just as he had predicted, it was the creature that had eaten the corpse.


    Kael kept looking towards the back of the pillar. Finally... he managed to see the other creature.


    It wasn''t looking in his direction, so his luck was good. But... it didn''t have its back turned completely. It was looking towards the corridor where the other two creatures had gone, in the direction Kael had come from. If he pushed a little harder, he could see the glint in his red eyes.


    In short, Kael was now probably only a few inches out of the creature''s line of sight.


    ''Great!''


    Kael quickly turned around. He would be even further out of the creature''s line of sight as he moved towards the second pillar. So luck was really on his side!


    He didn''t want to waste time. He quickly turned back towards the second pillar and started walking towards it again as quickly but slowly as possible. He took each step with care. He didn''t care about stepping in the blood on the floor or the body parts that sometimes touched him. His only goal was to survive and he was going to do it.


    When he came between the two pillars, he began to get excited. The creature looking towards the corridor was in a position to see him if it turned its head slightly to the side, but he could not turn around and check it. He was scared, he was worried, but he was also confident.


    So... he finally managed to get behind the second pillar. But he didn''t even stop to rest, he headed straight for the stairs! After all, he would never get a chance like this again. He was not going to make the same mistake he had made at the first pillar.


    A few seconds later, he stepped onto the first flight of stairs. The stairs were really huge. And as huge as they were, they were also exposed. So he had to be even faster than before. And so he did.


    He climbed the stairs so quickly but so quietly that he couldn''t help wondering how he could do it. Adrenaline and fear could really make people do strange things. Nevertheless, he kept going.


    When he finally made it to the second floor, he quickly ducked behind the railing and waited. His ears were wide open.


    He could still hear the creature walking towards the entrance door. The other one was still standing where it was, not making a sound.


    Kael couldn''t help smiling involuntarily as he looked at the wall in front of him.


    ''I... made it.''


    He would have laughed if he could. But he didn''t. Instead, he just stayed where he was. He simply tried to calm himself down, and he succeeded nonetheless.


    Now... all he had to do was keep moving forward.

 Chapter 11: Snow-White Flower

    Kael crawled behind the railing into the corridors of the second floor. He had made it past the entrance hall, but he had no time to relax, and he knew it.Finally, when he actually made it out of the entrance hall and stepped into a corridor, he took a deep breath.


    ''Okay, I made it to the second floor, so... what should I do now?''


    If he had had the chance, he would never have left the first floor. But circumstances had forced him to move forward, and now... he was on the second floor.


    But... it was dangerous here too. And probably much more dangerous.


    His best chance was to find a room where there were no creatures and hide there until morning or until the palace was out of this situation. In short... his goal was exactly the same as on the first floor.


    He looked down the corridor. Just like on the first floor, it was curved. He couldn''t see beyond a certain distance. But he had no complaints, curved corridors suited him, after all.


    ''One room, just one safe or empty room.''


    With this thought in mind, he began to move slowly and silently. It hurt sometimes because he took off his shoes in the entrance hall to avoid making noise. Moreover, it felt really disgusting to step on dried blood. Still, he didn''t mind, at least tried to do so... and just moved forward.


    After a short while... he found the room he was looking for.


    It was a room with no blood stains at the entrance and no sound coming from inside.


    He checked his surroundings, made sure he heard no footsteps, and that he was indeed alone. Finally, as he reached for the door handle... he couldn''t help thinking.


    He could sometimes see corpses of creatures around. Humans were not the only ones killed. But... where were the people who killed these creatures? There were only two people he had ever met. One was the servant he had pushed to his death with his own hands, the other was the old nobleman. The state of the palace was indeed dire, yes... But wasn''t it strange that he had met so few people?


    ''Though... the knights and soldiers must have run straight upstairs to the king.''


    The palace, if he was not mistaken, had six floors, and the king was naturally on the top floor. Those who had fled during the incident had either flown outside, causing the scene he had seen in the entrance hall, or they had run to the upper floors, to the king, more specifically to where the vast majority of his soldiers and knights were, a potential ''safe spot''.


    Couldn''t he have gone to the upper floors himself?


    It wasn''t that Kael hadn''t thought about it. It''s just... he was a frail boy. He couldn''t easily do anything if a creature appeared in front of him. The journey to the upper floors was dangerous. On top of that... he was a slave. So he was one of the first to be disposed of in the event of a possible situation. Even if he reached the upper floors, he would be among the first to die.


    So it made more sense to hide somewhere, at least to him.


    With that thought, he opened the door, his mind clearing quickly at the same time and focusing on what was in front of him.


    The room looked like one of those designed for personal use, just like the old noble''s room. The placement of furniture was different, of course, and the room looked a little bigger and even simpler than the old noble''s room... but the contents were exactly the same.


    Kael stepped inside and closed the door. The first thing he did was to approach the wardrobe, which he opened without a second thought. This time, however, he took a step back.


    The wardrobe was... surprisingly empty. There were only clothes inside, as there should be.


    ''Tunics and good quality pants... A nobleman''s room again.''


    Sighing, he left one door of the wardrobe open. Then he turned around, this time taking a good look around the room. And... all of a sudden, he just stood where he was.


    His eyes locked on the only bed in the room. It was almost parallel to the wall and in the far corner of the room. The cover was flat, no one was there.


    But... Kael could have sworn he saw movement there.


    He moved slightly closer to the bed, but not too close. The first thing he did... was to lean down.


    And... just as he expected, he found a pair of eyes staring at him from under the bed.


    Neither of the two moved. They were completely silent.


    The person under the bed... was a woman dressed as a maid. She looked to be in her early twenties, quite young.


    "H- Hello?"


    Kael tried to be the first to speak, but when the woman quickly brought her index finger to her lips, he stopped with a sigh.


    "Sorry... Then... I''ll pretend I didn''t see."


    He didn''t even look at what she was going to do next. He simply stood up, walked away from the bed and her.


    He had not expected to find someone in the room. But... it wasn''t as bad as he thought. He didn''t even need to communicate with her.


    He approached the wardrobe where he had left the only door open. Without caring too much, he pulled the clothes aside and sat down inside. He could have closed the door in one move, but he left it open so as not to be out of breath for too long.


    ''Now... I''ll just wait, I guess.''


    Sitting in the wardrobe, he began to think. How long had it been since he woke up in the greenhouse?


    ''An hour or so, huh...''


    When he thought about everything he had experienced in just one hour... it was like being in a surreal dream. Even if he added up everything he had experienced in his fifteen years of life, he had never experienced as much action and tension as he had in this last hour.


    He paused for a moment, his eyes squinting as his lips curled up slightly.


    ''Well, I guess I have.''


    The day his mother died... it was a much more tense, much more fearful day. He had no idea what was going to happen to him. He was only eleven years old at the time, he didn''t know anything. So he was afraid that he would be thrown away, that he would simply be used as a... as a source of entertainment. Just like his mother.


    But if there was anything else he dreaded, it was the absence of his mother. Every day, he felt her warmth, her tenderness, and then suddenly... just like that... she was gone.


    It left him with a great sense of emptiness. It took him almost a year to recover. It was only after that year that he was able to find a ''purpose'' for himself, even if it was impossible, and take it upon himself to hold on to life.


    Kael closed his eyes and just waited. He replayed his past memories over and over again, trying to memorize his mother''s truly beautiful face... as he always did.


    But then, his eyes opened again. The faint smile fell from his face.


    For a while, he just stared into space.


    He turned his head, looked at the bed. Apparently, the maid had no intention of getting out of there. It was fine with him. As long as it was quiet, he didn''t really care. She didn''t seem to realize that he was a slave either, so he didn''t have to worry... at least not yet.


    He looked ahead again, this time thinking of the old nobleman on the first floor.


    ''I wonder if he is alive?


    Frankly... he hoped not. He had spent the last three years bowing softly to people like that. He had done it willingly, in a completely emotionless way. But that didn''t mean he was emotionless. He always imagined what he could do to the other person if he didn''t have the restraint around his neck.


    ''Anyway...''


    Should he sleep? It was too dangerous to sleep, but... he was really tired. What would happen if he took a nap after closing the wardrobe door? He doubted the creatures even checked the rooms. Unless they saw someone, they were just wandering around like idiots. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His eyes began to close on their own, faintly... weakly. He yawned, but it was such a yawn that sleep seemed to multiply in an instant.


    ''What would happen... if I took a nap?''


    Slowly, his eyes began to surrender themselves to the darkness... seconds passed, and he slowly lost consciousness...


    ''Uh... what is that?''


    He paused as he saw something out of the corner of his eye.


    It was something shimmering with a white glow. It had come through the window of the room, floating in the air like a feather. But... it wasn''t a feather.


    It was a flower. A snow-white flower with five petals. Just... like the one he had seen in the greenhouse just before he woke up.


    Kael''s sleepy eyes focused on the flower, watching it float in the air. It was slow, delicate, and... beautiful. He locked all his focus on it. All his sleep had just dissipated, but at the same time... he still felt tired. Even then, he wanted to get up, to go towards the flower. He wanted to... give himself to it.


    Which he was going to do. He got up from where he was sitting in the wardrobe, he was going to get ready to walk towards the flower.


    But... there was someone faster than him. The woman who had been hiding quietly under the bed until now was already on her feet and approaching the flower before he realized it.


    Kael felt himself getting angry. He should have been the one approaching the flower, not that maid! He was so angry that he clenched his fists, he would punch her if necessary.


    He tried to speed up his steps, but... it was too late. The woman opened her hands and took the floating flower in her palms. She looked at it with wide, mesmerized eyes.


    And then... the flower withered and disappeared.


    Her expression became uglier than ever. And Kael''s expression... suddenly changed more than ever. His eyes widened as he looked at the young woman in horror.

 Chapter 12: Trying Not to Sleep

    There was something Kael had never thought about until this moment.All the creatures he had seen were once human, he was sure of that. But... what turned them into creatures? Who becomes a creature and according to what?


    He had never questioned the answer to this question. It was just a small matter that had escaped his attention when he had given everything to survival. Or... not so small, perhaps. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The moment the flower in the woman''s hands withered, he came to his senses. His thinking was back in his own hands, not controlled by anything. But... it was too late.


    The woman''s face had become ugly not because her expression had changed, no... it had indeed become ugly. Her whole body was trembling, her skin color was fading rapidly.


    "A- Ahr... Aaaghhrr..."


    She tried to scream, but each time, it sounded as if she was blocked at the last moment. It was only with the next thing that Kael really came to his senses this time.


    The woman collapsed to the ground, barely able to stand with the support of her limbs. But her limbs were also changing. They were becoming thinner, as if... they were being forcibly extended. And it was clear from her face, from the sounds she was making, that something painful was happening.


    ''S- She''s turning into a creature!''


    Kael quickly took out his bag and put one of the bowls on the floor. He picked up his knife and plunged it back into the bowl of poison on the floor. He wasn''t sure how long it had been since he had last done this, but he wasn''t taking any chances.


    The seconds filled with the woman''s groans caused sweat to break out on his forehead. It was the first time he had ever seen someone turn into a creature, he wasn''t sure how long the process took or when she would start attacking him. So he tried to be as fast as he could.


    After only a few seconds he was finished. He turned towards her, gripping the knife tightly in his hand.


    Her skin color had become very gray. Her height, previously quite short, was now approaching two meters. And she would reach it if her limbs grew any longer. And because of this, her clothes were beginning to tear slightly.


    Kael ran towards her, closing the distance quickly. When he was right beside her, he stopped. She lifted her head slowly, barely looking at him.


    The whites of her eyes were slowly turning red, and soon, her irises would be red and glowing. But... the owner of this body was still a human being. Her face still showed none of the emotionlessness of those creatures, she was even weeping at the unimaginable pain.


    Kael hesitated for a moment, a brief moment really, but... his hands continued to shake.


    He didn''t enjoy killing people. He didn''t enjoy killing anything. The reason he could be cold-blooded in the greenhouse and in that room on the first floor was because he was used to it, because of the adrenaline, and because he wanted to survive. But that didn''t mean he enjoyed killing anything.


    There was someone in front of him who would do anything to kill him in a few seconds, but the pain was so obvious... that he couldn''t help but feel sorry for her.


    It was at this moment that the maid''s eyes caught sight of the knife clutched tightly in his hand. She didn''t seem to realize that he was trembling, but... her eyes still widened.


    "K- Kill..."


    He couldn''t find the strength to finish, the pain was really intense.


    ''Kill, huh...''


    If he couldn''t hear her tone of voice, if he couldn''t see her, he might have thought that she was afraid of the knife in her hand, that she was telling him to die. But no, the situation was very different.


    The woman was not looking at the knife with fear. Her eyes were widening not because she thought she was going to die. On the contrary, she... wanted to die. She didn''t want to turn into a creature. And Kael... was well aware of that.


    "I... apologize."


    He gripped the knife in both hands, crouched over her. He squinted his eyes. He wanted not to look at her, to close his eyes and do what he was going to do, but... he didn''t. He made direct, unblinking eye contact with her. If he was going to kill someone, he wasn''t going to do it cowardly.


    He raised the knife. There was no hesitation in the woman''s eyes, which were almost completely red. She was practically begging him to continue.


    Kael brought the knife down quickly.


    The poisonous metal of the blade entered her chest. Her skin was not yet completely hardened, so the knife reached her heart without difficulty.


    Blood oozed from between the woman''s lips, she coughed up blood in a wheezing cough. The terror in her red eyes was replaced by a strange peace as the fear slowly faded.


    Seconds passed, seconds in which the woman coughed incessantly. If he could, Kael would have liked to make it painless, but he had no idea how to kill someone painlessly. So, he chose the surest method to ensure her death. But to listen to her coughing up blood, to see the peace on her face, knowing how much pain she was in as she surrendered herself to death...


    After a short time, the woman stopped completely. She was no longer struggling or coughing. She was just... motionless.


    Kael removed his poisoned knife from her chest. As he slowly got off her, he took a few steps back and looked at her from a distance.


    Her body was now a creature in every sense of the word. Her skin had darkened considerably, her eyes were red, though the glow had faded, and there were claws where her fingernails should have been. Her transformation was complete. But... she was already dead.


    Kael tore his eyes away from her, took a deep breath in and out.


    ''Damn it.''


    He thought nothing as he went back to the wardrobe. When he got into exactly the same position as a few minutes ago... he was silent. But then, he squinted, thinking of the snow-white flower he had seen before he killed her.


    He had seen the same one in the greenhouse. But when he woke up... he had thought it was just a dream. He had never thought that it could be that flower that turned people into creatures.


    He kept thinking.


    He had seen the flower twice now. And both experiences had something in common. He was always either sleeping or almost asleep when the flowers appeared.


    ''So I''m not supposed to sleep. No, I''m not supposed to try to sleep at all.''


    That was... a problem. He was overtired, he was going through things all the time. And mentally, he was not in a very good state. He could continue to resist sleep now, yes... but for how long? That''s what he wasn''t sure about.


    How long did he have to endure? There was no answer to that question, at least not yet.


    "Haaaaaah..."


    And so began the minutes he would spend hiding in this room.


    Kael never stopped thinking. He even scratched himself with one of the knives he hadn''t poisoned to keep himself awake. He didn''t sleep much right now, yes... But he didn''t even want to think about sleeping. His ability to think was clouded when those white flowers appeared, so he constantly did things to keep himself completely awake.


    The minutes passed one after another. Minutes of silence... of nothing happening. Every now and then, he would look at the woman''s lifeless body. There was a tiny pool of blood around it because he had pierced her heart, but that was it. She was truly dead, not a problem for him.


    When he looked back in front of him, he couldn''t help thinking that his luck was changing. Since the greenhouse, he had been consistently unlucky, something was always happening to him. But, after the entrance hall, things had changed. If he was still alive... it was only because he was lucky. If the woman wasn''t faster than him, for example... he was dead.


    ''Although... when I think about it, isn''t it because I was unlucky in the first place?''


    This... was a thought-provoking issue, actually. Was he lucky or unlucky? He continued to think, having found one more topic to dwell on to prevent sleep.


    After a few more comfortable minutes of this... he was suddenly distracted.


    His eyes widened. In the absolute silence, he tried to perceive what was happening. But... there was nothing.


    ''Am I being too paranoid?''


    No matter how long he waited, no matter how much he focused... there was nothing.


    Still, he did not reassure himself. He preferred to remain constantly vigilant, and so he did.


    After a short while... he suddenly realized that he was just sitting where he was. No, not a normal sitting... A ''sitting'' where he was completely detached from the world, without thinking about anything.


    ''Am I... dozing off without realizing it?''


    He grasped the knife in his hand and made another tiny scratch on his right arm. He watched his own blood flow through the scratch, reaching the other scratches. Pain was one of the things that kept him from sleeping, yes... But for some reason, looking at the new scratch... he couldn''t feel anything.


    ''Oh, no... No...''


    He shook his head from side to side. Gritting his teeth, he rubbed his eyes incessantly with his hands, refusing to fall asleep.


    ''Don''t sleep... Don''t sleep... Don''t sleep...''


    He was fine just a few minutes ago, what had happened to make him feel so... sleepy? Was he more tired than he thought?


    ''Resist... You can resist...''


    He paused for a moment.


    ''No, you will resist! You have no choice!''


    But then... in the midst of all this silence and fatigue... he saw something out of the corner of his eye.


    It was a snow-white flower.

 Chapter 13: The Disturbing Peace

    When Kael saw the flower, he felt many different things inside him.The first was surprise. Because... he needed a few seconds to realize what was going on.


    The second was horror. He knew what the flower was doing and why it was in front of him.


    The third was... peace. The most uncomfortable peace he had ever felt in his life, yet... warm and alluring.


    He knew the flower was playing with his mind. Once learned, it was hard to fall for the same trick completely. But... the flower had a powerful attraction. He wanted to get out of the wardrobe, to pick it up and smell it. His whole body literally ached to be near it.


    Kael swallowed as he looked at the flower. For a while, he just stared at it, doing nothing, just... staring. As if he was locked in. He wanted to turn his head, but neither his muscles nor his brain were listening.


    He closed his eyes momentarily to blink, like a normal person would. It was something everyone did without even realizing it, so fast that it happened in split seconds. However, when Kael opened his eyes again... he froze in place.


    He was standing in front of the flower. He was bending down to pick it up.


    ''No!''


    He stepped back, threw himself into the wardrobe, and closed its door as fast as he could. He didn''t even care to make a sound. Because... he was scared. He couldn''t remember ever being so scared in his life.


    ''You''re in control, you''re in control, you''re in control...''


    He had moved to a position where he could no longer see the flower, but... he was afraid to close his eyes. What if he blinked and found the flower in his hands? What if... he turned into a creature?


    ''No, I''m myself. I''m in control. I don''t even see the flower...''


    He swallowed. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his torn and blood-stained clothes. Then... for a while, he just waited.


    Silence...


    Nothingness...


    Darkness...


    He felt dizzy. That disgusting, disturbing peace touched him again as his eyes widened once again.


    He quickly opened the wardrobe and stepped out.


    The flower was still in the same place. It was inviting him, begging him to come to it. Just like... like that woman who begged him to kill her.


    He remembered her transformation, how she had suffered. Then... he looked at the flower again.


    It was beautiful, too beautiful.


    But...


    ...


    ...


    He threw up.


    There wasn''t much in his stomach, but he threw up anyway. He tried his best to get away from the flower, but he couldn''t think straight. He kept imagining himself holding it, and then... turning into a creature.


    He shook his head slightly from side to side. No matter how hard it was, no matter how much he wanted to go to it...


    He turned and ran out of the room.


    He was back in the palace corridors, back in danger. But he didn''t care. He ran along the corridor, not even caring to make a sound. He didn''t care about the bodies and the blood and the filth around him. He just ran. As far away from the flower as he could get. He resisted all his impulses, everything, and he ran.


    He saw a creature. It was crouched over a corpse just a few meters in front of him. As soon as the sound of footsteps reached him, it turned its head towards him. Its crimson eyes stared into his own.


    Kael''s eyes widened. Terror filled him again.


    But... it wasn''t because of the creature in front of him. It was because of something far more beautiful, far more alluring. It was the snow-white flower behind him, floating to the ground as if nothing had happened.


    Kael screamed. He took off his bag and, not thinking straight, threw it at the flower. But in his path was the creature on the corpse.


    The creature tore the bag to pieces with its claws, but spilled all the medicines on itself in doing so. Kael walked past it as if nothing had happened, not even looking back. He heard the sound of the creature hitting the ground, but he didn''t stop.


    He saw stairs leading upwards. They were much smaller than the ones in the entrance hall, probably used by the servants and maids. But he didn''t care and went up to the third floor.


    It was only when he managed to step into the corridors of the upper floor that he realized what he had done. He had run like a madman, his lungs were screaming. He had also lost his medicine bag. All he had was the knife with which the poison had dried, with which he had killed that woman.


    But he didn''t focus on that. Instead, his eyes locked on one place, a little further down the corridor.


    There... for the first time, he saw someone who could fight creatures.


    It was a soldier, his hair disheveled, covered in dust. Some of his armor was missing, the rest was covered with claw marks. His fatigue was evident on his face, his breathing was rapid. He was not much different from Kael in this respect. But... he couldn''t have been more different in every other way.


    In the corridor were the bodies of three creatures, and two of them standing in front of him. This man... had fought five creatures on his own and had managed to kill three of them! But he didn''t seem to be able to kill the other two, yet.


    Just then, the creatures saw Kael, their crimson eyes shifting towards him, if only for a moment. The man realized this, but did not turn around. Instead, he shouted, gripped his sword tightly in his hand, and charged at the creatures.


    The creatures'' eyes shifted to him again. But... there was something different about the man this time. A white-colored aura appeared momentarily around his body. It was not very visible, the color was pale, but... it was there.


    ''This man... is one of the Blessed!''


    The man swung his sword at the chest of one of the creatures, slicing it in two before it knew what was happening. The other creature swung its claw at him, grabbed him by the shoulder, almost tearing his arm off. But the man did not allow it. He stepped back in one swift movement, spun around, and swung his sword at the creature''s throat. The creature''s head separated from its neck and flew to the other side of the corridor, and its body simply collapsed.


    It all happened so suddenly that Kael could not understand what was happening. But... only one thing was running through his mind.


    ''Were these creatures... so weak? Or is this man too strong?''


    He did not know the answer to the question. But... with the man''s next move, all his thoughts were simply gone.


    The man did not stop after killing the last creature. He quickly turned around and swung his sword mercilessly at Kael. The bloody sword that had sliced through two of the creatures a second ago was now in front of his very eyes.


    Kael felt the whole world freeze. He hadn''t even had time to think, he was just going to lose his life like that.


    But... he didn''t.


    Time had indeed frozen, and the sword was right where it had been in front of his eyes.


    At first, he was surprised. But then he saw the hot blood dripping from the sword and his eyes widened.


    No, time had not stopped... the man had stopped!


    Kael finally took his eyes off the sword and turned them towards the man''s well-built body. Then... he found a pair of dark eyes staring at him in surprise.


    The man was kind of handsome. He must have been in his thirties, because although he looked old, he had no wrinkles.


    "Ah, a kid?"


    The man drew his sword back. Kael let out all the breath he was holding at the same time and fell on his buttocks. The man sighed slightly as he looked at the young boy in front of him.


    "I''m sorry, I thought you were a creature too."


    His eyes drifted for a moment to his neck, to where the mark of slavery was. His eyebrows rose slightly.


    "You were a slave?"


    Then he looked at his clothes. Although torn and covered in blood, it wasn''t hard to guess what he had looked like before.


    "You don''t seem to be from the palace, did you come from outside?"


    "Y- yes..."


    The man looked back for a moment, checked the corridor. But there was nothing. Then he turned in front of him and there was nothing on the other side either. When he was sure that no one was there, that they were safe even for a moment, he held out his hand to Kael.


    Kael was surprised to see the hand extended to him. Were most of the knights he met in this palace good people... or was it just him?


    Kael took the man''s hand and stood up with his support. Then the man started asking questions again.


    "Were you hiding somewhere, where did you come from?"


    Kael waited for a while before answering. But then he realized he was thinking too much.


    "Yes, I was hiding. Then... I saw one of the white flowers and I ran away."


    The man looked at him blankly. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "White flowers?"


    ''Oh, he doesn''t know?''


    "Yes, they cause people to turn into creatures. They appear when one is asleep or about to fall asleep, they have an ability to prevent thinking straight. And if anyone touches one..."


    He looked at the creatures on the ground. He quickly caught the man''s attention.


    "The flower withers, and whoever touches it turns into a creature."


    The man''s eyes narrowed quickly, his focus shifting from Kael.


    "That''s... good information. Do you know anything else about the situation?"


    Kael opened his mouth, about to tell the man that what had happened here was because of the man who had entered the palace this morning, but... then he paused. He had done nothing himself. On the contrary, the eyes of the man in front of him were no longer on him. He was looking behind him.


    Kael slowly turned around. But then... he literally froze where he was, speechless.


    There was a creature on his side of the corridor. But... it wasn''t a normal creature. It was one of those furry creatures he had seen in the garden. It was staring at the duo with its emotionless face, huge claws, and crimson eyes.

 Chapter 14: Two Kind Knights

    The man moved slowly in front of Kael. His sword in his hand, alert. The creature... just stood where it was, not moving. As if... it didn''t want to be the first to attack."Hey, kid... you got a name?"


    The man spoke in a whisper as if not wanting to attract the creature''s attention.


    "K- Kael, sir..."


    "Kael, huh... That''s a nice name. Now, listen to me carefully, Kael."


    Kael paid special attention to what the man had to say. For some reason... he had a bad feeling inside him.


    "You''ve been through a lot to get here, I can tell. You''re doing your best to survive."


    He saw the man gripping his sword even tighter, but he said nothing and continued to listen to him.


    "I''m going to try to hold this friend while you run away. Try to get to the upper floors, hide, run. It doesn''t matter how you do it, try to survive somehow... as you have done so far. If you meet other knights like me, tell them what you learned about that flower. Okay?"


    Kael nodded his head up and down softly. There was nothing he could say.


    "O- okay..."


    "Good, now..."


    He straightened, his eyes narrowed slightly. The creature''s claws, which had remained where they were until now, seemed to sharpen with this movement.


    "Go!"


    The man lunged at the creature. At the same moment, the creature at the end of the corridor roared so loudly that it almost deafened Kael''s ears. But he... just turned and ran away.


    He could hear the sounds of the battle taking place behind him. No matter how far he ran, it echoed in his ears.


    No creatures came his way. Nor did he meet anyone alive. After a short while... the sounds of fighting he could hear stopped. Still, he kept running. He saw several rooms, some with open doors, some with closed.


    He could have gone inside one of them and waited, just like last time. But... that flower would come back. And when it came back, he didn''t know if he could resist sleep this time, if he could fight the desire to do so.


    He had to go upstairs. If most of the knights were really upstairs... then that''s where he had to go.


    Yes, the number of creatures would multiply... Yes, he would be the first one to be discarded or used as bait. Still, if he really wanted to live, he could at least take his chances there. He didn''t want to turn into a creature in a quiet, dark room with no self-control.


    If he was going to die, then at least he wouldn''t be a creature.


    So, after a short while, he found the stairs to the fourth floor. But... as soon as he found these stairs, something else caught his attention, voices. So many voices. The voices of people, the voices of creatures, the sounds of collisions... All coming from upstairs.


    He swallowed. It wasn''t hard for him to realize that something big was happening on the fourth floor. But... the king was supposed to be on the sixth floor. If such noises were coming from the fourth floor, what was happening on the fifth floor? And on the sixth floor?


    He swallowed again.


    ''I must move forward.''


    That was the only thought in his mind. There was no turning back now, he had to move forward. So... he started climbing the stairs one by one. When he could see what was happening in the corridors of the fourth floor, that''s when his steps slowed down.


    It was just as he had predicted. The fourth floor... was really like a battlefield. There were so many creatures and human corpses on the floor. But there were just as many living ones. The knights were killing one creature after another. And not only normal creatures, there were a lot of the furry ones too.


    Kael clenched his fists. What was he going to do now? Wait for the knights to die or kill the creatures, or run for the upper floors? Whether he went to the right or to the left, he could randomly die between someone''s blows.


    He glanced quickly at the fighting soldiers, looking for a gap through which he could slip. It wasn''t long before he paused for a moment. His eyes settled on one particular knight.


    It was a knight with blondish curly hair. And... Kael knew this person. How could he forget the kind knight he had met only yesterday?


    But... Manar didn''t look like a kind man right now. There was a sharpness in his eyes that Kael had never seen before. He was covered in blood, claw, and tooth marks on his armor.


    He was the opposite of ''kind'' as he drew the sword and slashed mercilessly at the creature before him.


    Kael realized he was just staring at the knight, mesmerized. A moment later... Manar looked in his direction and noticed him. He wasn''t too sure, as it happened while he was fighting another creature, but he could have sworn the knight''s eyes widened.


    Manar mowed down another creature, then said something to the other knights fighting beside him and moved quickly in his direction.


    "Hey, what are you doing here? You have to hide somewhere!"


    But Kael quickly shook his head from side to side. When Manar was close enough for him to hear, he spoke quickly.


    "I can''t hide, no one can hide. Otherwise, everyone will turn into a monster, sir."


    Manar raised his eyebrows in confusion. He turned around for a moment, looking quickly to see if anything was attacking them. But the knights were doing a good job of holding off the creatures.


    "Forget sir, let''s have a quick talk. Why?"


    Kael felt uneasy as if one of the creatures was about to pounce on him. Still, he didn''t delay Manar''s answer and stopped being as formal as he wanted to be.


    "There is a snow-white flower that appears to those who are asleep or falling asleep. It can play with people''s ability to think, making them feel peaceful and drawn to it. But anyone who touches it turns into a creature."


    Manar''s expression suddenly fell.


    "That''s why their numbers never dwindle, then... All the civilians we sent into hiding must have turned into creatures."


    He clicked his tongue, uttered a few curses in a low voice that Kael couldn''t quite understand. Then he turned back to Kael once again.


    "What are you trying to do, then? If you can''t hide somewhere... why are you here?"


    "I''ve been running from the creatures until now." S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Manar looked at Kael''s face in surprise.


    "How many creatures have you escaped so far?"


    "I''m not sure... but more than ten. I killed two. Though... maybe three?"


    He didn''t know what had happened to the creature he had thrown his bag at as he ran away almost madly. All the medicines and poisons he had been carrying with him spilled right on its face, maybe got into its nose and mouth. So... it was probably dead?


    This time the curly-haired knight was truly surprised. The creatures were weak, at least the non-furred ones were... but they were still more than enough to kill a fifteen-year-old boy.


    Manar sighed, gripping his sword tightly, preparing to speak again, but then paused. His eyes turned behind Kael, to the stairs leading down to the third floor, and then narrowed slightly. Kael turned too, looking down. A moment later... the sound of footsteps echoed up to the fourth floor.


    Coming up the steps one by one... was one of the furry creatures. It had a large scar on its chest, and three fingers missing from its left claw.


    Kael recognized the creature instantly. This... was the creature facing the knight who had told him to run.


    And the fact that it was here... meant that the previous knight...


    "Run away. I was going to suggest you stay on the stairs despite the flower you told me about, but... run. Keep surviving like you''ve been doing so far, kid. Go to the left, you can go up to the fifth floor from there, or... you can go into a room, even if it means turning into a creature."


    Kael said nothing as he gritted his teeth.


    This is what he didn''t want. These men... why were they so nice to him? He would have preferred they ignore him, or even throw him to the creatures as bait. At least he wouldn''t have to try so hard to survive anymore, he would have no excuse. But for some reason... both of the two knights he encountered saw him as a real human being, rather than a simple ''tool'' like everyone else.


    He turned to the left, clenching his fist as Manar dashed down the stairs in front of him, and started running again. He passed between two knights, heard them saying something about him, but ignored them.


    Soon, he saw two of the creatures turning towards him. But those two knights, who were right behind him, appeared in front of him and mowed them both down before the creatures could move towards him. They blocked the corridor he had fled down before the other creatures could reach him.


    Kael gritted his teeth even harder. Still, he entered the corpse-filled corridor and kept moving forward.


    The fifth floor... he just needed to get there. He didn''t care about the sixth floor, he was sure from the start that as a slave, he wouldn''t be allowed near the king. But if he could find a hiding place on the fifth floor... if he could hide behind the knights there... then everything would be much easier.


    With these thoughts, with this hope, he kept moving forward. And it wasn''t long before he found the stairs to the fifth floor. He slowed down, stopped. He didn''t move forward, he didn''t walk any further. He just... stopped. Because there was a brand-new but classic problem in front of him.


    There was a creature just in front of the stairs. Its red eyes were on him, getting ready to attack.

 Chapter 15: Forward and Forward

    Kael gripped the poisonous knife in his left hand as hard as he could as he stared at the creature.''I can''t escape from this, there''s no way.''


    The moment he turned around, the creature would catch him. There was no chance of evading it. He was just a normal fifteen-year-old boy.


    So... he had only one option.


    ''No, I can do it. I may have lost my bag, but my knife is still poisoned. It may have lost some of its potency, but a poison that strong will still work. I just... I just need one move.''


    But he didn''t have time to think anymore. Thinking of nothing else but killing whoever it saw, the creature suddenly lunged at him, its claws seeming to want to tear Kael to pieces.


    Kael... did nothing. The creature was fast, too fast for him really. He knew very well that he could not completely avoid that claw.


    But... he didn''t need to avoid it completely.


    ''Gamble.''


    He almost laughed at the thought that momentarily crossed his mind.


    Today, no... how much was he gambling tonight? He wished it wasn''t all about his life, though...


    Kael held his breath. He threw himself as fast as he could to the left. He saw the creature''s claws pass in front of his eyes, felt them scratch his cheek. But it didn''t stop there. He felt the claws on his cheek and then on his shoulder.


    His right shoulder burned with a terrible pain, but he gritted his teeth and tried to ignore it. He wasn''t very good at it, so he screamed at the top of his lungs... he did his best to keep standing. He held the knife tightly in his left hand and swung it at the creature''s face.


    The creature... dodged the knife quite easily. It did it like child''s play, without any difficulty at all. The only wound it received was a single scratch. Nothing compared to the claws digging into Kael''s shoulder.


    The creature tried to use the claw on Kael''s right shoulder to knock him backwards. And... it did it like child''s play once again. Kael''s small body was thrown back almost three meters and dragged along the ground for about a meter. His scream became a wheezing cry, it was hard not to think of the pain as his whole body was literally on fire.


    The creature suddenly appeared in front of Kael. Kael swung his knife wildly at the creature''s legs.


    A scratch, two scratches, a third scratch...


    But the creature did not even move.


    It realized that the boy in front of it was no threat to it. His weapon and his body were so weak that the best he could do was simply... scratch.


    The creature raised its foot, about to crush Kael''s skull... but as soon as Kael realized that, he crawled backwards.


    Just a few seconds.


    If he had only delayed that long, his skull would have become one with the ground. But at the last moment, he managed to avoid the creature''s foot.


    He kept crawling back, without stopping... no matter how much it hurt. And the creature walked towards him. It didn''t run, it just appeared in front of him. It just... walked. As if it didn''t want to waste energy against its ''prey'', which was no threat.


    Kael kept crawling. It was difficult because of the sharp pain in his shoulder, but he crawled. His brown eyes were full of fear and terror. The creature''s eyes, meanwhile, were just... blank. Red eyes, devoid of emotion.


    Even with its slow steps, the creature was faster than Kael as it crawled. It kept approaching him. Closer, closer, and closer...


    He tried to stomp Kael with its foot again. Kael was completely locked on the foot which might cause his death as he crawled backwards. He didn''t close his eyes, he didn''t accept death. He was waiting, still trying to escape with everything he had.


    The creature brought its foot down as hard, as fast as it could. Maybe not the skull, but at least enough force to bring the knee to the ground. But then... something happened.


    The creature''s foot did not crush Kael''s knee. Instead, it landed right next to it, creating tiny cracks in the floor.


    The creature looked at Kael as if it couldn''t understand what had happened.


    Kael had been waiting for this moment the entire time, for the poison that had entered the creature''s body through the scratches to start working! Even the reason he had been crawling backwards instead of running away until now was to conserve his energy for this moment!


    Kael shouted again. His cry echoed throughout the corridor as he leaped at the creature in front of him. The creature swung its claw at a strange angle as if it couldn''t quite make him out. It was such a strange angle that it was impossible for it to even reach Kael.


    Kael stopped thinking. He just jumped, landing on top of the creature. The creature was already struggling to keep its balance because of its sloppy attack, but with Kael on top of it, it lost it even more. When it landed on its back, Kael was on top of it. He had his poisoned knife in both hands, he was completely mad.


    The creature was going to try to attack the boy on top of it with its claws... but then, it paused. It was having trouble moving its limbs. He wasn''t even sure if Kael was there, even though he was right above him.


    Still, it was a being that didn''t know what it meant to give up. Its only goal was to kill the person it had set as its target. So, even though he couldn''t make out Kael''s image, he opened his mouth wide... and tried to bite the boy on top of him.


    But when his teeth met each other, there was nothing between them. It had caught nothing. The next thing the creature saw... was the sharp point of the knife in front of its left eye.


    *******


    Kael removed his knife from the creature''s left eye, then swung it again.


    He didn''t stop. He drew the knife out again, this time stabbing it into the creature''s right eye. But again, he did not stop. Again, and again... and again.


    It had been almost a minute since the creature had stopped moving.


    He forced himself to his feet. His legs were shaking, his shoulder, pierced by the creature, was burning like crazy. His eyes sometimes blacked out... Still, he got to his feet. His knife slipped from his left hand and fell to the floor, making a sound that echoed down the corridor. But Kael didn''t even bother to pick it up. His eyes were on the stairs leading to the fifth floor.


    ''I can, I can, I can...''


    He had lost his mind. He no longer thought about what he was going to do once he got to the fifth floor. He was just... going up. As far up as he could go, that''s all. If he was going to die, he was going to die by going as far as he could.


    That''s how he got up the first step. For a moment, he felt like he was going to fall, but he managed to stand up, supported by the stair railing, and kept going up.


    He paused for a moment when he seemed to see a white glow on the edge of one of the steps.


    ''Hah... Are you here again?''


    There was that white flower in front of him again. A beautiful and delicate flower that could bring everything to an end.


    ''But... it''s too late now. Do you think I''m capable of caring about you anymore?''


    Actually... he was. There was an unbearable feeling inside him. Just like in that room, he was drawn to it. He wanted to get close to the flower.


    But... he took his eyes off it. He didn''t even look at it. He was so dazzled, so distracted, that he didn''t even care about the flower. He put aside all the sweet things he felt inside, the disturbing peace, the pain... everything.


    ''I will move forward.''


    And... he did.


    *******


    The fifth floor was quite different from the others. When he went up the stairs, what he found was not an extremely wide corridor. On the contrary... it was a huge hall, just like the entrance hall.


    The grand staircase to the sixth floor was right in front of him. But he ignored it. Instead... he first examined this hall, which was even more gigantic than the entrance hall on the first floor.


    It was really huge. There were corridors to the left and right, but he was sure they didn''t go very far. The upper part of the palace was quite small compared to the lower floors, after all. So they were completely insignificant except for a few rooms.


    The rooms and their occupants were not unimportant, of course. But in this moment, they meant nothing to him.


    Apart from that... he couldn''t really analyze the design of the hall. Because it was covered in blood and dust. The cracks were also everywhere. On top of that... there was not a single living person in front of him.


    After seeing the fourth floor, he thought it would be much worse here. He thought he would see a hellish scene where everyone was scrambling for their lives... But that was not the case.


    Human corpses were everywhere. From knights to nobles, from servants to slaves, there was blood and corpses everywhere he could step. But... there were also plenty of creature corpses. Whatever had happened here was certainly not pleasant, but it was already over.


    ''Don''t any knights from downstairs come here?''


    Though... did the knights even have time to come here? Most of them were probably dead, and the ones that weren''t were trying to keep themselves alive in the first place.


    The palace... had already fallen. So... he was probably alone here.


    His eyes drifted to the stairs leading to the sixth floor. He just looked there for a while. Then... his lips curled upwards slightly.


    ''My body is a mess. I can faint at any moment. And if I faint... I''ll die. I''m bleeding a lot, I''m hungry, and I can''t resist a flower while I''m sleeping.''


    So... there was only one thing he could do.


    Keep moving forward. Just like he had done so far, he would go on. He would probably die. But... at least he would see a king and his chamber. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A death like that... wasn''t actually so bad.

 Chapter 16: King of Arcanoa

    He climbed the stairs to the sixth floor slowly. Each step echoed with a loud sound, it was a strange feeling... but he didn''t stop.When he reached the sixth floor, he looked down at the hall.


    There had really been a massacre here. Whatever had happened, he was glad he hadn''t been here when it happened.


    He swallowed, turned around. The sixth floor was now in front of him.


    In front of him stood a corridor, rather grand, but rather short compared to the rest of the palace. There were five rooms in total, two on the right and two on the left. And at the end of the corridor stood the last one, a chamber with a huge door.


    On the floor was the corpse of a creature he had never yet encountered in the palace. It seemed to be almost three meters tall, with a truly huge body. Unlike the black fur of the other creatures, this one''s fur was... white. The same color as those flowers, in fact.


    Obviously... it was hard to say anything because it was dead. But it wasn''t the only corpse. Around the creature''s dead body were the bodies of five knights. And Kael had seen these knights the first day he entered the palace.


    These were the knights the king had specifically chosen to protect himself. If he remembered correctly, there were supposed to be seven of them, and in front of him... there were five of them. So... he was looking at the corpses of perhaps the most powerful people in the kingdom. And in the center of them stood the creature with the white fur.


    Kael looked at the corpses of the creature and the knights for a while. Then... he simply sighed. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''The dead are dead, it''s none of my business.''


    He took his eyes off them. He focused in front of him again.


    He guessed that the rooms next door belonged to members of the royal family, like the prince and the princess, but he didn''t bother to check. This close to death, it was not the room of a prince or princess that he wanted to see.


    He wanted to see the king himself. He wanted to see with his own eyes the king he wanted more than anything to kill his brother, even if it was impossible. He was going to look at the ''great'' king he had heard so much about.


    Who knows, maybe he would resemble his brother... If so, he would want to spit in his direction before he died. At least it would give him a false sense of satisfaction before he died.


    He limped towards the huge doors. When he put his hands on them, he felt their coldness, but also... how heavy they were.


    He took a deep breath, braced himself. He then held his breath... and then pushed one of the doors with all his might.


    The door opened slowly, almost noisily. He revealed the room behind him gradually.


    The first thing he noticed was... the light. Unlike the dark corridors of the palace, it was bright, shining directly through the gap and hitting his face. It had a sweet warmth to it, too. But Kael didn''t stop, he pushed the door until it formed an opening through which he could pass... and finally stopped.


    The room beyond the door was... truly enormous. He couldn''t see all of it because he hadn''t gone inside yet, but what he could see were paintings on the wall, paintings that he was sure he couldn''t even imagine how expensive they were. The walls themselves, let alone the paintings, looked as if they had been painstakingly painted.


    Though... none of that mattered much. Because inside this room were the traces of a battle he would never want to witness. The walls were burnt, there was a strong smell of burning coming from inside. There were wide cracks in the floor, even a fallen pillar. And these were only a fraction of the damage done to the room...


    He swallowed. Frankly... it didn''t matter how damaged the room was. After all, he was about to enter the room of a king, a king!


    He took a deep breath, then let it out in the same way. He did his best to calm himself. Finally... through the opening in the door, he entered.


    *******


    Before entering the room, Kael had created several scenarios in his head about what he might encounter.


    The corpse of the king and finding the mysterious man who had entered the palace in front of it was one of them. Then... another scenario in which they were both alive and fighting each other to the death. He imagined so many different things that he didn''t need to describe.


    And what he found in front of him was... very different from each of them.


    First of all, the king''s room was really spacious. Now, especially when he walked in, it was even more obvious. Glass-fronted cabinets that looked like they held fortunes, jeweled weapons hanging on the walls, three fine armchairs surrounding a low table, a large desk with a map of the kingdom, an average-sized bed that looked like it was made for resting but was probably the most comfortable bed he had ever seen, an office desk... so much more. The room was filled with all sorts of things.


    But it was none of these things that caught Kael''s attention. Rather... it was the state of the man who was obviously the king, and the person in front of him.


    The king was on the floor, leaning against the back of the office desk. One of his legs was missing. It was a few meters away from him, on the edge of the table where the map of the kingdom lay. He was not wearing any armor. He was wearing just... a simple tunic. But it had two blood stains as if it had been pierced by something.


    The king did not look very tall. But there was an air of nobility around him that Kael couldn''t quite put his finger on. There were no wrinkles on his face, but he had a face that looked like he was in his late forties. It was a very... strange feeling.


    Apart from that, the king had long, rather pale blond hair. It fell down to his shoulders, covered with blood and dust. His complexion was a little pale, too, as if death was at his doorstep. There was a slight bruise under his eyes. And just above them, just above the bruise, deep blue eyes, like the sky... staring straight at him.


    Kael couldn''t take his eyes off him. But he also glanced at the two corpses not far from him, two of the most striking elements in the room.


    One was the man he had seen in the morning. He remembered the robe he was wearing, the bright blond hair he could see out of the corner of his eye. He was face-down with a huge red mark on his back. It was quite clear that he was dead. Dead by the king''s hands.


    The other corpse was... a creature with white fur, just like the one he had just seen in the hallway. Its torso and waist were separated, split down the middle.


    The king seemed to have fought alone against this creature and this man. He had won... but his situation did not look good. And yet, his eyes were absolutely calm. He looked like he had let his guard down, but this king... He looked as if he could cut him in two like the corpse on the floor in an instant.


    "Who are you?"


    The king''s deep voice echoed through the room. He had a strong voice, just as Kael had imagined. The fact that he was able to keep the tone in his voice despite the situation he was in screamed that he was ''king''.


    Kael swallowed before answering. The scar on his neck burned like never before. It was the king who gave him the ''order'' after all.


    He tried hard to make sure he didn''t stutter before he opened his mouth. Even though he had made it this far, his body was not so different from the king''s. He could collapse at any moment, he was limping and could barely keep his eyes open.


    Still... he managed to speak without stammering as he wanted to.


    "I am... a slave, Your Majesty."


    The look in the king''s sky-blue eyes never changed. But... Kael could have sworn that one of his eyebrows was slightly raised.


    No one spoke between the two. After a brief moment, though, the king''s lips curled slightly upwards.


    "A slave, huh...?"


    But then he paused, his eyes sharpening slightly as they focused on Kael''s image. And then...


    "Ah, I remember you... You are the slave my brother sent for the palace garden."


    Kael was surprised that the king remembered him, or rather ''recognized'' him. He had never met him face to face, after all.


    "But... you were supposed to be staying in the greenhouse. Did you come all the way here from the garden?"


    "Y- yes, your majesty..."


    He saw the surprise on the king''s face grow. He didn''t know why, but... he couldn''t help feeling as if he was amusing him.


    "You''ve outlasted countless creatures, then. Perhaps you even killed a few, amazing... If I had known you had such skills, I would have made you more than a simple botanist."


    "I... I was just lucky, Your Majesty."


    "Luck is also a talent. Sometimes the greatest of talents, even."


    The king paused briefly, then continued.


    "Do you have a name?"


    "Kael, my name is Kael."


    This time, the king smiled for real.


    "You have a beautiful name, even though you are a slave. You must like it a lot."


    He paused as blood trickled from between his lips. He turned to his left and coughed twice. Blood came out of his mouth both times. Still, he turned back to Kael, not caring much.


    "I found it truly amazing that you came all the way here, Kael. But... why are you here? Why didn''t you hide in one of the random rooms in the palace?"


    A smile appeared on Kael''s face. For the first time, for the first time in his life... he smiled without hiding his emotions in front of someone. It was ironic, of course, that this person was the king of the kingdom where he lived.


    But... he felt like he could do it.


    "Your Majesty... I''m not so different from you. I''ll most likely die here... I''m sure I don''t have much time."


    The king nodded his head in agreement, but said nothing.


    And Kael... he didn''t know why, but he felt like he could speak freely, without hesitation, even though the person in front of him was a king. Did he not care because he was going to die? Or... was it because of the king''s attitude?


    He did not know. But... for the first time in his life, it felt good to speak as he wanted without hiding anything, without caring what anyone would think of him. So, he continued.


    "I... I was really trying to survive at first. I really tried, I did everything I could to survive. I ran, I fought, I killed, I threw someone who had nothing to do with me into the claws of a creature with my own hands, I kept running and moving forward. Until a few minutes ago, I still believed I could survive."


    His eyes narrowed. It was hard to believe he was talking to a king, it was like... a dream. Yet he went on. He would be honest, he would not lie or avoid himself.


    "Then... I ended up like this. I realized that it was impossible to survive. And then... I thought... if I''m going to die, why not see the king and his room with my own eyes?"


    Kael was silent, and the king only stared at him with a blank expression on his face.


    "That''s... that''s it?"


    Kael laughed.


    "Yes, Your Majesty. That''s it."


    The king bowed his head, his pale blond hair falling in front of his face. Then... his whole body trembled slightly. And then...


    "Pfft... Hahahahah!"


    He started laughing too. He laughed so hard that he coughed up blood once more, but he didn''t stop and kept on laughing.


    Kael didn''t say anything. He thought it was funny too. In fact... after a short, even he started laughing with the king. He threw himself on his back, it seemed impossible to stand... but he didn''t stop.


    A slave and a king, in the same room, both on their deathbed... they just laughed.

 Chapter 17: A Sincere Talk

    First the king stopped laughing, then Kael."You are... very brave. Braver than the men I would call my knights. How old are you?"


    Kael kept his smile on his face.


    He hadn''t really thought he would have such a conversation with the king. He never thought he would be... like this. Still, no matter what, in a strange way, he was enjoying it now.


    "Fifteen, Your Majesty. I will be sixteen in three months."


    He paused, then added.


    "Or rather, I was going to."


    The king made no comment.


    "I see. Well then, Kael... do you know why we are in this situation?"


    "It''s because of the Empire, isn''t it?"


    The smile on the king''s face widened. His eyes shifted to the bodies of the creature and the robed man not far from him.


    "It is, but not quite. The Empire has never tried to attack us before, despite our position. Do you know why?"


    "No, Your Majesty."


    "Because the emperor was born in this kingdom."


    Kael was surprised by this information, but did not react much. The king noticed it too, of course.


    "That''s why he always left this place for last. When there was no kingdom left on the continent that he hadn''t conquered or subdued... then he stepped here."


    ''Oh...''


    This... was not far from his earlier predictions.


    But were there no other kingdoms left on the continent? Or maybe there were, but they had submitted to the Empire... Now, this was not what he had expected.


    "And yet, he didn''t wage a direct war. Instead, he sent one of his men to make it all end quickly."


    Kael looked at the body of the robed man.


    "But... you killed him."


    "I did... but what difference does it make? I''m on my deathbed, the palace is in shambles, the knights are almost all dead, my sons and daughters are all... dead."


    He stuttered at the last sentence. The fact that he had lost his children, that he had not been able to save them, still pained him.


    "The Empire won, Kael. As it always has. And I... I couldn''t do anything. But... you know what I hate even more?"


    Kael''s eyebrows shot up. He was really curious what the king would say.


    "My brother."


    Kael felt as if time had frozen, his eyes suddenly widened. The last words he expected to hear were the words he heard coming out of the king''s mouth.


    "Because that bastard, that dog who would be my brother... He signed a treaty with the Empire. He sold everything, his own brother and his kingdom, to become the ruler of the kingdom''s lands after my death. And... he is probably proud of it."


    The king paused after the last word.


    "Oh, I''m sorry... I got carried away, I lost my temper."


    It was as if he had made a mistake. He was apologizing to a slave, even though he was a king.


    But... Kael didn''t care about any of that. He just took a deep breath, a really deep breath... So deep that even the king noticed.


    "Your Majesty... I... had a mother."


    The king said nothing. Just as he let himself get carried away, he let the little boy in front of him do the same.


    "She was born to a slave in your brother''s manor. She was a beautiful woman, so she was always put to night work. At some point in her life... she became pregnant with me."


    Kael waited a short time to collect his thoughts and body. With each word that came out of his mouth, he seemed to be getting worse.


    "Being the child of a slave, I never received much love in my life. From the day I was old enough to understand things, I was made to work. In the fields, in some building construction, in the sewers, in the stables... everywhere. But my mother... at least she tried to show me love. After exhausting days, she would hold me in her arms and sing me the only lullaby she knew. She loved the sky and tried to make me love it too."


    His eyes seemed to fill up for a moment, but he didn''t stop, he continued.


    "One day... I was punished so much, I was beaten so badly that I wished I was dead. I was kept separated from my mother for days, left without food and water... I think... I was only allowed to see my mother again after two weeks. And when I met her again, the first thing she said was... apologize. For not being able to take my place."


    The king was silent. It wasn''t that he didn''t feel sorry for Kael, he felt sorry for most of the slaves... That''s why most of the slaves working in his palace were relatively well off compared to the others. Still, this was not the first story he had heard. It wasn''t as if there weren''t people who hadn''t experienced what Kael had, he was just a victim like everyone else.


    But he listened, without comment. Because... he felt he had to listen.


    "I asked her why we were alive that day. Why were we trying so hard? Why couldn''t we just... die and get away? There was no point in living, for me." S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His lips curled up slightly.


    "My mother couldn''t give me an answer. She couldn''t say anything. Because... she didn''t know the answer either. And yet, she didn''t get angry with me. She just... held me like she always did and sang me the lullaby she knew. Maybe she couldn''t give me an answer, yes... But even that lullaby was enough for me. I felt her warmth like I had never felt before, because that day was the first time I realized so clearly that I had a mother unlike the others. How many slaves had a mother like mine who could sing them a lullaby and hold them in her arms?"


    When he realized that tears were streaming from his eyes, he tried to use his arm to wipe them away. But then he realized that his arm was hurting too much and let it go.


    "On the night of the same day, she made me promise, ''Whatever happens, at least live for me.'' That''s what she told me. She said that everything I did, everything she did... was just so that I could live."


    He gave a short laugh, and forced himself to continue.


    "I thought it was nonsense. But... I couldn''t say no. I promised her what she wanted. A month later... I couldn''t find her where she was supposed to be. I looked everywhere, but she was nowhere. And then... I found out that your brother had gotten angry with someone for no reason and had called my mother to his room. No one had seen her since then."


    Silence filled the room for a moment. The King opened his mouth to say something, but Kael continued before him.


    "I kept living only because of the promise I made to her, a promise I thought was nonsense, perhaps... But it was all I had left of her. Still, it wasn''t enough, I... I couldn''t. So I set myself a goal, an impossible one in particular. Impossible so that I would die trying to fulfill it, so that I could get away with it, just... use it as an ''excuse'' to live. Do you know what that goal was?"


    The king did not answer. And Kael... even though he knew that what he said next would normally get him killed, he didn''t stop. He was going to die anyway, why bother such things?


    "Your brother. I... I made it my goal to kill him, and for that reason, I kept working under him for years, learning botany in particular, one of the things no one else studied, trying to show my talent so that I could rise, even among the slaves. And I actually succeeded. I managed to get into the palace, after all. So... do you know what I thought when you just told me that it was your brother you hated?"


    He took a deep breath.


    "I... I felt happy. I thought... even the king hates his brother, huh... It sounded strange, but... I felt happy. Because if you had lived a little longer, maybe you would have been the one who killed him. I... I had imagined such a future. Just imagining it made me feel elated."


    His expression fell and fell, his lips straightened.


    "But... it remained a dream, as always. We''ll both die here, and that man... he''ll live. He''ll probably live a life of money. He''ll go on tormenting, killing people just because he''s angry."


    Once again, a deep silence fell over the room.


    "I... apologize, Your Majesty. I spoke too long."


    The king opened his mouth when he realized that Kael had finally given him a chance to speak. But then all that came out was wheezing. Again he leaned to his right side and coughed up blood. But this time not only that, he also vomited a handful of blood.


    It was at this moment that Kael realized that his eyes were beginning to darken slightly. Death was approaching, just as it had approached the king.


    Silence waited. Absolute, deep silence in which they would both die.


    But... the king''s full voice echoed in the room again. This time, it was much more shaky, and it was clear that he was forcing himself to speak.


    "Kael..."


    Kael listened to the king again. He didn''t expect much, but he would listen anyway. But then... he heard the king stand up and his darkening eyes widened.


    He turned his eyes to the king. He saw that he was indeed trying to stand up. He was struggling because he had lost one leg, it looked like he wasn''t going to make it... But he didn''t give up.


    Or he did.


    The king quickly stopped trying to get up. Kael found it strange to see him so weak. To see a king like that, even though he seemed to be dying... was certainly not what he had expected.


    But then what he saw next... literally left him speechless.


    He saw the king crawling. He saw him crawling towards him, using his hands, his nails. He was approaching him. And that''s when he spoke again.


    "The reason you want to die... is that you don''t find life worthwhile, that you have no ''real'' purpose in life... right?"


    Kael could neither answer him nor nod. He was literally frozen.


    "Then... as long as you have a purpose, you have a reason to live, don''t you?"


    The king continued to crawl, until he finally came to a stop. When he reached his destination, he forced himself up.


    Kael could see him gritting his teeth. He wanted to ask why he was doing this... but he kept silent. He watched as the king forced himself into a sitting position, cross-legged. Then... he found his fading blue eyes on him again.


    "Kael... be honest. Do you want to live?"

 Chapter 18: A Second Chance

    Do you want to live...Kael repeated this question in his mind. The first answer he got was... no.


    He didn''t want to try anymore. He didn''t want to suffer, he didn''t want to try things even though he knew he would fail.


    He was... really tired of life.


    "Why... are you asking me this?"


    The King continued with great seriousness, not taking his eyes off him for a single second.


    "Because you still can."


    Kael looked at the man in front of him like a madman. His lips curled upward and he was about to laugh, but he restrained himself.


    "Your Majesty... I may be fifteen, but I''m not an idiot. I''m going to die, maybe after you, yes. But-"


    "No, Kael. You really can keep on living."


    Kael saw the seriousness in the king''s eyes again. And in that moment, he knew. This man... was not lying.


    But... even if he wasn''t lying, was there a point?


    "Even if it is possible for me to survive somehow... I don''t want to try to live anymore."


    The king''s seriousness broke slightly with this sentence. A faint smile appeared on his face.


    "My brother, don''t you want to kill him?"


    Kael smiled too. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Even if I survive, I do not believe I have the strength to pursue an impossible dream once more, Your Majesty."


    "If it''s not impossible... you think it''s worth trying?"


    "What exactly are you talking about, Your Majesty?"


    The smile on the king''s face finally widened.


    "Before I die... you will kill me, Kael. It is as simple as that."


    Again, Kael did not understand what he meant. The king continued.


    "This kingdom is finished, Kael. Two of my knights have turned into creatures, the others are dead. My son and daughter are dead. Even if I managed to kill the dog sent by the Empire... it is too late. It''s over."


    Each of his words was full of sadness. Here was a man who had lost everything, and now... he didn''t seem to care about much. Maybe that''s why he kept going.


    "I wasn''t very successful as a king. Making the kingdom richer, trying to solve problems, expanding borders... Seeing slaves like you, I used to wonder why people suffered, but still I did nothing. Now... I''m going to die, there is no chance for me to live. But... for you, there is."


    He did his best to stand up straight. His complexion was beginning to fade, the hollowness under his eyes becoming more pronounced. He didn''t have much time.


    "You will suffer more. You will have to fight for your life all the time, whether you want to or not. But... you can get out of here. Afterwards, if you really want to quit life... you will always have the opportunity to die. You can give up whenever you want to give up. But still... don''t you want to at least take a chance?"


    Kael did not know how to answer this question. He wasn''t sure if what the king was saying was true. He could be deceiving him, but why would he do that?


    He looked at the king. He was collapsing by the second. He didn''t even have a minute left, probably. Death was inevitably upon him.


    He had thought it was the same for him until now. He would probably die a few minutes after the king, but he would die nonetheless.


    And now... was there a way for him not to die?


    He thought about what the king had said. He was not wrong, he really wanted to kill his brother. Even though he had initially only used it as an excuse to live, he had put a lot of work into it. He had worked for it for years, no matter how impossible it was.


    A smile appeared on his face. He had missed something, and now... he remembered.


    "I am... a slave, Your Majesty. Even if I survive, I will always be under others."


    The king smiled in return. It was such a weak smile that it seemed strange. But then... Kael saw a faint, tiny gleam in the king''s blue eyes.


    "I, Markhus V. Arcanoa, by my authority as sole king of the Kingdom of Arcanoa, free you from your slave status."


    Kael felt the mark on his neck burn intensely. But he didn''t even scream, he just stared at the king in front of him, his eyes wide.


    Was he... no longer a slave? Had he heard wrong?


    The king threw himself on his back on the floor, keeping his smile on his face. He spoke in an even lower voice than before.


    "Make your decision quickly, Kael. If you kill me, you will have a chance of survival. I haven''t told you everything because there is no time, but... you will suffer. Believe me, you will. Maybe you''ll curse this moment you chose to survive. But you''ll have another chance. Do you want this chance to continue chasing a dream you think is impossible... or not? The choice is yours. You have to make your choice before death takes me. But... let me tell you this anyway."


    And that''s how he articulated his next sentences, even if he had to force them.


    "Whatever your choice, thank you for coming to this room and spending your last moments with me. Apparently, even someone like me needs someone to talk to, huh... I feel at peace."


    The King said nothing more, and he didn''t seem to have any intention of speaking. He was just... waiting for Kael''s choice and death.


    And Kael... did not know.


    ''What do I... want in a situation like this?''


    He thought back over everything he had done so far. Not only tonight, but also before... from the first memory he could recall until now.


    He kept talking about wanting to die. He may have had his reasons, yes... But, even then, contradicting to himself, he was always doing his best to live.


    Now, when he had a real choice... what should he do?


    ''He said I would suffer, he said I would curse this moment if I chose to stay alive. But... a second chance... Besides, I can give up, I can end my life anytime I want. I am no longer a slave, either.''


    The seconds ticked by. In the silent room, the king could barely keep his eyes open as Kael continued to think. He waited in silence as his vision continued to blur every second.


    But no matter how long he waited, no matter how hard he tried to keep himself alive... he could hear nothing from Kael.


    ''He''s a young kid after all... It''s not an easy choice.''


    He respected him. That he had made it this far, despite his age, despite his weakness, was a great achievement in itself. If he didn''t want to continue living... how could he force him? The only thing he did was to give a chance to the boy who was with him in his last moments.


    Everything else was in his hands.


    His life no longer depended on others. He had the choice to direct his own life.


    In his last moments, he watched the white ceiling. He thought of the last things the dog of the Empire had said.


    Arcanoa... was the last kingdom on the continent that the Empire had not conquered. So it was now the only absolute power on the continent. Even the Church, which was supposed to remain neutral, was on their side.


    The Emperor had a purpose. Taking over the continent was only the beginning, he was sure of that. But... he had no idea what the real goal was.


    After a brief moment, he paused. If he could, he would smile again.


    ''Heh, why do I keep thinking... I''m a goner anyway.''


    He waited for Kael for a while longer. But... the young man never appeared.


    ''So you''ve made your choice, huh...''


    With his breathing becoming more difficult by the second, he finally stopped holding himself back. He didn''t need to try anymore, that was it... it was time to leave this world.


    Actually... He was glad that Kael hadn''t accepted the second chance he was offered. To put such a huge burden in the hands of someone so young, to make his life perhaps a living hell... In that sense, he felt bad, even if he was giving him a chance to live.


    But there was also a disappointment inside him that he couldn''t get rid of no matter what. The eyes he had seen when Kael first entered the room... he rarely saw them. And not only that. Kael''s condition... was even worse than his own. He couldn''t even understand how he had survived until now. He had believed him to be a madman who would do anything to live. Maybe that was the reason for the disappointment he felt.


    ''Whatever... it''s too late anyway.''


    But then... his ears, which could hear almost nothing anymore, caught a sound.


    That uncomfortable, ear-piercing sound of metal being dragged. It was getting closer and closer. Soon, his blurred eyes caught a shadow. A tiny shadow looming over him. And then... Kael''s hoarse voice echoed in his ears.


    "I... thank you, Your Majesty. Although I have no idea what will happen... I will take the chance you have given me."


    The King smiled one last time, even if he could not move his lips.


    ''I knew it. Heh, I knew it from the moment I saw you.''


    Then... he saw something shimmering in Kael''s blurred image. The next second, he felt a momentary pain in his chest.


    It was the cold metal of a sword. His own sword.


    His world went completely black. But... he felt no regret. He only wondered.


    What would this young man, Kael, whom he had given such an opportunity, do? If he could... he would like to see...


    ''Ah, but¡­ It''s too late, huh¡­''

 Chapter 19: Kings Blessing

    When Kael made his decision, he stood up.But as with his first attempt, he was glued to the ground. His legs were weak, his muscles refused to listen to him. Still, he pushed his whole body one last time, step by step approaching the robed man who was responsible for everything.


    He had a sword in his chest. It was a silver sword, almost a meter long. The crossguards were simple, but had a mystical air with strange-looking curves. The hilt seemed to be made of a material he had never seen before in his life.


    Kael spent no more time examining the sword. He grasped the soft, strangely comforting hilt with both hands and pulled it out.


    The sword was heavy. He didn''t think he could lift it, especially with his right shoulder in such bad shape... So, he began to drag it. The sounds the sword made echoed in the room, extremely disturbing... He almost wanted to scratch his ears. But he didn''t stop and came to the king.


    He was still alive, he saw his chest rise and fall. The glow in his eyes had almost gone out, but it was still there.


    So... Kael took a deep breath.


    "I... thank you, Your Majesty. Although I have no idea what will happen... I will take the chance you have given me."


    The king''s expression did not change a bit. However, he didn''t know why, but... he could have sworn he was smiling.


    Kael said no more, nor did he wait for the king to react. He raised the sword in his hand as high as he could, bringing it down on the king''s chest.


    He braced himself, took another deep breath in and out.


    Then... he pushed the sword.


    The sword did not struggle a bit. It sliced through the king''s tunic, then his skin, his flesh... and then his heart.


    Kael didn''t take his hand off the sword. He gripped it tightly, though he couldn''t exert much force... and looked at the king''s face.


    He didn''t look like he was in pain, on the contrary... he looked peaceful. A far cry from the woman he had killed on the second floor.


    Kael thrust the sword once more. It cut deeper into the king''s heart, so much so that he felt the tip of the sword touch the floor. He saw the last glow in the king''s eyes fade completely. Only then did he finally let go of the sword.


    For a moment, he was dizzy, his vision blurred. He just fell over backwards.


    ''Am I... dying?''


    The fact that he had survived this far was a miracle in itself... he should have been dead a long time ago.


    But death had decided to visit him at this very moment.


    Kael still didn''t give up. He never took his eyes off the king, he waited.


    One second passed, nothing happened.


    Two seconds passed, a tiny pool of blood began to form under the king''s body.


    The third second passed... and Kael frowned. His head was spinning faster, strange things were happening to the world. He felt sick to his stomach. But... he trusted the king.


    Still, he couldn''t help the thought that flashed through his mind.


    ''Nothing... is happening?''


    The fourth, then the fifth second...


    But then, just as Kael was beginning to think that perhaps the king had tricked him... his body suddenly began to tremble.


    He didn''t know if it was because of the closeness of death... But the room felt cold. The world was starting to come apart... Still, he waited.


    And finally... he saw a change in the king''s body. Just below the sword that killed him, just above his heart... there was a glow.


    Kael focused on the glow and saw it take a shape. It was hard to make out anything because of his vision and his darkening world, but... he could at least make out what it looked like.


    On the king, he could see a crown with four long, pointed prongs that curved upwards. It was... like a tattoo. But it was visible even through his clothes, continuing to glow with every passing second. It made the already bright room even brighter.


    Kael wanted to look at the glow more, to examine it, to feel it. But... he suddenly found himself on the floor, staring at the ceiling. He was out of breath, his muscles aside... he could hardly feel his body directly anymore.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the glow getting stronger. He closed his eyes as all his senses faded one by one. He didn''t... care anymore. If he was late, it was his own fault, and if he really survived as the king had told him...


    He didn''t know, he just... wanted to rest. And so he did. He stopped holding himself, surrendered his body to the comfort and the coldness of the room. There was nothing to think about as he slipped into unconsciousness.


    *******


    The crown rose, looming over the king. It shone like a star, so bright that a normal person trying to look at it would have been blinded. As it rose, there were links between it and the king''s body, like chains, but one by one, they were breaking. The crown was separating from the king.


    But... there was no one in the room while this was happening. At least no one who could have witnessed what was happening. And so, without anyone knowing, the chains continued to break. When the last chain broke, the crown just left the king''s body. It slowly floated away from him, towards the body of a young boy.


    When it came over Kael''s unconscious body, it stopped. The chains that had just snapped began to shake excitedly, and then... suddenly, one of them stabbed into Kael''s chest, just to the left of his heart.


    Kael''s eyes widened. He let out an agonized scream, drooling from his mouth.


    But... he was unconscious. His eyes could not focus anywhere, nor did they try to.


    The second chain was driven into a different part of his chest. His screams turned into wheezing, unintelligible sounds. Tears welled up in his eyes and his body began to shake continuously.


    When the third chain entered his body, he lost the ability to scream. He tried to make a sound but he couldn''t, as if his body and the pain wouldn''t let him.


    The fourth chain was attached to him in the same way. Blood began to ooze from his nose, ears, eyes, mouth... everywhere. The whites of his eyes were stained red from the burst veins.


    The fifth chain... went right over his heart.


    His body stopped shaking, his darting eyes calmed down. But the pain didn''t stop. It was just... his body could no longer move even if he wanted to. He was paralyzed.


    The chains slowly began to pull the crown, which was floating above his body at this very moment, towards him. Slowly, gently, in a way that only intensified his pain instead of relieving it.


    After a few seconds, the crown shrank slightly to fit Kael''s body. It landed smoothly over his heart, ignoring his clothing, becoming one with his skin.


    The glow in the room slowly began to fade. The white glow of the crown receded gradually. Kael had passed out again, though he had never woken up... but his eyes were closed again.


    However, just when all the glow of the crown was about to fade... everything suddenly calmed down. A tiny black dot appeared in the glow of the crown... and then, it spread all over the crown.


    The crown, shimmering with white purity, suddenly turned black. Tendrils grew out of it, enveloping Kael''s entire body... as if trying to reject him.


    The crown continued to envelop Kael''s body until his whole body became a dark silhouette. After a short time, everything calmed down again. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kael''s body trembled violently, but no sound came out. The darkness that surrounded him rippled, then... emitted a tremendous wave of energy around him. It did the same thing a few more times, like a heartbeat. Then, one by one, the darkness began to recede. Kael''s body became visible again, and the crown reappeared over his heart, retreating.


    As a deep silence fell over the room, the crown slowly disappeared, leaving only the tattoo that would remain on Kael''s chest.


    But for now, it was quiet, it was not yet hungry. And so... no more supernatural events took place in the king''s chamber.


    Time continued to pass. The darkness that had enveloped the palace retreated after a few hours... as if it had achieved its whole purpose. The pale rays of the sun reached the palace again through the gray sky. It illuminated the garden, covered in blood and corpses, and then the corridors, not so different from it.


    The Kingdom of Arcanoa woke up to a new day, with it''s palace fallen. It had lost its king, but had gained a new one. A false king, whose existence no one would ever know.

 Chapter 20: The Price of Second Chance

    The night of tragedy was over and a new day had dawned. But... there was no one in the palace to celebrate, no one to rejoice. The garden was silent, the corridors were silent, the palace was silent...But... in spite of all this silence and stillness, at the very top of the palace, inside the only king''s chamber... one of the fingers of a fifteen-year-old boy who should not have been there twitched.


    Despite everything, he was alive. But... his condition was not so good. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ugh..."


    A groan of pain escaped his mouth. His whole body was in pain, he didn''t feel well at all.


    As his eyes slowly opened, the first thing he saw was a white floor stained red with blood.


    ''Where... where am I?''


    He tried to get up using his arms, even with difficulty. And he succeeded. Even though his whole body felt like it was going to break from the pain... it wasn''t that bad. He was sure it would pass if he rested a little.


    He slowly got up, first on his knees, and then looked around. The first thing he saw... was a body not far away from him. It was lying on its back on the floor. The skin was very pale, obviously dead.


    And... as he saw this person, he remembered everything he had been through, why he was here.


    ''Ah...''


    He just waited for a moment. He didn''t move, he just waited. Then, he raised his hands, stared at his palms.


    ''I... am alive?


    He hadn''t... expected this. He still remembered what the king had said, the decision he had made was clear in his mind.


    And yet... he had thought he would die after all. Not that he would wake up to a new day.


    Kael lowered his hands. He tried to stand up, and he did. He didn''t know how, but... his body was in better shape than he thought. He certainly didn''t feel like he was on the brink of death.


    ''I''m really alive... I''m alive.''


    His hands reflexively went to his neck. He could feel a little of the mark that had done such a good job of reminding him that he was a slave in the past, that part of his neck was always smoother. But... now he couldn''t feel it. The mark was gone.


    He squinted, removed his hands from his neck. He looked again towards the king''s lifeless body, then walked to his side.


    He stared at him for a while. He didn''t know what to do, what to think.


    "I..."


    This one word came out of his mouth, but he couldn''t follow it up. He clenched his fists.


    "I..."


    He felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he held himself back.


    "I... am really thankful. No matter what happens, I won''t forget it, ever. Thank you, Your Majesty... Thank you so much for giving me such a chance..."


    He knew he couldn''t hear, that he had already left this world. Still, he felt the need to say it.


    He sniffled, finally tore his eyes away from the king''s body, and turned them to the bed in the room. The coverlet was still on it.


    He went to the bed. He took the coverlet and folded it in half. Then, he went back to the king and put it over him.


    He couldn''t bury him, he didn''t think he had time to do that. But... he wanted to do the least he could for the man who had given him a second chance.


    "Rest in peace, Your Majesty..."


    Finally, he took a deep breath, looked up at the ceiling for a short while. Then he shook his head from side to side.


    ''First of all... what am I supposed to do?''


    He had accepted the second chance, good. He had survived, that''s good too. He was no longer a slave, he had free will... much more good!


    But what was next?


    Kael... didn''t really know what to do. As a slave, he had always listened to others and often slept where he worked. His life was pretty simple...


    But he had no idea what normal people did.


    ''I... must first get away from this palace.''


    This was the first thing that came to his mind.


    This was a palace, the palace of a kingdom. Sooner or later, someone would come and find out what was going on here. And for him to be in the palace when that happened... it would probably not be pleasant. He was paranoid, yes... But he didn''t want to be in other people''s hands again. He didn''t want to deal with other people.


    He... wanted to see for a while how a normal person lives, what a normal person does. He wanted to be alone. And for that, he needed to get away from the palace as fast as possible.


    But that''s when something caught his eye, something just off to the side of the room... a mirror.


    He had never seen many mirrors in his life. Mirrors were expensive and hard to find. Only the rich or nobility had them. And now... he had one in front of him.


    And Kael wondered how he looked now.


    He approached the mirror curiously, stood in front of it, and... looked at himself.


    The white cloth he was wearing was in tatters. There was blood in his hair, on his face, all over his body. He looked like he had been in a war and... and he was, in a sense. Still, he didn''t mind these things.


    He looked at his face. And then... he paused. He squinted, scrutinized himself. But... no matter what he did, he couldn''t see.


    ''I... I''m sure a creature scratched my cheek. And there should be another scratch just above my ear...''


    Then... he remembered.


    No, not only his cheek... he should not be able to use his right shoulder properly, but there was nothing wrong with it!


    After killing the king, just before he fainted, he remembered the crown-shaped glow. Something must have happened to his body. But... wasn''t it absurd that he had recovered to this extent?


    ''No, it''s totally absurd...''


    He swallowed. He really had no idea what had happened, but... the unknown was frightening.


    Still - at least for now - he didn''t complain. These were things to think about later, things he shouldn''t pay attention to yet. He was healed, why was he questioning it?


    He shook his head up and down. Then, he turned back to the mirror. He looked at himself once more.


    His face was a little small because of his skinny body. His brown eyes were ordinary. His hair was so unkempt and dirty that even though it was black... it looked like a strange brown.


    His eyes traveled down, looking at his shoulders and his body structure. And as he did so... his eyes stopped at one point. Was it him, or... was the back of a hole in the chest area of his clothes black?


    His skin was supposed to show, not something black.


    He lifted his clothes up slightly, looking directly at his chest. He saw his skinny body much better that way, but he didn''t care.


    Because...


    ''What... what is this?''


    His eyes twitched as he looked at what was on his chest, questioning whether he was seeing it wrong.


    On his chest... there was a tattoo of a crown... almost twice the size of his fist? And... it was exactly the same as the one he had seen on the king!


    ''Did it pass from his body... to me? Is this tattoo the reason for my recovery?''


    He put his hand to his chest, right over the tattoo. Would it feel like the mark of slavery on his neck, or was it something else? He wanted to find out. Of course, inside his head, he kept thinking.


    Did it mean something that he had this crown tattoo? It seemed important, especially since it was something the king of Arcanoa had owned and passed down to him...


    With these thoughts in mind, the tip of his finger touched the tattoo. It was similar to a mark of slavery but... different. It didn''t feel like he was touching his skin, it was as if... he was touching a piece of clothing that merged with him. The only difference was that this ''tattoo'' could have been the smoothest piece of clothing he had ever seen.


    ''This is... strange.''


    This time, he touched the tattoo with his whole hand, not just his finger. But then... something unexpected happened.


    His whole body suddenly trembled like never before, he lost the strength in his legs and fell to his knees. His breathing suddenly became faster than ever and his head began to spin. He saw the tattoo on his chest glow faintly, followed by a warmth that spread throughout his body... And then... suddenly he began to hear voices and see images.


    Everything happened so fast. The information that appeared in his mind came so fast that he could hardly perceive what was happening. But... it didn''t take long. After a short time, the glow of the tattoo faded and his head stopped spinning. As the warmth he could feel in his body receded, all the images and sounds in his mind began to fade away.


    But... they didn''t disappear completely. They remained in his mind as a memory. And these memories... were important.


    ''Hah, hahah... No way...''


    Kael''s lips curled upward weakly. When he touched the tattoo... what he saw, what he heard... was what actually the tattoo was.


    And what he learned... was not pleasant.


    The king''s words came back to him. He said he would suffer, perhaps even regret it. And Kael had thought that if he got a second chance, he wouldn''t mind so much.


    But this...?


    This... was something else.


    The tattoo on his chest was a blessing. A blessing that only royalty could have. And... unlike most blessings in the world, it was one that could be passed on.


    But there was a problem. And that was... Kael had no ties to the royal family.


    So what happens to this blessing, then?


    Quite simply.


    It becomes... a curse. A very unpleasant curse.

 Chapter 21: Towards the Beginning

    Kael had heard before that the king, or rather most of the kings who ruled his kingdom, were powerful men. And he knew that this was no simple story. Because the neighboring kingdoms were always afraid of Arcanoa. And the reason for this was the king himself.He had always thought that kings were powerful simply because they were kings, and he had never questioned it. There was no need to do so.


    But now... he understood much better. Each of these kings was ''powerful'' for a reason. And that reason was... a blessing. A special blessing that had been in the Arcanoa bloodline for a very long time.


    The blessing gave its user strength for each life taken and a slight healing that took effect instantaneously. The stronger the person or thing slain, the greater the reward.


    In the short term, the effect was too small to notice. But in the long term, after several years of having this blessing... things were very different. As the amount of power accumulated through blessing increased, the gap between other people and the user widened.


    How was the blessing transferred, then? It was quite simple. When the previous user was killed, the blessing was transferred to the murderer. It was as simple as that.


    But... that was not the only special thing about this blessing. It was designed to be used only by descendants of the Royal Family of Arcanoa and worked best on them.


    But what happens when a non-royal, like Kael, gets his hands on it? The blessing lost its healing properties completely, for example. Its ability to strengthen its user was greatly weakened. But that was not all. This blessing... became a curse. A curse that demanded that its user constantly take life, a curse that constantly threatened to stop his heart.


    Kael felt himself sweating as he thought about the tattoo on his chest. It was right over his heart, constantly reminding him of danger. He couldn''t see it now, but... under his skin, he felt like there were dark chains wrapped around his heart. Chains that could squeeze his heart and kill him at any moment if their hunger was not satisfied...


    He swallowed. The king''s words echoed in his mind again and again. Now, he understood much better what he meant. He hadn''t lived yet, but... he was sure it wouldn''t be pleasant when the curse was hungry.


    ''So... even though I''m a normal person, I have to kill someone or something all the time?''


    He wasn''t sure of the scale of things he should kill. He was sure that killing an insect would not satisfy the curse, but what about... a dog or a cat? A wolf, a normal person in their twenties?


    How satisfied was the curse when it killed who or what? He didn''t know the answer.


    ''I get a second chance but... like this?''


    But, then... he paused. After a while of thinking, his lips curled upwards slightly. Now, it would be absurd for him to get a chance without paying any price, wouldn''t it?


    ''I... Whatever.''


    He forced himself to stand up.


    So what if he had such a curse? So what if he has to kill things all the time, if he has to satisfy his curse to make his heart stop beating?


    His job would be much easier if he was one of the Blessed. Although, technically, he was a Cursed now... and the curse he had wasn''t a bad one. The more he killed, the more he would gain a ''power'', even if he didn''t know exactly what kind, and his curse wanted him to kill people all the time. So, the demand of the curse and the power it provided was self-fulfilling, in a kind of a cycle.


    ''I''m going to keep living, I''m going to do my best to keep living at least until I kill that bastard. No more whining, no more giving up, no more wishing I was dead... I''m going to use my second chance as best I can.''


    Kael turned around, nodding decisively. It was time to leave this room. He had to start walking away from the palace. He was wasting every passing second.


    So, he moved towards the door of the room. But then... he paused again. Slowly, he turned around, glanced around the room. He looked towards the body of the robed man. He went over to it, bent down slightly. Next to him, lying on the floor, was a dagger.


    ''Just in case...''


    He picked up the dagger and gripped it tightly in his left hand. Now, he had a proper weapon. He didn''t have to use one of those shabby old knives whose sole purpose was to cut plants. It was certainly a more reliable method of self-defense.


    So... he looked back one last time before leaving the room. He imagined what would happen, what the people who had come here would do when they found out what had happened.


    The Kingdom of Arcanoa would no longer exist.


    He took a deep breath. He was not supposed to think about empty things, he was supposed to worry about his own life. So... he finally walked out of the room. He left the king''s body, his chamber, behind. He went back into the corridor where the rooms of the royal family were. He didn''t pay any attention to the bodies on the floor or anything else, he walked straight to the stairs leading down to the fifth floor.


    The bodies were just beginning to smell. It wasn''t overpowering yet, but... he couldn''t say it was pleasant. Before, it wouldn''t have bothered him so much, but... for some reason, now, he felt extra uncomfortable. So, he covered his nose and continued on his way. He walked towards the stairs to the fourth floor.


    He was cautious, expecting to encounter a creature. His ears were alert enough to detect every sound, his eyes... clearer than ever.


    In fact, all his senses were like that. Who knows, maybe the curse had enhanced his senses... He wasn''t sure, but he was sure he could see and hear better than before. Still, he didn''t complain. Why would he?


    He kept moving forward, encountering no creatures. Finally... he entered the corridor where Manar and the other knights were fighting. He saw the two knights lying on the floor, went to them, and stopped.


    These two... were the two who had blocked the creatures as he ran away.


    "Thank you..."


    He thanked them sincerely. But... he did nothing more. There was nothing he could do anyway.


    He took a few more steps. He found another knight leaning against the wall. One of his arms was missing, it was probably somewhere in the commotion. His skin was pale, his eyes were open and staring at the ceiling. There was a hole in the middle of his armor. He had blondish curly hair.


    He squinted, bent down. He closed Manar''s open eyes.


    "I... thank you. And I apologize."


    He stood up again. He really wished he could do something. But... the dead were dead. He couldn''t resurrect the dead even if he was sorry.


    So... he kept moving forward. And no matter how far he went, he didn''t meet a single creature. It was as if they had all disappeared. Or... they couldn''t exist anymore, even if they wanted to, because the night was over. Although, Kael didn''t think they could ''want'' to. They were incapable of thinking, after all.


    So, he went down to the third floor. Again, he encountered no creatures. So, he was now sure. There was not a single creature living in this palace now. It was impossible that he hadn''t seen one by now. And just as he was thinking this... he paused again.


    His eyes slowly traveled down to the floor, and right in front of his feet... there was a hand, as if trying to reach out to him. A hand as pale as everyone else''s, a hand that had lost its color.


    Kael raised his eyes, looked at the owner of the hand. He was severed from the waist down, it was several meters behind his torso. And the blood between these two body parts showed that this person was crawling painfully... as if trying to get somewhere.


    "Kael, huh... That''s a nice name." S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The knight''s words echoed in his mind, he closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.


    "I''m sorry, rest in peace..."


    And... he started moving forward again.


    Soon, he passed the room where he had killed that maid, but he didn''t go inside. He walked and walked... and reached the entrance hall of the palace. Still, he didn''t stop and kept going.


    After a short while... he came to the room where the old nobleman was. In fact, he was not going to go in, he was going to continue. But... he was curious. So, he opened the door slowly.


    The last time he left the room, there was nothing wrong. But the scene now was... different. He could smell blood from inside. He could smell it everywhere, but... with a little focus, he could recognize it in this room.


    It was coming from the wardrobe.


    A smile appeared on his face. He walked to the front of the wardrobe and opened it, not caring about the creaking sound.


    Before his eyes... there was a creature. It was dead, just like all the other creatures. The glow in its eyes was gone. Its clothes were bloody from the transformation, but the glow in its eyes was gone.


    The old nobleman had touched the flower.


    ''He didn''t come out of the wardrobe... did he transform just before the night was over?''


    If so... it was funny. Even if he didn''t know what he was like, from what he had seen, he could guess. It was a death fit for a nobleman like himself.


    Kael paid no more attention to the nobleman, turned around, and went back into the corridor as if nothing had happened. Finally... he reached the room full of clothes. He entered calmly... and found exactly what he had expected.


    On the floor was the servant whom he had pushed into the clutches of death. He was covered in blood, his eyes wide open as if to emphasize the pain he was suffering. The creature that had killed him... had eaten part of him. It was not a pretty sight.


    "I''m sorry..."


    And, like that, he approached the window, jumped over it without thinking too much, but this time paying attention to the shards of glass, and went outside. The sunlight on his face, the gentle spring breeze... they were relaxing. He even wanted to just stand where he was for a while and enjoy it.


    But... he didn''t have time for that.


    So, he kept moving forward.


    *(A/N: I will upload one chapter daily starting today, two if I''m in a good mood or if you surprise me with anything... you know what I mean :) )*

 Chapter 22: To A New Life

    When Kael went out into the garden, he wasn''t quite sure where he should go. He knew he had to get away from the palace, yes... But he couldn''t do it through the entrance gate. He was either the only survivor in the palace or one of the very few. So they wouldn''t let him out easily.''It won''t be long before they come...''


    The palace was not connected to any city, the nearest city was a few kilometers away. So... it wasn''t really that far away.


    ''Was there another entrance or exit to the palace?''


    Actually, the palace already had more than one entrance... but he was looking for something else. A more... hidden entrance. Like a hole in the walls, for example. But he had no knowledge of the existence of such a thing.


    The longer he waited, the more he felt like he was wasting his time, so he started walking again. This time... he was heading towards the walls. And it wasn''t long before he reached the nearest one.


    The walls were almost ten meters high. He had no idea how thick they were, but he was sure they were not thin.


    He turned to his left, on the opposite side to the entrance closest to him, and started moving forward.


    Minutes followed minutes, he felt like he was running out of time... though it was a miracle that no one had arrived so far. The palace was the center point of the kingdom after all... there were many people coming here every day.


    He paused, his brow furrowing as he realized something he hadn''t thought about before.


    Yes, indeed, dozens of people came to the palace every day. But... why was it so... deserted now? The state of the palace should have been noticed long ago, in the very first minutes.


    He didn''t know, it was a matter that really puzzled him. But, eventually, he gave up. It suited him anyway, and there was nothing to be gained by continuing to question now. So, he stopped thinking and kept looking for a way out.


    However, no matter how hard he searched... he couldn''t find any exit.


    It wasn''t long before he started to worry about his second chance. He needed to escape, to get away from here, but... it was as if he was trapped inside!


    He quickened his pace, trying his best to be faster. Then, after a short while... something caught his eye. When he squinted and looked ahead, his eyes widened.


    ''Of course!''


    This time, he started running. After a while, though, he paused again. In front of him was a small, one-story building. The peculiarity of this building... was that it supplied the palace with water from the river in front of it. The river ran under the walls and stretched onward!


    With a smile on his face, Kael approached the point where the river met the walls. The river was quite clear, so it was also crystal clear. And so what he saw... he didn''t like.


    For the river to flow continuously, they couldn''t close it, so there had to be a gap... But there was no way they could leave such a vulnerability in the palace! He had seen many soldiers roaming around here before. But now, there was no one here and he counted on that.


    But... it seems that soldiers on constant patrol were not the only security measures taken. Because a perforated barrier had been built under the wall so as not to obstruct the flow of the river!


    ''Damn it!''


    Kael continued to study the perforated wall under the river, then took it back. Because... the holes were actually not that small.


    Not big, yes... but definitely not small. It made sense... after all, they didn''t want to disturb the flow of water too much. The flow had to be fast and undisturbed. That''s why the size of the holes in the wall had to be carefully calibrated.


    And these holes... were big enough for a child to pass through, even with some difficulty. It was impossible for an adult, no matter how skinny they were... But Kael was not an adult. He was an emaciated fifteen-year-old slave!


    Still, as he examined the holes, he had his doubts.


    Kael could swim. One of the places he had worked before was a river like this one and he had been forced to learn. But the problem was... what if he got stuck trying to get through one of the holes?


    Drowning was one of the last things he wanted to do, he was sure of it.


    So, one by one, he examined all the holes he could see. He crossed to the other side of the river and examined the holes on that side too. Finally, on the other side, he caught a glimpse of one. It was a little more worn than the others, with moss growing around it. It was a hole he could pass through more easily than the others.


    Kael took a deep breath, thought for a moment... but then decided he had no better plan. He readied himself, placed the dagger he had taken from the king''s chamber in his clothes, and took one last look at the hole. Then he jumped into the river.


    The river was not very deep, but not shallow either. It was over Kael''s height, and probably over the height of a few of the adults, but Kael didn''t think about it. As he held his breath under the water, he approached the hole he had spotted and looked inside.


    The walls were... really thick. He would have to crawl almost a meter to get through the hole. And when he realized this, he became even more worried.


    ''No, it''s wide enough for me to get through, although it will be a bit difficult.''


    So, he made up his mind.


    He went up again to catch his breath, inhaled deeply, and... dived into the water again.


    This time, he didn''t hesitate or stop, he didn''t think. He stretched his arms forward, then put his hands and then his head into the hole.


    Just as he had expected, it was a small hole, even for someone like him... But it wasn''t that he couldn''t move. He could move forward, even if he had to force his way through! And so he did.


    His elbows kept bumping against the stones, he even hit his head a few times... But he didn''t stop. Finally, his hands reached the outside of the wall. Kael acted fast. He grabbed the outer parts of the wall with his hands and pulled himself out. First, his head came out, then his chest and waist. And finally... his feet.


    Without waiting, he swam upwards, reached the surface, and swam out of the river. When he was finally out of the river, he took a moment to catch his breath, turned his eyes back, and... looked at the palace walls.


    His body was full of scratches. The inside of the hole was not smooth, it hurt a lot... But he had made it! He had made it out of the palace! Now, he could get away from here!


    He smiled, stood up. He put the palace aside and focused ahead.


    He was in a... forest. The trees were not too close together, but... there were too many of them.


    Now... what was he supposed to do?


    Kael paused for a moment, staring blankly ahead. He had made it out of the palace... what was the next step?


    He closed his eyes, trying to remember what the area around the palace had been like. At that moment, he remembered something, something he had forgotten...


    ''There was a detailed map of the kingdom in the king''s room... Idiot! Why don''t you look at it before you leave!''


    But it was too late, he couldn''t go back. He was left to his own devices. And what he knew... wasn''t much.


    The river he used to get out of the palace ran eastward across the continent, reaching more than one kingdom. Apart from that... the forest he was now in was quite large. And the nearest city, the one where the king''s brother lived, was on the other side of the palace.


    That was all he knew.


    Kael kept thinking.


    The forest couldn''t be too dangerous. After all, it was right next to the palace. But... if it was really big, that would change as he went on. He would encounter wild animals, maybe even creatures.


    Could he survive?


    His eyes squinted, a moment of despair came over him.


    He had to stay out of sight for a while. He knew what would happen to him if someone like him was found somewhere near the palace when the news got out. So... he had to stay alive until the events here were forgotten. But therein lay the problem.


    He pulled from his clothes the dagger he had sto- borrowed.


    So far, he had actually killed only two creatures. One in the greenhouse and the other at the end of the fourth floor. Both times, he had come close to death. In fact... he should have died in the last one. He had survived because of the chance the king had given him.


    Kael didn''t trust himself, nor should he, and he knew it. He was just a scrawny fifteen-year-old boy.


    Nevertheless...


    Despite everything...


    "Haaaaah..."


    He sighed deeply. He gripped his dagger tightly, his eyes fixed on the forest.


    "It doesn''t matter what happens. I... will survive."


    And so, he began to move forward. With his torn, blood-soaked clothes and his scrawny body... With the will to live that pervaded his whole body, even though his dagger was the only weapon he had. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When he thought of what he had been through so far... what was a simple forest?


    Even as a young boy, he had survived the catastrophe that had ended a kingdom. He had killed two creatures even though he had no power. He had conversed with a king in earnest. He had come back from death itself. And... despite being a slave, he had the blessing... okay, maybe the curse for him... of a king.


    He could and would make it.


    So, he made his way deeper into the forest... leaving behind everything he had experienced in this palace... and took the first steps towards his new life with a determined look on his face.


    But there was something he didn''t know. And that was... that there was actually someone, or rather something, watching him...


    High above, above the trees... No, much higher. Beyond the sky, in the dark void that stretched into infinity... something was looking down at him. And... it was smiling.

 Chapter 23: Hunger of the Curse

    Rain. In the Kingdom of Arcanoa... no, directly on the Venis continent, it was a very common weather phenomenon. Spring, summer, fall, winter... it rained all over the continent, regardless of the season.And today was no different. The dark clouds that had been raining for hours were just beginning to retreat, allowing the already very pale sun to finally show some light. The earth was once again illuminated, allowing its inhabitants to breathe a sigh of relief.


    But... despite all this, there was one place where the sun was not so successful in illuminating. It was in the largest forest in the lands of Arcanoa, where the trees were very dense. And... in this very spot, leaning back against a tree, was a young man who had been resting for about half an hour.


    He was Kael, the only survivor of the tragedy at the palace. His clothes had seen their share of rain, but were still full of dirt and blood. His hair was plastered to his face in places, but he didn''t seem to mind. In his left hand was the dagger he had snatched from the king''s chamber.


    And his eyes... they were focused on a single point. So focused, in fact, that it was only after a few minutes that he realized that the rain had stopped. He finally tore his eyes away and stretched, then stood up.


    It had been thirty hours since he had escaped from the palace, and his condition was... not good.


    ''I slept well, but I''m hungry... too hungry.''


    It had been more than a day and a half since he had last eaten. He was worried that if he kept this up any longer, he would start to hear his own stomach growling.


    Finding food was not really a big problem. After all, Kael was a botanist at his core... a highly skilled, knowledgeable botanist. He knew which plants were edible.


    So starvation shouldn''t have been a problem in the first place.


    But... that was exactly the problem. There was not a single herb in the whole forest, let alone edible ones! There were trees, bushes, and grass everywhere, but... that was it.


    ''The few I saw were useless ones...''


    He had to go deeper, at least that''s what he thought. There was no other logical explanation. But... it was dangerous deep in the forest. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''There is also the curse...''


    The crown on his chest was silent, not showing any reaction. He wasn''t complaining, of course... He would have preferred it to continue like this if possible. But he couldn''t help worrying about that too.


    He paused for a moment, waiting silently for a few seconds without moving. His eyes focused on the grass on the ground.


    ''They are not directly edible... but they are useful in the short term.''


    He could survive for a while by eating leaves and grass. He wished he had better options, but... he had to be content with this.


    He sighed, bent down, and grabbed some grass from the ground. After tossing the earthy parts aside, he swallowed and popped it into his mouth.


    It tasted bad. But he''d had to eat worse. So he kept going, filling his belly with grass.


    ''I''d better keep moving forward...''


    *******


    A few hours after he had eaten, Kael noticed that the forest was changing as he continued to move forward.


    The trees and vegetation were changing, becoming more... wild? He wasn''t sure if that was the word, but he didn''t know what else to call it. The colors were slightly darker and they were taller than normal. And... the smells were becoming more intense.


    He didn''t really like it. Change didn''t always bring good things, it was much better to keep things as they were.


    However, just as he was thinking about the reasons for this change... he paused.


    ''This... huh?''


    There was something strange, a feeling of strangeness he had never felt before.


    He narrowed his eyes, looked around. He tried to catch something with his senses, which were much sharper than before, but... there was nothing.


    ''What''s going on?''


    He frowned and looked here and there for a while. After a while, though, he paused again.


    ''Ah, no... It''s not my surroundings that is the problem.''


    The problem was him.


    He raised his hands, looked at his palms. He slowly moved his right hand to his chest, right over his heart. He could feel the pulse. But more importantly...


    ''Is it the curse?''


    He lowered his hands as his expression turned slightly ugly.


    ''This... is definitely not a good sign.''


    *******


    Kael walked for another two hours. The strange feeling he could feel was still in his body, getting worse as time passed. If his prediction was correct from what he was experiencing, it would increase in intensity every hour or so.


    But when it would lead to his death? He didn''t know.


    So, like that, another couple of hours passed.


    Kael began to feel a pain in his chest. It was as if something was squeezing his heart, but only causing him pain rather than killing him.


    It was a feeling he strongly disliked. But it was also important.


    ''I need to find something... something alive...''


    An animal, an insect... anything would do. But the grass was tall and every insect he approached ran away from him. Moreover, he was sure that insects would be insufficient to satisfy the curse... Yet, it was a small hope he wanted to hold on to...


    Another two hours passed. It was slowly getting dark, an hour or so before sunset.


    Kael was... not in a good mood.


    His heart seemed to be beating with difficulty. Whereas it normally beat without any effort on his part, now it felt like it was being forced to beat by him. And it wasn''t just his heart. His movements slowed, his limbs weakened.


    And yet, after all these hours, he had yet to see a single living thing.


    ''Why... Why is there nothing?''


    He was in a forest, a huge forest! Yes, a forest with a connection to the palace, maybe, and Kael hadn''t actually gone very deep, even though he kept moving... and he was always on the outer edges of the forest, changing direction where the trees were getting too dense.


    But it was still ridiculous! All his life he had heard how dangerous it was out there, how people talked as if there were creatures everywhere!


    Now, though, Kael couldn''t see any of them!


    ''Damn it...''


    And... another hour passed just like that.


    It was getting dark, the moon was slowly taking its place in the sky. The whole mood of the forest had changed.


    Kael would normally be up in a tree right now, resting. But he had no such option right now.


    He was dying. And no, not figuratively... literally dying.


    There was excruciating pain in his chest. His heart was begging to stop. And his whole body seemed to be slowly collapsing.


    He had at most two, no... maybe one hour left if he was lucky. He could feel the bloodthirsty chains around his heart.


    That''s why he hadn''t stopped, he wasn''t resting yet. He kept moving, hoping to meet a living creature.


    So much so... that he no longer cared to go deeper into the forest. For the last half hour, he had been leaving the outer part of the forest aside and going deeper into it.


    The change had been relatively rapid. The trees had grown quite dense, their colors... darker. There was an ominous breeze in the air.


    But... Kael still couldn''t find what he was looking for. For half an hour, he walked and walked... and yet...


    ''Am I... going to die?''


    That was the thought that finally crossed his mind. Until now, he had kept it away, tried not to think about it. But now... he just could no longer stop it.


    He put his right hand on his heart, just as he had done hours before. It had slowed down so much that he didn''t need his hand to feel it anymore. However, there was one more thing.


    He could feel the crown on his chest warming, the heat spreading throughout his body.


    Death was cold, that''s what they always said, and he had actually experienced it himself. But... why was it hot now?


    Kael couldn''t help smiling. He didn''t know why, but this contradiction... it amused him.


    ''A warm death, huh...''


    Still, he clenched his fist.


    ''No...''


    So, he kept walking.


    With each step he took, he could feel death approaching him. The chains around his heart grew tighter, the crown grew hotter.


    ''I don''t have even half an hour...''


    But then... his ears caught a crackling sound in this so far silent and desolate forest.


    Kael suddenly paused. His occasionally darkened eyes slowly turned to his right, where he had heard the crackling.


    That''s how he realized that the bushes were moving.


    ''Ah...''


    And the moment he saw what appeared, the wheels in his head suddenly clicked into place.


    That''s why the forest was so quiet.


    That''s why he had never encountered any creatures or animals.


    Because... he was in the territory of the general hunters in a simple forest. In this kind of forest, especially if one didn''t go too deep, and if there were no powerful creatures or other species superior to them, there was always one species that roamed like predators.


    Wolves.


    When Kael saw the three wolves in front of him, he thought nothing for a while.


    Under normal circumstances, he would have wondered how long these bastards had been after him and cursed his luck.


    But... now was different.


    He gripped the dagger in his left hand tightly. He felt tired from the curse, weak... But he smiled.


    "Finally... Finally, something alive..."


    That was all he could think as he stared at the three wolves, their mouths drooling, their eyes fixed on him.


    "Hahah... Finally!"


    The hunger of the curse had not only weakened him. Now that he was so far on the edge of his limits, it was also playing with his mind a little. With all his determination and desire on top of that... his world, which had slowly started to darken, seemed to light up again.


    "I will live!"


    *(A/N: There will be an another chapter in a few hours.)*

 Chapter 24: Three Wolves

    The wolves snarled, staring at Kael, and slowly began to surround him.Kael, however... at this very moment, slowly began to come to his senses. His upturned lips pulled back slightly and his expression turned ugly.


    The curse had played with his body in such a way that, for a moment, it had even affected what he was thinking. But now... looking at the scene in front of him, he was all too aware that things were not so easy.


    ''Three wolves...''


    If there was only one, it wouldn''t have been a problem. After all, wolves were normal animals, not creatures. He could believe he had a chance even if there were two.


    But three? Well, he couldn''t be sure about that...


    ''There may be more hiding, too.''


    He gritted his teeth, shook off the general aching and fatigue in his body, and gripped the dagger in his left hand even tighter.


    He didn''t panic, he didn''t let his focus drift anywhere else. Likewise, he kept his eyes on the wolves. He was ready to react at any moment. He may not have been confident, the circumstances may have been to his disadvantage... but that didn''t mean he was going to be scared and run away.


    He couldn''t run, anyway. If he wanted to survive, he had to fight, whether he wanted to or not. So he stayed where he was.


    But, then, he realized that waiting was not really a good option. One of the wolves was waiting in the center while the other two were moving slowly to either side of him. Soon, they would surround him, encircle him, and use his blind spots to simply kill him.


    The only way to prevent them from doing so was... to act before they did.


    Kael clicked his tongue, took a deep breath, and prepared to strike. The wolves realized this quickly, their growls growing louder as they bared their teeth at Kael. It was as if they were trying to scare him, to make him back down.


    But Kael didn''t fall for it. With keen, determined eyes, he fixed his gaze on the wolf to his left... and then moved as fast as he could.


    The wolves quickly grasped his intentions. The middle one and the right one quickly tried to retreat to the other''s side. But... they hadn''t reached him yet when Kael suddenly ended up next to his target! One, no... if they had only half a second more, everything would have been so simple... But, surprisingly, Kael was faster than them!


    Still, there was not an extreme difference. And even if the others had been as slow as that short time, the target wolf was different, it had time to react... After all, it was the target itself!


    Its jaws full of sharp teeth opened wide, its hind legs planted firmly on the ground as it lunged for the arm of the fifteen-year-old boy who appeared in front of it.


    What should normally happen was simple. Either the arm of the boy in front of him would be caught between its teeth and the forest would be filled with a scream... or he would be forced to retreat.


    But neither of them happened. The scrawny boy, who should have been an easy target, did not flinch in any way from its fangs... nor was he too slow to react. Not a single hesitation crossed his mind as the will to live burned like an unquenchable flame in his eyes. So, the dagger in his hand, perhaps one of the finest daggers in the kingdom, though wielded by someone weak like him, was swung straight into the wide-open jaw.


    The wolf did not have time to retreat. Or even prepared to retreat in the first place. He did not know why, but the wolf had not avoided the dagger, and it paid the price.


    Kael felt his dagger racing against the flesh. Drool dripped from the wolf''s teeth and spilled onto his hand, but blood soon accompanied it. Still, he didn''t stop, he didn''t pull the dagger back or let it go. He pushed even harder, as hard as he could.


    The dagger parted and parted the wolf''s jaws... Finally, it reached its neck, and only then did Kael have to stop. The reason was simple... other wolves!


    Kael stretched, he was in an awkward position, not knowing exactly how to swing the dagger, but he quickly recovered himself. He clenched his right fist and swung it backwards at the wolf to his right. Not content with that, he pulled his dagger out of the jaws of the wolf in front of him and attacked his left.


    As the back of his fist met the head of the second wolf, he felt it being thrown back slightly. But the third wolf, unlike its other two companions, did not fall easily. It managed to dodge Kael''s half-assed swing of the dagger, preparing to sink its fangs into his legs.


    But then... it saw the bare foot that appeared before its eyes. Its world went black in an instant, all four of its limbs lost their strength and it crumpled to the ground.


    Kael did not stop. He turned his focus to the wolf whose jaws he had sliced open, his eyes locked with the coldness of a serial killer. He had attacked it last, so it was the one who should have recovered the most. He wanted to finish it off. But... he paused, realizing something.


    The wolf in front of him... was it shivering, or was it just him?


    His cold brown eyes narrowed. He was seeing right, the wolf in front of him... was trembling.


    "Really?"


    Kael didn''t know what to say. He had seen before how arrogant people, when confronted by those superior to them, would grovel and beg for their lives in a disgusting, slobbering way. But to see something like this in animals...


    ''You were trying to kill me just a few seconds ago...''


    He let out a light, quick sigh. He drew his dagger, and without a second thought, attacked the wolf, who was trembling with fear. The wolf tried to retreat, but failed. The dagger landed between its eyes and sliced its face in two.


    For a moment, Kael felt the feeling of exhaustion that had enveloped his whole body slowly fade away, the chains around his heart loosened. Thus, he was sure that he had killed the wolf in front of him... and yet, he did not stop.


    Even if he had confirmed that it was dead, even if he wanted to observe what was happening now that he had given the curse a life for the first time, he did not wait for the wolf to collapse but turned around. He looked up at the wolf he had punched... and found its white fangs right in front of his face.


    ''Holy-!''


    His body moved on its own. He raised his right elbow and, without thinking, swung at the wolf. The wolf''s teeth sank into his arm, he even felt some of them rattle... But it was such a hasty attack that it lacked the strength to throw the wolf back.


    He saw the wolf close its jaws and watched as some of its teeth dug into his flesh.


    "Fucking dog!"


    He swung his elbow down. At the same time, brought his knee up. He dragged the wolf''s head to his knee with his own arm, using it to hit the wolf''s head violently. But he didn''t stop at once, he hit it twice... then three times. The wolf''s teeth made a few wounds on his arm, but he didn''t care. He struck a fourth time... and, finally, all the strength in the wolf''s teeth disappeared as its body simply collapsed to the ground.


    Kael felt a cozy warmth spread through his body again, he had fed the curse with a life once more... but just like the first time, he didn''t even think about it.


    He turned towards where the third and last wolf was supposed to be, this time ready for everything. He braced himself for any teeth or claws he might find in front of him again... but, this time, there was nothing.


    Instead, there was a wolf moving backwards through the bushes, its whole body trembling and... almost groaning. It was ready to turn and run away at the slightest movement of his.


    ''Ah...''


    Kael''s body relaxed, his eyes softening slightly as he looked at the wolf in front of him.


    However...


    "You shouldn''t have attacked me in the first place..."


    He stretched the hand holding the dagger, and without a second thought, he threw it with all his might towards the wolf. He had no idea how to throw a dagger or a knife. In fact, he was sure he would fail... but he had no other way to kill or attack the wolf in front of him without it escaping.


    The wolf turned and prepared to flee even before the dagger left Kael''s hand... but it reached it anyway. It wasn''t a perfect throw, yes. If it had been any more inaccurate, the hilt would have met flesh instead of the blade and it would have fallen to the ground as if nothing had happened... S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But Kael was lucky. His dagger went right into the wolf''s back, though not fully, causing its whole body to shake violently. It took a step or two as if trying to escape... but then, like its other two friends, it collapsed.


    Kael''s body warmed up again, just as it had with the other two. He could no longer feel any of the chains around his heart.


    With a sigh, he approached the wolf''s corpse, pulled his dagger from its back, and wiped it clean on the wolf''s fur, although not quite successfully. Then... he waited for a while, doing nothing, his eyes fixed on the already darkening sky.


    The forest was silent again. But... the metallic smell of fresh blood now filled his nose.


    Still, Kael didn''t care. His mind was elsewhere, his brow furrowed.


    ''I... I shouldn''t be this strong.''


    Well, he wasn''t really that strong... He was only strong for a scrawny fifteen-year-old boy who knew nothing about combat. Even then, his reflexes were a step up from when he was a slave, as were his speed, muscle strength, and senses. It was as if... he had suddenly grown a few years older.


    He was not complaining, of course. He preferred being strong to being weak, even if the change was minimal... But something was still unsettling him.


    ''Is it because of the curse?''


    The whole point of the curse was to make him stronger constantly, after all. But... the effect was quite minimal, and to get it, he had to take a life, and this was the first time he had taken a life since he got it. So this was not the answer.


    He raised his hands, looked at his palms. He remembered how his body had healed when he woke up in the palace.


    Something had changed in his body. He didn''t know exactly what, but... something had happened after he had killed the king and obtained the curse.


    "Haaaaah..."


    He lowered his hands, closed his eyes briefly, and inhaled as much fresh air as he could into his lungs. Then, decisively, he opened his eyes again.


    ''Well, I have to leave here first... The smell of blood might attract other wolves or creatures.''


    Yes, his life was more important than anything else. He could solve the mysteries about himself later, he had plenty of time. At least... as long as he was alive.


    ''For now, I have succeeded... I have satisfied the curse and somehow survived, and I will continue to do so.''


    And so, he began to walk away from the area. Under the endless darkness of the night and the blanket of silence, he moved forward, just as he had done so far. Yet... his mind was always on something else.

 Chapter 25: Second Night

    *(A/N: Sorry, I thought I uploaded this chapter hours ago but it seems I didn''t... I will upload two more chapters in a few hours to make up for it, though. So don''t worry.)*The forest was dark and quiet. The cool autumn breeze caressed the leaves and gave the forest its usual rustling sound. But nothing more.


    Here, one of the trees whose leaves it caressed was... different from the others. Not because of its color or its height, but because of the youth lying on one of its branches. This youth was, of course, Kael.


    It was half an hour since he had killed the three wolves. He had climbed up a suitable tree and was thinking quietly, his eyes scanning the sky through the leaves.


    ''One wolf satisfied the curse enough to hold it for almost an hour. It''s strange, a bit scary to be honest... but I can feel it. I gained three hours in total by killing them.''


    To survive a single day, he had to kill a total of twenty-four wolves.


    ''Isn''t that... a lot?''


    He knew the curse was cruel. It was designed to be that way, after all. He knew something like this could happen... But he still thought that he would be able to gain at least six or seven hours from a single wolf.


    He didn''t just think about it. He really believed it, for he could feel no chains or difficulty in his heart right now. He had been worse than this in the three hours before he killed the wolves. Now, even though he had the same amount of time, he was much better.


    ''Maybe the process rewinds every time I take a life. I go through the same things again, this time in a shorter period of time, but with the same phases...'' Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He couldn''t stop his expression twitching. How the curse worked was much harder to guess and to satisfy than he had thought. It worked so... strange.


    And then there was the other effect of it, of course.


    ''Though I don''t feel like I''m getting stronger.''


    He was supposed to grow stronger with every life he took, even if the effect was weakened after the blessing became a curse. But... minimal differences aside, there seemed to be no difference at all.


    He would have sighed if he wasn''t in a dangerous forest, but he remained silent.


    ''At least I have no problem killing wolves...''


    Only two days ago, these three wolves could have easily taken him in their midst and torn him to pieces. Now... he had slaughtered them so thoroughly that they couldn''t stop shaking with fear. He had suddenly grown stronger, faster, in a way that even he had found strange.


    Now that he was in a safe place again, he could think about it. And so he did.


    ''First... how much do I know about curses and blessings?


    As a slave, he had never needed to learn such things. All he knew was what he had heard around him in his fifteen years of life.


    He knew, for example, that blessings were largely innate. So things like nobility and bloodlines were quite important. But genetics was not the only way to obtain one. He had heard that if someone had potential, they could awaken that potential to obtain a blessing. And last but not least... he remembered something about the gods sometimes granting blessings to people, though they were rare.


    He didn''t know if there was any other way to obtain a blessing other than these three.


    ''Ah, though... the king''s blessing was transferable.''


    He had never heard in his life that blessings could be passed on from person to person. But just because he hadn''t heard of it didn''t mean it was impossible, he was a living example of it himself.


    ''So... blessings can be received in different ways. Not only that, they can be created too.''


    The curse he had, originally a blessing, had not naturally manifested. He was sure of that. Someone or something, he didn''t know who or what, had artificially created it. That''s how the blessing was able to have such unique characteristics. Like... being able to turn into a curse or be transferred to someone else.


    ''And then there are curses... And they''re quite different from blessings.''


    There was a lot of misinformation about the curses. He didn''t know which ones were true, of course... so it was difficult to comment on them.


    But the most important thing he knew was that some curses, like blessings, could help their bearers. There were curses that had positive effects, no matter how negative they were. And these positive effects were often even stronger than the blessings. At least in most cases... because he was an exception. His curse was weakened instead of being even stronger than the original.


    ''Also... the bearers of blessings or curses are usually much stronger than normal people.''


    He had never seen or heard of a weak blessing or curse bearer in his life. Curse bearers were a bit complicated, though... But that was not the point!


    ''So, does having one of the two directly strengthen the person a little bit?''


    He couldn''t help frowning at the thought. It was the most logical option he could come up with for his situation. But... couldn''t help but feel like he was missing something. Like he was skipping something.


    He continued to think for a while, watching the dark sky. Finally... he didn''t care about hiding anymore and jumped down from the tree. Looking at the dagger in his left hand, he couldn''t help sighing.


    ''Three hours... I can''t sleep with only this much, I will lose my life in my sleep. I need to kill more things before the night is over.''


    Yes, it was dangerous... although he was sure that he was individually stronger than the wolves, he was not certain what would happen to him if he faced a large pack.


    ''Still, there is nothing I can do... it is my best and only option.''


    It was next to impossible to find an animal in the outer reaches of the forest, and going deeper would mean encountering more dangerous creatures.


    So the only ''enemy'' he could afford to take on were the wolves. Even if he had to take risks, he had no choice in the first place.


    So... he started walking. He moved under the cover of night, not caring much about making noise.


    It took him a relatively short time to find what he was looking for. It seemed that the reason he hadn''t found any animals before was that he had indeed wandered into the outer part of the forest... because just a few meters away from the bushes where he was hiding, there were two wolves that seemed to be roaming in the forest.


    ''Good!''


    Two wolves meant two more hours to live! And he was confident that he could defeat them.


    He tensed for a surprise attack, picked out the one on his side of the wolves... and then held his breath. His dagger gripped tightly in his left hand as always, ready to strike.


    And so... he charged. He burst out of the bushes with great speed, like a shadow in the endless darkness of the night, and made it to the wolves.


    However, he had been discovered with this move. The wolves were turning towards him, almost in slow motion, even preparing to retreat... But therein lay their problem. The difference in speed between them and Kael was not excessive, yes... but Kael was still superior to them in this respect.


    So, without a second thought, without hesitation, Kael swung his dagger at the retreating wolf. He felt its flesh tear, and watched with his eyes as his dagger sliced through its torso. But he did not stop there. Without giving the other wolf a chance to escape, he released his grip on his dagger, and charged at the other wolf like a wrestler.


    The wolf struggled and struggled, trying to break free from Kael''s hands... but in vain. With each passing second, the unimaginable force of the hands on its neck darkened its world, making breathing more and more impossible... and then, it bid farewell to the world.


    Kael felt a comforting warmth envelop his body. But before it was over, the same warmth returned once more. The wolf, whose body he had sliced open with his dagger, was also dead.


    Kael stood up, taking a quick glance at the scene he had caused. He had killed two wolves in seconds, almost effortlessly.


    With a smile on his face, he pulled his dagger out of the first wolf''s body, put his hand over his own heart, and shook his head up and down for no reason at all.


    ''With these, I have five... though, four hours now.''


    Was this job... easier than he thought? He wasn''t planning to complain, though!


    ''Ten, I''ll kill ten more wolves tonight, or at least try to, and then I''ll go to sleep.''


    With these thoughts, he started walking again. The night was still young, after all. He was sure he could find more wolves.


    And, as he walked through the forest... the wolves, who had dominated this area for so long, tearing apart everything in sight, were unaware of the disaster that was about to befall them.


    A predator they had never seen before had entered their territory, a predator that was weak but powerful enough for them.


    And the ones to be hunted were... themselves.

 Chapter 26: Deep in the Forest

    Its legs could barely hold its body up. Blood covered its entire body, and it could feel every grain dripping from its fur. Despite the huge gash in its torso, it took one last glance around and saw the lifeless bodies of its kindred. The fresh, warm blood spattered on the grass was almost highlighted in its eyes.But... it felt nothing. It couldn''t feel anything, anyway. It didn''t have the mental capacity for that. Until now, it had relied solely on instinct. It had hunted, torn, killed, and eaten.


    And yet, even though it couldn''t feel anything... it was shivering. Not because of the state of its body, not because of the coldness of death. It was trembling from fear. The instincts that had always told it to attack, to kill, were now telling him to run. But... it was afraid.


    And soon, the voice of the source of that fear filled its ears.


    "Oh, did I miss another one?"


    It felt a sharp pain in the back of its neck, its last connection to the world severed as its body slumped to the ground.


    Its killer was a scrawny fifteen-year-old boy... Kael himself. He was busy wiping his dagger clean on the fur of one of the wolves. He had a broad smile on his face.


    ''With this... I should have almost two days.''


    Two days had passed since the night he first fed the curse. And during those two days, he had killed wolves non-stop. In fact... he had killed too many. So much so that whereas before he could encounter a group of two or three wolves every half hour, now it was up to two hours.


    The number of wolves was decreasing. Even if they weren''t, they were getting really scared of him and hiding.


    This was not a good sign, of course. Fewer wolves meant fewer enemies to kill in order to survive, after all.


    But after the events of the last two days, he had come to a new decision and that was the reason for the smile on his face.


    ''Two days should be enough.''


    His determined eyes turned to his left, looking through the trees.


    The wolves were really easy to kill. They hardly ever challenged him at all. Occasionally, if they were lucky, they could cause only minimal wounds... but that was it.


    ''I can fight stronger animals. Or maybe creatures.''


    He was thinking of moving deeper into the forest. The main goal was to encounter something stronger than these wolves and satisfy the curse in a more appropriate way. Because it was certain that it would not be with wolves.


    ''I''d better be careful, though.''


    He nodded to himself, not letting his guard down as he moved slowly through the forest again, dagger in his left hand. He was not going to get arrogant because he had managed to kill the wolves with ease, he knew that making a mistake could mean death. That was why he had wanted to kill enough wolves to sustain the curse for at least two or three days before moving deeper into the forest.


    And now... there was nothing in his way.


    ''Let''s go!''


    *******


    The outer parts of the forest were usually dominated by shades of green. The trees were normal, the leaves were as they should be... even the air felt fresh and pleasant.


    But when starting to move a little further inwards from the outer parts, this began to change. All the greenery became darker in color, the grass grew taller than normal, and the trees became... strange. Their branches and trunks started to curve.


    And as someone went further and further inside, for example, to where Kael was now... a completely different change took place.


    Instead of the grass on the ground growing taller and wilder, it was becoming... sparse. There were fewer of them. In the same way, the trees, like the grass, became less and less. Most of their leaves had fallen, and those that hadn''t were yellow and would soon fall off. The air he used to enjoy inhaling was now heavy. It was not the smell of trees and plants that came to his nose anymore... but something else.


    He was alert, he couldn''t shake the ominous feeling inside him. It was as if something bad could happen at any moment.


    ''I wonder if coming here... was a mistake?''


    Four hours of walking had brought him here, or at least to the area where the changes had taken place. Only an hour or two ago, he was still in parts of the forest that could still be considered normal.


    After a while, he frowned. As his eyes darted back and forth to avoid a possible attack, he mentally scolded himself.


    ''No! There is no mistake, I have no choice...''


    He resolutely pushed aside the ominous feeling. He didn''t ignore it, of course... he couldn''t. In fact, he didn''t even push it aside, he was just... going to stop focusing on it for a while, so as not to confuse himself.


    But then, something occurred to him.


    ''Now that I think about it... I haven''t seen any creatures yet.''


    As he continued to move through the wolves'' territory, he found animals in abundance. Squirrels, deer, rabbits... all kinds! And of course, he had tried to kill them.


    The squirrels were too agile. It was almost impossible to catch one unless it got close without them realizing it. And yet he succeeded! And what he got... was only about fifteen or twenty minutes. The rabbits gave him the same amount of time. The deer... about half an hour.


    He was beginning to understand how satisfied the curse was with what he killed. It didn''t matter how big or small the animals were. What mattered, at least in his estimation, was their fighting ability. The more deadly an animal was, the more time it bought him.


    ''So... it must be the same for creatures, right?''


    The more dangerous, and therefore powerful, creatures he killed, the more he could satisfy his curse. Probably the ''power'' he gained by killing someone increased accordingly. He still didn''t understand what that power was, though... he didn''t feel empowered at all.


    Just then, he paused, his eyebrows raised slightly as something caught his eye.


    ''Oh, wait... This is useful!''


    He quickened his pace, getting closer to what he saw. When he stopped, there was a... plant in front of him. Or rather, several of them.


    Despite this part of the forest, it had lost very little of its greenery, reaching almost to its knees. It had no flowers, it looked like a completely normal plant... and in fact, it was. Just... a normal herb with a few peculiarities.


    With a smile on his face, he bent down and used his dagger to separate the plants from the soil as carefully and professionally as possible.


    If he had his stuff from the greenhouse with him, he could have made some very useful mixtures from them. But that was the keyword, stuff... Without them, he was limited in what he could do.


    Still, it wasn''t bad!


    Even if he ate it as it was, it would retain some of its potency, and that was the important thing. This plant had the effect of replenishing the energy of the person consuming it and delaying sleep a little. As someone who had been walking for four hours straight, its first effect was certainly not something he would ignore!


    And so, he took the herbs and put them in his mouth without a second thought. It tasted bitter, too bitter even... but he didn''t care. As he continued chewing the herbs, he stood up again and started walking once more, his lips slightly curled upwards.


    After only a few minutes, though, he stopped again.


    But this time it wasn''t because he had seen a plant, nor was there a smile on his face. On the contrary, his eyes twitched. And his expression turned ugly.


    ''This...''


    The view in front of him was... not very pleasant.


    The earth was dyed red, as was the bark of the trees. On the ground... were lifeless bodies. Some were animals, others... things he had never seen or heard of in his life. Some of them were disembodied, others had been mutilated.


    ''Who- No, ''what'' could have done this...?


    Animals were not so important. But... creatures had been killed here too. Creatures whose fangs were sharp, creatures that he could sense with just one glance were more dangerous than wolves.


    ''I''ll... move away from here, I think...''


    He was no longer sure he wanted to go deeper into the forest... It seemed a better option to turn back a bit and go around without getting too far into these parts. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And so, he turned around.


    Instead of seeing the way he had come, the familiar trees... what he found in front of his eyes was the palm of something with three fingers covering his entire vision.

 Chapter 27: Will to Live that Trumps Everything

    ''Holy-''Kael twisted his body backwards, away from the claw in front of his eyes. Then he pressed his right hand to the ground and, drawing strength from it, threw himself even further back.


    If he made the slightest mistake, he could lose his balance and fall to the ground, making himself an open target... But he didn''t fall, he managed to keep his balance and looked at the creature attacking him. What he found in front of him... was a claw again.


    This time, he was not as unprepared as before. The dagger in his left hand was at the ready, after all. And he pulled himself to the left side as he swung his dagger swiftly in an upward arc.


    He dodged the claw, and not only that, he managed to make a small cut on the creature''s wrist. But it had not yet given up!


    Kael saw another claw coming from the other side. He was in an awkward position! There was no way he could block it!


    He gritted his teeth, pulling the elbow of his left arm down as fast as he could. But it was too late. He felt the creature''s claws on his body. At first, it was a slight pain, then it suddenly intensified...


    For a moment, the pain shot through his whole body, danger signals lit up in his brain. He clenched his teeth even more, all his muscles contracted... he put everything he had into his elbow. And he succeeded. His elbow met the claw at this very moment.


    The first thing he felt... was that the creature''s skin was very hard. But then the hardness suddenly dissipated. With the force of his elbow, the creature was forced to withdraw its claw. And it made no further attack, finally retreating.


    Kael looked at the retreating creature as he quickly pressed his right hand against his wound. He could finally see exactly what it looked like. And... he was surprised.


    The creature in front of him was... ''strange'' in every sense of the word. It had reddish skin and no fur. It resembled a... cat, but on two legs. It was quite short, the height of a child around ten. Its claws looked like it was between a hand and a paw and couldn''t decide what to be. Its facial expression was like that of a cat, but with squinty eyes, it had a very... different air.


    What was in front of his eyes was really... a disgusting creature. A disgusting and strange abomination.


    But it was strong. And that was the important thing.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at the site of the massacre he had seen a few seconds ago, then at the creature''s bloody claws.


    ''It must be responsible for the massacre...''


    From what he had seen so far, he was sure that this... strange creature was not much stronger than him. Yes, it was definitely faster and stronger than him... but the difference was not much.


    ''So, I can win.''


    The only problem... was the wound. Thanks to his quickness, the creature''s claw hadn''t penetrated his body completely, just a little bit... But even that ''little bit'' had caused a wound that kept bleeding and hurting him.


    It was much harder to concentrate than usual.


    ''I can still do it, no... I will!''


    He thought of the hours he could gain by killing this creature. He was sure he would not simply gain an hour or two like the wolves. He would get so much more!


    And with that thought, he gripped his dagger tightly and narrowed his eyes slightly. All his focus was on the hideous creature in front of him. And that''s when it made its move.


    Kael''s eyes widened slightly. A single thought ran through his mind.


    ''Fast!''


    Yet he remained calm. Because...


    ''But not so much that I can''t react!''


    He had a hard time following the creature, he couldn''t even see its body... But it was easy to guess where it was going to attack!


    ''It''s aiming for my right side!''


    His right hand was still on his wound, his dagger in his left hand. He was attacking his weak right side, just as he had expected!


    Kael stopped holding his wound. He clenched his right hand firmly, raised it up, and swung it at the creature. Not only that, he readied his dagger, ready to strike the moment the creature made contact with his right hand! And so it did.


    He felt the creature''s claw on his right arm. But he had been expecting it all along, his dagger suddenly appeared next to the creature''s arm.


    ''I did it!''


    He was sure that his dagger would reach the creature, that he would manage to cut a wound in it!


    But it didn''t.


    ''H- huh?!''


    The creature stepped on Kael''s right arm... In one swift movement, it stood on top of him, placed its feet on his shoulders, and leaped into the air!


    Kael could not withstand the enormous weight on his back. He lost the strength in his legs and fell flat on his face. But the creature didn''t stop there! Before Kael could hit the ground, it simply did a backflip, its claws slicing deep cuts into Kael''s back as it spun in the air!


    "A- Aahrg!"


    Kael couldn''t help but scream. It wasn''t enough that he was pinned to the ground extremely hard, his back was burning with unbelievable pain!


    But he had no time!


    ''I must get up!''


    It didn''t take him a split second to give up on the idea.


    ''No, I must turn!''


    He quickly turned to his left side, on his back. And just as he expected, he found the creature''s claws in front of him.


    He didn''t think about what was going to happen, he just pulled his feet as fast as he could towards his belly. It was so sudden that it hurt him, and as a result, the force he could put into his feet was slightly dissipated... But it still saved his life.


    He released his tensed legs only fractions of a second before the creature reached him! His kick passed the claws in front of him and landed directly in the creature''s abdomen. With the force of the kick, the creature was thrown backwards with saliva splattering from its mouth. Then the sound of it crashing into a tree echoed through the forest.


    Kael did not stay where he was. He tried to get up quickly, but then realized the pain in his legs. He had contracted his muscles so suddenly and so hard that he had really hurt himself. Still, he tried not to care. He had to get up, he couldn''t wait on the ground against this creature! So, he forced himself to his feet, even if his legs were shaking, and looked towards where the creature had sprung.


    The creature was already on its feet, drool dripping down its chin. Its squinty eyes were slightly reddened and it was holding its belly with one arm. Like Kael, it was trembling slightly, at the same time, baring its teeth in a hostile manner and growling.


    Kael realized that his vision was slightly blurred as he looked at the creature. He did not let it show in any way, though. He did not want to show any more signs of weakness than he was already showing. But the situation was bad!


    ''It is faster than me, stronger as well, but its defenses are almost non-existent. Its bones and body are weak. I can finish it off if I can land just one decent attack... But the same goes for me too.''


    He clicked his tongue, never taking his eyes off the creature for a single second. The creature waited in the same way.


    Both sides were silent and still, as if... whoever made the first move would lose.


    ''I need to be faster. Power is irrelevant, I just need to be faster... If I can make it lose its balance just once and attack it in succession, I will win!''


    But therein lay the problem.


    Kael couldn''t get any faster. On the contrary, he could now only be slower. His legs could barely hold him up and his back was in excruciating pain. He could feel the blood oozing from his wounds.


    ''Still...''


    He gritted his teeth, his eyes more determined than ever.


    ''Even then!''


    The fingers clenching the dagger trembled, his arm twitched slightly.


    He refused. He didn''t want to lose his second chance at this point, to die against such an... abomination of a creature. So, no matter what condition his body was in... he put everything aside, just as he had done until now.


    The only thing burning inside him was the will to live.


    So what if he was hurting? There wasn''t a day in his fifteen years of life that didn''t hurt! S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    What if his eyes were blurred? His target was in front of him, even in the form of a blurry silhouette!


    What if his whole body was shaking and convulsing? At worst, he would be crippled at the end of the day!


    But he would live, he would kill the creature in front of him! He would not lose his second chance here!


    And he poured everything into this one thought. All his desires, his blood and sweat, his pain... everything.


    He felt a warmth in his body, a comforting warmth that spread throughout his whole body... The pain disappeared for a moment, he felt a force he couldn''t make sense of flowing through his body that was constantly shaking.


    He didn''t care what it was, he didn''t even think about the strangeness of what he was experiencing. He was going to take the opportunity. And he did.


    As soon as he felt the pain disappear, he pressed his feet hard into the ground, the muscles in his legs tightened, this time of his own will... and then released!


    Kael jumped out of his place in an instant. He was fast, even faster than he normally was... making full use of the tiny force flowing through his body!


    For a brief moment, the creature didn''t realize what had happened when it saw its prey suddenly speed up. With all the wounds he had received, how could he have sped up instead of slowing down? Its mind, which wasn''t much of a mind to begin with, actually, couldn''t comprehend it!


    But no matter how much Kael sped up, he was not at the point where it could not follow. It could pick out his attack, his body... everything!


    This was going to be easy! It was going to make him pay for holding out so long in spite of his weakness!


    So, it prepared to dodge the attack. It followed the trajectory of the dagger coming at it and saw that this weak human being was aiming for its shoulder. He was aiming to cut it in two, what a fool he was!


    It would duck, simply dodge the dagger, and get underneath him. Then with its two claws, it was going to punch a hole in his stomach!


    And he ducked, he did indeed dodge the dagger. Not only that, thanks to its tiny body, it was able to get underneath its prey in one swift movement. It tensed its claws, at the same time, preparing to thrust straight up...


    It was over!


    But then... suddenly... it froze. Its whole body stiffened. Out of the corner of its squinty eye, it looked back, and saw the face of its prey. And not just the face... it saw the tiny glint, the silvery light in his brown eyes.


    Then... a shadow appeared in front of that face, a hand with five fingers... and everything went black.


    The last thing it felt was its face being gripped tightly, and then its own body being thrown violently.

 Chapter 28: A New Power

    Kael grabbed the creature by the face, digging his fingers mercilessly into its skin. He gritted his teeth as all his muscles contracted, his vision blurred even more, but he endured. Then... he threw the creature''s body as hard as he could into a random spot.The creature was thrown like a lifeless doll, hitting a tree and causing most of its leaves to fall, barely coming to a stop.


    Kael was not finished, though. His dagger was still in his hand, his eyes determined.


    He walked towards the creature''s trembling body, slowly... confidently. He saw the squinty eyes staring back at him, and then they widened. As with the wolves, this creature was now afraid of him. But he did not care.


    He took his dagger in both hands, crouched over the creature... and without a second thought, plunged it into its chest.


    The creature''s squinty eyes widened even more, blood oozed from between its lips. But Kael did not stop. He drew the dagger and swung it again. And then again... and again... until the last glimmer of life faded from the creature''s eyes, until he felt the warmth that spread through his body every time he killed a living being.


    And finally, what he waited for happened.


    The dagger slipped from his hands and fell to the ground. The pain of his wounds returned as the strange force that had suddenly appeared in his body receded.


    "Hah..."


    He still didn''t care.


    "Hahahah..."


    And he laughed. He laughed as hard as he could, and at the end, he clenched his fist and shouted.


    "I- I won!"


    But then, suddenly, his voice trailed off. His expression quickly turned ugly as he paused, a wave of pain spreading through his whole body.


    Yes, he had won... but he was not unscathed.


    ''My back is burning, the wound on the left side of my stomach is almost serious, and my legs are numb...''


    There were no fractures or dislocations, so it wasn''t too bad. Once his wounds stopped bleeding, he would be fine.


    He just... needed to rest.


    ''Can I... rest, though?''


    He thought of his curse, how he had to fight all the time to live. He had no time to rest.


    But then, he paused, his eyes widened a little.


    ''How many hours have I gained from this creature?''


    He focused on his heart, on the loose chains that encircled it. But... he couldn''t be too pleased with what he felt.


    It wasn''t much... he had gained about three hours from that creature.


    Only three hours.


    ''Why so little...?''


    He had thought he could have gotten more. The creature was as strong as he was, in fact stronger, after all! Couldn''t it have been at least six hours, or eight?


    But three hours... the creature was only worth three wolves.


    ''Tch, I feel like I''ve worked so hard for nothing...''


    For a moment, there was a deep silence. He thought nothing, spoke nothing... He just waited. Then, with a sigh, he forced himself to stand up.


    His legs were in really bad shape, but he didn''t think there would be a problem if he walked slowly.


    ''I need to get away from here...''


    He would find a tree again, climb on it, and rest. Then, he could keep moving forward. But right now... he had to make sure he would survive.


    He looked back at the corpse of the creature and the carnage it had caused... then, he couldn''t help his lips curling upwards slightly.


    ''I will be back, my work here is not done.''


    He would grow stronger, he would come back here, and... he would start hunting these creatures instead of wolves. That was his new purpose.


    ''I just need a little time...''


    And so, he began to move forward slowly, with a limp.


    *******


    His eyes opened slowly, he felt the hardness of the place where his back rested. The sun was shining on his face and the autumn breeze was a bit harsh today.


    Immediately afterwards, he felt a pain that spread throughout his body.


    Yet he didn''t make a sound. He sighed deeply, then looked at the position of the sun.


    ''I slept for about six hours, huh...''


    It wasn''t bad... but he had expected to sleep more.


    ''I''m a little better, though.''


    His wounds had stopped bleeding a long time ago and his legs didn''t feel as numb as they used to.


    It was strange, actually. In the past, he was sure he would have needed two or three days to recover to this extent. Now... he could recover this much in just six hours.


    ''I am not a normal person...''


    He was stronger, faster, more resilient, and healed faster. He was very different from people his own age.


    He paused for a moment, his brow furrowed. Something had come to mind, something he had experienced while fighting for survival with that freak creature, something he couldn''t care about because of his condition...


    ''I suddenly became faster, stronger... the pain disappeared a lot, too. Why?''


    He remembered the warmth spreading through his body. He became stronger with that warmth.


    There was no way it could have been something normal. He wasn''t going to attribute something like this to something childish, like his body exceeding its limits just because of his lust for life. Such things only happened in fairy tales.


    ''Was it because of the curse?''


    He put his hand to his chest, touched the crown. But then shook his head.


    ''No, the curse doesn''t have an ability like that.''


    So it was something else, something independent of the curse.


    ''How was it triggered?''


    Well... even if he ignored it because it was childish, the only thing he was thinking about at the time was his will to live.


    Was he really strengthened by the desire to live?


    ''No... that''s ridiculous.''


    He waited for a while, thinking and thinking. The minutes ticked by... and, finally, all he could do was sigh.


    ''At that time, I wanted to speed up, I wanted to get stronger... I gave everything to it... So what if I do it again? Can I repeat what happened?''


    He closed his eyes and waited on the tree he had climbed. He wanted to get faster, stronger, more resilient.


    But... nothing happened.


    His brow furrowed, yet he did not open his eyes. He tried harder. He didn''t just want to, this time he imagined it.


    But... again, nothing happened.


    He opened his eyes, looking frustrated.


    ''I''m doing something wrong... or it was really something spontaneous.''


    He looked for a while at the emptiness, at the leaves of the tree. His brow furrowed even more, his face twitched.


    ''No.''


    He stretched, moved his limbs a little. He shook off the numbness in his body for a while, then climbed down from the tree.


    The chances of creatures in this part of the forest were slim. He was back in the wolves'' territory after all. And they were not a threat to him. So he was at ease.


    Still, he took out his dagger, held it between both hands, and took up a fighting stance. He closed his eyes again and let his imagination work to its fullest.


    First, he desired. To get stronger, faster...


    Then, he imagined it. That he was getting stronger, faster.


    He replayed that fight over and over in his mind. Each scene was burned into his mind, into his muscles.


    He remembered the warmth he felt in his body. It had first started in his chest... right by his heart. Then, it spread through his body, giving him strength and speed...


    He imagined this same warmth. The way it arose in his heart, the way it spread through his body.


    And... this time, something actually happened.


    His lips involuntarily curled upwards as he felt a warmth in his heart.


    It was tiny, much smaller than what he had felt during the fight. But... it was there.


    Kael focused on this warmth. He isolated himself from the world, even though he knew it was dangerous. He wanted to continue this experiment, he wanted to see what would happen. So he didn''t stop.


    He imagined the warmth growing, and it did. His chest grew hotter and hotter, but it never reached the same level as during the fight.


    Still, he didn''t care too much about it. At some point, he stopped, thinking that there was no need to go any further for a simple experiment. So, he stopped increasing the warmth, stopped concentrating it... and distributed it throughout his body. Not in random places like during that fight, but literally all over his body.


    The moment he did this, the whole world changed. His constant pain suddenly became meaningless, his ears and nose more sensitive than ever. He could feel the new power coursing through his body.


    He opened his eyes. He hadn''t noticed it in the fight, but even his eyes had become sharper. The difference was really small, but when he focused, it was hard to miss.


    He raised his hands, looked at his palms. He clenched and unclenched his fist a few times.


    ''This is... strange.''


    He had never heard anything like this before. Was it a common trait of the Blessed and Cursed?


    ''It''s not as effective as the first time, but I''m definitely stronger, I can feel it.''


    He jumped slightly where he was.


    He was light, he felt like a bird. He had never been a bird before... but that was what it felt like!


    He wanted to experiment more with his new power, so he spotted a tree and gripped his dagger tightly. He didn''t care if his body was in bad shape now.


    He approached the tree, then took a deep breath. He took his dagger in his left hand, stretched... then attacked the tree with all his might.


    The bark split without feeling hard at all, and it left Kael in shock. It wasn''t with the ease of cutting through plants or cloth, perhaps... but it managed to make a large gash as if the tree didn''t have the durability it should have. One more cut and he could have split the tree in two! sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''This is... very good!''


    With this, he could hunt the creatures much more easily. If he had known all along that he could do something like this, the previous creature would have given him no trouble at all!


    He wanted to test his limits even more, he bent down to run... But just as he was about to leap, he paused. His smiling face suddenly fell.


    ''Huh?''


    The warmth in his body was receding without him wanting it to.


    ''No!''


    He closed his eyes again as his newfound strength slipped through his hands. He did his best to protect it, but... it was futile. After only a few seconds, both the warmth radiating through his body and all his strength vanished.


    When he was back to normal, he had a disappointed look on his face. He had wanted more, but...


    ''This power... It is limited!''

 Chapter 29: A New Goal

    Kael was on the tree again, his expression downcast, his eyes narrowed... thoughtful. He was calm now. When he thought rationally, he realized how normal what he had experienced was.There was no such thing as unlimited power. Neither the Blessed nor the Cursed could use their powers all the time, that much even he knew. But... for some reason, he had believed that he could do it.


    Now, though, after some thought, he had accepted the facts.


    But...


    It was still annoying!


    He took a deep breath, calmed himself down again.


    So what if his power was not unlimited? Just a few seconds of it could help him survive most difficult situations.


    Besides... he was aware that it was not a simple ability. No, it was more like a feature of his body than an ''ability''. Like... adrenaline, for example. But unlike adrenaline, it was something he could control himself.


    Which also meant that he could master it. It was quite difficult to move that warmth through his body. But if he could get used to it, if he could control it more smoothly... then things would change.


    And not only that.


    ''After I lost my strength, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t get that warmth back.''


    He raised his hand, looked at his palms.


    He closed his eyes, imagining himself growing stronger, just as he had done then. And... his call was answered. He could feel the warmth intensifying in his heart.


    But, then, he opened his eyes again, and the warmth in his chest quickly disappeared.


    ''Now, I can do it again. So... either I have to wait a while to use it again, or it has a fuel that can run out and refill.''


    He thought the second option was the right one. Because he could invoke this power again now if he wanted to. The reason he couldn''t when he was testing his power was simply because he ran out of fuel.


    ''But what is the fuel?''


    That was another question, a question to which, unfortunately, he had not yet found the answer.


    It wasn''t food, he didn''t feel hungry. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was also not water.


    For a brief moment, he thought that he was sacrificing the hunger of his curse, but it wasn''t that either, the time he was given was still the same.


    So... he had no idea what that was.


    He wasn''t unhappy, though. He was definitely pleased, even if he was still frustrated. Why should he be unhappy when he had a new power at his disposal?


    He lowered his hands, turned his eyes to the sky. He could only see part of it through the leaves, but... it was gray, as usual. Depressing, but... a gray he actually liked.


    He waited for a while. He watched the sky, the delicate swaying of the leaves. It was peaceful. In spite of all his problems, it was a relief to be in such a quiet, peaceful place. So much so that he slowly detached even from reality, the voice of someone he knew quite well echoed in his mind.


    "If you''re bored, if you''ve been through something bad... look at the sky. Isn''t it beautiful?"


    His lips curled upwards. His mother may have been a sky freak, yes... She was indeed a bit obsessed with it.


    But, somehow, he couldn''t help agreeing with her.


    The sky was really beautiful.


    Even when it wasn''t night, when it couldn''t yet show its stars, it was comforting.


    But... no matter how much he wished he could just stay here, not care anymore... he didn''t have time for that.


    His lips, which had curled upwards, flattened, his eyes narrowed.


    Yes, he knew he didn''t have time...


    But he still kept thinking.


    ''Can I... go on like this?''


    He had thrown away his thoughts about suicide, yes. He really had a purpose in life now, he didn''t want to die like he used to anymore.


    But... could he fulfill his purpose if he continued like this?


    Could he really survive against all odds?


    He didn''t know.


    The world was a cruel place. It was full of dangers he could not comprehend. Having spent his whole life as a slave, there was so much he didn''t know... he was no more than a child of three or four years old considering his knowledge.


    He thought about everything he had ever experienced. The tragedy at the palace, the wolves, that abomination of a creature...


    And, then, how little he actually knew about the world.


    Suddenly, everything he had ever experienced seemed small, lost its importance.


    Perhaps he really could have survived going on like this. He could satisfy his curse for many years, he could live his life.


    If he wanted to, if he really tried, maybe he could even lead a normal life.


    But... what about his goal?


    So far, he had thought that as long as he could survive, he could make it work. He hadn''t thought much about the future, his first priority was not to lose the second chance the king had given him.


    But... his goal was not so simple. He wanted to kill the brother of the king of Arcanoa, Musthar V. Arcanoa, and... he was no longer simply ''the king''s brother''.


    He had sold his country in a deal with the Empire. So... he was now under their protection, their patronage.


    Would it be as easy to reach him as before?


    No... he didn''t think so. He was important to the Empire now. So... dealing with him would probably mean dealing with the Empire.


    And the Empire... was something to be feared.


    And not only that. Luck had played a big part in his survival so far. But he would not always continue to be lucky.


    He paused, remembering their conversation when he had first entered the king''s chamber.


    Luck is also a talent, the king had said. Sometimes even the greatest of talents, even...


    He was not wrong. So much could be achieved in life simply by being lucky.


    But just as much could be lost.


    Kael was well aware that luck would not always be on his side. Sooner or later, he would trip over an obstacle.


    His expression became even more serious, his fist clenched.


    He couldn''t rely on luck.


    No, directly... he couldn''t rely on the way he was now, the way he was thinking.


    He had to not only continue to survive, but to become stronger now.


    When he faced an obstacle, he had to think not about whether he could survive, but how he could overcome it with ease.


    He had to get to the point where he could solve his problems with his own strength, rather than relying on luck or whatsoever.


    And... it all led to one thing.


    ''I... I can''t continue like this.''


    He stretched, jumped down from the tree. His wounds were not yet completely healed, yes... but he didn''t care. His brown eyes shifted to the point of the forest from which he had run away.


    This small moment of thinking, remembering again how little he knew about the world...


    Now... he was beginning to understand some things better.


    He wasn''t trying hard enough.


    It wasn''t enough to put his life before everything else. On the contrary, it was something that held him back.


    If all he thought about every obstacle he faced was survival, if he didn''t push himself... he would either stay where he was or his progress would be too slow.


    And he didn''t want that.


    So...


    ''I have made up my mind.''


    As he walked back to where he had fled, his dagger in his hand, his right fist clenched. His nails were digging into his palm, hurting him... but he didn''t care.


    He had to take risks. He had a strong will to live, but he had to put himself in danger rather than hide behind it, cowardly clinging to it, and trying to protect his second chance. He had to constantly test his will to live, to use it as a tool to grow stronger. Even the new strength he had discovered at the very beginning had come in a fight that had pushed him to his limits.


    So... he had to keep doing it.


    He had to keep putting himself in danger without stopping, without giving up.


    Constantly and constantly pushing himself to his limits so that he would learn to overcome them.


    No hiding, no running away.


    He would fight.


    And, so... he walked.


    Just as he had done so far, he kept moving forward.


    But, this time, he had a new motivation. He now saw the world, himself, and his future differently.


    Instead of being a coward who would do anything to survive, he would now be someone who would put his own life on the line to become stronger.


    So, the first thing he decided to do was to change his goal, or at least add to it.


    Not only was he going to kill Musthar V. Arcanoa, no...


    He would kill him in front of everyone.


    He would become so powerful that no one would be able to stop him, he would see the fear in his eyes. Not even the Empire would be able to protect him, even the Emperor himself would fear him.


    That was his new goal.


    He turned his eyes back to the sky, remembering how he was a few years ago.


    Under the pretext of clinging to life, he had set himself an impossible goal that he dreamed of dying trying to achieve.


    He had deceived himself for years.


    Now... he had set himself an impossible goal once again, one far beyond his limits, to become stronger than he could ever imagine.


    But he wasn''t fooling himself this time.


    This time, he was really holding on to it.


    And he would do whatever it took to make it happen.

 Chapter 30: After One Month

    The sun was slowly approaching its zenith in the gray sky. But... at this very moment, a shadow passed slowly in front of it.Dark clouds had begun to gather, signaling that it would soon rain. The few that had managed to get in front of the pale sun had already blocked and would continue to block the light, which was not shining very brightly at the moment.


    Birds were slowly roosting in the trees, squirrels were retreating to their homes. Anyone who looked at the sky could tell that a big rain was coming, including the animals. Who knows, there might even be a storm with not-so-good consequences... and no one wanted to be in the middle of it.


    One of these animals looking for a place to hide was a little bird. It hadn''t been born long, but it had been separated from its family very quickly. Left alone in the wilderness, it could hardly even fly.


    Nevertheless, it flew on, entered a tree, and landed on one of its branches. If it had feelings, it would certainly have been relieved. But... it didn''t have such things. So it continued to look around expressionlessly.


    Then... suddenly, it stopped. Its jet-black eyes had caught something, something big... a young human being with closed eyes, lying a little to the side of the branch on which it had landed.


    People were bad. Sure, there were some good ones... but mostly bad.


    Should it move to another tree, or should it trust that this person was a good one and stay...?


    Just then, the human''s eyes twitched. The bird decided to turn around and jump from the branch to another tree in an instant.


    The human who had just opened his eyes, the one it was afraid of... was of course Kael.


    He stretched as he woke up, then slowly straightened up. He looked around, not seeing any threat. Then he sighed and looked up at the sky.


    He frowned when he realized he couldn''t see where the sun was. There were so many clouds in the sky that the sun, already quite pale, was nowhere to be seen. He couldn''t tell what time of day it was.


    And losing the sense of time... was one of the things Kael hated the most.


    He closed his eyes, focused on his heart. Or rather... the crown just above his heart.


    ''Sixty-three hours... I had sixty-eight before I went to sleep.''


    So he had slept for five hours. He had hunted all night, so he slept when the sun was just rising. That meant... it must have been around noon.


    He sighed deeply, stretched his body a little, and jumped down from the tree to shake off the drowsiness. He noticed that there were no birds chirping or animal tracks and paused. Then he realized how... quiet the forest was. He had a bad feeling.


    ''The sky is quite overcast, no animals are visible... is a bad storm coming?''


    Just as he was thinking this, a gust of wind hit him in the face, hard enough to knock the leaves off the trees.


    Kael clicked his tongue.


    It had been almost a month since he had fled the palace and he had already survived several heavy rains. But a storm that would cause animals to flee like this? He wasn''t sure.


    He thought for a while before moving.


    He had come a long way through the forest. Really, really far. So much so that he was already past the center - he had gone around it, of course... he still didn''t have the guts to go through it - and he was approaching the outer parts of the forest at the other end.


    Hunting was harder than ever. Because... most of the animals and creatures that saw him ran away from him. During this month, he had learned to conceal himself quite well and to approach his target from behind, of course... but it still wasn''t enough.


    Because the number of animals had also dwindled considerably.


    The relatively weak predators of the forest, such as wolves, goblins, creatures that resembled overgrown squirrels... everywhere he went, he was committing a kind of genocide on these species.


    The maximum lifespan the curse had reached was eighty-eight hours, but it had already dropped into the sixties as he found nothing to kill these days.


    He raised his hands, looked at his palms.


    He wasn''t sure if he could find anything out there to kill. But... he couldn''t stay here forever either.


    There was only one reason he had waited until now. And that was... to wait for things to calm down.


    ''But that''s enough, isn''t it?''


    A month... he could come out now, he didn''t think he needed to hide in the forest. Besides, coming out from the other side of the forest, he could present himself as someone completely independent of the palace.


    ''I was traveling with a group of merchants, we were attacked by bandits, but I managed to escape into the forest amidst all the commotion. Then I lost my way, I wandered around for almost a week and finally found a way out of the forest.''


    That was the story in his head. Bandits were quite common, the world was also full of merchants who were not well known. So... it was the most perfect story he could think of.


    He took a deep breath in and out.


    He was strong now. Stronger, at least, than before.


    He was much faster, much stronger than he had been a month ago. Although... his body wasn''t in the best shape as food and water were a bit hard to come by, but he could still feel the difference.


    And then there was this... power, which he had learned to use better. Now, he could use it for longer. And when he learned to control it a bit, he discovered new ways to use it.


    He was pretty wounded, though... his body was full of scratches, cuts, and bruises. It wasn''t easy hunting and trying to kill things all the time.


    But he wasn''t in such a bad shape. As long as he didn''t break any bones, he didn''t mind getting hurt, and he had been successful so far.


    And, now...


    His thoughts were interrupted by a sprinkle of rain falling right in the middle of his forehead.


    ''Ah...''


    He looked up at the clouds. Then, another drop fell on his face.


    ''First... I have to avoid this.''


    *******


    The sound of lightning strikes echoed in his ears, as if they were going to split the sky and the earth where they fell. The winds had picked up speed and were constantly changing direction. The rain was coming down so fast and so abundant that the soil could hardly absorb it, even though he was in a forest.


    It was one of the worst storms he had ever seen.


    Well, it''s not that he hadn''t encountered similar ones... he had even had to work under storms when he was a little boy. But this was... different. Different in so many ways.


    Still, it wasn''t too bad. He had cut down a few trees with some difficulty, dragged and lifted them a little, even though his arms felt like they were going to fall off, and created a quite primitive artificial shelter for himself. He was surrounded by tall trees so he didn''t have to worry about lightnings. Rain and wind weren''t much of a problem either as he was close to the ground and in dense bushes.


    He just had to wait for the storm to pass.


    Still... there was an uneasiness inside him.


    He looked at the three tree barks above him, then reached out his hands. He took a few drops of water that dripped between them in his palms, then drew them to himself.


    He had already taken a few sips of water this way. His purpose this time was... different from drinking.


    ''Somehow... it feels familiar.''


    The water in his palms, the gusts of wind, even the lightning... everything about this storm felt familiar.


    He continued to study it for a while, doing nothing, just looking. He used his senses to the fullest. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And, finally... something came to him.


    He focused on his heart, creating a warmth there, as he did when he wanted to strengthen himself. Then, he focused on this warmth.


    He was right.


    ''This storm... resembles the warmth that strengthens me.''


    He dispersed the warmth, spread his hands apart, and let the water just spill onto the ground. Many things were going through his mind. Yet it was clear what the foremost was.


    ''It''s not natural, someone or something is causing this.''


    But why? He didn''t know the answer to that question.


    He focused on the other thought inside him.


    He was... a little afraid. Whatever it was that could cause such a storm was definitely not good. To think that such things could exist was... frightening.


    But it was also exciting. Because...


    ''Can I also become that strong?''


    This question was in his mind.


    Well... he was sure he couldn''t cause a storm in his lifetime. The curse he had in the first place was not fit for such a thing. He was only getting stronger as he took more and more lives... just that.


    But that was precisely why he hadn''t thrown away that excitement inside him.


    What if he managed to become overpowered by his curse? He still didn''t know what the curse was strengthening, but he thought it was something physical. And if that was true... even if he couldn''t create a storm, maybe he would have the strength to tear the palaces in two.


    That''s why the only change of expression on his face was the curling up of his lips.


    He dreamed of such a future, a future where no one could stand in his way, a future of absolute power.


    He didn''t care if it was impossible.


    That was his goal.


    And he was ready to do anything to accomplish it.

 Chapter 31: A Strange Kid

    It took several hours for the storm to end. Finally, when the rains slowed and the lightning died down, Kael came out of his small shelter.He did not move randomly, as he often did. This time, he was heading towards a specific spot.


    And that was... outside the forest.


    As he walked, he made sure to pay attention to his surroundings. So he was able to sense movement.


    When he first entered the forest, the outermost layer was dominated by wolves. But on this side... things were a little different. Here, there was a more ruthless, more powerful species than the wolves.


    Goblins.


    But...


    "Haaa..."


    Kael pulled his dagger out from under his clothes, which was hardly enough to be called a clothing.


    This one month had not been kind to his clothes. But his dagger... it was different. It was really high quality, it didn''t feel dull no matter how much he used it, and it was extremely sturdy.


    After a deep sigh, he used his ''power'', creating a warmth in his chest. But he did not spread it all over his body. Carefully, step by step, he guided it to his legs. Then... he suddenly jumped out of his place.


    The goblins hiding in the bushes, planning to surprise attack him, didn''t even have a chance to react. Kael''s dagger went straight through the skull of the one in their midst. It took its life, and gave Kael another hour and a half to live.


    Kael acted quickly. He pulled his dagger out of the head of the goblin he had killed and swung it to his left, severing the head from the neck of the second goblin, whose eyes widened.


    The third goblin tried to attack him, stooping to tear his legs apart with hands that had only three fingers. Kael, however, stepped back slightly and stepped on the goblin. After pinning it to the ground, he placed his foot on its head, which he smashed without hesitation.


    His face was expressionless as four and a half hours were thus added to his life. He looked at the goblins'' bodies with disgust as the warmth he had sent to his legs disappeared.


    They were like little children. But... they were too savage. So much so that Kael couldn''t help but be disgusted by them.


    He really would have tried to wipe them out if he could. But... the goblins hid really well. They were hard to find, except for those intent on attacking him.


    ''Anyway...''


    He left their bodies and continued on his way.


    Finally, after about forty minutes of walking, he noticed that the trees had become extremely sparse some distance ahead and his eyes widened.


    He quickened his pace, almost ran. He passed one last tree, and then... his eyes widened again. His lips curled upwards as he looked excitedly at the landscape in front of him.


    Everything he had seen for the last month was... trees. There were trees everywhere and he was getting bored.


    And now... for the first time, there was something other than trees in front of him.


    In front of him was a vast plain. He could see the mountains rising far ahead, there was even a long river that caught his eye.


    But, more importantly...


    ''This is...''


    In the distance was a town that didn''t seem to mind the rain at all.


    ''A town!''


    Suddenly, his face lit up. Because... the most perfect scenario had happened.


    Kael didn''t want to go to an extremely small village, there was nothing he could do by going to such a place.


    But... he couldn''t get into one of the big cities in his condition. He was penniless and he was sure that nothing good would happen to him if he went into a place like that. He didn''t think they''d let him into a place like that anyway, at least not with the way he looked now...


    He needed a town that was not too big, but not too small either.


    The town in front of his eyes met his requirements.


    Kael didn''t wait any longer. With quick steps, he made his way towards the town he had seen. It was only a few kilometers away, anyway. Even if he went slowly, it wouldn''t take him long to get there.


    But Kael didn''t care, on the contrary, he sped up even more. He couldn''t shake the excitement, entering a town would be a whole new experience for him and he was... curious. Up to this point in his life, he had always worked, he had never been in a city or town. Even when he went somewhere else, he usually traveled in the dark, on the back of a cart. Now, it was different!


    And so, in the light rain, he went on without stopping.


    *******


    Ahkan was a man who had reached the age of twenty-five without ever leaving the town where he was born. Unlike most people, he had never had big dreams in his life, not even as a child. The only thing he always wanted was... to live an ordinary life. Nothing more, nothing less.


    And... he lived an ordinary life. The only important thing in his life was his child from his marriage.


    And... the job he worked to support his family.


    It was a very simple job. He was a guard of the town where he lived since the day he was born. He had a good body, so he never suffered any hardship. He was given a task every day and he did it.


    And today''s task was... patrolling around the town.


    He sighed softly in the rain.


    It was a boring day, just like every other one. But he wasn''t complaining. He would rather have a boring, uneventful day like this than a tedious one. As long as he finished the day and got paid, he didn''t really care what he did.


    ''I''ve been walking around for almost two hours, it''s time to change shifts.''


    With that thought, he paused, looking away.


    He wanted to check one last time. Because of the storm, creatures and some dangerous animals could come out of the forest and make their way to the town, which was why he was circling a little wider than usual.


    His eyes were scanning the whole area when he suddenly stopped.


    "Huh...?"


    Had he seen it wrong...?


    He turned back to where he was looking only a few seconds ago, narrowing his eyes.


    "Oh..."


    No, he was not mistaken. There was a figure in the distance approaching the spot where he was.


    "A goblin?"


    Ahkan didn''t have very good eyesight, his eyes were a bit bad. Especially with something approaching from so far away.


    He reached for the sword at his waist, unsheathed it, and got ready. With slow steps, he walked towards the figure. He would have had no difficulty taking down a simple goblin. But he was still cautious. He had never taken his job lightly and never would.


    So, he kept his focus, and the figure that approached him became clearer and clearer. And then...


    "A... human?"


    Yes, what approached looked like a person.


    But... he didn''t look like a human being at the same time.


    He could have been a boy of about fourteen. And as he got closer, he could see more clearly that he was not in a good condition. His clothes were in such bad shape that he was better off not wearing them, not even slaves wore something so tattered. His hair was dirty and long as if it had not been cleaned for weeks.


    And yet...


    "Is he smiling?"


    He gripped his sword tighter. He was sure that what was in front of him was a creature that looked human. Why would someone smile in a situation like this? But, then...


    "Heeeey!"


    His eyebrows widened at the boy''s voice, his grip on his sword loosened a little involuntarily. But he recovered quickly. There were only ten meters between him and the boy now, and he had finally slowed down and almost stopped. He was looking directly at him.


    Ahkan did not hesitate to point his sword at him, his eyes were sharp.


    "Who are you?"


    The boy didn''t look scared as he looked at the sword in his hand. But the smile had disappeared from his face. He looked a little more serious now.


    "I am not a creature, my name is Kael. I was with a... merchant group, but we were attacked by bandits!"


    Ahkan raised his eyebrows.


    "Your clothes are simply too worn for someone fleeing from bandits."


    The boy nodded in agreement. His eyes flickered for a moment, perhaps they would have teared up if he forced them to.


    "It''s because I''ve been walking through the forest for a week! I... I have a bad sense of direction."


    Ahkan was surprised. Because... he was sure that such a boy could not survive in the forest. Even if he hadn''t gone too far into the interior parts, it was surprising that he hadn''t been killed by a group of goblins or wolves.


    That is... if he was really telling the truth.


    And Ahkan had good reason not to believe the boy.


    "No one in their right mind would try to come here when the kingdom has just fallen. Rebellions keep breaking out and the cities are not safe."


    No one had time to trade.


    Everyone was in fear for their lives.


    The only reason this small town was relatively quiet was because it was far away from all the turmoil.


    "We were just passing through the kingdom... Arcanoa was not our destination."


    ''Oh, that... actually makes sense...''


    The kingdom''s location was central. So, many trade routes passed through it.


    How had he forgotten that... was he just looking for a reason to doubt the boy in front of him?


    ''Does it make sense for me to be so suspicious of a boy of fourteen?''


    Like everyone else, he must have been trying to survive. Which... he was clearly trying very hard to do.


    "Haaah..."


    Ahkan finally lowered his sword, sheathed it with a sigh. He took one last look at the boy, then turned back to the town.


    "I was just finishing my patrol, ugh..."


    He paused, scratching his chin with one hand, his eyes shifting slightly to his right.


    "Kael."


    "Right, Kael. Follow me, enter the town. But after that, I can''t do anything."


    The boy''s lips curved upwards slightly in gratitude. Only two words came out of his mouth. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Thank you."


    Ahkan said nothing else. There was only one thing running through his mind.


    ''What a strange kid...''

 Chapter 32: The Orphanage’s Offer

    Kael studied the guard as he followed close behind him on patrol.He must have been in his mid-twenties. Maybe late twenties. He had black hair cut very short and green eyes. He had a well-built body but... a short body. It was obvious that he was one of the guards, for he was wearing light armor and a small crest.


    But it was none of this that caught Kael''s attention.


    Even though his back was turned, the man''s attention was still on him. As if... as if he was ready to jump or protect himself if he tried something wrong.


    ''He didn''t trust me completely.''


    It would have been absurd for him to trust, frankly... so he didn''t really care. But it had caught his attention.


    He lowered his eyes to the sword hanging at his waist. He remembered again what had happened a few minutes ago.


    When the sword had been pointed at him, a strange feeling had come over him. As if... as if the person in front of him was his enemy. His reflexes had suddenly kicked in, forcing his body to prepare for any attack. He sensed that the man had hostile intentions for him.


    Was it a habit he had picked up in the forest? He was not sure. Though, in the end, he managed to suppress his feelings and himself, and he communicated with the man properly.


    This time, however, another question arose in his mind.


    What if... if they were to fight...?


    The man in front of him was a normal human being. He wasn''t sure how he knew, but he could feel it, he didn''t have any blessings or curses.


    Before, he had thought that no matter how strong he had been in the forest, in his current state, normal adults would be able to defeat him.


    But looking at the man in front of him... he didn''t feel that way. At the very beginning, when he had drawn his sword, the feeling that had grown inside him had told him to fight, not run.


    He sighed deeply, pushing such thoughts out of his mind. He didn''t want to think such things about someone who was not his enemy.


    And...


    "Ahkan?"


    He finally tore his eyes away from the guard walking in front of him and focused them even further forward.


    They were right in front of the entrance to the town now. And... there were two other guards in front of them.


    They were both looking in Kael''s direction.


    "Who is this guy?"


    "He''s a kid who''s been trying to survive in the woods for a week, at least that''s what he said..."


    The two guards let their eyes linger on him for a moment. Then, they looked at each other, and then... back at the man called Ahkan.


    "It''s even more likely that it''s just some kid you spawned out of nothing..."


    Ahkan rolled his eyes.


    "It is, but it couldn''t be more unrelated. Anyway... I won''t bother too much, I''ll probably leave him at the orphanage for a while. Then he can go on his way."


    The guards said no more, stepping out of the way for Ahkan and Kael to enter the town. And so the duo made their way into the town.


    The first thing Kael noticed was... the houses were quite disorganized. Unlike the buildings in the palace, there was no ''order'' here. They had left a few slightly wider roads for the carriages to pass, and these formed the streets. But... the position of the houses was still strange.


    Even the houses themselves were strange! Most of them seemed to be made of wood. Some were a mixture of stone, clay, and mud. There was plenty of variety, but they all had one thing in common. And that was... none of them were of above average quality.


    ''I think it''s normal...''


    This was not a palace, after all. Nor was it an extremely large city. It was just... a town of some size. No more, no less.


    After the buildings, the people were next.


    Kael could see a few people walking along the road, coming out of houses or shops. Just like the houses, the quality of their clothes was generally not that good.


    Oh, and... for some reason, they were looking at him as if he was an animal they were seeing for the first time in their lives.


    It was a very... strange feeling.


    "Stop."


    He stopped in an instant. He turned his eyes to the building they were standing in front of.


    It was made of wood. It looked big compared to the other buildings in the town, even three stories high. On top of that, it even had a small area that could be used as a garden. There was writing on the door, but Kael couldn''t read, so he didn''t focus on it.


    "This is...?"


    "The only orphanage in town. You can try to reach out to your family if they have survived, you can choose to stay here, you can choose to leave and make your own life... or whatever you want to do. It''s up to you from here."


    Kael nodded in understanding. He hadn''t thought he would have so many options. In fact... he had believed that he would probably have to run away. If he could leave on his own, he would gladly accept that.


    But, right now, he needed a clean change of clothes.


    "Follow me, again."


    When Ahkan walked towards the building, he snapped out of his thoughts and started to follow him again. When he opened the door without knocking, he thought he might be someone well-known in the orphanage, but he didn''t think much of it. Instead... he looked at the interior design of the building.


    But, before he could do that, the first thing he noticed was a herd of children looking at them with great curiosity. Most probably... they were playing. Because a few of them were on the ground, and a few others were just staring blankly, as if they had been chasing the others and froze in place when they saw the intruders.


    "Hi, guys."


    At the sound of Ahkan''s voice, the children''s eyes widened. A few of them suddenly started running backwards, out of the building''s rather large entrance hall and into a room. The ones who stayed inside were relatively older than the ones who ran away.


    "Where is Jenne?"


    The question was answered quickly, but not by the children... but by the stairs leading upstairs.


    "I''m here."


    Kael quickly turned his eyes to the stairs. Then, he saw a woman in her forties coming down the stairs. Her face was wrinkled and her brown hair was in a bun. She had a slight, sweet smile on her face.


    As she descended the stairs, her eyes focused first on Ahkan, then on Kael, who was right behind her.


    "Oh, a new child?"


    Ahkan moved out of Kael''s way.


    "He''ll tell you his story, I met him on patrol. You guys can handle it... right?"


    The woman named Jenne nodded in agreement. And Ahkan sighed. He turned away quickly, as if he didn''t want to deal with it any further, though he gave Kael one last glance before leaving.


    He said nothing. Kael didn''t say anything either. Ahkan just walked out, closing the door behind him. His work here was done, he had more work to do.


    "Why don''t you come upstairs with me?"


    She pointed to the stairs and Kael nodded meekly. The smile on her face widened.


    "Follow me."


    She didn''t look at any of the children as she started back up the stairs she had come down. Kael found this strange, but he followed her anyway. Another thing he noticed as they went upstairs together... the orphanage was very quiet.


    He had expected the orphanage to be a little... louder. Had he thought wrong? Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Anyway...''


    When they finally reached the second floor, they entered a very large space with many doors. The woman went to the door directly opposite the stairs. She entered a room with only a large table and many cupboards.


    "You can close the door."


    Kael closed the door as he was told as the woman moved to the table. When he turned around, the woman was looking at him with a slight smile, as she had done so far.


    "Don''t stand, you can sit down."


    She gestured to the two chairs in front of the table. Kael gladly accepted. Then, the woman took out something like a piece of paper from under the table.


    "First of all... what is your name? How old are you?"


    "Kael, I am two months away from sixteen."


    The woman nodded, keeping her smile. Still, she looked a little surprised.


    She picked up a pen and scribbled a little on the paper she had taken out. Then, this time, she focused completely on Kael.


    "Now... tell me your story."


    Kael told her exactly what he had told Ahkan. Only this time he gave a little more detail. He had to convince the woman in front of him, after all.


    And... when he finished, he wasn''t sure if he had done that.


    "I more or less understand."


    The woman stopped writing on a piece of paper on the table, put down the pen, and clasped her hands together.


    "You will be considered an adult in two months, Kael. And if you want to stay in the orphanage as an adult, you have to work. But... you can also choose not to stay in the orphanage at all in the first place. If you choose the latter, I can at least give you some clean clothes, but no more than that. What do you want to do?"


    Kael had already decided.


    "I... don''t want to stay in the orphanage."


    The woman did not seem surprised. On the contrary, she nodded in understanding. But, she still tried.


    "You are a calm boy. You managed to survive a week in the forest. You''re always looking around, you don''t seem to make rash decisions. And you''ll be an adult in two months... If you belong to a merchant group, you must know something about the world."


    Actually... no, he didn''t.


    But the woman in front of him didn''t need to know that either.


    So he kept silent.


    "If you want, you can stay here for two months and then leave. I''m not forcing you, but it would be the most sensible option."


    If he was a normal person, if his story was really true, that would have been the most logical option indeed.


    But there was something she didn''t know, even if she meant well.


    Kael was not a normal person.


    He was someone who had to take lives constantly, and if he didn''t, he would lose his own life.


    So... he couldn''t waste time in an orphanage like this.


    His work in this town was different.


    "Thank you for your offer, but I will decline."


    And that was the last thing he said about it.

 Chapter 33: In a Strange Town

    Kael couldn''t help the smile on his face as he put on his new clothes. Not only that, he had bathed!He had been in such a bad state for a month that just two minutes under water and new clothes made him feel like he had stepped into paradise. He was extremely satisfied and happy.


    The clothes he was wearing were a bit too big for him, but he couldn''t complain because he couldn''t find anything more suitable here. It was a brown colored, plain outfit. It was also a bit thick. So, he would be less affected by the cold weather.


    And that was it. He had no further business with the orphanage. It was time to go his own way.


    With a smile on his face, he was about to head towards the stairs leading down when he suddenly paused. His lips flattened and his eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly turned to his right. Then... he looked into one of the rooms, the door of which was already closed.


    Through a very thin crack, he could see a few eyes looking at him.


    He lowered his guard as his eyebrows rose slightly. He had reflexively searched for some animal or creature to attack him as he felt himself being watched, but... it was only a moment before he remembered that he was no longer in the forest.


    Kael sighed again. Ignoring the children who were shying away from him, he made his way to the stairs. He went down in silence. He expected to go out, to go his own way, to pay no attention to anyone.


    But... he paused when he saw the tiny crowd standing in front of the door. Seven children were blocking his way.


    His eyebrows raised even higher as the one who seemed to be the oldest of them took a step towards him. She was a girl with dark green hair and brown eyes, about a year or two younger than him.


    She smiled slightly, then held out her hand towards Kael.


    "I''m Miny, the oldest child in the orphanage. Although... I guess I won''t be anymore."


    Kael looked briefly at the outstretched hand. He shook hands with the girl without saying anything, and then she spoke again.


    "The other children are a bit... shy. Forgive them."


    Kael tilted his head slightly to the side. He didn''t really want to spoil her mood. But... he had no intention of continuing this misunderstanding.


    In any case, the desire to get out outweighed the desire to deal with his peers.


    "Thank you for your concern. But let there be no misunderstanding. I... will not stay here."


    He saw her frown slightly, then look surprised. The other children watching behind her had the same reaction.


    "Oh... you know someone in town?"


    "No." S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So... your parents are alive and you''re going to go to them?"


    "No."


    "Do you... want to die, then?"


    "No."


    She asked nothing more. With each question, her brow furrowed more and more, and she looked at Kael as if he were an enemy.


    "I will only go my own way."


    And with that one sentence from Kael, she finally paused, as if the pieces in her mind had fallen into place.


    "Oh, then you''ll be back again soon..."


    She spoke so confidently that this time it was Kael who frowned. But before he could respond, she retreated to the side of the road she had blocked. The other children, who had been watching in surprise, were a little delayed in their reaction, but they did the same.


    "See you soon!"


    Kael looked at the smile on the girl''s face, at how confident she was, and for some reason... he felt his nerves breaking down. But he didn''t say anything, didn''t answer. He walked out of the orphanage with quick steps and closed the door without looking back.


    He was coming back, huh...


    No, he had no such plans. Her words weren''t even something he should care about, frankly.


    Still, he couldn''t stop his eyes from twitching slightly. He clenched his fists lightly as he started walking randomly in the still drizzling rain.


    He was absolutely annoyed that she was so sure of herself!


    It was as if... as if... she was sure that he couldn''t survive in this town on his own! And with all this attitude, she had killed Kael''s mood.


    He had managed to get out of a palace that had ended a kingdom, he had talked to a dying king despite being a slave, he had survived for a month despite the constant threat of his heart stopping... and he had many more achievements.


    Would he be afraid of a town like this...? Would a town like this make him go back to the orphanage...?


    ''She doesn''t know anything.''


    And as the thought crossed his mind, he paused, his furrowed brow straightening again as he stared straight ahead in the drizzle.


    Now, just thinking about it... why was he so angry?


    Just as he had said, the girl knew nothing.


    No one knew anything about him.


    It was quite normal for them to believe that a scrawny person like him would have difficulty surviving...


    ''That''s why that old woman was so calm, isn''t it? She''s also sure I''ll come back, just like that girl...''


    He inhaled deeply, then exhaled the same way.


    He was calm now.


    And yet... he couldn''t stop a certain thought from passing through him.


    ''Challenge accepted.''


    He would show the woman and the girl that he could survive without the need for an orphanage. He would knock on their door for the last time before he left this town and thank them for the clothes and the shower. He would appear in front of them in brand new clothes and show them that he had not failed to survive at all.


    His lips curled up slightly as he started walking again. This time, however, instead of moving randomly, he studied his surroundings.


    The reason he was looking for a town in the first place was simple. To earn some money, to be able to provide for himself before moving on to bigger cities.


    And there was one simple thing he could do to do that. Something that would also help him satisfy his curse permanently.


    Becoming a mercenary.


    Even as a slave, there were certain things he knew about the world. For example... merchants often used mercenaries for protection. And mercenaries were not that rare. It was a job.


    Well... it was a job usually taken up by the extremely weak in an effort to survive. People like those with a blessing or a curse would join guilds, become recognized by their country, and become much more important... like real knights. Mercenaries were therefore often made up of people who were used to be put to death.


    However, if they survived, they were still paid.


    And that was Kael''s only option.


    Of course, there was only one big problem with that...


    Kael did not know how to become a mercenary. He couldn''t read what was written on the buildings because he was illiterate.


    That''s why he was observing his surroundings carefully. He wanted to find a building where someone who looked like a mercenary had entered or exited, so that he could continue with his plan.


    And as he kept looking around, he was also learning more and more about the town.


    For example... it seemed to be a bigger town than he thought. It didn''t look like it from the outside, but once inside... he couldn''t help feeling like he couldn''t reach the end.


    And he no longer felt the strange stares. With clean clothes and a cleaner body, he looked like one of the locals. So, he was much more comfortable.


    The only problem was...


    ''This is... strange.''


    As he continued to watch the town, he began to feel really strange.


    He had never felt anything like this in the mansion of Musthar, the king''s brother, nor in the palace. The people here were... strange.


    ''For some reason, there are very few people who communicate, no... who interact directly with each other.''


    When he thought of the guard named Ahkan talking to the others, of the children in the orphanage, he thought it was the opposite. People were nicer than he thought, there were even some who wanted to help him...


    But was it not like that for everyone, perhaps?


    Was it just coincidence or luck that the people he met were good?


    He kept looking around, paying attention to people.


    But it was still strange. They... almost seemed to ignore each other completely for the most part.


    Still, after a short time of thinking, he didn''t dwell on this strangeness too much. After all... he used to be a slave who knew very little about the world. Well, even if the first part was no longer true, the last part still remained the same. He had no idea how much normal people talked to each other, or how seriously they took each other.


    So, as hard as it was, he tried to immerse himself in this strangeness and kept looking for what he wanted.


    And after a short while... his lips curled upwards.


    A group of three men caught his eye. As he looked at them, wearing light armor and weapons, with obvious wounds on visible parts of their bodies and carrying sacks with a slightly red bottom, Kael could only think of one thing.


    They were mercenaries.


    Kael tagged along behind the group. He walked with them to the other side of the city and then saw them enter a building.


    He focused on the sign on the building. Even if he couldn''t read it, he at least tried to memorize what it looked like. Then, he nodded to himself, took a deep breath, and walked slowly into the building.


    The first thing he encountered when he entered... was the smell of blood and alcohol mixed together. And the eyes of countless people, sitting at countless tables, turning towards him at once.

 Chapter 34: Three Merceneries

    Kael felt himself tense for a moment.His purpose in coming here was simple. He would show that he was capable despite his age because he was sure that he was at least as strong as the adults, then he would become an individual mercenary and perform tasks in exchange for payment.


    It wasn''t that he didn''t expect a problem. There were really many things that could go wrong. For example, no one might accept him because he was still a child, or even worse, they might neutralize him, make him a slave again, and sell him to a random person.


    But he had high faith that he could escape. Because... he was sure that with the ''power'' he could use, he could be more agile than any normal adult. Things would change, of course, if he met someone with a blessing or a curse like him.


    But no one here was like that.


    He didn''t know why, but he could truly feel it.


    Not only here, but no one within a certain distance was like that. Everyone was just... normal people. And that''s why he was confident. He would take his chances, and if he failed... he could always run away into the forest again.


    That''s why he decided to make this almost ''stupid'' move. He was confident in himself, he was sure he could survive even if something unfortunate happened.


    Still... the dozens of eyes on him, the strange smell of blood and alcohol mixed together made him nervous. Of course, he couldn''t show it on the outside.


    A second passed in silence, then two. The eyes focused on him slowly withdrew and people returned their attention to their own tables. Even if a few still looked at him, the building had once again become a space independent of him.


    Kael looked around. At the other end of the room, on the other side of the tables, there was a counter where three people were pouring alcohol into glasses. But Kael''s eyes were not on the glasses. On the contrary... they were on the three people he had seen enter a few minutes earlier. They had left the sacks they were carrying on the counter. One of the employees was checking what was in them.


    Kael approached them quietly. He lined up behind them. Watching and listening to what was happening while no one was aware of his presence.


    "The number of creatures in the forest has dwindled, it was much harder to find goblins for some reason."


    It was the old man at the front who spoke. His words were answered by the woman checking the contents of the sack.


    "Everyone who has been cleaning goblins for the last three days says the same thing. Someone went overboard and killed more than usual, probably."


    Kael didn''t react when he heard what was being said, but he knew he was to blame. After all, he had arrived on this side of the forest exactly four days ago. He had been killing goblins for that long.


    Had he done something wrong...?


    "They reproduce quite fast, so it will be fine. Their numbers will probably multiply in a few days. Don''t worry too much."


    So it wasn''t that bad at all...


    "The count is confirmed."


    The woman sealed the last sack she had checked and put it somewhere behind her. Then, she took something out from under her workbench and put it on the table.


    What she left on the counter was... money. Three coins with an orangish color.


    "Your payment is three bronze cali."


    The man nodded and took the three bronze kali from the counter. Meanwhile, Kael was thinking.


    ''One sack is worth one bronze cali, then... Although what exactly was in the sack? Creature parts...?''


    While he was lost in thought, the group of three in front of him turned around. But before they moved forward and bumped into Kael, they stopped, their gaze shifting slightly downwards.


    Kael looked up to meet their gaze. He did not look away as the three men in front of him stared at him. Then, he slowly stepped aside, giving way to them.


    The three men continued to stare at him. They studied his clothes, his appearance. But, after a short time, they moved on without saying anything.


    It was a strange moment. He didn''t understand why the men were so focused on him, waiting to leave.


    But he didn''t care, he didn''t even turn around and give them a second look. He approached the woman and met her blue eyes looking at him. Her black hair was pulled back behind her head and she was dressed in the clothes of the common people.


    The woman tilted her head slightly to the side. Looking at Kael curiously, she finally spoke.


    "Are you looking for something?"


    Kael shook his head from side to side. He went straight to the point, speaking in a low voice so that no one could hear him.


    "I... want to be a mercenary."


    The woman''s eyebrows rose slightly. Yet her expression was still cold and straight.


    "You will die on the first task you attempt to complete."


    That was what she deduced from Kael''s estimated age, from his frail body. They lived in a dangerous world. It was impossible for a boy who didn''t know what he was doing to survive as a mercenary.


    "I won''t."


    "I''ve seen a lot of kids who talk confidently and then never show up again. They were all like you, kids who didn''t look a day over fifteen with a frail body. Some were chasing impossible dreams, some had no choice, some were bored."


    She looked into Kael''s eyes. Someone''s eyes could tell a lot about themselves. As someone who had worked in a mercenary branch, she had seen this to be true many times.


    The boy in front of him was... determined.


    No, not just determined. He was much more than that. He certainly had admirable eyes.


    The only problem was... his body couldn''t handle that determination and confidence. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I have nothing to lose."


    But... she had no intention of stopping him.


    She had tried her chance once, if the boy in front of her was still determined to run to his death... why keep trying?


    "You remember the sacks the guys who just got paid brought, right?"


    Kael nodded in confirmation. Then the woman reached under the counter, pulled out a single sack, and held it out in front of the boy in front of her.


    "Ten goblins, time limit three days. For me to verify that you have killed the goblins, you will cut off their right ear and bring them here. If you manage to kill ten of them within the time limit, I can register you as a recruit."


    This was standard procedure, nothing special for Kael. If he wanted to become at least a recruit level mercenary, he had to kill ten goblins within three days.


    Kael quickly grabbed the sack from the counter, tucking it between his clothes.


    "Is there anything else I should know?"


    The woman shook her head from side to side.


    There was nothing anyone who wasn''t actually a mercenary needed to know yet. To learn more, he had to be a real one first.


    "Thank you."


    And he turned around, as if nothing had happened, preparing to leave the building.


    The woman watched him until he left the building. Her expression did not change even once. There was nothing going through her mind.


    As she had told Kael, she was used to kids like him coming in and never showing up again. Why should she expect anything different from him?


    *******


    Kael was surprised.


    ''Ten goblins... and in three days?''


    The time he needed to kill ten goblins was not even a minute. Well, finding them was going to be a bit of a problem, of course...


    But wasn''t being a mercenary a little too easy?


    ''Did she pity me because I''m still a kid? She also tried to talk me out of it, although she didn''t try very hard...''


    Or maybe that was the general procedure for kids instead of her pitying him.


    ''Well, whatever...''


    He was not going to complain. Even though he was surprised, it suited him.


    ''I''ll complete it in one day.''


    That''s what he thought as he made his way through the forest. He would return to the building with ten goblin ears, register as a mercenary, and then earn money.


    So far... everything was as he wanted. He hadn''t encountered any problems.


    His lips curled up slightly as he looked up at the sky.


    The rain had stopped drizzling, the dark clouds were slowly dissipating. The storm was over.


    But then...


    "Ah!"


    He paused as he bumped into something, taking a few steps back. As he patted his nose with his left hand, he slowly turned his eyes in front of him.


    What he found in front of him were... three men. The men who had spoken to the employee in the building before him. All three had a slight smile on their faces.


    "Hello, kid."


    Kael slowly took his hand away from his nose and looked at the man who had spoken to him.


    Just like in the building, he was the one talking here. Thanks to a few scars and the wrinkles of old age, his face had a stern look. His rather short black hair was graying in places, but other than that, he had no features that could be called ''old''. He was tall, his body was muscular.


    "You want to be a mercenary, don''t you?"


    Kael said nothing, just nodded his head slightly. He didn''t even blink his eyes.


    The smile on the man''s face widened slightly at Kael''s answer.


    "Then... why don''t you come with us? We''re already looking for a fourth for our group..."


    There was a short silence between them. The man just kept looking at Kael, and Kael kept looking at him.


    Then...


    "Sure."


    He accepted their offer with a cold, straight face.


    The smile on the men''s faces grew wider.

 Chapter 35: The Worth of Human Life

    Hurka was an old man who had spent his entire life struggling to survive. He had never known his family, he had spent his childhood stealing on the streets, and when he grew up... he became the dog of a random gang. He had spent years as a bandit, and when an unfortunate incident had led to the break-up of the gang, he had ended up as a mercenary.His life was still not much better. Even though he was approaching his fifties, he was still struggling to survive. Every day, he had to run after creatures like filthy goblins, putting his life in danger.


    Well... goblins were not that dangerous creatures for him. But still, if he made a mistake, he could be seriously injured and his life could end. So he took his job seriously and hated it as much as he did.


    Every now and then, however, good opportunities came his way and he could get away from goblins and other creatures for a short time.


    He still had a few connections from his time as a bandit, so he could use them when he had materials.


    And one of those materials was... people.


    Or rather, slaves, who were no longer called people. There was a lot more money in human trafficking than in mercenary work.


    The only problem was... it was always difficult to find the right people and get past the security.


    But today was his lucky day! He had found a boy who had no family or had run away from them. He had met a brat with mistaken dreams, a kid who had no idea what the world was like.


    Young people always sold better. It would have been nicer if it had been a girl, of course... But he didn''t really care. Why should he?


    "What''s your name, buddy?"


    He smiled at the boy, or rather his walking money, that he had taken in among his coworkers. He didn''t want to scare him off right away.


    The only problem was...


    "Kael."


    For some reason, this boy didn''t seem shy at all. His eyes were narrowed, sharp. His expression was straight, cold. His voice was monotone, emotionless. Hurka didn''t even remember his eyes blinking, as if all his focus was on him.


    It was a bit scary, to be honest.


    But he was a scrawny kid. Why should he be afraid of him, right?


    "Kael! It''s a beautiful name."


    He was serious about it. He really liked the boy''s name, it sounded good to him.


    "Aren''t we going into the forest?"


    Oh, that''s right. This kid... he was as naive as he was weird.


    "My friends and I just got back from there. So let''s go to our place first, sharpen our weapons. Right?"


    When the boy nodded, he widened his smile without looking in his direction. This kid... he really was an idiot!


    "Come over here, we''ll take a shortcut between those buildings and go to the other street."


    And so, they entered the dark space between the two buildings. This was a famous place. Many thieves and bandits used to do their dirty work between these buildings. Even the smell of blood in the air was ominous.


    But he didn''t care.


    When he was far enough away, Hurka slowed his steps... and then stopped. In the middle of a deep silence, he turned around, his smile widening even more.


    Two of his colleagues were right behind the boy, keeping him from running away. Hurka himself was more than enough to hold the front.


    Hurka didn''t say anything. He just looked at the expression on the face of the boy they had taken between them.


    "Hmm, why did we stop?"


    The boy''s question was really the question of a naive person.


    But... his expression was still emotionless, his eyes cold and sharp.


    As if... as if he really didn''t feel anything, as if he was an emotionless being.


    "I''m sorry, my young friend."


    Hurka slowly unsheathed the sword hanging at his waist. His two friends behind the boy did the same. Then, he pointed his sword at him.


    "Everyone is trying to survive, you know."


    He looked into the boy''s brown eyes. Even with three swords drawn on him, even surrounded by adults, he was still calm.


    But... it wasn''t just that.


    "Hmm..."


    He put his hand to his chin as if there was no threat in front of him, his eyes lost focus for a moment. He was really lost in thought.


    "Thinking about what will happen to you...? It won''t be much, you''ll just be sold as a slave. Nothing serious, right?"


    The boy''s fingers stroking his chin stopped, and his eyes suddenly regained their focus.


    "Hah, I guess you fina-"


    "Ah, no. I knew from the beginning."


    He paused for a moment at the boy''s words. He was too calm. So calm... as if he really knew what was going to happen to him from the very beginning.


    Then why had he naively followed them?


    Was he bluffing...?


    Hurka''s brow furrowed for the first time.


    Something was wrong.


    "It''s just... hearing the word slave struck me more than I thought it would."


    Hurka''s eyes involuntarily squinted and his muscles tensed as he saw the boy''s hand slowly move between his clothes.


    No, the person in front of him was a child... why was he reacting like this?


    But then... he saw what he was pulling out of his clothes.


    It was a dagger, a dagger with a shiny blade. It was between twenty and twenty-five centimeters long, inlaid with gold.


    It was one of the finest daggers Hurka had ever seen.


    No... it was directly the best quality.


    But instead of being frightened, a big smile appeared on his face.


    He had become rich! How could he have known that the boy in front of him could have such a thing? Forget human trafficking, that dagger alone must have been worth a fortune!


    So what if he had a strange demeanor? He was still just a scrawny kid! His weight alone was enough to crush him!


    "Let''s get this over with, kid."


    His mouth was watering. He wanted to get his hands on that dagger, and fast!


    He gripped his sword tightly, ready to strike. He would kill the boy in one fell swoop, take the dagger, and spend the rest of his life in money!


    But...


    "Ah, right..."


    The boy''s words echoed in his ears, then his eyes widened.


    He saw a change in his brown eyes, like... a glow. A tiny glow with a silvery color.


    Then he saw the same glow around his body. It was almost impossible to see it easily, he could only recognize it because he was in a dark alley.


    But... it was too late.


    ''Ah...''


    He felt time slowing down. The sword he swung at the boy felt as if he was underwater, and the eyes of his other two friends widened just as slowly.


    But... there was one person unaffected by all this slowing down.


    It was the boy in front of him.


    Despite everything, this scrawny boy appeared in front of him the next time he blinked his eyes. The dagger in his hand, worth a fortune, slowly approached his throat, and then he felt the warmth on his neck.


    Time suddenly sped up, returned to normal.


    He collapsed, losing the strength in his legs. He could only see the boy''s feet as his vision slowly blurred.


    He saw two of his friends running towards him, shouting. But the boy''s feet moved at a speed that was difficult to follow. It didn''t take a second for him to end up in front of his two friends, and then one of them collapsed as blood splattered on the wall to the left. The other managed to swing his sword successfully, but the boy easily dodged him. He simply plunged his dagger into his chest, right over his heart. Then he kicked him, causing him to fall to the ground too.


    As his world slowly darkened, Hurka finally realized his mistake.


    Why had he never thought that this boy had such a dagger? Why hadn''t he taken it seriously, even though he found the calmness in his tone and expression strange...


    But it was too late.


    So, as the life he loved more than anything else slipped through his hands, he could only hear one thing.


    "Is this really how much a human life is worth?"


    *******


    Kael focused on the chains around his heart, ignoring the three men he had just killed.


    But... all he could do in the face of what he felt was to narrow his eyes and sigh.


    "Is this really how much a human life is worth?"


    Three hours. He had gained three hours from each of the people he had killed. So he could now live nine hours more.


    But...


    ''Three wolves. A human life is worth... only three wolves?''


    He put his hand on his chest, over the crown tattoo. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''That freak of a creature I met a month ago... has the same value to you as a human being?''


    But the curse was not sentient. So his question remained unanswered.


    Although... it wasn''t technically unanswered because he could literally feel the answer.


    He sighed deeply, bent down, and rubbed his dagger clean on the old man''s clothes. After making sure that there was no trace of blood on it, he put it back into his own.


    This time, he began to search the men.


    Yes, this had been his plan all along. That''s why he hadn''t refused the men''s offer.


    Both to see how much they could satisfy his curse and... to get some money from them.


    In the end, the total amount of money he could get from the three of them was six bronzes and three iron calis.


    As far as he knew, ten iron calis were worth one bronze cali. So he had a total of sixty-three iron calis.


    ''What was there afterwards? Silver, I think. Then... gold?''


    He had never seen a silver cali in his life and knew literally nothing about the rest.


    When he finished, he stood up, put the ''borrowed'' calis in a small pouch he found, and placed it in his clothes, just like his dagger.


    As he left the alley, he did not even look back at the bodies of the people he had killed.

 Chapter 36: An Another Test Mission

    "The count is correct, your payment is four bronze cali."Parcia said in her usual monotone, almost bored voice. She had been doing this job for years, working reception at the only mercenary branch in town.


    And it was a boring job. All day long, she dealt with the mercenaries who came in, paid them, and... had to endure their disgusting smell.


    After paying another mercenary, she let out a deep sigh. The long line in front of her was finally over. It looked like she wouldn''t have anyone to deal with for a while.


    So she could rest for a short while.


    But, then... she saw a dark figure out of the corner of her eye and paused.


    Her eyes slowly shifted to the short boy across the counter. She was so used to the mercenaries being adults that she didn''t notice him until he came up to the counter.


    "Ye-"


    Her words were interrupted as she focused on the boy in front of her. She remembered this boy. After all, he had come here only yesterday.


    ''Huh... did he fail and come to complain or something?''


    She had been in this situation a few times. Those who had barely escaped with their lives sometimes complained that the tasks were difficult and whined for a more ''fair'' one.


    Who would have thought that yesterday''s determined, cold-eyed boy was one of them...?


    She was about to open her mouth and tell the boy to come back from wherever he came from when he used both hands to pick something up off the floor and put it on the counter.


    "Huh?" Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Parcia couldn''t help her eyes widening involuntarily as she looked at the sack in front of her with a confused expression.


    "H- huh...?!"


    With trembling hands, she pulled the sack to her, opened its mouth, and began to check its contents.


    ''Three, seven, twelve...''


    She couldn''t believe what she saw She looked again at the goblin ears and checked them once again, but... they were still there.


    It was no illusion. A scrawny boy who looked not even fourteen had killed twelve goblins... in a single day!


    "Did you really kill them...?"


    The boy raised his right eyebrow.


    "Yes, is there a problem?"


    "N- no... wait a moment please."


    She quickly turned around, left the boy where he was, and went to the door leading to the back of the building. She entered without a second thought and was met by the puzzled looks of other workers looking in her direction.


    But Parcia didn''t even look at them. Her eyes were on the person lying on a patched sofa across this rather large space, a giant of a man who looked to be in his forties. Despite his age, his black hair had never grayed. With a height of almost two meters and a well-built body, he was truly a giant compared to Parcia.


    "S- sir, I apologize for disturbing you..."


    The old man scratched his beard, then spoke curiously.


    "Go on."


    "A boy came in, he looks about fourteen and has a pretty scrawny body. He said he wanted to be a mercenary. I told him to come back after killing ten goblins in three days, but... he came back after killing twelve in a single day. What should we do?"


    Well... it actually wasn''t that big of a deal. Goblins were weak creatures. Like... really weak. Anyone with enough training could kill many more than twelve. At least they could as long as they were able to find them.


    Parcia reacted the way she did because the person who had done this seemed even weaker than the goblins. His small stature, his scrawny body, his age...


    The fact that a boy like him could kill twelve goblins in a monotonous way, without a scratch, made him valuable.


    If they nurtured this boy, he might become someone great. He was probably a talent they shouldn''t miss out on.


    That''s why she was here, in front of this giant of a man, whom she was actually quite afraid of.


    "Fourteen you say, hmm... Is the boy still here?"


    Parcia nodded quickly.


    The man''s lips curled slightly upwards. He got up from his sofa with a stretch. He stood up, all the joints in his body crunching one by one just by moving.


    "Good job, leave the rest to me."


    Parcia nodded softly and stepped aside. Then, the man slowly made his way through the path she had cleared to the counter where she had just been working.


    Finally, when he stepped outside... everyone inside the building who had been drinking and eating had stopped. All eyes were suddenly locked on him.


    And they weren''t the only ones.


    A young boy, who looked exactly as Parcia had described him, was standing right in front of the counter, looking at him like the others.


    "You want to be a mercenary, right?"


    The man quickly got to the point. And when the boy nodded without averting his eyes... his lips curled upwards slightly.


    "What is your name?"


    "Kael."


    "Kael! We have a similar name, I''m Laen. Nice to meet you."


    Kael didn''t say anything again, he simply nodded.


    "Don''t be so nervous, though... you''re joining us after all. At least that''s what you want, isn''t it?"


    The smile on the man''s face widened when he saw how serious the boy in front of him was, careful even though he had come to join them.


    "I have an offer for you. We are going to the forest tomorrow. We have located a goblin village and we plan to wipe them out. Why don''t you come with us on this mission? So that I can see what you''re capable of and you can trust us a little more. What do you think?"


    Kael thought for a short while. After a few seconds, he nodded his head.


    "Sure."


    "Good, come back here tomorrow morning. Then we''ll go into the forest together."


    Thinking he had nothing more to do here, Kael turned around and prepared to leave. But as he did so, the man called to him once again from behind.


    "Oh, by the way... I''ll register your name in a moment since you''ve completed the mission, so... welcome to our midst. You can see tomorrow''s mission as a gift from me so that you can show yourself better, so that you can rise faster. Then, we''ll talk about more important things."


    "Thank you."


    And with that, Kael left the building as if nothing had happened. He left a lot of people looking after him. Everyone had questions. But... there were a few common ones.


    For example...


    This boy... had attracted the attention of this man named Laen, whom everyone in this town feared.


    What would be this ''Kael''s'' fate? Would he meet an unfortunate end like the others who worked with Laen, or had he really caught his attention...?


    No one knew.


    ********


    Kael spent the night in the forest, as he often did. The guards at the entrance to the town now more or less knew him and didn''t care much about his comings and goings. And that suited him, of course. He could enter the town as he pleased.


    But, today, he was much more cautious, all his senses more open than usual.


    He would be with people again, after all. And no matter how trustworthy they seemed from the outside, no matter how trustworthy they made him feel that they had no bad intentions... Kael was a person who believed in what he directly saw rather than what he heard and felt. He would never trust anyone until he saw for himself that the person was trustworthy.


    And so, he arrived in front of the mercenary building. And what he saw... actually surprised him.


    He expected there to be quite a number of people. If they were going to wipe out a village of goblins, he guessed there would be twenty people, or at least ten or fifteen.


    But... there were only four people besides himself.


    He couldn''t be sure as he had never seen or heard of a goblin village in his life, but... maybe it wasn''t such a big deal?


    "Oh, there you are!"


    Kael paused as he saw the giant named Laen approaching him. For a moment, he was torn between accepting the hand extended to him or not. However, in the end... even though he might have angered this man, he made no attempt to shake his hand.


    He did not want to willingly place his thin hands in the huge palm of this man''s palm.


    When the man''s hand remained in the air, a deep silence fell over the space. Finally, after a short while, the man withdrew his hand, his eyes twitching a little, but he did not give Kael a hostile look.


    "Hahaha... you''re a bit shy, understandable... Everything slowly."


    With that, he turned back towards the other three people waiting for them.


    The first was a man in his thirties. He looked strange because he had a big ugly scar on his face, and he was also bald. The second was a fat man with a belly showing through his clothes, he had light brown hair. The last one was... a woman. But she was more... muscular than the delicate, thin, or scrawny women Kael had seen in his life. Her brown hair fell over her shoulders.


    "Everyone''s finally here,. We''re going straight into the forest. Any objections?"


    No one made a sound. Instead, they just stared at the boy who had joined them.


    It was clear that they were not happy about this particular situation.


    "Why are you dragging a child with us?"


    Finally, the bald man decided to open his mouth. Laen was quick to respond.


    "You don''t need to pay any attention to him. If he''s someone who needs your protection, someone who can''t be more than a nuisance... he shouldn''t have accepted my offer in the first place. But I have a feeling he will surprise us. So, as I said, simply ignore him."


    There was some relief after these words. None of them wanted to struggle for the survival of a child. They would rather take care of their own tasks.


    "Then... if everyone''s ready, we are leaving."


    And with that, the team of five checked their preparations for the last time.


    They looked strange, to be honest. A scrawny child in the midst of four adults, all of whom looked to be well past their thirties... it was certainly an attention-grabbing sight. But after Laen''s words, the others didn''t care how they looked.


    So, the team of five finally started to move... three of them with the simple aim of making money, one with the aim of seeing what an interesting boy could do, and the last one with the aim of becoming a somewhat proper of a mercenary.


    Their destination... was the forest itself. More specifically, a hidden goblin village, where they were going to commit a massacre.

 Chapter 37: The Goblin Village

    Kael was a little hesitant as he entered the forest with the four adults in front of him.Not because he was afraid of the goblins or this ''mission'', but precisely because of the adults in front of him.


    ''They... are strong.''


    They were different from the previous trio who thought they had him cornered. The way they walked, the sharpness of their senses, their posture, their bodies, the way they made him feel when he looked at them...


    ''If they try anything, can I really escape?''


    Once he was out of their grasp, he could lose himself in the forest. But that was the problem.


    Could he get out of their grasp?


    Fortunately, none of them had tried anything yet. Moreover... they had ignored many chances that they could have done something if they had wanted to.


    Still, it was hard to get rid of the seeds of doubt inside him.


    "How far to the village?"


    At the muscular woman''s question, Laen, who in many ways acted like the leader of the group, sighed.


    "Ten minutes maximum. We''ll slowly start encountering goblins now. A lot of them."


    The last sentence was one that might have made normal people a little wary. As much of a threat as a bunch of kids with weapons in their hands could be, even to an adult, goblins were even more so.


    It was easy, and quite right, to simply label them as ''weak creatures''. But their sheer numbers were a way of overcoming this, which they could and usually did not hesitate to use.


    But not a single person in this group of five had a single change of expression as they thought of nothing else but slaughtering them. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was as if they didn''t care how many goblins they had to face.


    And...


    "Oh, look. There are actually a few over there."


    The group paused, looked in the direction Laen was pointing. And they saw that he was right.


    In the bushes, a few meters away from them, three goblins were staring at them.


    But instead of the bloodthirsty eyes the creatures had, they had trembling ones. They were filled with fear as soon as they realized they had been spotted.


    "Kael, how about you take care of these?"


    Kael nodded quickly, without complaint.


    He certainly wasn''t going to refuse the lives left for him to kill. It would add four and a half hours to his life for free, after all.


    He reached for his clothes as he began to walk slowly towards the goblins.


    But instead of the dagger he had stol- well, borrowed for an indefinite period of time... he now held a different one. A much lower quality, much simpler looking dagger.


    He was not foolish enough to take out a dagger of that quality, with gold inlays, in front of four mercenaries. He had hidden it where no one but himself could find it. That''s why he was using a dagger he had snatched from the trio he had killed earlier.


    He cracked his neck, bending it first to the right, then to the left.


    He created a tiny warmth in his heart and directed it to his legs. Then, just as the goblins were about to flee, he suddenly accelerated his slow steps.


    The fear on the faces of the goblins suddenly turned to terror.


    The first goblin, who had turned to run away, simply collapsed to the ground after the pain it felt in the back of its neck. It didn''t even realize that its head had been separated from its body as its world turned upside down.


    Kael threw his dagger at the third before turning to the second goblin, who fled in the opposite direction. Never looking back, he suddenly ended up next to the third and grabbed it by the shoulder, pulling it back with all his strength.


    When the goblin fell to the ground, the last thing he saw was an overpowering kick that shattered his skull.


    Three goblins were dead in mere seconds.


    Kael walked over to the corpse of the second goblin he had thrown his dagger at and pulled it off his back. Just then, he heard a whistling sound coming from behind him.


    He turned to the four watching him, eyebrows raised. It was Laen who was whistling and clapping lightly for him. The other three looked genuinely surprised.


    They weren''t shocked or anything, though. They just... hadn''t expected this from someone like Kael, a scrawny kid.


    "Good job, you''re better than half the cowards who call themselves mercenaries. But instead of stopping to applaud, let''s keep going, we have a long way to go."


    Laen went on his way, satisfied with the decision he had made. Just as he had shown the others that this interesting boy would not get in their way, he had proved the same for himself.


    Now, he was sure. He wanted to recruit this boy into the Bahnal Mercenary Corps, he was clearly talented and promising.


    He just needed a little polishing. His body movements, the way he wielded his dagger were too awkward, and once these were corrected, his true potential would be unleashed.


    *******


    ''So this is a goblin village...''


    It wasn''t much different from what he expected, actually... except that it was really well hidden.


    And, well... it was bigger.


    He had thought that they were going to a relatively small goblin village because there were only five of them, but that was not the case. On the contrary, he was sure there were at least a hundred and fifty to two hundred goblins here.


    He wasn''t sure if five of them could really do it.


    But he kept quiet. And that''s when Laen spoke.


    "We''ll go in, we''ll kill everyone, and then we''ll leave. Don''t bother gathering their ears. Simply kill any goblins that come your way."


    The other three nodded, except Kael. He found this even more strange. Still, however, he kept quiet.


    "Kael, kill as many goblins as you can and tell me the number when it''s all over. Depending on the situation, you might even get a gift from me."


    He simply nodded. Then... he saw that the others were finally moving.


    First, Laen, with a rather large axe in his hand, walked out into the open, not caring at all if the goblins saw him. Then the muscular woman with a spear and the fat man with a rather heavy-looking war hammer. Finally, the bald man followed them with a rather long sword.


    Kael paused for a moment, looking at the four in front of him and their weapons. Then... he realized what he had missed so far.


    Except for himself, all the members of the team wielded heavy and large weapons. In short... each of them had tons of area damage.


    ''Is that why they were so relaxed...?''


    With weapons like that, they could take out four or even five goblins in one swing. If they paid a little attention to each other, the goblins, who were not much more than small children, didn''t really stand a chance.


    As he walked to the back of the group, Kael looked at the small dagger in his hand.


    He had always used a dagger because he was short and his hands were small. Not to mention that weapons like swords and spears were too heavy for him.


    But... now, he understood the difference between these weapons and the dagger in his hand a little better.


    As a dagger wielder, he relied on his speed. What he did best was to kill targets quickly, one by one. It was impossible for him to slaughter a large group in one go.


    ''Like an... assassin.''


    "Let''s go!"


    Laen''s booming voice jolted him awake. They were right in front of the goblin village now and he could see dozens - no... many, many more eyes looking at him.


    The goblins, confident in their numbers, were not afraid of them. On the contrary, they were running at them like a rampaging horde.


    And just like that, those at the front met Laen''s huge axe.


    As Kael looked at the carnage unfolding before him... he was almost mesmerized. Lifeless bodies splattered savagely around, blood watering the earth.


    ''Wow...''


    It had never crossed his mind that only four people, especially ''normal people'', could cause such a scene.


    Goblins were being mowed down or crushed one after another, literally unable to do anything.


    He had underestimated his group. He understood and accepted his mistake.


    Normal humans... could be much stronger than he had thought.


    But he couldn''t just stand by and watch, he knew that too.


    Before his eyes was a goblin farm where he could extend his life for hours, maybe days.


    And he wasn''t planning to waste it.


    So, as always, he created a small warmth in his heart and directed it to his legs. He took a deep breath as he gripped his dagger tightly. Then, he dove into the goblins.


    What if he didn''t have much area damage? What if the dagger in his hand was short in length? What if he didn''t have extremely high strength or full-body muscles?


    If others could kill three goblins in a second with a single attack, he would rely even more on his most trusted skill. He would be much faster, three attacks in one second, killing three, just like others but in a different way.


    And so, he threw himself into the carnage, into the instincts he had honed over a month. He didn''t care about the random wounds he received, he just focused on killing as many goblins as he could, as fast as he could.


    One was beheaded.


    Another''s limbs were torn from its body.


    Another''s heart was pierced before it knew what had happened.


    Kael felt a small burning sensation on his back. One of the goblins had managed to wound him, but he didn''t care and kept going.


    Another fell to the ground, its skull crushed.


    Another''s neck was snapped back with abrupt force.


    Kael blew through the goblins like an unstoppable storm. He instilled fear in their hearts and saturated his curse with their lives.


    This mission... was much easier than he thought. But as rewarding as it was easy.

 Chapter 38: Investment for the Future

    It didn''t take long for everything to be over. It took only a little more than two minutes to wipe out an entire village of goblins, and only because of the goblins returning to the village from the forest that it took so long.It was only five of them who did it.


    Though... it wasn''t that big of a deal, considering that the creatures being slaughtered were goblins. But it was still a remarkable achievement.


    And standing in the middle of all this slaughter, with blood splattered on his body and a large axe that had taken the lives of dozens of goblins, was Laen. In the direction he was facing was a young boy with a dagger in his hand, his chest rising and falling because he was a little tired.


    Laen felt his lips curl even higher as he looked at the boy.


    Everything he had thought about this boy was wrong... In front of him stood someone far more capable, far more powerful. So much so that he was beginning to think he had a curse or a blessing. To think that a normal child could keep up with them... it was almost scary.


    But he was not without doubts about this thought.


    First... if that was really the case, why did Kael bother becoming a mercenary? All he had to do was go to a big city and show what he had to be accepted by a guild and start training. Curse and blessing bearers were not so easily found.


    Second, no matter how strong Kael was, he was out of breath and struggling.


    Laen had seen a few bearers in his lifetime. And he had also heard far more about them than he had seen. Foremost among them was that they were monsters in the truest sense of the word. The stamina and strength of a bearer, even a child, should have been a match for an adult.


    But this was not the case here. Not only had Kael quickly exhausted his stamina, but he had also sustained many wounds. He was not even against strong creatures... but goblins.


    Laen placed his axe on his shoulder and walked slowly towards Kael. Kael paused for a moment, turned his eyes towards the approaching giant, and raised his eyebrows.


    "How many have you killed?"


    His answer came quickly.


    "Thirty-eight."


    The smile on Laen''s face widened even more. This boy... he had actually counted every single goblin he had killed. And he had killed far more than he had thought.


    "Congratulations, then! As I promised, I''ll give you a present when we get back to town. Besides... if you''ve managed to kill this many, it''s unfair to simply remain a recruit. Beginner level would be more appropriate. Though, now that I think about it... I don''t think the people at that level are capable of such a thing. Let''s make you an apprentice straight away."


    Kael had no idea what exactly an apprentice level mercenary could do, what it was like. But he still nodded his head. If he had jumped two ranks at once, what was he going to complain about?


    "But... before we leave here, let me ask you one last thing, just to clear any doubts."


    Laen asked straightforwardly, his expression unchanged.


    "Are you a bearer?"


    The answer to that question was really important.


    And Kael... simply shook his head from side to side.


    "Then... can you give me a little explanation as to how you became so fast and strong? It''s not impossible, I know... but I''m still curious."


    Kael could have chosen not to answer that question. And... that would have been the logical option, considering his future.


    But he didn''t.


    "I''ve been trying to survive in this forest for a week now, and I''ve been in situations like this a few times before, being from a merchant family."


    It was not a very... satisfactory answer, actually.


    But, for Laen, it was enough.


    "I understand."


    That was his answer, and then he turned to the rest of the team.


    And... no. Even if he found Kael''s answer enough, he didn''t fully believe or trust him. After all, there was no way to tell if he was lying.


    But he didn''t really care. Because... he understood one thing. And that was that Kael really needed to be a mercenary. The way he had acted so far, the way he didn''t care if he got hurt, the way he had agreed to go with them without fear, even though he was going into a forest with four adults in this cruel world...


    He didn''t know why, but Kael was really trying hard to become a mercenary.


    And Laen had no intention of letting that effort go to waste. Kael... was someone who could bring a lot to the Bahnar Mercenary Corps, or rather to this small branch, or even more so to himself.


    And with that, the five of them left the town as slowly as they had come.


    *******


    "Here you go, these are my gifts for you."


    Kael looked with great interest at the things placed on the table in front of him.


    There were two daggers, obviously of better quality than the ones he had, a suit of light armor, and two pieces of clothing.


    But it didn''t take long for his eyes to wander from the ''gifts''. He slowly looked towards Laen, who was sitting comfortably in an armchair.


    He had only been back from the goblin village for a few minutes. But... Laen or the others in the group had still never tried anything bad to him.


    And as good as that was, it was just as strange for Kael. It was as if... the fact that nothing bad had happened made him feel that something even worse was about to happen.


    So, he asked suspiciously.


    "Why... are you helping me?"


    He didn''t find it logical. In fact... he could have sworn that the man in front of him had a purpose he couldn''t understand. They were now on the second floor of the usual building, in a room that looked like an office, and Kael remembered the looks of the people on the first floor quite clearly.


    This man, Laen, was feared.


    And being feared meant not only that he was powerful, but also that he was not afraid to abuse that power. Why else would people be afraid of him?


    But from the first time he met this person, all he had seen was kindness and help.


    That''s why he was even more confused.


    Laen clasped his hands together and placed them under his chin to his question. Then, instead of answering, he simply spoke.


    "You are asking the wrong question, Kael. You shouldn''t ask why I helped you... You''re smart, I can see it in your eyes."


    Kael was silent for a moment. Then, his eyes narrowed and he spoke fearlessly, despite the size and strength of the man in front of him.


    "What do you want to use me for?"


    "Heh, that''s a good question now."


    Laen turned his eyes towards the glassless window in the wall of the office.


    "This building is just a small branch of the Bahnar Mercenary Corps. And I work as the manager of this small branch, but... this is a small town. And it''s not easy to find such talented people. You, though, are different."


    He tore his eyes away from the window and pointed a finger at Kael.


    "You''re talented, I don''t know if you realize it, but... you have a really big potential for a normal person. And I want to exploit that potential. It''s as simple as that, really."


    This time, he pointed to the ''gifts'' he had left on the table a few minutes ago. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''m going to give you gifts, I''m going to teach you a few things to make you stronger, I''m going to send you on missions to make you more powerful. I''m going to turn you into someone I can trust, someone I can use on missions that I can''t go on because of lack of manpower, or that are difficult. Do you understand better now?"


    So... basically, there were very few talented people in this town. So Laen couldn''t go on missions that would bring him more money. And he wanted to turn Kael into someone who could go on these missions and help him.


    "Will I get my share?"


    Laen nodded his head in confirmation.


    "Of course. There is no such thing as free work in this world, Kael. If you manage to become someone I can really use, you''ll get even more, like the gifts I''m giving you now. I am a generous man, after all. But..."


    His eyes narrowed, his expression turning serious for a moment.


    "If you go behind my back, if you ignore your potential and disappoint me... I will take back all the gifts I have given you. I am generous as well as vindictive. What I''m doing with you is simply an investment for the future."


    Kael nodded, feeling that he had finally figured the man out a little.


    He had no problem with anything he said. Because he was going to use him the way he was going to use him.


    No, he would do more than use him.


    Because he was not someone who would end up as a simple ''mercenary''. His goals were much bigger.


    And when that time came... he would be strong enough to leave Laen behind.


    He picked up the daggers on the table and strapped them to his waist. He put on the leather armor without a second thought. Finally, when he looked back at the man in front of him, he saw him smiling.


    "You made the right decision, you can be sure of that. Now..."


    He stood up and went to his desk, where he should have been sitting, and took out a piece of paper. Then, using the pen on the desk, he began to scribble something on the paper.


    "With this, you are now an apprentice level mercenary. Levels primarily determine what missions you can accept. You have novice, intermediate, veteran, and master levels ahead of you. But these are not things you need to think about too much... because I will choose the missions you go on, as I want to make you especially strong. Also..."


    After making one last dot on the paper, he pulled it aside. He looked back at Kael, not bothering to hide the smile on his face.


    "I can''t help you much as you are a dagger user, but I will at least teach you the basics so that you can fight properly. The days ahead of you will be... tiring, at least. But I''m guessing you shouldn''t have any problems."


    Kael nodded in agreement.


    "Good! There''s a spare room next to my office, you can stay there from now on. Of course, if there''s somewhere else in town you can stay, you can go there too. Where you stay is up to you, frankly. But... I want you to come here every day within an hour after sunrise for training."


    Kael nodded again. He didn''t seem to object to anything, on the contrary... he seemed determined. He was obedient. And that made Laen like him even more.


    "Now... go and rest if you want. It will do you good to rest after the goblin village. But, from tomorrow, we will start everything I said."


    And that was the last conversation between them for today, with Kael indeed going to rest.

 Chapter 39: First Serious Mission

    Perhaps what surprised Kael the most... was that Laen asked him to use two daggers.He didn''t understand why at first. Because... it was difficult to keep both hands busy with daggers. Leaving one hand free was much easier in terms of balance and ease of movement. For a while, he even thought that Laen didn''t know anything about daggers, that he might have asked him to do so with the mentality that two is better than one.


    However, as time passed, he slowly began to change his mind.


    Using two daggers had its advantages and disadvantages, yes. Using a single dagger made more sense in many ways. And when he thought about these things...


    A big part of the disadvantages of using a double dagger was the difficulty of mastering it. The difficulty of controlling two daggers at the same time, the lack of a free hand to keep your balance, the errors in coordination, and so on...


    But as he slowly began to master these skills, things began to change.


    No, Kael did not suddenly become a master dagger wielder. But he slowly began to grasp how to move both hands at the same time in different ways. He slowly got used to and began to overcome his coordination problem. He learned how to keep his balance in new ways.


    And once he became aware of these things, he noticed a noticeable improvement in himself.


    The advantages of using double daggers were much greater than he had thought.


    He could switch between offensive and defensive forms much more easily, for example. The flexibility and variety of his attacks had also increased dramatically. His offensive skills were almost doubled.


    Not only that, the more he forced himself to deal with the disadvantages of wielding two daggers, the more he was able to improve in scenarios where he was left with one dagger in case he lost one of them.


    His empty hand became more useful, for example, as he had more ways to keep his balance. He was still able to apply some of the flexibility and versatility he had gained from using dual daggers.


    In short, while at first he thought Laen was being absurd, the last month had changed his mind considerably.


    Laen knew what he was doing.


    However...


    "Huh...?"


    Kael paused for a moment. He went over what he had heard again in his mind, repeated it. Then, with his eyebrows slightly raised, he gave a puzzled look to the giant man sitting comfortably at his desk in front of him.


    "I didn''t understand...?"


    And Laen, the giant man who was the cause of his puzzlement, couldn''t help a big smile when he saw Kael''s confusion.


    "It''s what you heard, Kael. This time, your mission will be a little different from the others. And serious."


    Over the course of a month, he had completed many missions. Most of them were to go into the forest and hunt creatures. Sometimes he had to run errands around town, though. There was quite a variety of them.


    But a mission like the one he was on now... it was quite different.


    "Assassination... really?"


    Laen nodded his head in agreement.


    "And... to a merchant group that we were originally supposed to protect on their journey?"


    Laen nodded again.


    "Because someone else paid more than them?"


    And again.


    "Exactly! You understood everything about the mission, why are you so surprised?"


    With the smile on his face and the look in his dark brown eyes, it was clear he was amused.


    "What, you can''t do it?"


    Kael paused for a moment. His widened eyes narrowed slowly as he lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the floor.


    He did not enjoy taking lives. All the lives he had ever taken had been a necessity, a necessity with no other way to survive. He felt the same way even about the creatures and animals he killed as a mercenary in the forest. He took their lives because he needed to satisfy his curse and he needed to get stronger to survive.


    But this time, it was different.


    This time, he would not take a life for survival or for strength.


    He had to take an innocent life for someone else just because they paid more money. No, not even one life... many lives.


    But...


    But since when was the world an innocent place? Didn''t he know it himself, that this world was rotten to the core.


    How far could he go with such a mentality?


    His eyes narrowed even more. This time, he clenched his fist. His expression darkened with each passing second.


    The world was full of people who had no reason to kill and yet were murderers. And now... he had to be one himself. A murderer who was going to betray someone who trusted him to be protected... just to get paid, just for the sake of completing a mission.


    But...


    ''Why am I still hesitating?''


    He lifted his hand, placed it over his heart. He felt the pulse, then the chains that were determined to extinguish it.


    ''I need to change more.''


    The world was a cruel place. And it had no intention of changing for him.


    Even if he wanted to keep his ideals, he had to change. He had to be ruthless, cruel, like the world itself.


    No one should have any real importance in his eyes, except himself... so that he could take lives without hesitation. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had to think of them not as human beings, but simply as overgrown pieces of meat, so that he could fit into this world.


    He raised his head slowly, his eyes on Laen, who smiled as if nothing was wrong. His hand still on his heart, he sighed deeply as he felt his pulse calm.


    He lowered his hand, nodding decisively.


    "I will do it."


    This mission... would be a stepping stone for him. A stepping stone that would allow him to let go of his ideals and changing them, a stepping stone that would allow him to fit more and more into this world.


    "Good! I knew you wouldn''t let me down."


    And before his eyes, Laen pulled the first piece of paper on the table towards himself and began to scribble something on it.


    Under normal circumstances, Kael''s name would have been put on the list of people to guard the Blue Birds Merchant Group on a four-day trip to another town some sixty kilometers away.


    But... that didn''t happen.


    Instead, he was assigned to another mission, one in which the same merchant group was to be wiped out.


    Kael was still a mercenary in training. He was to join the merchant group as a trainee at no extra cost to the merchant group. In other words, he would not be mentioned in the official records held by the merchant group. In short... he would not be branded as the sole survivor when the merchant group was wiped out.


    Of course, not being named in the assassination mission too would have been the best option. But in the Mercenary Corps, it was a requirement that every mission was recorded. Of course, due to the nature of assassination missions, his name would not be on the copy of this record that would be given to the other side. At least that would be a good thing.


    And when Laen put the final dot on the paper, Kael was officially assigned to his first assassination mission.


    *******


    Under the November winds, a harbinger of the coming winter, Kael moved with slow steps towards the meeting point. He was dressed in clean clothes, leather armor that did not restrict his movements too much, and his daggers hung at his waist.


    The town was as usual. People kept as far away from each other as possible, avoiding interaction. Kael was already used to it. He had already understood the reason why.


    The world was not a safe place. That''s why everyone tried to avoid human contact as much as possible. No one trusted anyone, even if they lived in the same town.


    Though there were still some exceptions. For example, the man whose name he remembered as Ahkan and the other guards seemed to be friends. There were those who sat at the same table in the building where the mercenaries gathered, laughing and pouring alcohol down their throats. And then... there were the children at the orphanage.


    "Hmm...?"


    Kael paused for a moment. He saw a pair of brown eyes staring at him from the crowd.


    Normally, he didn''t mind people staring at him. But these eyes this time... they were looking at him in a widened way. And they belonged to a familiar girl''s face.


    Kael sighed. He ignored her and kept walking. But just as he was about to pass her, she suddenly stopped in front of him, causing him to pause again.


    "Are you... still alive?"


    Kael''s brow furrowed. He felt uncomfortable looking at the girl, whose name he recalled was Miny.


    "Why wouldn''t I be alive?"


    He tried to step aside, but Miny stepped in front of him again. She examined his armor, the daggers, some of which were visible at his waist. Then, her eyes widened.


    "When you didn''t return to the orphanage, I thought you were dead... but you survived! Do you hunt for money?"


    Kael rolled his eyes this time, trying to walk past her again, and answered simply.


    "No, I''m a mercenary."


    Her eyes widened even more. She was looking at him like he couldn''t possibly exist.


    And... not to lie, but Kael actually liked it.


    He still remembered the challenge he had accepted against himself in that orphanage, in his own mind. When the day came for him to leave this town, he would stop by the orphanage and show them they were wrong about him. He would say nothing, just thank them for the clothes, and then would leave.


    And one of the people who annoyed him the most was this girl.


    "And now, I''m going on a mission, so... I''d appreciate it if you didn''t bother me."


    As he walked past her, he tapped her on the shoulder twice, as if to confirm that he was not a dream. Then, without looking back, he started moving forward again.


    His lips curled slightly upwards. He actually felt satisfied, seeing her expressions change.

 Chapter 40: Four Merchants and Four Mercenaries

    The meeting point was outside the town. It was quite simple for Kael to see the people he was supposed to ''protect''.Two carriages were waiting for him. And even from the outside, he could see that they were full.


    There were seven people around the carriages. Three of them were completely normal people, and it was clear from the clothes they were wearing that these were the merchants who would be traveling. There was also a teenager, who looked only a little older than Kael.


    The other three were people who had been assigned as ''guards'' apart from Kael. They were all mercenaries. All three were part of the Bahnar Mercenary Corps, of which Kael was also a member.


    From the outside, it was supposed to be an easy mission. Not the guard mission, but Kael''s real mission¡­


    But the details were quite different.


    Kael was the only one who knew the real purpose of this mission. And... these three mercenaries were also among the ones who would die. According to Laen, they had done more harm than good to the guild. And together with the merchant group, they were the perfect extras to be eliminated.


    One was a woman who looked to be in her late twenties, with black hair, yellow eyes, and a bow on her back. She was not very pretty, but she had a strange smile. So strange... that Kael wasn''t sure what to think when he looked at her.


    The second was a thin man, even shorter than the woman. Like Kael, he had two daggers at his waist. His left eye was covered. He had brown hair and a single right eye of the same color. His mouth could not be seen because of a strange mask he wore, but the emotions he felt when he looked into his one right eye were... again, strange.


    The last one was a tall man with a spear on his back. He was an old man with graying black hair. But his body was well built, his muscles were visible. Despite his age, he was in good shape. His blue eyes were sharp. The other two looked like people who could be genuinely problematic, but this man looked very serious.


    As Kael approached, everyone''s eyes slowly turned towards him. Then a smile appeared on the faces of the merchants. The one standing in front, an ordinary-looking forty-year-old man, spoke.


    "Everyone is finally here!"


    It was as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. And the other members of the group were no different.


    They wanted to get moving, to get to their destination quickly.


    "Do you have any other business in this town?"


    One of the mercenaries, the old man with the spear, asked in a voice as serious as his face.


    As Kael looked at the man, he couldn''t really understand how he could be ''problematic''. However, he did not question it too much. Laen had no reason to lie to him about such a thing, after all.


    The man who seemed to be the leader of the merchant group shook his head from side to side.


    "No, we can move immediately!"


    The old mercenary nodded, then turned to the others. His eyes swept over the woman with the bow, then the short man with the dagger. Then he looked at Kael.


    "The journey will take four days. We will rest several times each day and camp at night. All of you must stay alert all the time. I don''t think anything will happen on the first day, but from the second day onwards, we are more likely to encounter creatures or bandits."


    His eyes lingered on Kael for a moment.


    "I hear you''re here to gain experience, but... don''t expect anyone to protect you."


    Kael nodded his head, but said nothing more.


    It was at this moment that the merchants got into their carriages. The mercenaries also took their places. They were going to move quickly to finish the first day quickly. Although they were not going to ride in the carriage, they planned to let the horses run a little.


    The group of eight started their journey in this way. Kael watched the town fading from his sight with each passing second. He let out a deep sigh as the carriages quickly made their way along the predetermined path.


    ''Here we go.''


    *******


    The group followed a path that went around the forest without going into it. The forest was dangerous and largely devoid of roads suitable for carriages.


    Only once on their entire journey would they have to pass through an area full of trees. And that would be on the second day. At least if everything went right.


    Kael sat cross-legged on top of the carriage going in the back, watching the back of the road. This was his assigned task... to sit and watch what was happening behind them, and if he saw anything, to report it.


    It was clear that the three experienced mercenaries were not going to give him any serious work. But Kael was not bothered.


    What was on his mind was... how to complete his own mission.


    ''This... won''t be easy.''


    If all he had to kill were three adults and a teenager, he would have no problem. But three mercenaries would definitely make things difficult.


    The old mercenary posed the biggest problem. Kael was sure that man was strong, though not as strong as Laen. He was definitely not a normal person. He didn''t think the woman with the bow would be much of a problem, but it would be best not to underestimate her.


    And the short guy who wielded a dagger like him...


    Kael took his eyes off the road behind them for a moment and turned them to the person standing on the side of the carriage in front.


    This man was silent. He had not yet seen a single word come out of his mouth. But... there was a strange air around him.


    ''I won''t underestimate him either.''


    And with that, he turned around again.


    His first thought was to kill the old man before he realized what had happened and then deal with the other two.


    But he quickly discarded that. He didn''t know how strong the other two were, and if the old man survived, everything would go wrong.


    What if he waited for a bandit or creature to attack? He was sure the other three would not let him do anything. But... what if after an attack they got a bit tired, he just hid, and when it was all over he came out and became the new ''enemy'' for the trio to face?


    Sighing, he shook his head from side to side. It was a plan that depended entirely on luck. Perhaps there was even a chance that they would not be attacked at all.


    So he began to think further ahead.


    What if he did something at night, when they were resting to sleep? The old mercenary had mentioned that they were going to camp. The merchants would probably all be asleep, and there was no chance that the mercenaries would all be up at the same time.


    They would probably take shifts. Given that there were four of them, the most logical option would be to take shifts in pairs.


    If that happened, Kael could quickly kill the one standing guard next to him without making a sound, and kill everyone else while they slept. Even if the others somehow woke up, he could finish them off before they recovered from their stupor.


    He thought for a while, his eyes narrowing as he thought of a few more plans. Finally, he closed his eyes and thought more deeply. The idea of attacking while camping was the most appealing to him, so he decided on that as plan A. He thought of a plan B and even a plan C that he could use if the circumstances were suitable. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Finally, when he opened his eyes again, everything was ready.


    The planning phase was over.


    *******


    The group had set off in the morning, only an hour after sunrise. Given that it was November, the days were shorter where they were. So they had at least nine or ten hours until evening.


    And during all this time, nothing happened. They were not attacked by any creatures, they did not meet any bandits. They had an uneventful journey for the first day.


    Shortly after sunset, everyone slowed down and then stopped.


    They had taken small breaks several times during the day to let the horses rest. But this time, it was a different situation.


    The old mercenary walked forward as the carriages came to a halt. He looked at the man in charge of the merchants.


    "There is a place on the left where the trees are a bit dense, it would be the best place to camp. I''m not sure if we''ll find a better place, but it would be good to take a long break here."


    The merchants looked at each other, then nodded without making much noise. The idea of a rest stop seemed to make sense.


    The carriages left their path, heading towards the place indicated by the old mercenary. The horses were tied up so they would not run away, then the woman with the bow built a campfire. By the time all the preparations were made, night had fallen and the world was enveloped in darkness. The moon and stars shone brightly in the sky.


    First, food was eaten. Eight people filled their bellies with meat cooked on the campfire. No one slept for a while. The merchants chatted amongst themselves and the mercenaries were positioned to surround the group, not compromising their duties.


    The only problem was... Kael was literally not taken seriously.


    In a group of four guards, a square formation would have been the best choice. But the three mercenaries completely ignored him and formed a triangle.


    Kael didn''t much care, though. He favored the other three getting tired while he rested. He would have preferred to spend the whole time until they fell asleep quietly, without having to deal with anyone.


    However...


    "H- hello..."


    His eyes slowly turned in the direction of the voice. As his eyebrows rose slightly, what he saw was... the boy among the merchants.

 Chapter 41: Hesitation and Determination

    Kael didn''t feel or think much as he looked at the young man standing in front of him. He was a teenager with blondish hair and eyes as yellow as his hair. He must have been sixteen or seventeen. But... it was clear at a glance that he had a timid demeanor. His small stature didn''t seem to help him much in this regard either."Yes?"


    Kael asked politely. His position as a mercenary was clear. He was technically his ''employer'' and respect was the best option.


    "Um... am I disturbing you?"


    Yes, indeed he was...


    "No."


    But Kael was not going to say that.


    "May I sit down, then?"


    Kael nodded his head. The teenager''s lips curled up slightly, then he crouched down.


    "I''m a little... scared, to be honest. The other mercenaries look scary, my father is not very helpful either... But you look different. You''re even younger than me!"


    Kael tried hard not to roll his eyes. But he resisted, he couldn''t make a wrong move.


    "You don''t need to be scared."


    How ironic it was that it was he who said that...


    "You don''t act like your age. Again, if I don''t bother you... why did you become a mercenary?"


    ''But you are, you''re actually bothering me! Just go away!''


    "There was not another thing I could do."


    "Oh..."


    The blond-haired teenager paused after Kael''s answer. It was as if... he realized he had made a mistake.


    But he didn''t apologize or do anything. He just...


    "I see."


    Kael paused for a moment, his eyes shifting to the teenager sitting next to him. He could see that his expression had turned serious. He didn''t look pitying, he didn''t look sad, even if he knew he had made a mistake.


    He was just... looking at the sky.


    ''Huh...''


    The teenager tore his eyes away from the moon and stars. Then looked back at Kael. With that, he saw the surprise on his face. His lips curled upwards again, but this time... his previous timidity seemed to have disappeared a little.


    "What? Did you expect me to apologize, to be sorry?"


    Kael nodded honestly. Meanwhile, the teenager smiled.


    "But... if I apologized, it would only make you angrier, wouldn''t it? If I pretended to be sorry, you''d think I felt pity for you, maybe even that I was a hypocrite."


    Kael was really surprised this time. He really didn''t think this guy... would be like this.


    "Everyone has different things going on in their lives, I know that. And... I think I made you a little uncomfortable, I know that too. It''s just... I was really feeling bored with all these adults, and I thought it would be nice to have someone to talk to. That''s why I came to you."


    He paused for a moment, covering his mouth as he yawned deeply.


    "But... now I feel really sleepy."


    He stood up. Then, he looked at Kael and smiled one last time before going to the other merchants, his father.


    "Thank you for protecting us, even if it''s just because you''re getting paid. And... for not kicking me out of your side. And... I hope you can fulfill your purpose as a mercenary, even if I don''t know your reasons."


    He said nothing more, turned, and walked back to his group sitting in the center of the campfire. Kael stared after him with a blank expression.


    After a short moment, he swallowed hard. He watched the campfire and the four sitting around it.


    The old merchant, obviously the teenager''s father, seemed angry with him. Probably because he had gone to Kael. But after a short while, they returned to themselves as if this had been forgotten. They told each other things, watched the fire and the sky, laughing all the while.


    And Kael... watched everything.


    He shouldn''t have watched, but he did.


    He watched how happy the people he was going to kill were.


    He watched how the people whose futures he was going to destroy were making plans for that very future.


    Finally, when everyone went to sleep and the campfire was extinguished, he regained consciousness. He had come out of a hypnosis that had taken over everything. And... his eyes gradually widened as he realized this.


    ''No...''


    He felt himself trembling as he shook his head slightly from side to side.


    He didn''t want this.


    He didn''t want to kill these people, to take away their dreams.


    But... he had to. It was his mission. Wasn''t this... a stepping stone for his future, a stepping stone that he would step on mercilessly?


    But he didn''t want to do it.


    "We will stand guard for the night."


    He paused at the voice of the old mercenary, his eyes slowly shifting to the trio standing not far from him.


    "We''ll take shifts in twos. Alya and Ishnar will take the first watch, and Kael and I will take the second. Any objections?"


    No one made a sound.


    So, everything was decided.


    *******


    Kael did not sleep even though he knew he should while others, Alya and Ishnar, stood guard. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was thinking as he watched the star-filled sky. He was doing a lot of thinking, really.


    He was terribly hesitant about his mission. And... he was a little bit scared. After talking to that boy, after watching them communicate with each other... all his resolve was shattered.


    But he knew he couldn''t stop.


    His eyes squinted slightly as he remembered what he had thought before accepting this mission.


    He had accepted that he should not care about anyone else, that this was the only way he could take a life. But... he had made a mistake in thinking that way. It wasn''t just about caring for others.


    One by one, he thought about everything he had ever experienced. Starting from his childhood to this moment, he replayed everything in his mind.


    In the end... he only squinted his eyes even more.


    He raised his left hand, pointing it towards the sky. He buried himself in silence, in darkness. And then...


    ''I have to, right?''


    Yes, he had to do it.


    ''Didn''t I say that I had to change even more?''


    Yes, he did.


    ''Didn''t I accept that no matter how bad I felt... I had to become a murderer?''


    Yes, he did.


    ''Then why do I hesitate?''


    ...


    ...


    He looked at his hand pointed at the sky. He closed his fingers one by one, clenching his fist.


    ''I... will do it.''


    He was going to be someone disgusting. He was going to be someone who took away people''s dreams. He was going to be ruthless. Not someone who didn''t care about anyone but himself, but someone who didn''t even think about anyone except himself.


    It didn''t matter how he felt afterwards.


    Just as he had said before, this... would be a stepping stone for him.


    And with that thought, he put his hand down again. He closed his eyes, but did not sleep. He was silent for minutes, hours. He waited and waited until it was his turn to be on watch... not making a sound, preparing himself non-stop.


    And... finally, the time came.


    "Kael, wake up."


    It was the old man''s voice, right beside him.


    Instead of opening his eyes immediately, Kael blinked slightly, then yawned as naturally as he could. He looked up at the old mercenary standing over him with half-open eyes and a puzzled expression on his face.


    "It''s our turn to watch."


    "Ah..."


    He wiped his eyes with his hands, then yawned once more. Nevertheless, he straightened up from where he was lying, then stood up.


    "Here, drink some water."


    He took the waterskin handed to him and poured it down his throat. Finally, feeling a little ''awake'', he handed it back to the old man.


    His eyes turned to Alya and Ishnar, who had finished their watch. He watched them slip smoothly into their sleeping bags. Then the old guard called out to him again.


    "Stay close to the group, I''ll be circling around us the whole time."


    Ah, he was not to be trusted again...


    He wasn''t complaining, though.


    It didn''t matter.


    And so, the minutes ticked by. Alya was the first to fall asleep. But it was hard to tell if Ishnar was asleep or not. He was really strange... his body didn''t move at all as if he wasn''t even breathing.


    The old mercenary was more alert than ever too. It was clear that the slightest movement in his surroundings would alert him.


    Kael waited even longer. He wanted Alya and Ishnar to fall into a deep sleep. He also wanted the old man to get a little tired from moving around all the time. And so, he kept waiting.


    At the end of the first hour... he took a deep breath. The old man had stopped walking, leaning against a tree and resting a little. Soon, he would start walking again.


    Kael stood up as the old man suddenly turned to him.


    "What? Did something happen?"


    Kael shook his head from side to side.


    "Nothing. It''s just... I''m tired of sitting, so I''m going to walk around a bit."


    "Stay close to the camp, never out of sight."


    He nodded his head, then started walking slowly.


    He checked one last time that everyone was asleep. Then, he looked at the old mercenary.


    After taking a deep breath, he reached for his daggers. Only one thought ran through his mind.


    ''I will do it.''

 Chapter 42: One Bearer and Three Humans

    The old man''s back was turned and everyone else was asleep.Kael gripped the daggers tightly in his hand. Again and again, he filled himself with determination. He would not stop, even if it felt bad, disgusting even. Maybe it would haunt his dreams, give him nightmares... but he would do it.


    And so, he began to create a warmth in his heart.


    But, this time, he held nothing back. He didn''t keep the heat below a certain level, he didn''t simply spread it to his limbs. He increased it as much as he could, spreading it throughout his body to the fullest extent he could.


    Under the dark night, a glow began to envelop his body that even the light of the stars and the moon failed to hide. It was quite pale, not easy to recognize... but he could see it because it surrounded his own body.


    Still, he didn''t care. He turned his eyes towards the old man, squinted... and dashed to him.


    It had been a long time since he had been able to use everything he had. And over the last month, he had really fed his curse a lot.


    In short, he had improved, even if he didn''t realize it. So much so that... he had a hard time keeping up with his own speed for a moment. He almost tripped over himself, but quickly regained his balance and pushed his mind to the limit to overcome the problem.


    He saw the old man stop abruptly, then watched as he turned his body back. He had been noticed, or the man had realized that something was wrong... But it didn''t matter.


    Kael swung his dagger at the man''s neck. He expected his head to be severed instantly, dead before the man realized what was happening...


    But it didn''t work out the way he wanted.


    With only a few seconds between his dagger and the old man''s neck, he met his blue eyes. Immediately, he realized something was wrong.


    Where was the man''s spear?


    ''Oh...''


    Kael tilted his body to the right. He saw the spear that would have pierced his abdomen if he had been only a few moments longer.


    Under normal circumstances, the old man would not have been able to react to his speed, and in this scenario, he actually hadn''t. But by simply directing his spear behind his back, he had managed to set a dangerous trap for Kael.


    And it was enough to slow down the enemy, Kael, who wanted to take his life.


    ''Holy-!''


    Kael saw the old man moving quickly. His spear jerked back, the veins in his arms bulging, his eyes even sharper than they already were. With a hard thrust, he brought the spear full circle around his body and swung it at Kael''s right arm.


    Using his flexibility and relatively small body, Kael used his two daggers to meet the spear in one swift motion. As the spear and the blades of the daggers made contact, his whole body trembled under the enormous strain.


    But he gritted his teeth and resisted. Yes, it was difficult... the force exerted by the old man was really too much, even if he had strengthened himself with that ''warmth''... but it was not impossible.


    As soon as the old man realized that his strength was not enough, he tried to step back to open the distance between him and Kael. Meanwhile, his blue eyes were on those sleeping behind him.


    ''No!''


    Kael didn''t give the man a single moment to breathe. He couldn''t let him wake the others, at least not before he died, or his whole plan would go down the drain! And so, he moved towards the old man again, not even taking care to keep his balance.


    The old man was surprised by Kael''s speed. He couldn''t keep up, it really wasn''t possible... It was basically impossible to follow his small and too-fast body.


    But he did not panic over this, he remained calm. He accepted that the boy in front of him was faster than him.


    So, he left everything to his instincts. He tried to guess the attack pattern and direction of the silhouette he could only barely see. He swung his spear in front of him at a diagonal angle... and bingo!


    Kael could see the spear coming at him, and the only thing on his mind was that...


    ''It''s dangerous!''


    But... he did not run back. He did not even try to dodge the man''s attack.


    Because, even if the attack was dangerous, he had to face it directly. Even a few more seconds of this fight could have been the end of him.


    So, he twisted his body slightly to regain some of his balance, which he had not taken care to maintain in the first place. With the last step towards the old man, he spun his body slightly to the right. The spear made a scratch on his cheek, but slipped over his shoulder before it could continue.


    Kael threw one of his daggers directly at the man, gripping the spear hard on his shoulder with his free hand.


    He combined the momentum of his spinning, all the strength of his body, and the old man''s own force. He pushed the spear further in the direction of the attack, freeing it from the old man''s grasp.


    The old man moved to defend himself from the dagger that was about to enter his eye. But that left him vulnerable to Kael, who was about to fly past him.


    Kael grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him with himself in the direction he was flying. The man lost his balance and fell on his back with Kael on top of him.


    The sound of the man hitting the ground echoed through the area, but Kael didn''t allow any more. With the old man''s blue eyes wide with shock, he raised the hand that still held the dagger and, without giving him a second to react, swung it directly at his throat.


    The dagger met no difficulty. It sliced through the man''s throat as easily as if it were cutting a piece of paper, causing the man''s blood to spurt instantly onto Kael.


    But Kael did not stop, he swung the dagger once more. This time, he aimed not at the man''s throat, but directly at his skull. He plunged the dagger above the man''s right ear and pierced his brain.


    The last glimmer of life in the man''s eyes faded very quickly. His blood continued to water Kael''s clothes.


    Kael didn''t even think about him. He turned around as fast as he could, only to find... a woman named Alya pointing her bow at him.


    ''Knew it!''


    The sound of the man hitting the ground was loud enough to wake up experienced mercenaries. And so it was!


    The woman''s arrow left the bow. It didn''t even need a second to pierce Kael''s forehead, it was that fast!


    But Kael''s reflexes were superior. Once he had witnessed the draw of the bow, it was not difficult for him to predict its course. And so it was. All he did was tilt his head slightly to the left, and the arrow stabbed into the bark of the tree two meters behind him, caressing his hair with a gust of wind.


    Kael moved quickly. He would not give her another opportunity to use another arrow, he would finish her off as quickly as possible!


    But just then, he caught sight of a shadow in front of him, then the reflection of metal he could catch out of the corner of his eye.


    ''Ishnar!''


    Kael raised his dagger high, blocking Ishnar''s dagger as it almost took his life. But just as he was about to retreat, he noticed the arrow next to the man.


    ''Fuck!''


    He drew back the dagger he had used to block Ishnar and swung it at the arrow. But in doing so, he was deprived of the one thing that was supposed to block Ishnar.


    Still, Kael did not lose his composure. As soon as he felt the incoming arrow touch his dagger and its direction changed, he swung his free hand in front of Ishnar. He felt the dagger pierce his palm, a sharp pain spread through his whole body, but he didn''t stop. He gritted his teeth, swallowed the pain, and closed his trembling fingers to trap the dagger as it pierced his hand.


    He dropped the dagger in his other hand, clenched his fist, and swung it at Ishnar''s stomach.


    The man tried to step back to avoid the attack. But he was delayed only a few seconds as Kael trapped his dagger in his own palm. And that was enough time for Kael''s fist to reach him.


    Kael saw Ishnar''s right eye widen, the mask covering his mouth wet with his saliva. But he did not care. He pulled the man in front of him to use him as a shield for the next arrow that came at him.


    As the arrow lodged in his back, he threw him aside without further care, then stretched his legs and lunged at Alya, ignoring the dagger still lodged in his palm.


    He saw the panic in her eyes. She had stopped drawing her bow and was pulling a dagger from her waist.


    But there was only one mistake she made.


    And that was to panic.


    It took two seconds or less for Kael to appear in front of her. He drew the dagger still in his palm when he saw the one that was swung awkwardly at him. He dodged her attack with a simple move. Then slashed her throat with Ishnar''s dagger.


    He saw her eyes widen, she was trying to say something. But he did not stop, he clenched his fist and drove it hard into her face. And as she fell on her back... it was still not over.


    Slowly, he turned around. He saw Ishnar break the arrow in his back, then turn one slightly teary eye on him.


    The only obstacle in his way now was the strange man, a dagger wielder like himself.


    But... he did not look panicked at all. On the contrary, he was quite calm. Very calm... Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 43: A Rotten Human

    Kael''s eyebrows furrowed. First, without taking his eyes off Ishnar, he turned to the merchants. They seemed to be just waking up. The man who seemed to be the leader of the group was at least awake, looking at him and Ishnar with widened eyes.Kael clicked his tongue. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong. But... he wasn''t in such a bad situation.


    All he had to do was finish Ishnar off before he let the merchants escape. Which he was sure wouldn''t take long between the two of them.


    So, he turned his focus back to the man in front of him.


    Ishnar, from whom he had never heard a word until now, spoke in a hoarse, wheezing voice.


    "You are a bearer."


    Kael did not answer. Then, Ishnar sighed.


    "I understand more or less what your purpose is, and... you are faster than me, stronger too. It''s clear you''re going to beat me. So... you can be sure I won''t interfere. How about letting me go?"


    Again, Kael did not answer. He simply gripped the dagger that belonged to Ishnar tightly and narrowed his eyes. He took his stance.


    "Tch."


    Even though he could not see Ishnar''s face, he could guess what he was thinking from the change in his only eye. He was not at all happy with the situation.


    "We''re eliminating witnesses, huh..."


    Kael scanned the man. He didn''t seem to have any extra weapons, but he wasn''t sure if there was anything hiding under his clothes.


    Ishnar''s eye twitched even more when he realized that Kael had no intention of opening his mouth. This kind of distraction was not going to work. The boy in front of him... was more professional than he thought.


    But he decided to take one last chance. He opened his mouth, then immediately noticed the change in Kael''s figure.


    He quickly drew his spare dagger from beneath his clothing and swung it in the direction he had anticipated the attack would come from, all the while preparing to flee backwards.


    He felt a momentary force on his dagger, then heard the sound of metal on metal. He had managed to anticipate the attack!


    But nothing was over yet.


    He stepped back with ease, thanks to his preparation, but instead of stopping there, he tensed his foot and swung a hard kick at Kael''s tiny figure.


    And he managed to hit him!


    At least... that''s what it felt like.


    "Huh?"


    He expected the boy he kicked to writhe in pain, but it was the opposite. The silvery glint in his brown eyes was cold, there was no sign of surprise on his face. And... he had not collapsed.


    On the contrary, he caught the kick in mid-air and held it between his body and his right arm.


    "Ah..."


    Kael raised his left elbow, then brought it down hard on Ishnar''s leg.


    Ishnar let out a groan of pain, but Kael did not stop. Using the leg he had broken, he pulled the man towards himself, this time grabbing him by the chin and pinning him to the ground.


    He felt the man''s jaw dislocate, but he didn''t care. Once he managed to pin the man to the ground, he simply plunged his dagger into his back.


    Once, twice... thrice...


    Ishnar''s body trembled with each thrust, but eventually, his body stilled as his groans faded into silence.


    Kael took a deep breath and exhaled, slowly rising to his feet.


    He had succeeded. He had defeated all three mercenaries. And... he hadn''t suffered any extremely serious wounds.


    He paused for a moment, the sharp pain in his right palm reminding him that he wasn''t right. But Kael didn''t give it much thought.


    His cold eyes slowly left Ishnar''s lifeless body and turned towards the merchants.


    They were looking at him as if he were a creature. No... it was much worse.


    Kael''s eyes twitched for a moment. But he clenched his fist anyway, reminding himself of the same thing over and over again.


    ''Stepping stone, this is a stepping stone...''


    And so, he took a single step towards the four. The silence in the area was suddenly filled with a sudden startled sound.


    "S- stop!"


    But Kael did not stop.


    "W- why are you doing this?"


    The man paused for a moment, his eyes widening.


    "Money, because of money... right? Whatever they offered, I''ll give you more! I promise!"


    If Laen had been here instead of Kael, maybe the man''s effort might have worked... But Kael did not know how much money the person who had assigned this mission had paid. So there was no guarantee that the man would give him more.


    Also...


    This was a stepping stone for him.


    Kael''s gaze darkened, his grip on his dagger tightened. His expression was even colder than usual, and the silvery gleam in his eyes... intensified with every step he took.


    He would kill the four in front of him.


    This time... he was really determined.


    There was not an iota of hesitation.


    "D- don''t come!"


    The man started crawling backwards. And with him, the other three also started to step back.


    They were afraid of Kael, afraid of the ''bearer'' in front of them.


    How could they not be?


    "Why...?"


    Kael''s eyes shifted to the questioner, the boy just behind the man at the front.


    He had had a sweet conversation with him a few hours ago. He had thought Kael would be... someone who would protect him. He had even seen him as a friend who would keep him from getting bored on this journey.


    But it had all been a deception.


    And Kael... continued walking towards them without saying anything.


    He listened to the insults, the curses. He memorized everything. Because... he would hear much more in the future.


    Finally... when the merchants turned their backs and ran away... he only glanced briefly at the sky.


    A single sentence left his lips.


    "I apologize."


    And then...


    His dagger was covered in blood once more.


    *******


    Kael looked at the sky for a while. Thinking nothing, saying nothing, caring nothing.


    ''I did it.''


    He had killed four innocent people. Ruined dreams, happy futures. Just... for money. And because he was asked to do so.


    But, strangely... for some reason, he didn''t feel much.


    He thought it wouldn''t be like this. He had hesitated beforehand in such a huge way that he thought he would be overwhelmed, maybe throw up a few times.


    But he was fine.


    Not completely fine, of course.


    He knew that he had become a terrible person, that he was now a murderer... that he had the blood of innocents on his hands.


    But emotionally, when he should have felt a burden... there was only emptiness. A strange, unfamiliar emptiness.


    ''Did I do the right thing?''


    Honestly... he wasn''t sure.


    Maybe he could have let them escape. Maybe he could have released them to form a new merchant group in another country. That way, he could have avoided taking an unnecessary life.


    But... he didn''t. By saying that this was a stepping stone for him, he had indeed taken lives.


    But... was that really the case?


    Was this really an important stepping stone for him?


    Kael turned on his side on the grass, tearing his eyes away from the sky. Clearing himself of his thoughts, he closed his eyes slowly.


    He didn''t care that he was out in the open, he didn''t even care about the dangers that might be drawn to him by the smell of blood. He doubted anyone would come here.


    ''For now... I think I should rest.'' S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Right now... that was all he wanted.


    Some rest.


    *******


    Kael awoke to the gentle glow of the sun and the cold winds of autumn.


    He had not had a dream or a nightmare. It had been a sound sleep, in fact.


    He stood up slowly, then stretched. He paused for a moment, his eyes squinting as he remembered what he had done. And then... he sighed.


    ''There is no going back now.''


    He accepted it.


    ''No more hesitation, I''ve already got blood on my hands, I''m... no longer a human.''


    And he made a promise to himself.


    ''So... I will fulfill my purpose no matter what.''


    Even if it means taking more innocent lives, even if it means violating morals and ethics.


    ''From now on, I will live only for myself.''


    *******


    When he came back to the town, no one looked at him in an extremely strange way, although some people looked directly at him.


    He often came back to town covered in blood. After all, he had been out hunting creatures many times. Only... this time things must have gone a bit wrong. At least that''s what people thought.


    So, without any problems, he made it to the mercenary building. He went inside without a care in the world.


    The noisy atmosphere inside the building, as usual, was momentarily disturbed by his entry. Kael was not an unknown person. What had happened with Laen a month ago and the fact that he was now working directly under his care was enough to start rumors about him.


    And the fact that he had appeared now, covered in blood, was even more intriguing.


    But no one said a word. Not a single person spoke about him behind his back. In fact, after a short time, the usual noise once again dominated the building. Alcohol was raised high, laughter resumed.


    In the midst of it all, Kael made his way to the top floor of the building. He arrived at Laen''s office and walked straight in without knocking.


    Laen was at his desk. Something must have happened to annoy him as his face was a bit sullen while looking at the few papers in front of him. But when he saw the person who had come in, a big smile suddenly appeared on his face.


    "Congratulations, Kael."


    He put his hand under his chin, his eyes narrowed as the smile widened. Not a single thought crossed his mind that Kael had failed.


    He was clearly amused by the situation.


    "You too are now a rotten human of this rotten world."


    *(A/N:


    I will start updating on a schedule from this chapter onwards. The release time will be 00.00 for UTC+8. I will probably upload two chapters per day for a while, but that may change as I''m still not so sure.)*

 Chapter 44: Change Approaching Town

    After he killed those four merchants, Kael''s life... became monotonous.He kept taking quests and completing them. He kept killing the living, over and over again, to keep himself alive. He was in front of the mercenary building every morning before sunrise for Laen''s training.


    And... that was it.


    Three weeks had passed before he realized what was happening. He was more known to the townspeople now, and everyone was aware that he was a mercenary.


    A skilled one, no less.


    But Kael didn''t take anyone seriously. He ignored all the stares directed at him and focused on one thing.


    Getting stronger.


    And now... as usual, he was returning from one of the missions Laen had given him. But unlike most of the time, there was no blood on him this time. He only had small stains.


    But for him, no matter how small these stains were, they were important.


    Because... they were not the blood of a creature or an animal, but of human beings.


    At least not the blood of the innocent, but of the truly problematic. It was... something he often used because it was a mentality that kept him from feeling bad, at least a little bit.


    The mentality that the people he killed were bad people anyway, they weren''t that important.


    In silence, Kael finally entered the building of the mercenary corps. Ignoring the noise around him as usual, he went upstairs and entered Laen''s room.


    This time, the giant of a man was not at his desk but on his couch... sleeping soundly.


    Kael approached the giant on the couch with a straight expression. Then he nudged him lightly, his eyebrows raised.


    Laen suddenly jumped up. It was so sudden that anyone in Kael''s place would have jumped too. But... he just stood there expressionlessly. Then Laen slowly turned his head and saw Kael standing right next to him.


    "Oh, there you are. You finished pretty fast this time, huh?"


    Kael shrugged his shoulders. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It wasn''t hard to kill a couple of slavers who didn''t even know how to fight."


    The smile on Laen''s face suddenly widened. Kael didn''t know why, but... Laen was always like that about these things.


    "It was a good idea to have you clean up the waste that came into town."


    After that merchant mission, the ones where he had to kill ''people'' were all about people who came to town with bad intentions. He knew that almost all of them were bad people and that was why he kept quiet. He could fulfill his mission without feeling much guilty.


    Moreover, these missions were also assassination exercises for him. He also improved himself with the creatures in the forest and learned how to move more silently, how to camouflage himself more easily, how to approach his target without being noticed, and so on.


    "And now?"


    Laen paused for a moment when he saw his eyebrows rise. His eyes went to the ceiling for a moment, thinking. And then... he sighed.


    "I don''t have anything suitable for you. At least not for today. So... you''re free?"


    Kael sighed after him.


    "Then I''ll go back to the forest. You don''t mind if I kill a few extra, do you?"


    Laen shook his head from side to side. And there was nothing more to say between them.


    Kael started to move, as he did in most of his free time, to go deeper into the forest. But then he paused abruptly as Laen shouted after him.


    "Ah, but watch out! I hear the Imperial dogs are getting pretty close these days, try to keep a low profile."


    Kael raised his eyebrows and turned around. This time, his eyes narrowed slightly as he saw a serious expression on Laen''s face. He asked in a calm tone, a little curious.


    "They have been quiet since the fall of the kingdom. Why now?"


    Laen straightened up slightly, as he always did when he spoke seriously.


    "I''ve heard that they''ve taken down most of the rebellions in the big cities. They''ve been putting relatively small towns like ours on the sidelines until now. But now, it''s time for them to take control of them, probably."


    "I see..."


    It was... a bit of a big deal, actually. Because Kael was a little afraid of the Empire. And with good reason.


    He had witnessed with his own eyes the massacre that one man was capable of. On top of that, he had the blessing of Arcanoa, even if it had become a curse for him. What if they were looking for it and there was a way to detect it...?


    "I''ll be careful."


    Kael left the room thoughtfully. He went down to the first floor with the same expression, his eyes on the floor and thinking. When he came out, his eyes narrowed.


    ''I think... maybe I should lay low for a while?


    If the Imperial soldiers were hanging around, they were bound to come to town sooner or later. In that case... wouldn''t it be more convenient for him to be in the forest?


    It was something he wanted to think about thoroughly.


    But... he had the small problem of not having much time.


    After a short while...


    ''Staying in the forest is the best option.''


    He decided on this.


    ''The faster the better.''


    He quickened his pace. His eyes kept darting here and there. He was looking for a soldier he was sure he had never seen in the town before, a different uniform, or something. It was his greatest wish not to find one.


    So he managed to reach a certain point without any trouble. Then, for a moment, his steps slowed down as his eyes focused on a single point.


    ''The orphanage...''


    Then to a spot in the garden.


    ''Oh, that girl...''


    What was her name? Oh, Miny!


    She was playing with the children in the garden, who were clearly younger than her, with a big smile on her face. But then she paused, her eyes slowly shifting to the spot where Kael was.


    When she saw him, her expression seemed to change for a moment. She looked surprised. But then she quickly recovered, put a smile back on her face, and waved slightly in Kael''s direction.


    ''Huh?''


    Kael looked blankly at the girl waving at him. Before he realized what was happening, his own hand reflexively went up and he waved back.


    Immediately, the children Miny was playing with also noticed him. Even though they didn''t recognize him, when they saw their older sister smiling as she played with them, they too smiled and started waving.


    But Kael hadn''t stopped walking altogether, he had just slowed down. And so, the orphanage was soon out of sight and behind him.


    Kael paused for a moment, then looked down at his hand, still held in the air. His expression changed several times in quick succession, his brow frowning as he slowly lowered his hand.


    ''Why did I wave?''


    It was just a reflex. But... for some reason, it felt strange to see someone waving at him, even smiling.


    Laen was always smiling at him, though. But to be truthful, the only thing he could feel against his smile was disgust.


    What was different now?


    Was it because they were children like him?


    Or... was it because their smiles were more genuine?


    His brow furrowed even more, a puzzled expression appeared on his face.


    ''Strange...''


    And so he began to imagine a lot of children, accompanied by emotions he could not quite perceive. A warm smile on each of their faces, hands waving at him... as if wishing him a good journey.


    Strangely... it felt good, imagining something like that.


    But then he paused again. His eyes widened slightly and his expression suddenly turned ugly.


    ''No.''


    He shook his head quickly from side to side. Laen''s words echoed in his mind, one by one... with an echo.


    "You too are now a rotten human of this rotten world."


    And he repeated.


    ''I will fulfill my purpose, that''s it... nothing more. It''s good to dream, but... I need to get back to reality.''


    With these thoughts, he finally left the town. He had largely put the matter out of his mind and was back to dealing with his current problems.


    So, he managed to enter the forest without any problems, without encountering any Imperial soldiers.


    And as he always did, he started looking for creatures to hunt. This time, though, he paid as much attention outside the forest as inside... to see if he could catch any changes.


    And... he did.

 Chapter 45: Trouble in the Forest

    It had been about five hours since Kael had entered the forest. It was two hours before nightfall, but he still had no intention of going back. He wanted to keep hunting.Occasionally, however, he would venture out of the forest to check what was going on in the town. Even though it was quite far away, it wouldn''t be hard for him to spot a small group on the move.


    And... he didn''t.


    He was making his way out of the forest for the third time to check on the situation in the town when something caught his eye, causing him to pause quickly and crouch down to the ground.


    ''What... was that?''


    He squinted, moved further ahead, and finally peered through the bushes towards the town to make sure he hadn''t seen it wrong.


    But... he wasn''t seeing it wrong.


    ''Wow...''


    He was... shocked by what he saw.


    ''I thought I might notice a small group...''


    But what he was facing was not a ''small'' group. On the contrary, it was a huge group marching towards the town.


    He was as confused as he was surprised.


    ''Why are there so many of them?''


    Was it really necessary to send a group of almost two hundred people to simply come to check on a town?


    Kael''s eyes narrowed, his expression slightly serious.


    Unless... they had something important to do.


    Like looking for someone or something important.


    ''Did they really come for me?''


    He was not going to be surprised that they had come, or that they had information about the blessing. If Musthar V. Arcanoa had really made a deal with the Empire, as the king said, then he must have told them what he knew about the blessing, after all.


    But... he couldn''t be sure.


    ''I''d better watch.''


    First, he would watch what the soldiers would do. It would have been better to decide what to do later.


    But then...


    ''Huh...?''


    He realized that the soldiers had suddenly paused. The problem was... they hadn''t entered the town yet.


    Kael narrowed his eyes, completely focused on the soldiers. They were so far away that it was hard to make out anything. But he tried anyway, his eyes slowly moved to the front of the crowd and he noticed a figure not even as big as his fingernail.


    He felt the air around him suddenly grow cold. He felt goosebumps all over his body. Then a tingling sensation spread across his skin. After what felt like dozens of needles being stuck into his skin... the whole world went black.


    No, it didn''t go black. It just... blurred. As if he couldn''t focus on anything.


    And in the midst of all this blur, Kael saw a couple of things. A pair of eyes looking back at him, clear and... cold, despite everything.


    They were green, they looked like they belonged to an old man. But... they were sharp, cold. They looked like they belonged to a human, but Kael could have sworn they belonged to a creature.


    A very powerful creature.


    A monster he should never look at, no matter what.


    ''Ah...''


    Kael felt all his muscles losing strength. And yet it was not this, but a conscious thought that made him put himself down.


    Because he understood.


    ''There...''


    The owner of the eyes that looked at him... he was among the soldiers.


    And he knew Kael was looking at him.


    Just like those creatures in the palace.


    ''Calm down... Calm down...''


    He tried to calm his heartbeat, slowed his breathing.


    ''I have to hide...''


    He paused.


    ''No, I have to run away.'' S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He couldn''t stay in this town any longer.


    Because... whatever it was that had noticed him would surely be looking for him. He was as sure of that as he was of his own name.


    He had hoped to stay in this town longer... but he couldn''t waste time.


    So he turned around, prepared to run in the opposite direction of the town, and took a few steps.


    But then... he slowed his steps as quickly as he had quickened them and came to a quick stop.


    His eyes twitching, he slowly focused on the figures emerging from the bushes.


    "Hey, who are you?"


    He heard the foremost of the figures speak. But... as soon as he saw the Imperial crest on the armor they wore, everything else lost its significance.


    ''They''re both normal people.''


    Kael wasted no time watching what the soldiers did next, listening to what they said. As he reached for the daggers at his waist, a silvery glint appeared in his eyes.


    The soldiers'' eyes widened. They both tried to grab their own weapons, but Kael was much faster than them, for they were normal human beings.


    Kael slashed the first man''s throat before he realized what was happening. At the last moment, he realized that the other man had abandoned his weapon and swung his fist at him.


    Kael twisted his body slightly to dodge and catch it.


    He then pulled the man''s body towards him and plunged his dagger into his skull.


    In mere seconds, it was all over.


    Kael took a deep breath as the silvery gleam in his eyes faded to its old brown color.


    Actually... not killing the soldiers might have been a better option.


    Who knows, maybe it wasn''t him they were after and they were here for the reasons Laen had told him.


    Or he could simply say he was a mercenary hunting in the forest, which was not a lie.


    But he wasn''t going to risk anything.


    He didn''t want to leave anything about his life and his future to a choice whose outcome depended on the odds. At least not as long as he had another option.


    So, the best option was to run away from the Empire and everything connected to it until he reached a certain level of power. At least he thought that was his best option.


    And so, he turned his back and started running again. But this time, it was not a random route. Soldiers coming up behind him meant that this whole forest could be full of them, after all. And so... Kael made a mental note of every single detail in his field of vision.


    In fact, it was only a minute or so into his movement that he noticed an abnormal bending of a branch a few meters to his right diagonal. As his daggers met his fingers, his feet turned towards the point where the branch bent.


    As the Imperial soldier pulled aside the tree branches in front of him, he suddenly saw the metallic glow in front of his eyes. And then... his world suddenly went black.


    "What happe-"


    His friend soon reached the same end.


    But unlike the previous group, this time, there was one more person in the group. And he, as the one at the very back, could see quite clearly what had happened to his two friends.


    He meticulously drew the sword from his waist and swung it with all his might to his right diagonal.


    When his sword met the metal blade of the dagger that had killed his two friends, he waited to crush it. After all, a dagger could not withstand the weight of a sword.


    But that did not happen.


    On the contrary... the sword in his hand was knocked backwards, losing the contest of strength.


    The last thing that crossed the soldier''s mind was how this was possible. But then he saw that his killer''s eyes had a pale, silvery glint.


    The person before him was... a bearer.


    He never had a chance in the first place.


    *******


    "General Loukan has sent a message that there may be a troublesome person wandering in the forest."


    A figure standing on one of the trees in the forest, his whole body covered in black, raised his eyebrows curiously.


    "Not the main target, but someone else?"


    The other figure, the one who had delivered the message, nodded. The man in black could only be even more surprised.


    "That''s... strange. He wasn''t supposed to have any associates."


    They had no such information. And he was the last person to doubt the scout team.


    The only reason they had come to this town was to catch one man. And he had no one. It was highly unlikely that he was getting help from anybody.


    The only reason there were so many people in the forest was in case this man tried to escape, nothing else.


    Still, the world was full of absurd things. Something like this was... not overly unexpected.


    "How troublesome is this person?"


    "We''ve already lost nine people. They were all normal soldiers, but they disappeared quietly. Only the bodies of four of them have been found."


    His brow furrowed even more at this information. But he was not panicked, he was still quite calm.


    "Interesting..."


    "The General wants us to take him alive if possible."


    The man in black tore his eyes away from the figure delivering the message and turned them towards the forest.


    His lips curled up slightly as he muttered quietly.


    "Another one to hunt, huh..."


    Then... a reddish glow appeared in his eyes, which were a very dark shade of black.


    "Let''s make this quick. We don''t want to disrupt the main plan."


    *(A/N: Sorry for the late update, I will try to make up for it. I was... really busy yesterday. I didn''t even go home.)*

 Chapter 46: Return of the Abnormal Storm

    After twenty minutes had passed, Kael realized a few things.First, the forest was indeed full of soldiers. All over the place.


    Second, they were now prepared for him. They had learned of his presence.


    And thirdly... he was being trapped.


    ''This... is not good.''


    Each of the last soldiers he encountered appeared at a certain point, positioned in such a way as to direct him to a certain place.


    This was largely because he was trying to avoid groups of more than four soldiers.


    But... there was nothing he could do.


    ''Maybe I can try to hunt them down one by one.''


    The soldiers he had encountered so far were all normal people. Yes, there were some really strong ones among them... some he could have sworn were even stronger than Laen.


    But being ''normal'' was still a disadvantage for them. A big one, even. Because Kael was not normal. He was much faster than they were, and despite his tiny size compared to adults, he could win in a battle of strength with most of them.


    But when they traveled in groups, the risk was too great.


    And they must have realized it too, because every group he had encountered in the last three minutes had consisted of at least three, on average four.


    ''So... I have to be more careful.''


    And so, Kael kept running, hiding, and killing whoever he could.


    What if there were too many of them? If they were scattered everywhere?


    He knew this part of the forest almost by heart. He had been wandering around for more than two months here, killing creatures and animals.


    He could tell where he was wherever he looked, he could accurately predict what he would encounter. On top of that, weeks of practicing silence and stealth were paying off.


    All of this made him a very difficult target to find, to detect.


    And indeed it was.


    Yet, he was making a big mistake.


    Kael was a novice, and he was up against... real professionals. No matter how skilled he was, his training was inadequate. Even if he realized that his movements were being manipulated, there was nothing he could do to counter it.


    He was simply inexperienced, very inexperienced. And although this was not apparent in the first few minutes, it became more and more obvious as time passed.


    With each passing minute, he was becoming more and more trapped. He couldn''t help feeling like he was facing more and more soldiers.


    And after only a few more minutes... he finally stopped moving, running away. He paused as his steps gradually shortened. His head, often bowed, straightened and his eyes became even sharper than usual.


    In the end, he only sighed lightly. His lips parted, and his voice was cold despite what he said.


    "I am aware."


    At first, nothing happened. The abnormal silence of the forest lasted for a few seconds. But at the end of those few seconds... an abnormality other than silence made itself known.


    A figure jumped down from the trees, a few meters away. He was dressed in black, looking like a real assassin. His face was obscured by the mask he wore up to his nose, but he had black eyes.


    "How long, then?"


    He answered the question calmly.


    "Since the third or fourth group."


    "Oho?"


    He could see that the man before him was surprised, but he didn''t care. He continued, keeping the same tone of voice.


    "And... I''ll die if I take three more steps."


    The man before him raised his eyebrows even higher. But... it was not only that. His lips curled slightly upwards, visible even under his mask.


    "No, you''re not going to die."


    "I don''t feel that way because of those who are hiding."


    The man in black shrugged his shoulders.


    "It''s up to you whether you believe it or not. You can do what you want. But... if you''re aware of the situation you''re in, I think you realize what you have to do to live."


    Kael did not answer, he remained silent.


    Even though he had stopped moving, he was still searching for ways to escape.


    And... he couldn''t find any.


    Because he was surrounded. In every two or three trees in his field of vision, someone was hiding. He couldn''t see it, but he could almost feel it. Their gaze was on him, filled with a deep killing intent.


    But that was not the only reason why he hesitated to act. He was confident that no matter how many people were hiding, he would be able to slip through the forest and lose them. After all, he knew exactly where he was right now.


    But... he couldn''t try anything.


    And the reason was the man in front of him.


    "First... let''s answer a few questions, shall we?"


    This man in black... was a bearer, just like himself.


    And he was strong, much stronger than he was.


    "Why are you in this forest?"


    "I''m a mercenary working in the town not far from here, I was wandering in the forest to hunt creatures."


    "Why did you attack the soldiers for no reason?"


    This time, instead of telling the whole truth, he squeezed in a sweet lie.


    "Because you attacked me first and I got scared. I thought you might be looking for me because..."


    "You are a bearer."


    The two were silent for a short while.


    "Then... let me ask you one more question, my young friend. Do you know a man named Tharon?"


    Kael''s brow furrowed as he looked at the man with a blank expression.


    Tharon?


    "Who is he?"


    It was obvious from the expression on his face that he had no connection to the name.


    The man in black sighed deeply.


    "Well, it seems you don''t have much to do with us. But... you killed almost fifteen of us. And you''re a bearer. So... you need to come with us."


    Kael''s sharp eyes narrowed even more, his expression hardening, ready to reach for his daggers at any moment.


    This did not go unnoticed by the man in front of him.


    "Calm down, my orders are not to kill you. So I have no intention of harming you. But I will not hesitate to hurt you if you give me any trouble."


    He wasn''t sure if he should trust the man''s words.


    What choice did he have, though? He had a pretty clear guess about the answer to that question.


    "Don''t give me a hard tim-"


    But he paused before he could finish his words. His eyes suddenly shifted upwards, towards the sky. Following him, Kael also slowly looked upwards.


    Immediately afterwards... a drop fell in the center of his forehead.


    At first, he couldn''t understand what it was. But then a second drop fell on his cheek, then a third...


    Unexpectedly, the rain began to fall quite rapidly.


    But the most surprising thing was not so much the rain itself... but the change in where it came from.


    "Oh..."


    The man''s voice echoed in Kael''s ears, but he had difficulty focusing on it. Because... he didn''t know how to react to what he saw.


    The dark clouds that caused the rain... were gathering together much faster than normal.


    So fast that it was almost impossible for it to be something natural.


    "Oh, shit."


    He heard the man cursing, then swearing in a low voice.


    Soon the man''s eyes left the sky and refocused on him.


    "You are coming with me, my young friend. And... I''m sorry, but you have no choice."


    This time, the meaning behind his words was much clearer, he wasn''t trying to be polite.


    He didn''t want Kael to run away. But he also knew that if he left, his men would not be able to hold him where he was.


    So he would drag him after him.


    ''There is really no escape from this...''


    No matter how much he wanted otherwise, Kael was aware of the facts. The man in front of him was much stronger than him. He wasn''t sure how he could do it, but he could feel it. Looking at this man, he felt almost paralyzed, as if... he would be unable to do anything if he tried to do anything.


    He had tried to escape, but he had failed. Now, he had to obey this man.


    The only thing he didn''t understand was why this change in his attitude had happened.


    Well... it was clear that the rain had triggered this change. But what was this man''s connection to this abnormal natural phenomenon?


    Kael paused for a moment, his eyes widening slightly as a sudden thought occurred to him.


    "Follow me and don''t try anything unpleasant. At least not if you value your life."


    With those words, the man in black started moving without a second glance behind him. But Kael knew that he would die the moment he tried to escape, so he had no intention of trying anything.


    There was only... one thing on his mind.


    And that was the phenomenon he had witnessed about two months ago, just before he found this town. The storm that didn''t feel natural, just like the warmth he could create in his heart. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And now... that storm and this rain, which was getting faster and faster every second, had exactly the same feeling.


    ''What the fuck... is going on here?''


    He was pretty sure that it wasn''t anything good.


    *(A/N: The end of the free chapters is near... and there will be more chapters tomorrow. As I said, I will make up for the day I took off.)*

 Chapter 47: Destruction in the Town

    Kael had to follow the man in black out of the forest.And if there was one thing he noticed, it was that this man had slowed down when he could have gone faster, just to keep the distance between them.


    ''He''s really careful.''


    He couldn''t see a single gap to escape through.


    ''What now?''


    Truth be told, he didn''t think he would fail. He had thought that the forest was his territory, that he could always escape as long as he was here, but... he was wrong.


    He had underestimated his opponents.


    And now, he had been caught as punishment.


    The question was... what now?


    ''I''m sure they don''t know that I have the blessing of Arcanoa.''


    No, their purpose in coming to this town was quite different. They were trying to catch a man named Tharon, and he was a variable that came up as a bonus.


    But just because they hadn''t yet found out he had the blessing didn''t mean they never would.


    Kael understood one thing. The senses of the carriers were far superior to those of normal humans, and at the same time... different. They could sense each other, how strong they were, simply by reflex.


    With so many people around who could sense this, there was no guarantee that they would not be able to understand what his blessing... or rather his curse was.


    ''Though, what would have happened if this hadn''t happened?''


    That was another matter.


    What did a bearer like him mean to the Empire? Was he important? Would they want to train and use him as Laen did?


    Or would he be seen as a threat and killed for killing their men?


    The questions were many, but the answers were few.


    ''For now-''


    But Kael''s thought was interrupted. As his eyes widened, he suddenly felt his whole body freeze. He just remained frozen in place as raindrops fell on him one after another.


    They were finally out of the forest for real, heading towards the town.


    But... Kael didn''t care about the town anymore.


    ''W- what the...?''


    He remembered the green eyes he had seen an hour ago, the way he had felt.


    Now... he felt so much more.


    No, there was no one looking at him. Not even anyone with hostile intentions towards him.


    He could only feel... two presences. Two beings facing each other, right in the middle of town... and the pressure he could feel, even though he was not their target.


    "Oh, right..."


    The man in black paused when he noticed Kael had paused.


    But instead of thinking of it as a plan to escape, he simply approached him and gave him a quick flick on the forehead.


    "Get a hold of yourself. This kind of pressure is a bit much for the likes of you, I know. But it won''t take you long to get used to it."


    Kael couldn''t help blinking his eyes a few times at the flick.


    He did indeed feel a little better. But... those pressures were still there. He still felt like they were crushing his whole being.


    He couldn''t help swallowing. He wasn''t sure he wanted to go any closer to the town anymore. But...


    "Try to endure, but don''t leave my side."


    He had no other choice when he was around this man.


    ''Damn it... just let me go!''


    Kael had no idea why they had gone into town.


    This man was strong, yes... but he was nothing against those two monsters in town! He knew that for sure.


    So why was he trying to get so close to the town? What was his purpose?! Why was he dragging himself along with him...?


    "Hey, I''m not really trying to escape, but... should we really get any closer?"


    His answer was very short.


    "Don''t worry, you won''t die. At least if you''re careful..."


    But he was just as unreliable!


    ''What do you mean if I''m at least careful? So I could literally die!''


    Nevertheless, they kept approaching the town.


    *******


    As Kael approached one of the entrances to the town, he realized that soldiers were everywhere. They were all holding weapons of various kinds, their eyes squinted as they stared into the center of the town.


    He could see some of them trembling with fear. As if... they were being held here by force.


    He was not so different from them, really.


    But that was not what caught his attention. On the contrary...


    ''How many... bearers are there here?''


    He couldn''t be sure of the exact number, but... for every nine or ten people he saw, one was a bearer.


    ''All this... to catch this Tharon guy?''


    "What''s the situation?"


    He paused for a moment as he saw the man in black approach another one, a bearer like himself, then focused on what was being said.


    "They''re talking, neither has attacked the other yet."


    The man''s eyes shifted to Kael for a moment. His brow furrowed as if he was trying to figure out who he was and failing.


    The man in black noticed it, of course.


    "Keep an eye on him, this is the guy the general said could be a ''problem'' in the jungle. I brought him with me so he wouldn''t escape."


    "Oh, he doesn''t look like a problem to me..."


    "Believe me, he is. Just-"


    But before he could continue, though, his eyes widened. Not only his eyes, but the eyes of almost everyone in the area widened.


    The torrential rain suddenly slowed down, the raindrops paused as if time had slowed down. But... time had not stopped.


    ''W- what''s happening?''


    Kael watched the raindrops move slowly towards the center of the town. He couldn''t move a millimeter. His body didn''t seem to listen to him. He could only... watch.


    The others were no different.


    And so... they watched as thousands of tiny, tiny raindrops rapidly coalesced into one big... thing... stretching across the sky.


    First, the body formed, a really long body... a body that resembled a snake. Then, small limbs that couldn''t belong to a snake... and a figure that none of them had ever wanted to see in their lives.


    It... was a dragon. A dragon made of raindrops.


    Kael swallowed.


    There were really so many emotions he could feel as he looked up at the dragon made of raindrops above the town. But the most prominent one... was definitely fear. Even if the dragon wasn''t looking at him, he was frightened. He was terrified even though he was just standing where he was.


    But it was nothing.


    Because after only a few seconds, the dragon made of raindrops opened its mouth, turned its face to the sky... and roared.


    Its ear-splittingly loud voice echoed in the distance, lightning suddenly flashed above the dark clouds... and then the dragon was on the move.


    First, it flew upwards. Then, it twisted its tens of meters long body into an inverted ''U'' in the sky and... landed directly in the center of the town.


    "W- watch out!"


    That was the last thing Kael could hear before the flood that raged through the streets of the town piled up on hundreds of soldiers.


    *******


    When the flood first hit him, Kael was knocked off his feet.


    He had nothing to hold on to, so he could not stop his body from being swept away. He just... drifted with the flood.


    But he had no intention of being swept away.


    He tried to find his way upwards as the warmth in his heart spread through his body as usual. Then, trying to turn his body in the water, he turned his feet to the ground and tried to regain his balance.


    But, then... he suddenly hit something hard. His back slammed into something so suddenly that the breath he had been holding was knocked out of him. His lungs burned from the water coming in through his mouth, which reflexively opened, and he felt as if he was going to faint.


    Soon, the flood waters dissipated and the relentless current receded. As the water level dropped rapidly, Kael could breathe again. But he couldn''t even pay attention to it.


    As he fell to his knees, he coughed as hard as he could, expelling the water from his lungs. His eyes were watery, but he didn''t care, he pounded his fist against his chest and kept coughing. When he finally came to his senses, he first looked behind him to see what he had hit.


    There was a tree leaning at an abnormal angle.


    ''D- damn it... fuck my luck...''


    He took his eyes off the tree, this time in front of him.


    He had been dragged almost twenty meters. It was much the same for the rest of the soldiers. There was no trace of the orderly scene of only a few seconds ago. The man in black and the other bearer he had spoken to were nowhere to be seen.


    But when Kael moved his eyes just a little more, he suddenly froze.


    ''Ah...''


    His eyes gradually widened, his mouth fell open. And... he could only stare at the scene before him.


    There were dragons circling over the town.


    Yes, not a dragon... but dragons.


    They were all made of raindrops. Maybe not as big as the first one, but they had their own splendor. The rain kept falling in torrents, nourishing them, and they danced around, descending to a certain point in the town and attacking someone.


    But some of them, just as they were about to attack... were strangely cut.


    Literally, all of a sudden, cuts appeared on their bodies made of water. Really big cuts.


    And the thing that caused these cuts was so powerful that it not only cut the dragons, but also caused ear-splitting sounds of explosions that almost reached the sky.


    Lightning flashed every second, the rain sped up and slowed down, and new waves came, rising up to Kael''s stomach.


    ''This...''


    This was a battle of two powerful, truly powerful bearers.


    And... it was spectacular.


    Kael swallowed. Slowly rising to his feet, he stared, almost hypnotized, at the destruction unfolding before him. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Wow...''


    He moved cautiously, passed through the entrance of the town and entered its streets.


    Dragons being cut down one after another, constantly regenerating, dancing, fighting...


    It was a piece of art. For the view in front of him... he couldn''t think of anything else.


    And he wanted to see more of it.


    There was a strange flame burning inside him. He wanted to see the two men who were causing all this, who were playing with nature as if they were mocking the world.


    He didn''t care about anything else.


    He just¡­ walked.

 Chapter 48: The Dance of Sword and Rain

    If Kael wanted to describe the state of the town in one word, it would be... chaos.People were shivering inside their homes. There were bodies of some people who had been caught in the flood. Some houses made of wood seemed to have been completely destroyed.


    But Kael didn''t care about any of that. He just walked.


    He didn''t know why, but no soldiers tried to stop him. He had expected the man in black to grab him by the neck and throw him back, but that didn''t happen. And... he kept walking.


    Finally, when he came to one of the clearings that could be called the center of the town, his steps slowed down.


    He saw a man. The raindrops seemed to be especially concentrated around him. His eyes sparkled with a light blue glow. His gray hair was wet and disheveled, but he was not extremely old. He must have been in his thirties. His body moved and danced as if it were a liquid. With each movement, the speed of the rain changed and the dragons moved in different ways.


    He didn''t know, but the dragons didn''t seem abnormal for some reason. He couldn''t feel as if they were unnatural when he looked at them. It was as if... they were a natural part of the storm from which they were created. They were constantly fed and strengthened by the incessant rain. They were accompanied by each of the lightning bolts that came down from the dark clouds.


    Harmony, perhaps that was the word he was looking for. Dragons and storms... he had never seen them so in harmony with each other.


    And at the center of it all was one man, the man who caused it all... the man who controlled it all.


    He was the man named Tharon, the one all these soldiers... the Empire were looking for.


    But... in the midst of it all, a large cut suddenly appeared on the raindrops that surrounded him. The thin barrier standing in front of him, as if it were a shield, split. Not only that, but a cut appeared on the shoulder of his clothes. The blood slowly soaked over it.


    And the person who caused it was at the other end of the opening.


    Dragons, large and small, were constantly circling around him, but he was slaying each one with the long sword in his hand. If Tharon''s body resembled a liquid, this man''s body was... simply a sharp blade. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His black hair, graying in places, was wet, sticking to his face. His face was wrinkled, he was old. There were serious-looking bruises on certain parts of his body, but he didn''t seem to care about them. His sharp eyes, shimmering with a green glow, were focused on one thing, his opponent... Tharon.


    Maybe he didn''t change the entire weather like Tharon, maybe he didn''t cause storms or big things like Tharon...


    But he alone was enough to be a ''change''. The air he gave off, his stance, his attacks... everything about him was like an elegant yet devastating sword. Just standing where he was alone was a natural disaster, he didn''t need a visual change.


    Kael paused for a moment.


    ''Ah, the green eyes...''


    Kael remembered those eyes. It was the man who had first spotted him in the forest when he first noticed the Imperial soldiers, despite the distance between them.


    A dragon momentarily came between Kael and the man. But then... it was sliced right down the middle, his body of water disintegrating, unable to maintain its integrity. And not only that.


    Kael felt a force graze the sleeve of his clothes, followed by a gust of wind that scattered all the raindrops on his side. It was as if... the man had cut not at the dragon, but directly where Kael had been.


    In the midst of all the scattered raindrops, the wind blowing his hair, Kael and the man''s eyes met for a tiny, fleeting moment.


    The man did not react. His sword, which had sliced the dragon in two, twisted in his hands. Then he twisted it slightly to the left and swung it at a wide angle to the right.


    The world stopped once more. The winds, the raindrops, the image... everything followed the man''s sword. And they were all cut. Another dragon, which would have ridden him with tremendous force if he had been a moment later, was also cut in half, as was everything else.


    But the man still did not stop. His sword twisted again, changed direction at an abnormal angle, and cut down another dragon. A shockwave so powerful that it was hard for Kael to stand spread around.


    But... he still held himself, he kept watching.


    Kael''s eyes focused on the sword for a moment. And when he did... his eyes widened again.


    The sword was long. It was sharp only on one side and had a very slight curve. But what surprised Kael was something else.


    No, not because the sword was so beautiful... but because it was so terrible.


    It was full of cracks as if it would turn to dust if he touched it. The leather on the hilt was peeling off in places in a way that was quite disturbing. Kael would rather use his fists than a sword like this.


    But... this man could not only wield this sword, he could swing it as if nothing was wrong with it.


    ''Oh, no...''


    This man... did not swing his sword in a normal way at all.


    It was as if... each movement was meticulously precise, smooth, no matter how fast and sudden it seemed.


    It was mesmerizing, spectacular. Kael... felt almost ecstatic looking at the way the man wielded his sword.


    But after a short time, he realized something.


    The man... was moving, even if slowly. Sometimes, parts of the dragons hit his body, creating the bruises he could see. Some of the smaller ones, like a snake, would slip through and bite his limbs, causing bleeding wounds.


    But with every dragon he slayed, with every slash of his sword, the man was closing in on Tharon, step by step.


    With difficulty, Kael tore his eyes away from the swordsman and turned them toward Tharon. He didn''t know why, but the man was doing nothing but standing still. He wasn''t completely still, since he controlled the dragons, the rain... But he wasn''t moving from where he was.


    He must have realized that his opponent was approaching him, but he still made no attempt to run away or move away from him.


    Why, then?


    ''Ah, he will lose control if he moves...''


    And the moment he lost control was the perfect moment for his opponent to attack.


    So, the only thing he could do was to keep doing what he was doing and hope to stop his opponent. He had no choice.


    And... they kept going.


    Kael watched with a fascination he couldn''t help but admire as the town was destroyed with every passing second, a mesmerizing canvas of the collision of two beings whose powers he could hardly imagine the limits of.


    He came close to death several times due to the effects of the two clashing. But, still, he kept watching.


    And... as he watched them, he realized something else.


    The raindrops that brought the dragons together, the impacts of the swordsman''s attacks... Every change in the battle of these two had a trace of something. A trace that felt all too familiar, a feeling he had himself.


    A feeling of warmth that he could build up in his heart, that he could use to strengthen himself.


    ''Huh...''


    As Kael looked at the men, their attacks, their bodies, he saw something he hadn''t noticed.


    There was something like that warmth he could generate in his heart, coursing through their bodies too. It was not only in their bodies, in their attacks... in their clothes... in everything.


    It wasn''t just on them, it was affecting their surroundings. It even affected them more than they affected themselves.


    ''Why...?''


    Kael couldn''t understand. But... he wanted to know.


    So he focused even more. He gave everything he had towards this duo, fighting each other to the death. He watched their every move, how they controlled that ''warmth'' they had, just like him.


    But then... he finally realized that what had seemed inevitable all along was happening.


    The rain suddenly became faster than it had ever been, the lightning struck one after the other, ear-splittingly.


    The man with the sword was in front of Tharon. He was readying his sword for a final strike, and Tharon was... still unmoving. But there was no panic in his light blue glowing eyes. He was still calm, there was no hesitation or hitch in his movements.


    But then his dance to control the rain, to control his dragons, came to an abrupt halt. He took a deep breath as his eyes squinted slightly, his palms facing each other as he stepped back on his left foot. He rotated his hands in front of each other as the sword that would take his life descended in slow motion. He shifted his palms fluidly and twisted his body. He bent the fingers of his left hand inward and pushed forward as if drawing something from his right palm.


    Just as it had happened just before their fight began, all the raindrops suddenly paused. Then... they began to gather with tremendous speed in the direction of his left hand. Lightning bolts descended from the dark clouds, leaping from raindrop to raindrop, heading towards the duo. It passed through Tharon''s body and joined the current that was heading towards the man with the sword.


    As Tharon and his opponent''s final attack met each other, the world lit up with a brilliant glow, all sound replaced by a resounding clang that seemed to burst the eardrums of everyone in the area.


    And Kael watched everything. Every movement of the men, how they channeled that power in their bodies... everything.


    Even as a tremendous wave of heat and shock washed over him, sweeping him off his feet, his thoughts were of their movements.


    And... how he could use what he saw for himself.

 Chapter 49: The False King

    Kael blinked slowly at first. He saw the dark clouds dissipating from the gray sky, then the pale silhouette of the sun struggling to bring its light to the ground."Ugh..."


    First, he turned over, then he tried to get up with the support of his arms. While thinking about what had happened, he looked around.


    He was in the center of town. The clothes he was wearing looked somehow... burnt. But they were also wet. Not only his clothes, but the whole town was wet when he looked at it now. It was as if it had rained for hours, hard and heavy, faster than he had ever seen in his life.


    But that was not all. Some houses had collapsed, some were literally... smoothly cut. There were a few bodies around, either drowned or killed with the same smoothness as the buildings.


    His eyebrows furrowed, his eyes squinted for a moment. And then... he froze.


    ''Ah...''


    Everything before he fainted rushed into his mind. His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, looking for two familiar figures. And he found one rather quickly.


    Tharon was standing where he had been, right in the center of the clearing. He was panting, the light blue glow in his eyes gone, replaced by his original color of yellow. His left arm was missing, cut off as smoothly as everything else around him. There was also a slash across his chest, running diagonally from his shoulder to his waist.


    Kael swallowed. This time, his eyes searched for the man with the sword, Tharon''s opponent. But... he was nowhere to be seen. Who knows, maybe he had blown away somewhere far away.


    He turned completely around, looking for Imperial soldiers or someone else. But he could see no one around. There were a few townspeople looking at the spot where he was, behind the windows of their houses, staring at the area with widened eyes. But... there was no one else.


    ''Only for now, though...''


    Soldiers and other bearers probably surrounded the town, waiting for Tharon to die or come out. They must have been afraid to approach him.


    ''They might even be watching me. I''d better be-''


    He paused at the sound echoing in his ears. His eyes slowly turned in the direction of the sound, and then he heard the same sound again.


    The splashing sound of stepping in a puddle, followed by the sound of the thing caused it... footsteps.


    When he finally saw the figure moving towards him... he just froze in place.


    Tharon was staring at him with his yellow eyes. He was coming towards him, limping slightly, but without losing any of his dangerous presence.


    ''H- huh?''


    Kael didn''t know what to do, but he forced himself to his feet. There was a slight soreness that wrapped around his whole body, but it was nothing important. He would probably be fine in half an hour.


    But he didn''t care about the pain. As soon as he stood up, he stepped back. But in the time it took him to take one step, Tharon took three.


    His whole body was shaking. He wanted to run, but he couldn''t move. Every movement he made was slow.


    "S- stop..."


    But Tharon did not. Eventually, there were only two meters between them.


    Kael didn''t know what to do, what to feel.


    But he knew that right now, he was scared to the bone.


    He had seen what the man in front of him could do. He could create literal storms... and make dragons out of raindrops.


    And now, he was right in front of him. He was looking at him, blood oozing from his lips, his eyes calm and still.


    And Kael was... completely frozen. He couldn''t look away from the man''s eyes, he felt like he was going to... die the moment he did.


    But, then, he noticed a detail. A tiny detail that he could see out of the corner of his eye.


    His eyes widened even more. He swallowed the words he was preparing to say, even though he was sure he couldn''t, and looked at Tharon with a blank expression.


    "N- ne?"


    His eyes had now shifted elsewhere, to the man''s neck.


    There was something very familiar to him. Something that reminded him of his past, of the status he used to have.


    A mark.


    A mark of slavery.


    "Why?"


    But... he was not the one asking that question.


    When he heard the words coming out of Tharon''s mouth, he froze in place.


    And with his next words, he literally felt shivers run down his spine.


    "Why do you have the royal blessing?"


    Silence, a deep silence.


    Tharon continued to look at him without saying anything else. Kael, on the other hand, with dilated eyes and an expression that was literally drained of blood.


    And then... more blood oozed from between Tharon''s lips, slowly trickling down to his chin... dripping onto the floor.


    It was clear that he was in pretty bad shape.


    But Tharon continued to stand in front of Kael as if he was fine.


    And... he smiled slightly.


    "It seems don''t have much time left. Can I... ask for something?"


    ''W- what?''


    Kael didn''t understand anything. With every minute he continued to live today, he found himself in an even more absurd situation.


    His life, which had been quite monotonous for almost two months, had been shaken by a really sudden change. He had been captured by Imperial soldiers, he had witnessed a clash between two people who might be the most powerful people he would ever meet, he had survived, and now... one of these people was standing in front of him, asking for something from him in the last seconds before he would die.


    If his situation had been different, maybe he would have laughed. Because... it was strangely ironic as it was absurd. First the man the Empire sent to the palace, then the king, now Tharon.


    For some reason, all the truly ''powerful'' people he met were either on their deathbeds or already dead.


    But he was in no condition to think about that right now. Because Tharon had not finished speaking.


    "I was a slave to the father of Markhus V. Arcanoa, the previous king, but... I''m tired. I''m tired of following a dead man''s last command non-stop, I''m tired of feeling as if every fiber of my soul is being held in chains. Will you at least... free me from my chains before I die?"


    His eyes seemed to sparkle. His skin color was fading with each passing second. He was trembling, feeling the coldness of death.


    But... he was also excited. As if... the freedom he had been looking for all his life was right in front of him.


    "Will you let me at least once in my long and meaningless life... taste true freedom?"


    Kael didn''t know what to say. He stared blankly at the man who was slowly letting himself die in front of him.


    What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to respond?


    He looked into the man''s eyes. He saw the excitement, the anticipation. Then... the emptiness, the coldness that slowly replaced it.


    Death.


    He looked at the mark on his neck, the mark of slavery, which he himself also possessed not so long ago... and he swallowed.


    He didn''t know why, but he felt a little calmer now. Was it because the man in front of him was a slave, just as he had been? Was it because, despite the power he had, he was asking for something kindly? Was it because he was so close to death that he couldn''t help but sympathize with him...?


    He didn''t know.


    He didn''t know anything, really. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But... he wanted to answer the man.


    He wanted to fulfill his last wish.


    He really wanted to free him from his chains.


    Yet he didn''t act purely on emotion. He could... use this situation.


    "On... one condition."


    He saw Tharon raise his eyebrows. But he ignored it and continued.


    "Your death will be by my hand."


    As if he understood what he was talking about, Tharon said nothing. Not even surprised, he answered Kael in silence.


    And so, Kael took a deep breath.


    He bowed his head, closed his eyes.


    His mind went back months, to that moment in the palace... to the seconds he was in the king''s chambers.


    The words he heard then replayed in his mind, then how the mark on his neck had disappeared.


    And... he murmured in a voice so low that almost no one but himself could hear him.


    "I, Kael, by my authority as sole king of the Kingdom of Arcanoa, free you from your slave status."


    He repeated exactly the words of the previous king.


    But... nothing happened.


    And Kael realized the mistake he had made.


    ''Heh...''


    As his lips curled upwards, only one thing crossed his mind.


    ''I''m... not a real king, right?


    What was in his chest, just above his heart, was not even a blessing.


    It was a curse because he was not royalty, because it rejected him.


    But... he was not entirely wrong.


    After all, he had something that only the kings of Arcanoa should have.


    He raised his head, looked into Tharon''s pale eyes again. And... correcting himself, he repeated.


    "I, Kael, by my authority as the false king of the Kingdom of Arcanoa, free you from your slave status."


    A pale, yellowish light surrounded Tharon after his words. The mark of slavery on his neck turned crimson, as if it were on fire, just as it had been on his own a few months before. And then... it vanished into ashes.


    Tharon fell to his knees. Tears appeared in his eyes as his whole body gradually lost what strength it had.


    "False king, huh..."


    He bowed his head, mumbling only two words as his hair fell in front of his face.


    "I... thank you..."


    He had dreamed of this moment all his life. Every time he fought, every time he grew stronger, every time he came back from the dead, it was so that he could taste this feeling.


    The absence of the chains around every fiber of his body... made him feel as if he could breathe freely for the first time.


    Now, he could die.


    Now... he could leave this world in peace.


    But as he waited to breathe his last in silence, he heard the voice echoing loud and clear in his ears, the voice of the ''false king'' before him.


    "And I... apologize."


    ''Ah...''


    He felt a momentary pain. Not what his body already had, but a different kind of pain.


    His world suddenly turned upside down. And then once more. He even saw his own body a few times, how strange it was...


    But he didn''t care.


    In his last moments, he thought of only one thing.


    ''Was the price of freedom... death?''


    Still... it wasn''t a bad feeling, freedom...


    It was worth dying for.


    *(A/N: This chapter might have been a bit confusing. Because everything happened a bit too fast. But don''t worry, you will understand everything much more clearly in the following chapters. Who Tharon really is, why he was a slave, Kael''s situation, and much more. For now, thanks for reading as always.)*

 Chapter 50: Start of a New Plan

    Tharon''s head separated from his body and fell to the ground, then rolled slightly. As his body slowly collapsed, it made a resounding sound that echoed throughout the area.Kael suddenly felt an extremely intense heat enveloping his entire body. It was so sudden and intense that he even felt as if he might lose his balance for a moment. But he held himself together.


    He took deep breaths, closed his eyes, and waited. As his focus shifted to the chains around his heart, he tried to process what he had gained.


    And... he was surprised.


    No, not simply surprised.


    He was literally shocked.


    ''This...''


    It was nothing compared to simple goblins, wolves, or creatures. Even humans were the same.


    ''Did I gain a week... almost a week, just by killing one person?''


    It seemed a little longer than a week, he couldn''t be sure. But... whatever it was, it was a mind-blowing amount.


    So far, he had only been dealing with hours, after all. One hour, three hours... that sort of thing.


    And now suddenly many times more than that?


    And not only that...


    ''I can feel... this time, I really got stronger, even if only a little bit.''


    Before, when he killed anything, he couldn''t feel that he was getting stronger at all. The difference between before and after was so small that it was almost as if he didn''t gain anything.


    But this time, it was different.


    It wasn''t like he suddenly became several times stronger, of course. But... there was a strange feeling as if he had gained what little he could have gained if he trained for two or three weeks in one go.


    ''Strange, too strange...''


    It was good, though.


    Much better than he expected.


    This was one of the reasons he wanted to be the one to kill Tharon. To satisfy his curse like never before and to grow stronger.


    And he had achieved that goal.


    He clenched his fist. He paused for a moment, his expression gradually returning to what it had been before. Then, he looked around.


    The town... it was really a mess. He wasn''t sure how much time it would need to recover, or if it could recover at all.


    The fight between Tharon and the man with the sword had been devastating.


    That wasn''t the only problem, though.


    The real problem... were the Imperial soldiers he was sure were around the town.


    His eyes drifted to the ground, to Tharon''s disembodied head. Slowly, he approached it and then stopped.


    He took a deep breath in and out.


    Now... he would swim in dangerous waters.


    He was not sure how Tharon had been able to recognize the royal blessing. But the fact that it had happened once meant that he should also expect it from others.


    ''That man in the black clothes couldn''t feel it, now that I think about it.''


    Maybe Tharon could feel it because he was too strong, who knows?


    But that meant that the man with the sword could feel it too.


    And there was the problem. The town was surrounded and this man had given the order once to capture him. So he was going to face him no matter what. And when he did, his identity, at least for him, would be revealed.


    What was he supposed to do then? Accept his fate and wait for death...?


    No. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That was another reason why he wanted to kill Tharon with his own hands.


    To create a way out, a chance for himself.


    "I... apologize again."


    He bent down, grabbed the obviously dead man''s head by the hair, and lifted it off the ground.


    It was disrespectful... but he kept his expression as straight as possible.


    Even if he knew nothing about Tharon, he could tell that he was a good man in the short time he had spoken to him. And... even though he was a rotten human being, he had never really had a problem with good people. On the contrary, he preferred to stay as far away from them as possible. Mostly because he didn''t want to hurt them.


    Things were a little more complicated with Tharon, though. There was really a lot he didn''t know about the man... and he was strong. And also important. The fact that he had been a slave to King Markhus'' father, that he had knowledge about the royal blessing, that the Empire was after him... there were so many mysteries he didn''t know about the man. Yet he had seemed like a good man. He was almost certain that he did not deserve such treatment.


    But now... he had to do this.


    He had to continue to be ruthless, at least to try something new for his future.


    And so, grasping Tharon''s head by the hair, he started to move forward. Occasionally, he could see the eyes looking back at him. The townsfolk who had survived were looking at him with many mixed emotions. But Kael ignored every one of them.


    After a while, he came across a few Imperial soldiers. They too looked at him with a puzzled expression, but... things changed when they saw the head he was holding.


    No, they did not attack him. They had no hostile intent whatsoever.


    They just... cleared the way for him without saying anything. As if they wanted him to go on.


    ''They''re showing the way to their superiors, huh...''


    Kael kept moving forward, keeping a cold and straight face. He made it to the entrance of the town without any problems. Not a single person had crossed his path or tried to stop him.


    Now... there were dozens of soldiers standing side by side right in front of him. Their cold eyes were on him as if they were ready to pounce on him if he made one wrong move.


    The man in black, who had disappeared when the fight between Tharon and the man with the sword started, was standing on the front lines. He was not in very good shape, to be honest. Like the others, he had suffered his share of the impacts of the big fight. All his clothes were wet, and his skin could be seen through the tears in some spots.


    Yet he was not the one who caught Kael''s attention. It was the old man who stood in front of him, his keen eyes scanning him. He was the one who stood against Tharon, fighting against him.


    The top part of his clothes was completely torn. His muscular body, full of dozens of wounds, was exposed, showing bruises with new wounds and the teeth marks of dragons. His long sword was at his waist, already sheathed.


    When Kael couldn''t see him, he thought that he must have been thrown somewhere, and he was probably right. Because the man was covered in dust and dirt. There were a few tree branches and leaves clinging to his body. He looked like he had just come out of the forest.


    Yet it was not his appearance that mattered, but the air he exuded around him.


    Kael swallowed hard. The man''s presence felt really heavy. Just being in the same area as him made him want to hold his breath involuntarily.


    ''It wasn''t like this with Tharon...''


    Maybe he was holding back, maybe the man in front of him was deliberately trying to make him feel that way... who knows?


    But Kael didn''t care. He tightened his fingers in Tharon''s hair. Without a word, without a reaction, he threw it in front of the man.


    Tharon''s head rolled all the way in front of the old man. Finally, it stopped just in front of his feet.


    The man looked down at the head under his feet, then up at the boy who had thrown it at him.


    It was at this moment that Kael... as if he could finally sense that the man was truly giving him his full focus, spoke.


    "I killed him."


    It wasn''t a lie, he had indeed killed him.


    He was going to hide the fact that he would have died on his own if he had waited a little longer, of course. No one needed to know that.


    "And?"


    When the old man''s deep, gruff voice echoed through the space, Kael momentarily forgot the words that had been running through his mind. But he quickly pulled himself together, made sure no sign of weakness escaped him, and... confidently continued.


    "You ordered your men to bring me to you without killing me. Why?"


    He had a pretty clear guess as to why. But... he had to ask, to keep the conversation going in the direction he wanted.


    And the man with the sword gave him the answer he wanted.


    "Because you are a bearer, why else?"


    Kael''s eyes narrowed. No matter how scared he was, no matter how much he wanted to run away... he remained calm and cold. And he continued in the same way.


    "So, here I am... I have killed your main target with my own hands."


    The old man paused for a moment. His head tilted slightly to the side as his eyebrows rose. His expression changed in an instant.


    "Oh, so... what are you trying to say?"


    "You''re going to drag me along, aren''t you? You''re probably going to take me to the Empire..."


    The old man did not evade the question, he nodded honestly.


    What else were they going to do? A bearer, at least in parts of the continent like this one, was not a common occurrence. And bearers left on their own at random, especially if they had just become one, was quite dangerous in places like this.


    So there was a general law that ''new'' bearers who were seen, whose presence was detected, had to be brought immediately to the Empire.


    Every bearer had an identification in the Empire and this identification was a necessity for them.


    It was the only way they could be kept under some control.


    And Kael was in no way an exception to this law. Especially now that he was on Imperial territory.


    He didn''t know any of this, of course.


    "I''ll go with you."


    The old man''s eyebrows rose even higher and his face became even more puzzled. He was almost certain that Kael was going to ask for his release, given the way this conversation was going.


    But... he heard the opposite.


    "I will come with you to the Empire."


    And... that was exactly the card Kael played.


    "But I have a simple request. As the person who killed the man you''ve been looking for so long... don''t I deserve a simple reward, at least?"


    The last thing Kael saw before he continued with his next words... was the lips of the man in front of him curving upwards.


    "I... want to get stronger, that''s why I want to come with you... to be a soldier... if need be."


    He was not going to run away from the Empire. He couldn''t... After seeing the end of someone like Tharon, he was sure he could do nothing when he was not even as strong as one of his fingernails.


    If the Empire came after him just once... he was finished. He had no chance of running or surviving.


    So instead of running from it, he would try to use it.


    That was the gamble he was taking this time. But... nothing had even started yet. This was only the beginning of the gamble he planned to take, the plan that was forming in his head slowly.

 Chapter 51: Speech to the Townspeople

    ''Can he feel it?''This question was on Kael''s mind as he looked at the old man standing before him.


    If, like Tharon, he could feel exactly what his blessing was, he was going to have a difficult time.


    If not, everything was fine. But the alternative... It was something he didn''t want to deal with.


    "A reward... you say?"


    The old man''s words echoed in his ears. And then the next.


    "Do you want to become a dog of the Empire to gain power?"


    Kael waited a moment, his eyes narrowed.


    What was his purpose? What did he want to get stronger for?


    The answer was simple. To kill the man who killed his mother. To crush him... To make him suffer in front of everyone. And making sure that nothing could stop him while doing so.


    But this man was now under the Empire. So... if he really joined the Empire, he would be part of perhaps the greatest power in the world, which also protected the man he wanted to kill.


    Was that still a problem?


    Actually... no, it wasn''t.


    All he had to do was achieve absolute power. After that, it didn''t matter if he lived or died. He just needed the power to fulfill his wish.


    So... the answer was obvious.


    "Yes, if necessary... I will be the dog."


    He saw the old man''s lips curl even higher in response to his answer.


    And then... the world suddenly blurred.


    He simply blinked his eyes, nothing more. But the next second... the old man was right in front of him. Not even half a meter between them.


    In a normal moment, Kael would have jumped. But he had prepared himself for everything from the very beginning... so, doing his best to remain unresponsive, he raised his head coldly upwards, towards the man''s eyes.


    He looked into the man''s dark green eyes without compromising himself.


    And he asked with the same expression.


    "Can''t I?"


    The old man narrowed his eyes. A tiny glint seemed to dance in his dark green irises.


    "No one said you can''t. On the contrary..."


    He put his hand on Kael''s shoulder.


    Kael waited for a pressure, for his world to blur again. But... nothing happened. The old man across from him just patted his shoulders softly, maintaining his smile.


    "I''m just... surprised, it''s not every day I come across bearers like you."


    And that was that.


    The old man removed his hand from his shoulder and turned away as if nothing had happened, his previous sternness completely gone.


    He looked down at Tharon''s head on the ground before disappearing back into the soldiers. As if... something didn''t sit well with him.


    "Take care of the boy, he''s coming with us to the capital. And also deal with the town."


    The man in black, standing at the man''s beck and call, spoke in a booming voice.


    Honestly... things went a bit differently than Kael expected.


    After the old man disappeared, the soldiers quickly got to work. Since the threat was gone, they first entered the town, took Tharon''s body, and carried it out of the town. Then they gathered the survivors in the town and formed a team to help the wounded.


    And this was exactly the point that surprised Kael. He had expected the soldiers to completely ignore the town. Not... to help.


    But they were doing quite well, contrary to his exceptions.


    It took forty minutes to collect all the wounded, dead bodies, and survivors in the town. Securing the buildings from collapsing, on the other hand, took about an hour.


    Of course, Kael didn''t just sit idle during this whole process. Despite the constant eyes watching what he was doing, he too tried to help the town a bit.


    While doing this, he even discovered that Laen hadn''t died. Despite having a whole roof fall on him and being just a normal person, he actually had survived.


    Still, Kael didn''t pay much attention to him. He wasn''t sure what he should do with him.


    The man had been training him for almost two months, teaching him to fight and about the world. And the purpose of this was to use him in the future. However... if Kael could achieve what was in his mind smoothly, this purpose of Laen''s would completely disappear.


    No matter how much what he taught Kael was useful, he wouldn''t have anything left to himself. In short... while he tried to use Kael, instead, he would end up being used himself.


    ''Although... I don''t really need to care.''


    That''s what Kael eventually thought.


    Yes. Laen was... insignificant. This town and everyone in it were insignificant. They were just paving the way for the steps he took for the future, nothing more.


    So, even though he helped them, his focus wasn''t really on the town. Instead... after a short while, he turned back to the man in black who was following him like a vulture waiting for him to die.


    "I wonder..."


    The man raised his eyebrows and turned to him. Kael continued.


    "What exactly is the Empire like?"


    "Oh..."


    The man paused for a moment. His eyes briefly drifted to the sky, and after a short pause... he simply answered.


    "If you meant what you said in front of the general, it''s exactly the kind of place you''re looking for."


    Kael''s brow furrowed. But not seeing this reaction, the man continued quickly, as if he had already been expecting it.


    "The Empire is a place where power speaks. It''s a country that values power more than anything else. If you were a normal human, you wouldn''t be so lucky, but you are a bearer. That''s why you''re so much more important than a normal soldier. So... the Empire will want to raise you, even if you do nothing. In short, it will try to make you strong."


    He paused for a moment. His eyes narrowed slightly and this time, he added a serious tone to his words.


    "At least, as long as it makes sure you don''t stand against it."


    ''Interesting... but understandable.''


    Raising his enemy with his own hands would be something he wouldn''t want to do, of course. It should have been the same for the Empire.


    Kael didn''t feel the need to ask any more questions. But he also realized that the man in black still hadn''t left his side.


    Stranger still... he seemed to be willing to answer any question he asked, rather than trying to brush him off.


    ''He''s strange...'' S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Still, he wasn''t bad, apparently.


    Well... from what he had seen so far, he could easily say that he was a better person than Laen.


    ''At least if he has nothing to hide...''


    *******


    After the business in the town was settled, the soldiers gathered the survivors in an open field.


    Kael had seen almost everyone in the crowd at least once. So many faces were familiar. So he could also more or less recognize the people he couldn''t see.


    For example... the woman he had met the first day he entered the mercenary building was nowhere to be seen. But most of the children from the orphanage must be alive because he could see that they were together.


    Still, he didn''t put much effort into it. Instead he watched as the man in black, whom he was pretty sure was a subordinate rather than a soldier under the man everyone referred to as the general, made his way to the front of the crowd and coughed to clear his throat.


    He really wondered what they were going to say to the townspeople.


    "Greetings, Greenveil Town and its people! I am Hakon, commander in chief of General Loukan''s private unit!"


    Kael paused for a moment when he heard this. He had noticed a detail he had never paid attention to until now. And it was not the man''s name or rank. On the contrary...


    ''This town... had a name?''


    "First of all, the Empire apologizes for your unfortunate accident. We were here to apprehend a notorious criminal and prevent a much greater loss and destruction, and we have accomplished our mission!"


    ''A notorious criminal, huh...''


    He knew nothing about Tharon, but would there really have been greater loss and destruction if they had not come after him?


    He was... not sure.


    It made more sense to think that they were trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the townspeople.


    "But don''t worry! After the fall of the Kingdom of Arcanoa, as the new owner of these lands, the Empire, will make up for all these losses. We will send someone to build new homes, and we will send aid to the families of all those who have unfortunately lost their lives!"


    They sounded like angels of goodness if they actually did what they said in that speech...


    But Kael was not one to fall for it.


    And... the speech went on like that.


    Hakon didn''t just apologize for the state of the town. Since no one had come to the town since the fall of the kingdom, and now that they were here, he talked about some of the changes that were coming.


    These were largely about trade, taxation, quality of life, and more.


    But perhaps the most important thing was... the thing called ''school''.


    When Kael first heard what the man said about a ''school'', he wondered if something was wrong with his ears. But... he had heard everything correctly.


    For all children over a certain age, the Empire allowed and even provided aid for their parents to pay a certain amount of money each year to send their children to a nearby large city to attend a school for their education.


    This ''school'' was advertised as a place where they could learn to read and write, gain knowledge about life, and more. In short, it was a place where children could actually learn useful things about life.


    It sounded too good to be true... in fact, Kael preferred not to believe it.


    But why would Hakon lie about it?


    "That''s all we have to say, thank you for listening to us! And we apologize again for the loss and destruction we have caused!"


    And this was the end of the speech.

 Chapter 52: Two Quick Visits

    When the speech was over, a deep silence fell over the area.Kael wasn''t sure if it was an effective speech or not. It was as if the townspeople were not sure what to say or how to react.


    The soldiers and Hakon didn''t push them too hard. After the speech was over, they turned around and walked out of town, not caring much about the silence.


    And that''s when Kael realized something else. All the soldiers who had no business in the town were always waiting outside.


    ''So as not to scare the people?''


    That was the most logical option he could come up with.


    But... it only made him more confused.


    The Empire... it was not supposed to be this good.


    From his experiences at the palace, from what he had heard all his life, he had always thought that the Empire would be something more like a cruel dictatorship. So... tyrannical and evil.


    But they were too nice to the townspeople. Or at least they tried to look like that.


    ''Or... maybe I''m just a little bit wrong?


    Not completely, of course. He was not so naive as to fall for what he had seen in only a short time. But... maybe he could be a little bit wrong?


    ''I''ll wait to see and find out, I guess...''


    *******


    Things went much faster than Kael had anticipated.


    So much so that it was time for the Imperial soldiers to return before Kael realized what was happening. Only those who would later build buildings and explain in more detail what had changed and would change in the governance of the Empire were to arrive.


    In short... It was time for Kael to leave too. They were going to leave for the capital of the Empire, at least if he hadn''t misunderstood or misheard anything.


    But he did not want to leave immediately.


    Instead, he asked for ten to twenty minutes before leaving. There were two places he wanted to go. And since things like preparing the soldiers would take a little more time, he received the time he asked for.


    And the first place he wanted to go... was one of the few buildings in the town that hadn''t been demolished, the building of the mercenary branch where he spent most of his time in the town.


    It wasn''t completely demolished, though. The second and third floors had collapsed, leaving only the first floor. And that was it.


    Kael sighed slightly. He ignored the eyes behind him watching his every move to make sure he didn''t run away and entered the building.


    Unlike usual, he was not greeted by the noise of adults and the smell of alcohol that permeated the entire building. Instead... a deep silence dominated the building.


    This did not mean that it was completely empty. A few mercenaries were still here, half as many as usual. They were quiet, but they were here. And... they were all looking in Kael''s direction.


    Kael felt the difference in their gaze quite easily. They were looking at him with different eyes than at previous times. And, well, it wasn''t that hard to guess what they were thinking.


    But Kael ignored them. He walked towards the reception counter and no one tried to stop him.


    Eventually he passed through the door leading to the back of the first floor.


    And he found the person he was looking for lying comfortably on a long couch.


    Laen was right in front of him. His head and right arm were covered with bandages. He didn''t look in very good shape, to be honest. But despite that, he hadn''t lost any of his aura.


    His closed eyes opened when he heard Kael enter. His straight lips curled up slightly. His eyes narrowed as he slowly straightened up from where he was lying. Looking at Kael with a serious expression, he spoke in a slightly mocking tone.


    "Well, well, well! Look who''s here... The new dog of the Empire, huh?"


    Kael remained silent at Laen''s words. And Laen grinned in contrast to his lack of reaction.


    "You tricked me good, Kael. You said you weren''t a bearer. You said you wouldn''t go behind my back, but..."


    Kael was silent again. It was as if he had no intention of speaking... as if he would listen to everything Laen said without doing anything.


    "What did I say that day? Oh, I''m generous as well as vindictive, right?"


    Laen''s smile widened.


    "I also said I would use you, but... in the end, I was the one who was used. Ironic, isn''t it?"


    And that was when Kael finally opened his mouth.


    "I-"


    "Pft, ahahahah!"


    Laen''s sudden burst of laughter stopped him in his tracks. A puzzled expression appeared on his face as he looked at the giant of a man in front of him.


    "What are you looking at? Did you think I was going to attack or set a trap for you?"


    Laen shook his head from side to side after recovering his laughter and continued.


    "No, my head is still clear. I''m not going to try anything stupid, especially when it involves a bearer and the Empire. I have no thirst for my life."


    He sighed slightly. Leaning back in his couch, he looked directly into Kael''s eyes.


    "Just... congratulations, I guess."


    Kael''s expression became even more confused.


    "Huh?"


    "What ''huh''? In case you haven''t heard me clearly, let me say it again... congratulations. You fooled me, you found a much bigger supporter to back you up and make you stronger. And you succeeded. You won, and I... lost. I''m not someone who can''t accept defeat, so... congratulations. I have nothing more to say."


    Kael just stared at him for a while. He said nothing, he didn''t move a muscle. In the end... he could only sigh deeply.


    "I... thank you. For giving me shelter for two months, for teaching me a little about fighting and..."


    His eyes narrowed involuntarily.


    "For preparing me to be part of this world."


    And... that was it.


    "I hope you can achieve your goals."


    Nothing was free, of course. Laen... had done everything for his own future plans.


    Still, that didn''t change the fact that Kael was grateful to him.


    He turned away, preparing to leave.


    But he paused one last time. Turning his head slightly and looking into Laen''s eyes, he asked... curiously but also seriously.


    "If things were different, if the stakes were much lower... would you chase me? To kill me, I mean. To... take revenge."


    The answer he received... was only a broadening smile.


    A smile that reminded him so many times what the world was like.


    "I see..."


    He turned back to the front.


    He was not surprised, in fact... it was exactly the answer he had expected.


    Still, he couldn''t feel angry with Laen. That''s why he ignored it.


    And that''s how he left the mercenary building, leaving Laen and the building where he lived for two months as a mercenary completely behind him.


    And heading towards the last place he would stop before leaving this town.


    *******


    When Kael arrived in front of his target, he paused.


    The building he was looking at was split in two in a perfectly diagonal way. One of the general''s attacks must have hit exactly here. It had therefore collapsed.


    But the upper floors had already been cleared of debris, just like the mercenaries'' building. So the first floor was usable again, although it no longer had a roof.


    He remembered the first day he came to town. Now that he looked at everything, how much had changed in just two months...


    He sighed deeply. With slow steps, he entered the town''s only orphanage. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The sight that greeted him... was the sight of children sitting in the hall right in front of the door. Just behind them stood an old woman who looked as if she had lost a leg.


    They all looked at him in surprise.


    A clumsy smile appeared on Kael''s face. His eyes lingered on a girl with green hair. He recalled the challenge he had made to himself, even if it had been a childish one. And he opened his closed mouth.


    "I... will leave this town."


    He bowed his head slightly, not allowing anyone to react.


    "The first day I came here, you gave me clean clothes and let me take a shower. For... nothing."


    He bowed his head even more, to show his gratitude.


    Before, he had wanted to do this sarcastically for the challenge. But... he didn''t want that right now.


    So he went with his heart.


    "So... I wanted to thank you one last time before I leave."


    He waited for a while with his head bowed. In the deep silence that descended on the orphanage, he stood still, doing nothing. After a short while, though, he finally raised his head.


    He saw two people smiling, even though most of the children had confused expressions on their faces.


    One was the old woman and the other was Miny.


    "Take good care of yourselves."


    And with that, he prepared to leave without doing anything more.


    But, just then, the old woman raised her hand and waved it gently as if to say goodbye.


    "You''re welcome."


    And that was all she said.


    Miny also did not remain silent.


    "I hope you accomplish your goal."


    The smile on Kael''s face widened.


    He turned around, murmuring softly before walking out.


    "I also hope I will..."


    And so, he left the orphanage behind.


    When he stepped outside, he saw a man in black, Hakon, standing in the doorway.


    "We''re leaving."


    You don''t have much more time, he said simply.


    "I know."


    And Kael was very much aware of that. That was why he had kept his ''visits'' so short and made everything rather quick without wasting unnecessary time.


    He took a deep breath and looked up at the gray sky.


    It had happened much faster than he had thought. And he was going somewhere he never thought he would go.


    Still, he was finally leaving the town.


    He had already made his choice, even if he was still not sure if it was good or bad.


    Now... all he had to do was keep moving forward. As he always did. Only then could he see the results, find the answers to the questions he didn''t know yet.

 Chapter 53: Start of the Journey

    *(A/N: There will be an another chapter in a few hours. And then another. Sorry for the late update.)*Twenty-three.


    That was the number of people among the Imperial soldiers that Kael had so far been certain was a bearer.


    And if he was not mistaken, this whole unit sent to capture Tharon consisted of a total of two hundred and fifty men.


    Kael had honestly thought that traveling with a group of two hundred and fifty people would be quite troublesome. But... it wasn''t. The soldiers were very disciplined and knew exactly what to do.


    Resting places were carefully and precisely chosen. The path was predetermined and it was almost impossible to be attacked. What idiot bandit would try to attack a group of two hundred and fifty soldiers...? Especially with the flag of the Empire waving over the carriages.


    Although... Kael wasn''t sure if they could even see the flag.


    Because there was a squad constantly patrolling around the advancing group, diving into the forests ahead of everyone else, scouting for possible danger. A team of... assassins, probably, led by Hakon. Or something like that.


    In short, this journey to the capital of the Empire was perfect, devoid of all flaws. They were on the second day of their journey and still nothing had gone wrong.


    Everything was going as it should.


    However, still... Kael had a problem.


    And that was his curse.


    ''Eight days. I only have eight days.''


    And their journey was scheduled to last another three weeks. And therein lay the problem.


    ''I haven''t killed anything in two days!''


    They were not encountering any creatures. Because no danger was allowed anywhere near the group! And even if they did, Kael was pretty sure that the other soldiers would be faster than him.


    So Kael had to think of a solution.


    And so, he moved, causing the eyes that were constantly on him to be suddenly alerted.


    The group was moving quite fast, really... they were covering many kilometers a day. Nevertheless, Kael quickly approached the very edge of the group.


    There was someone he had his eye on. An old man he had last spoken to two days ago, carrying a long and thin sword at his waist.


    But as soon as his eyes locked on him, he had to pause. His brow furrowed slightly as he looked at the man who suddenly appeared in front of him.


    ''A bearer.''


    He did not recognize the man, but he was probably one of those who kept his eyes on him at all times.


    "What do you want?"


    "I wanted to speak to the General..."


    "The General is not someone you can talk to as you please."


    It made sense, actually...


    "But... I want something."


    The man''s brow furrowed like his own.


    "What is it?"


    "Can I... wander in the forest too...? With the scouts, I mean."


    The man in front of him had his face covered. He wore a mask that reached above his nose and covered his neck and mouth, and his clothes were rather dark colored.


    So it was difficult to see his full expression. Despite this, however, Kael was able to make out exactly what the man''s expression was like.


    He was surprised. And also...


    "No, no."


    He looked like he was definitely going to refuse.


    And he did.


    "Why not? The scouts are about twenty people, and only three of them are bearers. They are slower than me, weaker. Yes, maybe they are more experienced than me and they would beat me easily if we fought. But my physical abilities are, probably, better than theirs. If not, then better than most adults. And I have spent almost three months in these forests, believe me. So I know what to do."


    "That''s exactly the problem, kid."


    "Ah..."


    Kael now understood the problem.


    They didn''t trust him, logically. And even if they could capture him again, they might lose a few of their regular soldiers because they were dealing with a bearer. Just like the first time.


    They didn''t want to send him into the ''forest'' where he could cause trouble right in front of their eyes.


    "I always have a few people following me, watching my every move... The only thing that will change is that the ones who will come after me will be in the forest, not in the moving group..."


    The man opposite still shook his head from side to side. He didn''t look like he was going to let Kael in any way. And he also didn''t look like he was going to deal with him any further. So, he turned away without further effort. He was about to disappear again before Kael could say anything to him.


    "You want to join the scouts... is that it?"


    Kael felt goosebumps all over him for no reason. He had a calm tone, even though his voice was deep and heavy.


    First the man who had been dealing with Kael slowly turned towards where the voice had come from, then Kael. Standing in front of them was... the old man with the sword at his waist.


    Ah, though... the General.


    "G- General!"


    The man immediately stood at attention as if waiting for orders. But the old man did not focus on him even for a moment.


    His lips were straight, his eyes sharp. His expression was a little strange, though... It was as if he was having a little fun, albeit with a cold expression.


    Kael paused. For a moment, he felt like swallowing hard, but he held himself back. He had to keep behaving the way he had in front of this man. So he forced himself as hard as he could, squinted his eyes slightly, and put on a serious expression.


    "Yes."


    "Hmm..."


    The general paused for a moment, just like Kael. His eyes roamed over him for a moment, studying him. His posture, his expression... everything.


    "Why do you want it?"


    "Just walking, doing anything... it''s not really my thing."


    The General''s lips curved upwards slightly at his answer.


    "I see."


    General looked around. The movement of the group had stopped with him. Everyone was looking in his direction.


    But he ignored them. He turned around and walked back to the front of the group with slow steps.


    "You can go, I give you permission."


    A momentary look of surprise appeared on Kael''s face. But he quickly recovered at the General''s next words.


    "We''re moving again, come on! No stopping!"


    And not only him, but everyone else too.


    Slowly, the group began to move forward once again. But Kael and the man next to him remained where they were.


    Kael turned his eyes to the man who was still standing at attention. Then... his lips curled upwards slightly.


    He quickly realized the mistake he had made, but he didn''t hold back. He had made this mistake once, there was no going back. So he kept his expression.


    "Tch."


    The man next to him clicked his tongue, then turned around.


    "Follow me. And... don''t try anything. You won''t get as much mercy this time as before. I''m always after you."


    "I never had any intention of running away..."


    *******


    The man was a man of his word. He was really following Kael all the time. He was nowhere to be seen, but Kael could feel his presence... his gaze.


    But then, he noticed something different. Not long after he entered the forest, only a minute or so, he felt the presence of something or someone else watching him. So, he paused. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Only a second later, the air in front of him fluctuated. As if... as if someone was coming out of camouflage. So much so that the ripples resembled leaves.


    And then a person slowly emerged from the nothingness, dressed completely in black... a familiar person with a familiar face.


    Kael opened his mouth to say something, but Hakon spoke faster.


    "Ah, no... you don''t need to explain. I know everything."


    "Oh..."


    Hakon looked at him for a while, sighing. Like the other man, he clicked his tongue. But he knew there was nothing he could do, so he did nothing.


    "Look, my little friend... What was your name again? Kael?"


    Kael nodded his head.


    "Okay, Kael... Now, I''m going to think good things. I''m going to think that you won''t try to escape, that you''ll really do what you''ve been told... Because that''s what I want to think, and also for the general. So listen to me carefully."


    Kael nodded again. He didn''t care that there were rules he had to follow. All he wanted was to kill a few creatures. No more, no less.


    "Good. Now... the scouts have simple rules. We keep a circle around the group at all times, keeping a certain distance between us. Taking turns and resting, of course. If we see a creature and it''s something we have no trouble killing, we take care of it ourselves. But if we see something troublesome, we go back quickly and report it. Then..."


    And so on and so forth, he told Kael a lot of things.


    Actually, it was really all simple things. Even though Hakon explained everything at length, most things were basic and easy to remember.


    "Do you understand? I''m not going to start from the beginning because..."


    "I understand everything."


    "Oh, very good then! You can start right now... let''s go!"


    And there were ripples around his body, just like when he first appeared. He was surrounded by what looked like leaves, but Kael couldn''t quite make out what they were. And after a while, Hakon disappeared.


    Kael had really understood what he had to do. It would take a little more experimentation and trial and error, but he thought he would do a good job with the rules and not cause too much trouble for the main scouts.


    Still, for a few seconds, he just stood there, staring in the direction where Hakon had disappeared. But... he didn''t just stare.


    ''Same thing, the same thing again... these abilities, they are strange. It''s like they are connected to that warmth that makes me feel stronger...''


    Each one was different in one way. Or many ways, probably. But... they were also the same.


    He narrowed his eyes, three things running through his mind as he moved slowly. The first was what the general used in battle. The second was Tharon''s strange yet amazing dance as he controlled the rain and the dragons. And the last was the way Hakon felt when he disappeared.


    And so, thoughtfully, he dived into the undergrowth of the forest.


    With eyes on him, of course.

 Chapter 54: Being a Part of the Scout Team

    Kael didn''t really cause any trouble. He took the position he was told. He started to make a circle on the route he was told, making sure that he didn''t fall behind the main group that was moving forward.A few times, at first, he realized that he had made a mistake, that he was lagging behind the group, and corrected himself. A few times, he had to be corrected by one of the men who was constantly watching him.


    But with every mistake he made, he got more into the role. He adapted quite quickly.


    But he was still not happy. He was far from happy, in fact.


    Because he had not encountered a single creature or wild animal for two hours... Not a single one!


    ''Do the other scouts move faster than me and clean everything or am I just unlucky...''


    He couldn''t be sure. But... frankly, he gave the second possibility more chance. That he was unlucky.


    And, with that, another hour passed... Another hour without encountering a single living being.


    And when he reached the end of this hour, the man who appeared at his feet every time he made a mistake appeared in front of him again.


    Kael''s eyes narrowed. His face took on a serious expression.


    "What did I do wrong?"


    It was like this every time. He was taking this job, the scouting, really seriously. He could immediately reduce the mistakes he had made before to the point where he either didn''t make them again or made very few of them.


    "You didn''t make a mistake."


    He paused for a moment at the man''s words. Why had he come to him if he hadn''t made a mistake...?


    Only when he thought about it for a moment did he find the answer and spoke before the man.


    "Ah... is it time for me to rest?"


    When the man nodded, Kael couldn''t help his expression twitching slightly.


    According to the scouts'' rules, after three hours of scouting, he was to join the main group and wait there to rest. After resting for about an hour and a half, he was to start scouting again.


    Although the night watch was a bit different, this was how the day watch was organized.


    The scouts were divided into three groups in total and there were two groups actively scouting. Each group worked for three hours and rested for one and a half hours. The intervals between resting and starting scouting again were arranged so that each group could rest for one and a half hours. In this way, if there was an emergency in the forest, those who were resting could understand the signs and quickly communicate the situation to the main group.


    It was quite good, actually. To Kael, it was an efficient way of working.


    But that didn''t change the fact that he couldn''t find anything to kill!


    "Understood..."


    Still, he did not object. Resting was also part of the work and all the scouts had a certain order. There was no need to break this order.


    So, without giving anyone any difficulty, he returned to the main group and jumped onto a carriage. He watched the scouts who had switched places with him dive into the forest. Then, he sighed.


    ''I hope I don''t die before the journey is over...''


    *******


    Kael was really unlucky.


    It had been three days since he had been part of the scout team and the number of creatures he had encountered was really small. So few that he was at a disadvantage in terms of lifespan. The total time he had gained in the last three days was only one and a half days!


    ''This is not going to work...''


    But he had no other choice. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was deliberately hiding his curse and he wanted to continue doing so. Yes, maybe he wasn''t the smartest guy in the world, but he wasn''t too stupid to realize that his curse could be used against him. Especially not when he was in a position where he could easily fall into the clutches of the Empire.


    So he had to keep it secret. And, well... he should have had a bit of luck so that he would have encountered a lot of creatures.


    But... that didn''t happen.


    On the fourth day, he was at a loss in terms of time.


    And the fifth day too.


    On the sixth day, he managed to recover a little because he came across a wolf pack''s den. But overall, he was still at a loss from the beginning of the journey.


    So the seventh day passed.


    One more day and the journey would be half over. He would have ten days left, in short.


    And Kael had only six days and fourteen hours to live.


    ''If I hadn''t killed Tharon, I would be dead by now...''


    The time he had gained by killing him was a little over a week, and Kael had already fallen below that.


    But, just then, he froze in place with another thought.


    ''What about... after we enter the capital?''


    The capital, of course, was not a place where he could just go around killing things. There would be no animals or creatures like goblins or wolves. Only humans.


    What was he going to do there when he was having problems even now? His curse would leave him in a much worse situation, most likely...


    ''It''s... a problem... a very big problem...''


    "Hey, kid!"


    He snapped out of his thoughts. He saw the man yelling at him.


    "It''s our turn!"


    He nodded his head immediately. He jumped down from the carriage he was sitting on. While half of the scouts in the forest joined the main group, he and the others went in the opposite direction.


    He was still a beginner in many ways, but he could do scouting well enough not to cause trouble for the others. In this way, his relationship with the other scouts had shifted from nothing to slightly neutral. He had learned a few of their names, and his name had been learned by them.


    Yet he didn''t think about any of this, didn''t care.


    The only thing on his mind was how to satisfy his curse. Basically, how he could survive.


    *******


    And so, the days went on, one after the other.


    Kael was more aggressive, faster than ever. This way, he was only at a loss for a few hours most days, or he was able to pull ahead a little bit.


    Still, he was far from the performance he wanted. If he could, he would have liked to enter the capital of the Empire with a month. Then he would have had much more time to think, to formulate a proper plan.


    But he couldn''t. And if he was not miscalculating, he would enter the capital with only four days left to live.


    "Tch."


    He clicked his tongue, using his daggers to kill a strange creature belonging to a strange species of creature that resembled overgrown frogs. Yet his expression did not change.


    ''I have to be faster.''


    So he could find more creatures.


    ''I must be more careful.''


    So he wouldn''t miss the creatures that were hiding.


    Therefore, he sped up even more, scanning his surroundings even more carefully, and keeping his senses open at all times.


    If he had time, he would have liked to think about what he had seen from the general, Tharon, and Hakon. He wanted to ponder them, to see if there was something he could apply to himself.


    But with his life at stake, he didn''t have time for that. So... he made it his first priority to kill as many things as he could.


    And while he was out in the forest looking for things to kill... at the front of the main group, two people were having a conversation about him.


    One of them was Hakon. He was dressed in black as usual, his eyes and expression very serious. The person walking opposite him, with his back turned, was an old man with a sword at his waist... General Loukan.


    "How is the kid?"


    Hakon was one of General Loukan''s most trusted subordinates. He was also one of the most talented.


    Yet there was only one task the general had given him during this whole journey, apart from the basic things like keeping the group safe. And that was to keep an eye on Kael, the fifteen-year-old boy who had just joined their group, and report back every day.


    "Kael is... good. Much better than I thought, in fact. The job of a scout is hard. The beginners really make a lot of mistakes. But he''s... a bit strange."


    Most beginners didn''t know how to use their senses well enough, so they missed a lot of details about their surroundings. If they didn''t disguise themselves well, their presence would be discovered and they could ruin everything for the group they were scouting for.


    The number of mistakes that could be made was really enormous.


    And Kael was no exception. He made mistakes, he wasn''t perfect.


    But, as Hakon said, he was strange.


    "Hmm, go on."


    "Instead of getting embarrassed or angry when his mistakes are pointed out to him, he stays calm and listens. He tries to correct them, unlike his age. He adapts fast, really... I''ve rarely seen anyone learn as fast as he does, but that''s not the only thing that''s strange about him."


    General Loukan''s brow furrowed slightly.


    "For example? What else is strange?"


    "Lately... he''s been more aggressive and careful than usual. It''s like he''s looking for danger rather than scouting and staying alert for it. It''s like... he''s especially looking for creatures, wild animals... just living beings. And when he finds them, he kills them without a second thought. Regardless of whether it''s wild, dangerous, or not."


    The general was silent for a while as if he was thinking about something.


    "And how is he with eon? At what level? Does he have a Path he follows, have you been able to determine what his blessing or curse is? What you noticed might have something to do with that."


    "Kael seems to have figured out how to use eon on his own. It''s clear that he hasn''t had any professional training, so the way he uses eon is quite bad and he doesn''t overuse it. So it''s hard for me to comment. But he''s not a follower, I''m certain that he''s just a bearer."


    "I see. Good job Hakon, keep it up. You can go."


    Hakon bowed his head and put his left arm over his chest.


    "Understood, general."


    Then, his figure disappeared, as if the place where he had been was covered with transparent leaves.


    General Loukan remained silent and expressionless, watching the road they were moving through.


    He didn''t know why, but... this boy named Kael intrigued him. As if... he wasn''t just a random person, but someone very important.


    ''We will wait and see, I suppose...''

 Chapter 55: First Teleportation

    Kael was actually quite surprised when he first heard that they could get to the capital in only three weeks.Three weeks was a short time. No matter how fast they moved, they should only be able to get a short distance out of the kingdom in three weeks.


    So he found this situation strange. Had the Empire placed its capital so close to the borders...? That... seemed... a bit ridiculous, to be honest. A capital close to the borders meant a capital close to enemies.


    Still, he did not question it in any way. He remained silent until the last day of their journey. He continued to kill the creatures and animals he saw, doing his duty as a novice scout.


    Fortunately, he had been lucky lately and had been able to add a few extra days to his lifespan. He would enter the city with almost thirteen days left to live. He had done this by killing everything he saw, literally everything, except his so-called ''allies''. Wolves, goblins, a few weak creatures he had trouble identifying, harmless animals like squirrels or deer, and more... just to name a few of the things he had killed.


    And so, the night before the last day of their journey, for the first time, they were able to see the ''city'' that was their destination. Or rather... its walls.


    ''Woah...'' S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not only were the walls long, and they were really long, but they covered a huge area too.


    Even though the mansion of the king''s brother, Musthar V. Arcanoa, was in a place like this, Kael had never been out of the places where he worked. When he did, he usually spent the whole journey in the luggage part of a carriage, unable to look out.


    So he didn''t really know what a big city looked like.


    And now, seeing one with his own eyes from far... it almost blew his mind.


    And not only that.


    As they got closer to the city walls, they started to see people from different groups than their own. Even though it was moving quite smoothly, there was even a small traffic at the entrance gate of the city walls. There were people everywhere.


    Merchants, mercenaries, adventurers, soldiers... they could see all kinds of people.


    But the strange thing was...


    ''Bearers... are there more of them than I thought?''


    Bearers were always a rarity throughout his life. They were not people he could see everywhere...


    But now, as he was examining each and every one of the people in the dense traffic he was in... he could catch a glimpse of some bearers. All it took was a little focus and a particular search, and he could definitely find one.


    ''Interesting...''


    But he did not dwell on this too much. Soon, he began to study other details, to learn new things.


    And the first thing he learned... was not only that the Empire''s soldiers were systematic and organized, but that everything about it was.


    The traffic at the entrance to the walls was carefully directed by officials dressed like soldiers, preventing accidents and controlling the speed of the carriages. Even stranger, Kael saw an official get angry with someone and give him something like a penalty!


    Well... he wasn''t sure if it was a penalty or not. He thought it was because he heard the man say ''I''m issuing you a ticket''. It was still strange though!


    Though... he had never been in cities before or seen how they worked. Not just the Empire, but all cities like this, maybe...?


    ''I have a lot to learn...''


    And that''s how it finally came to their group. Kael was not very close to the front of the group, so he could not see exactly what was being done and the procedures. But out of the corner of his eye, he caught Hakon picking up a piece of paper and writing something with a pen.


    After that, all the carriages and soldiers, including himself, were examined pretty quickly. Soon after that, the huge gates of the city walls were opened for them.


    And when Kael saw the city... he felt fascinated all over again.


    The city was big. Really big compared to the town he had spent two months in. He could hardly see the walls on the other side of the city. And not only that, the buildings were large and varied. Almost all of them seemed to be made of concrete, let alone wood, clay, or stone. Each one looked elaborate and of high quality.


    And the people were like that too.


    Well, not all of them, of course... but most of them seemed clean and well-dressed.


    Kael''s mind was blown.


    "Surprised?"


    He paused momentarily as a familiar voice entered his ears. His eyes slowly darted to his right, so that he could make out another figure looming over the carriage he was sitting on. Hakon...


    "It''s like you''re entering a city for the first time."


    "Because it''s actually my first time..."


    In the time that passed, he had become a little closer to Hakon. He called him by his name, Kael, now, for example, instead of his usual ''my little friend''. And he seemed a little more... relaxed around him.


    Still, the closeness didn''t go any further than that. Hakon didn''t completely trust Kael as part of his mission. He was still suspicious of him, which was what he had to do. In a world where nothing was certain, to trust someone completely without knowing them inside out was just... nonsense.


    So Kael respected the man''s attitude. He didn''t try to get too close to him, but he didn''t stay too far away either.


    "First time, huh..."


    Kael paused when he realized that the man had learned something about him and he had given it to him with his own mouth. But then, with a sigh, he decided to forget about it. It wasn''t even such an extremely important thing.


    "You don''t think this is the capital then, do you?"


    And yet he couldn''t help frowning at these words, a bewildered expression appearing on his face.


    "What do you mean...? Isn''t this the capital?"


    "Oh, so you really didn''t know..."


    He saw Hakon smiling from behind his mask. Then, Hakon tore his eyes away from the front of the group and turned towards him.


    "This is one of the metropolises of the Empire. It is much more important and centralized than normal cities. And it''s just as important even if not as important as the capital itself. You''ve probably thought about it before, the Empire rules almost the entire continent, but... how is communication handled? What about transportation? With such a large and vast territory under its sway, don''t the Empire have any problems?"


    Yes, Kael had thought about this before. But... he couldn''t find an answer, so he didn''t pursue it further.


    Now all his focus was on Hakon. He was really curious about the rest of his words.


    "Well, metropolises make things like this easier. Each metropolis has a large teleportation field and you can move from one metropolis to another. At the same time, since metropolises are sort of commercial centers, they also control the region they are in and the surrounding areas and also collect taxes. You''ll learn more about this later, but that''s basically it. You can think of metropolises as mini-countries in their own right."


    ''Teleportation sites, mini-countries...''


    This was... important information. So he digested everything in his mind as much as he could. After a short time, he paused.


    "So... we are now heading towards a teleportation field to get to the capital?"


    "Exactly."


    Hakon tore his eyes away from Kael and turned them towards a spot off to their right. Kael looked there with him.


    For now, he couldn''t see anything there. The buildings were blocking his view, but... the teleportation field had to be that way.


    "I see..."


    And so it was.


    After about ten minutes, after traveling through several streets, they finally arrived at a very large area with no buildings in it.


    The area was made up of many different wide, wide squares of ground. Each square had sides of about fifteen meters and were not contiguous. There were gaps between them for carriages to pass through. And soldiers or people, of course. And... each square was constantly used for teleportation.


    ''This...''


    It was too mesmerizing. That''s exactly what was going through Kael''s mind.


    Each of those to be teleported would be positioned on one of these squares. Then they waited for the soldiers who would take care of their teleportation to go through the procedures, they would sign a paper, and then the teleportation would begin.


    First, countless strange letters would flash on the square, then they would start to emit light, which would envelop everything that stood on them. And then... the light disappeared in an instant and dissipated as if a balloon had been popped.


    In this way, the process of teleportation was completed.


    Another area was used for those who were coming from here rather than going elsewhere. There the process was reversed, but it was still the same.


    And... it was mesmerizing.


    So mesmerizing that by the time Kael realized it was his turn, the carriage he was sitting on had already been placed on a square and signatures were being signed.


    Everything took a very short time to complete. After only two minutes or so, the soldier in front of the square he was in was starting the teleportation process.


    And Kael was excited. He was really excited. He was wondering what was going to happen.


    So... lights started to appear on the square he was standing on, just like the others.


    Kael swallowed, held his breath, and focused all his senses on his surroundings.


    As the lights surrounded him, he first felt his connection to the world break. Then... a cold sensation suddenly covered his entire skin. For a brief moment, his whole body felt as if it was tingling. But all this was short-lived.


    First, the tingling sensation went away, then the cold. Warm air hit his face as the glaring light that prevented him from using his eyes slowly disappeared. Then he saw the fragments of light that surrounded them dissipate.


    When he opened his eyes again... he was in a completely different place.


    He had finally stepped into the capital of the Empire.

 Chapter 56: First Step into the Capital

    The capital was... big.Kael couldn''t even compare it to the metropolis before he teleported, let alone the town. The walls on the other side of the huge city were so far away that they looked like... a pale mountain.


    And not only that. The area allocated to the teleportation field was also much larger than where he had stood only a few seconds before. There were many more big square floors, and the area was much more crowded.


    So crowded and noisy at the same time that it was almost overwhelming...


    But despite all this, there was one place Kael couldn''t take his eyes off. Not far from the teleportation field, a structure whose top seemed to touch the grey sky.


    ''Is this... a palace...?''


    It was big... too big. So much so that Arcanoa''s palace was nothing compared to it. And at the same time, it was mesmerizing. It was so clearly a magnificent palace, belonging to a great ruler, that Kael... felt small looking at it.


    Not just ''small'' in size... but in everything.


    He swallowed involuntarily. Barely tearing his eyes away from the palace in the distance, he turned them in the direction of Hakon and General Loukan.


    He saw the two of them side by side, talking about something. But it was probably nothing overly serious as they didn''t look like anything like that.


    Not Hakon, at least. The general named Loukan... he always looked serious. Even though Kael had seen his smiling face, his normal expression was so stern that he couldn''t help but doubt his memory of it.


    Nevertheless, their conversation was short. Neither of them said anything for a short while, then looked exactly in his direction and Kael suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.


    ''H- huh? Were they talking about me?''


    Why else would they both be looking in his direction for no reason at the same time?


    ''No, it must be about their mission. I''m not that important of a person...''


    But despite his words, he had to hold back a gasp when Hakon''s image flashed before him.


    "Our main mission was to catch a criminal, you know. And we did, even if he''s dead. So we''ll go to the palace to report back, and the other soldiers will disperse to their barracks. And you... will come with me."


    "I''m going with you to report the mission...?"


    Hakon shook his head from side to side.


    "Of course not. That''s for the lower ranks. Am I the commander of a whole unit for nothing? What am I supposed to report and do?"


    Kael paused. Slightly agitated, but without a trace of it in his tone, he spoke slowly.


    "Then... where are we going?"


    "To decide what to do with you, of course."


    "And shouldn''t it also be the lower ranks who do that...?"


    "Not if I feel like it. Now... follow me."


    And... that was the end of their conversation. As much as Kael wanted to ask, he kept the question of where they were going to go to himself, deciding not to bother Hakon as he would soon find out where they were going anyway.


    And so, the two began to walk out of the teleportation field, leaving their group of two hundred and fifty soldiers behind.


    Kael was not idle in the meantime. He continued to imprint everything he saw in his mind. He tried to learn more about the capital.


    And, well... it wasn''t much different from the previous city to be honest.


    The only thing about the capital was that it was much bigger and more crowded.


    But that was it. Nothing more or less. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *******


    They easily passed the guards who, thanks to Hakon''s authority through his rank, checked everyone who entered and left the teleportation field. Then they went out into the street. And the place they were heading for was...


    ''Palace, huh...''


    Yes, they were heading towards the palace.


    He didn''t know why, but Kael had thought at first that they were going to a secret place that would be like a base for assassins. But that was not the case.


    Why hadn''t he thought simple?


    Sighing lightly, Kael noticed another difference this time as they continued to approach the palace step by step.


    ''Huh...''


    Although the palace... was quite far away, the street ahead of them was devoid of buildings and opened out wide. This was because... there was another large and wide wall blocking their way.


    They lined up in front of the gate on this wall as Kael studied everything he saw with interest. Again, thanks to Hakon''s rank, they moved forward smoothly and got behind this wall as well.


    And so Kael was amazed again.


    The gardens of the palaces were naturally large. Even the garden of the palace in Arcanoa was large enough to be filled with buildings where people with many different tasks worked and stayed.


    But not as big as this one.


    ''This...''


    The palace in the capital of the Empire was like... a city in its own right.


    Kael could tell at a glance that none of the people he saw were normal folk. Each one was a palace servant, a soldier, a healer, a gardener... and so much more. It had much wider roads and was more spacious than the city streets. But it was certainly nothing less than a city!


    So much so that there must have been almost two kilometers between the main building of the palace and the entrance gate they had just passed! So from one end of the palace walls to the other must have been four kilometers apart...


    "Pretty big, isn''t it?"


    All he could do in response to Hakon''s words was to simply nod his head. Hakon smirked simply at his reaction, but said nothing more. So they kept moving forward.


    After walking for about five minutes, Hakon finally paused at the corner of a path that led to a building and turned towards it. Kael also gave his full focus to this building.


    A few meters away from the building, there was probably a sign telling what it was. But Kael could not read or write, so he did not focus on it.


    The building was three stories high and, like the whole capital, quite big. Too big, even. The walls were made of concrete with different colored patterns on them, and it looked very high quality. Just like all the other buildings in the capital.


    "This place..."


    "It doesn''t really have a specific purpose, it''s more of a general building. But the most common use is for some kind of entertainment."


    "Entertainment?"


    Hakon nodded his head.


    "Exactly.


    It''s where they used to have duels between people, plays, and stuff like that. It''s not used for anything today. So it''s empty."


    Kael asked curiously as he followed Hakon, who slowly walked into the building.


    "If it''s empty... why are we here?"


    "Exactly because it''s empty. So we won''t be disturbed."


    ''We won''t be disturbed...?''


    He thought about Hakon''s words for a while. A few things started to come to mind, but... he couldn''t help frowning when he realized that none of them were good things.


    ''Does he want us to be alone? But why?''


    He continued to follow Hakon, for there was nothing he could do.


    But... for some reason, he had a bad feeling.


    *******


    "And... here we are!"


    Hakon pushed open a double door on the first floor of the building. Kael quickly looked into the room.


    And what he saw was...


    "Is this an... arena?"


    In front of him was a rather huge space with chairs that gradually descended. After a few meters down, instead of descending further, the floor became flat, creating a large space.


    "Sort of, but it''s empty as you can see. This is where the duels are held. Follow me."


    With a smile beneath his mask, Hakon began to descend, passing through the myriad of chairs. Kael followed him, slightly uneasy.


    The moment Hakon set foot on the flat floor at the bottom, Kael heard the door behind them slam shut, but he didn''t turn around. Instead, his eyes were fixed entirely on Hakon, who was walking on the flat floor.


    "Now... what do we do?"


    "What we do now is quite simple."


    Hakon paused and turned around, leaving about five meters between him and Kael.


    The smile under his mask was still there. But his eyes... his eyes were sharp this time, completely on Kael.


    "We''re going to find out how strong you are and exactly who you are. In short... what you can do, how valuable you are. You will show me a few things I want you to show me. And of course, you will answer the questions I ask."


    Hakon placed one of his hands on his waist, his expression serious.


    "Without telling a single lie."


    Kael''s eyes narrowed at the threatening tone. He never looked away as his expression became serious too.


    "I see..."


    It seemed that he was going to spend some time here. No wonder he had a bad feeling back then¡­

 Chapter 57: The Arena and Questions

    "Now... let''s start with a few questions first, Kael. How long have you been a bearer? And how much do you know about being one?"Kael... wasn''t quite sure what to do, to be honest.


    He was literally being interrogated right now, that was not hard to understand. And depending on his answers, his future could be shaped. That was also for sure.


    So, after a small pause, he took a deep breath. And... decided to be truthful about this.


    "I think it''s been about four months. And... I don''t know anything about bearers."


    He saw Hakon''s eyebrows raise slightly.


    "Nothing?"


    "Well... I know that they''re powerful people and stuff, and that they have blessings or curses. And that these allow them to use different powers."


    "What were you before, Kael? An orphan living in that town?"


    Kael waited a brief moment before answering. This... was definitely a trick question. They could have asked the townspeople about him. So they also might know that he had only arrived there a short time ago.


    They might not know too, of course...


    But Kael was not willing to risk it.


    "I was... a slave to a merchant group."


    Though he still decided to mix some lies into the truth.


    "Oh?"


    "We were traveling somewhere, I don''t know exactly where, but we were attacked. I was freed from my mark of slavery, then I escaped. Then I got into that town. I became a bearer while trying to survive in the forest."


    Hakon looked even more surprised this time.


    "So it''s not genetic. It''s rare to awaken your potential and gain a blessing. Or from the gods... whatever. But I''m surprised you managed to do it... You must have had a really hard time in the forest."


    Kael didn''t say anything. Hakon removed his hand from his waist and took a single step towards Kael. His hands were now free.


    "Now, let''s do an experiment. Attack me, Kael."


    "Attack you?"


    Hakon nodded.


    "Yes. But do something for me... and don''t hold back. Use everything you''ve got. Your blessing, your curse... whatever you have."


    Kael looked Hakon up and down.


    He had no doubt that the man was strong. Maybe not as strong as Tharon or the general, but certainly much stronger than he was. Still... the way he stood so completely at ease...?


    He was not going to underestimate him. But... he felt underestimated. No matter who the other man was, no matter how strong he was, it was uncomfortable for him to stand in front of him like that.


    ''He''s strong, don''t ever forget.''


    "Haaaah..."


    He took a deep breath. Then, he reached for the daggers hanging at his waist.


    He was going to do what Hakon said. He was really going to use everything. He would hold nothing back.


    So he took his stance, created a warmth in his heart, as usual, and spread it throughout his body. But he did not limit himself to a small amount. He built and built... he did not stop. He fed his body with as much warmth, as much power as he could.


    He saw Hakon''s lips curl slightly upwards. But he did not care.


    When he was swept off his feet, he found himself faster than he thought. The last time he had used everything was a month and a half ago, maybe a little more... the night he killed that merchant group.


    He had taken a lot of lives since then. And of course, he had been pushing his body to his limits every day. So he had gotten stronger, even if a little bit.


    In the long run, it was a tiny bit of strength. Certainly not a huge amount. But he liked it.


    "Oho?"


    But... it was different for Hakon.


    He simply stepped to the side, as if Kael were a snail. If he wanted to, he could have taken Kael''s daggers out of his hands in an instant, he could have broken his neck, he had plenty of openings to make him suffer.


    Yet he did none of that. He just avoided. And Kael quickly attacked again, without stopping, even if his first attempt had failed.


    He swung his daggers at Hakon one after the other while he easily dodged all his attacks.


    Meanwhile... he was talking.


    "You are fast. Your attacks are a bit random, but at least you have the basics. You''re not bad with daggers, but you''re not average either, to be honest. Other than that... is this the ability you have? Simply empowering yourself?"


    Kael didn''t answer. With each passing second, he grew faster and faster. His attacks became more reckless. He had one target in his sights... and that was Hakon.


    But he just wouldn''t shut up.


    "It could also be something passive, though... I''m not sure. But I want to know the answer to something, Kael."


    And... for the first time... he did something other than dodge.


    He pushed aside the dagger that had moved to gouge out one of his eyes, just by pressing a finger into its side. Then, he gave Kael a fairly straight trip, causing him to fall. Without even letting him get up, he suddenly appeared in front of him, bent down, and fixed his eyes on Kael''s.


    There was a silvery glint in Kael''s brown eyes, pale but definitely distinct.


    "Why are you so interested in killing? Don''t think I haven''t noticed, you''ve been looking for something to kill literally every day for the entire three-week journey. That''s why you even joined the Scouts. As if... it was an obligation for you. Why is that? Is it because of your blessing? Though... something like that can only be a curse, not a blessing. Is it? Or... are you simply a psychopath who enjoys killing?"


    Kael took deep breaths, calming himself. The silvery glint in his eyes receded quickly, the power faded just as fast, and his body returned to its original state. Finally... he could only sigh.


    "It''s the curse."


    He couldn''t lie. When he looked into Hakon''s eyes... he was sure of it. No matter how much he tried to hide it, sooner or later, he would run into a barrier, and that barrier would allow his curse to take his life.


    It wasn''t every day he found creatures to kill. At least not in the capital.


    It simply wasn''t possible.


    So... even if it could be used against him, he now believed he had no choice.


    As long as he wasn''t a slave, he was okay to be used. Just like in the case of Laen. That was the decision he made.


    "Oh, so it''s a curse..."


    Hakon looked thoughtful for a moment.


    "What kind of curse? If you tell me in detail, we can help you. I''m serious about this."


    "I... need to take life. On a regular basis..."


    "Or else?"


    "I''m dying."


    A deep silence fell over the arena. Hakon stood up, not thinking about anything... just making a ''hmm'' sound that said he was thinking.


    Kael followed him, slowly rising from the floor.


    "And did you gain anything? Curses often provide abilities that are more useful than blessings."


    "I''ve gotten stronger. That''s... basically it. I just got stronger and faster."


    It wasn''t a lie. He had indeed gotten stronger... he was just hiding the fact that he was getting stronger ''all the time''.


    Just because he had chosen to trust the Empire didn''t mean he would really tell everything about himself. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You''re wrong though. You didn''t just get stronger and faster."


    Kael frowned.


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "I''ll show you."


    Hakon simply stood where he was. The next second... Kael suddenly felt an abnormal coldness crawling across his skin. A shiver gradually ran down his spine. It was as if... as if there was a danger lurking behind him, as if someone stronger than him was staring at him.


    As if... as if he were a helpless prey in front of a hunter.


    He was trying to process what was happening when suddenly his eyes locked on Hakon. Then... he saw a red glow begin to appear in the man''s black eyes.


    His eyes widened slightly as he froze in his tracks.


    "Curses and blessings... these are not for free, Kael. Just as your body needs energy to move, food to eat... so do your abilities."


    He raised his hand. The same red glow that appeared in his eyes appeared in his fingers, and then they changed shape. They began to swirl around him like dancing... leaves.


    "We call it eon. Essence of Nature, that''s how it stands. It''s in every human being, every living being... even those who can''t be bearers or normal animals. And this is the essence that your abilities as a bearer need.


    He suddenly clenched his fingers, balled his hand into a fist, and the transparent things around him, like leaves, dispersed.


    He looked up at Kael as his eyes returned to their original color.


    "Each living being has a certain eon reserve. It can increase, or decrease accordingly. Simply... it can change. And it not only fuels your abilities, it allows you to do other things. Like make yourself stronger, faster, more resilient. And your eon reserves... from what I''ve seen, it''s a lot more than someone who''s only been a bearer for a few months should have. Much, like really much more. So there are two possibilities..."


    Suddenly, there was a look in Kael''s eyes that showed he was beginning to understand what was happening. His expression changed gradually while Hakon continued.


    "Either you''re lying about how long you''ve been a bearer... or your curse has not only made you stronger, it has multiplied your eon reserves. Which can happen... it''s not that rare for curses or blessings to do that."


    Kael felt himself tense. But the moment Hakon noticed his expression, a smile appeared on his face. And then... he burst into laughter, as if to break the serious mood of the arena.


    Kael looked at the man in front of him in confusion, unable to understand what was happening. But Hakon was quicker than him and kept his laughter short.


    "Don''t get that nervous... I know you''re not lying, you won''t die yet, don''t worry."


    The expression on Kael''s face didn''t change a bit. It only became... even more puzzled. But inside... something very different was happening.


    ''You won''t die yet... What the hell does that mean? Does he say I''m going to die eventually?!''


    "Ahh, that was a good laugh. You have such funny reactions. But we''re not done yet, so let''s continue."


    Hakon straightened up again, keeping his smile on his face. This time, he didn''t look as serious as before. As if... relieved.


    "I''ll be honest, you''re not going to die. I haven''t detected any lies, so you''re fine. You can work for the Empire... be its dog, as you call it. You just have to choose which department you''re going to work in, get your rank determined, swear your allegiance, and all that... at least after you''ve been through training. Because... as you are now, you''re not much use, even as a bearer."

 Chapter 58: More Than Just a Bearer

    Kael did not dispute Hakon''s words. On the contrary, he agreed with him. He admitted that he was far from being enough.That''s why he wanted more. Much more. And that''s what he was striving for. That was why he was here.


    He opened his mouth to say something, but Hakon cut him off and continued.


    "But you can do more than simply work for the Empire, Kael."


    "Excuse me?"


    "Why be a dog of the Empire when you can be its wolf, perhaps an even more powerful beast, Kael? I''m telling you that you have potential, real potential. Believe it or not, using eon is not easy. No one can learn to use eon on their own, no matter how your curse helps you."


    His irises turned blood red again, and Kael felt the room grow cold once more. But that was not all. This time... the red energy that had surrounded Hakon suddenly leaped at him. And it was only then that Kael realized how warm it actually was. This time it wasn''t as intense and negative as before, it was much more... open. Positive, even.


    Hakon continued.


    "No one can feel it like you can. These are things that require intensive training. But you can do it all, even if a little wrong, and you have learned it all on your own. That''s why you have potential. And that''s why... we want to make you even more."


    Kael, who until now had been listening to Hakon in confusion, paused and his eyes narrowed as he realized something. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Did you say... we?"


    "That''s right."


    Kael suddenly stiffened at the sound of his voice. It wasn''t Hakon speaking, it was someone else.


    Slowly, he turned around and looked for the first time towards the door through which they had come. And there, sitting in one of the chairs, he saw an old man. A familiar face with graying hair and a sword at his waist...


    General Loukan.


    "We, want to. Or rather... I do."


    The general stood up from his chair, ignoring the shock on Kael''s face. Step by step, slowly, he began to descend.


    "I''ve been watching you since the town, Kael. I''ve had men around you for the entire three-week journey, constantly, even while you slept peacefully. And... do you know what my conclusion was?"


    The general''s dark green eyes narrowed slightly.


    "You... the Empire or the town, me or anyone else... you don''t care about anything. You''re just trying to survive. But not only that."


    His gaze was hard, as always. His expression... it was almost frightening. He had a cold calm.


    "You watched my fight with Tharon, you observed how we used eon. You always kept an eye on all the bearers in our group and watched what they did. Whenever Hakon used his camouflage ability, your eyes locked on him instantly. When you were scouting in the forest, maybe you took a life to satisfy your curse, but you followed the rules and embraced them... you made a great effort not to make your mistakes again."


    Finally, he got to the bottom, he put his foot on the flat ground. But he did not stop. He kept walking and talking at the same time.


    "You''re doing everything you can to get stronger. In fact... you are as desperate to get stronger as you are to survive. Am I right, Kael?"


    When he was right in front of Kael, he stopped. His eyes remained the same cold, his lips the same straight. But his next words... they caused Kael not only to freeze in place, but much more.


    "Or should I say... the new king of Arcanoa? Ah, though... false king, wasn''t it?"


    Kael reflexively reached for his daggers, only to find nothing. Immediately, he heard a collision echoing behind him and looked out of the corner of his eye to where it was coming from.


    It was Hakon. He had his daggers in his hand, and he was clashing them together as if they were no more than two sticks.


    The surprise on Kael''s face gradually faded. With each passing second, his expression was replaced by a cold calm... just like General Loukan.


    "What... do you want?"


    He had prepared himself for something like this. His identity being revealed... it was perhaps one of the worst situations, but he was aware of the risk.


    And yet it was a risk he had to take. Because... there was simply no other choice.


    And now... what he had feared would happen had come true.


    And yet, he didn''t panic.


    Well, maybe he was shocked at first... but he quickly realized what not to do.


    These two people in front of him, Hakon and General Loukan... they wanted something from him. Why else had they brought him here, where no one else was, when they could have brought him before the Emperor? Why had they told him he had ''potential'' and that he could be more than just a dog?


    Kael was not an idiot.


    "You are intelligent, a good trait. You are also quick to recover and keep your composure. Even better..."


    General Loukan fixed his eyes directly on his. They were so overwhelming that Kael felt like he was going to be crushed under them, like he was going to be turned to a pulp... but he did his best to resist. Loukan continued.


    "You are at the top of the Empire''s wanted list, Kael. Not for who you are, but as an unknown person with the lost blessing of Arcanoa royalty. And do you know what that means?"


    "As soon as the blessing - or curse - I have is discovered, I will be captured, imprisoned... and killed by Musthar V. Arcanoa so that the blessing can be passed on to him."


    The general nodded calmly. Kael could only heave a deep sigh.


    "But... you will do something else. You want to use me for something, or you have some other use for me... don''t you? Why... are you having this conversation with me... for what?"


    "To make you not a loyal dog of the Empire, but a rabid hound with sharp fangs to tear it apart."


    A deep silence fell over the arena.


    Kael repeated the general''s words several times in his mind. Gradually, as his eyes widened, he realized again what he had heard, that it was real. Yet no one spoke. Everyone was silent... so silent... Kael was beginning to feel suffocated.


    To tear the Empire apart... These two people in front of him, they... They were planning to betray the Empire!


    "You have potential, Kael. And let me explain to you why."


    Loukan''s eyes suddenly lit up with a light green glow. But Kael didn''t feel the chill in the air, the goosebumps, as he had a few minutes earlier when Hakon had done the same thing with him.


    Instead... it felt like needles pricking his skin.


    No, not prickles... it wasn''t something like that.


    It was like... being cut.


    Every part of his skin, everything around him... was being cut. By a sword, or something invisible like that...


    And the source of all this feeling was the man right in front of him.


    "Eon exists in everyone, as Hakon explained. But... for everyone, the eon they had when they were first born is the same. Pure, clean... white. As a person grows, the eon inside them grows with them. As they change, it also changes. Everything they experience, every decision they make, even every step they take, shapes their eon... and future."


    The whole room was illuminated with a green light. It was as if a gas centered on the general''s body was spreading everywhere... but this was very different.


    It wasn''t a gas, it was the general''s ''eon''. Compared to Hakon''s leaves, it was much... different. As if... sharp.


    "But eon often doesn''t reach the level where it can fulfill its potential. Most people die before they can become a bearer, so the amount of eon remains quite small. But bearers? They are different."


    The general''s eyes quickly returned to their original color, and the green eon that had spread throughout the room faded away. Now, everything was back to normal again... as if nothing had happened.


    But it was already seared into Kael''s mind, how could he possibly forget...?


    "Curses and blessings are not the only ''abilities'' of bearers. Every bearer changes when they unleash the potential of their eon. They become a ''follower'' in our terms. The things they follow are called... Paths. Remember what I just showed you. My eon, it felt sharp, didn''t it, like a sword?"


    Kael nodded reflexively.


    "Paths give bearers amazing abilities. And they form the basis of their powers. It''s quite simple, actually. Tharon, for example... he was a follower of the Path of Rain. He was a Follower of Rain, in short."


    He pointed to himself with his right thumb.


    "Me, Follower of Sword."


    Then behind Kael.


    "Hakon behind you, Follower of Hunt."


    Then... his finger slowly stopped in front of Kael.


    "And you..."


    Kael felt as if he was locked in the finger pointing at him, and he swallowed with difficulty. Did he have a whole new power without knowing it...?


    Every second the general spent in silence made him nervous! So, he especially paid attention to his next words. And then, the general finally spoke.


    "You''re not following any Path. But your eon is denser than most followers. So... you will soon be one. And... a talented one, even if I don''t know exactly what it will be. I have no doubt."


    Kael tore his gaze from the general''s finger and fixed it on his green eyes. Hearing that he didn''t have - or follow, whatever it was - a Path... made him feel a little disappointed.


    But he had much more important problems now.


    "Why... take a gamble with me, then...?"


    The general''s finger slowly reached upwards, towards the ceiling. But Kael was sure the man was not pointing at the ceiling, but beyond it...


    "Because our potential is limited, insufficient... to stand up to the top. Meanwhile, yours is uncertain. And on top of that, you''re young. You''re the perfect candidate to be trained. Why miss the opportunity when I can take it?"


    "So... you want to use me because I have a better chance than you?"


    "Yes, Kael. That''s exactly what I want to do."


    "And if I agree to this... you''ll help me to get stronger...?"


    "Of course."


    Kael was silent for a while. After a deep breath, he squinted, looking directly into the general''s eyes.


    "What if... I refuse?"


    "Why ask a question you know the answer to, Kael?"


    Kael remained silent. He didn''t even sigh, he just waited... and thought. After a short time, though, his lips curled upwards.


    ''Why do I think...?''


    He took his eyes off the floor, clenching his fist, and this time... he didn''t look nervous or scared.


    On the contrary... this time, he was determined. More than ever, even.


    Like most situations he had ever been in, he could use this one... he could turn it to his advantage. To a far greater advantage than on previous occasions.


    All he had to do was avoid being turned into a slave again, that was all.


    So...


    "Fine."


    He accepted.


    --Volume I: The Birth of a False King--


    --The End--

 Chapter 59: Eon Training

    --Volume II: Awakening of Ruin--The darkness of the sky was, as usual, over the central continent, which had just left December. Cold, a little chilling... but at the same time adorned with stars, beautiful... alluring. Mesmerizing, even.


    The sky frightened many people, but it also gave peace to many others, especially the dark but stunning sight of the star-studded night. And it was still the same now.


    But it was in its last moments... at least for this particular moment. Because the moon, accompanying the stars of the night, was slowly setting. Slowly rising from the east, another tiny, pale star, as bright as it was pale, appeared among the gray that replaced the darkness.


    The central continent was waking up to a new day. And so did every other city... and so did the capital of the Empire.


    The dawning of the new day slowly woke people from their slumber as the sun began to rise.


    "Ugh..."


    And among all these people was a young man of small stature who had recently turned sixteen. He was in a building in the garden of a huge palace in the very heart of the huge capital. His eyes were narrowed by the sunlight shining on his face through the window glass, causing him to make an expression of discomfort.


    Slowly, the young man''s eyes opened. His brown eyes, which looked quite ordinary in the midst of his black hair, which had grown considerably longer than normal, slowly fixed on the ceiling.


    He waited for a while, just watching the ceiling. Then, with a slight movement, his eyes shifted to the window, to the sky. With a few quick calculations, he tried to figure out what time of the morning it was, and he did.


    "Haaaah..."


    He slowly got up from the bed. Though, what he was lying on now could hardly be called... a bed. After all, it was simply a rock, which was hard as a rock and smooth as a concrete slab.


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    ''It''s part of the training, you say... I''m sure it is... fuck, it still hurts.''


    As usual, he stretched his body, trying to relieve the numbness, while complaining in his mind. Then he got out of his ''bed''.


    He put back on all the clothes he had taken off to get some sleep, which was actually a light armor, and then tied his hair behind his head with a short cloth thread.


    ''I should cut my hair sometime...''


    He had chosen to grow his hair long himself, for a change. But... he was not very satisfied with it.


    Sighing slightly, he placed his daggers at his waist in their usual place. After washing his face with a small amount of water in the corner of the room, he approached his window and took one last look at himself.


    When he left the room, he headed for a place he had been visiting regularly for the last few weeks... a place whose route he had long since memorized. Without really looking where he was going, he walked down about two floors and stopped in front of the door to a large room under the ground.


    He knocked softly, but entered without waiting for an answer.


    ''Did I do it this time?''


    His eyes quickly scanned every corner of the huge room. It was only when he noticed the black figure leaning against a wall that he couldn''t help a grimace.


    ''I have to come even before the sun rises.''


    The figure, whose eyes were as black as the clothes he wore, slowly lifted his head while Kael was in the middle of these thoughts. Under his mask, his lips curled upwards slightly.


    "You will never make it, Kael."


    "Don''t you ever sleep, though?" S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Who knows? But, like I said, you will never make it."


    Kael clicked his tongue as he approached the man, Hakon.


    This was what he had been trying to do for the last few days, to get to this room before Hakon. But... no matter how early he got up, he couldn''t do it. Hakon was always here before him, leaning against the wall as if he had been waiting for hours.


    For a short time he thought about what had happened after he arrived in the capital.


    After his ''deal'' with General Loukan, everything had gone smoothly, he was now working for the Empire... but before he could actually start working, he had to be trained, and Hakon had been personally assigned by the general to do exactly that.


    Normally, their training began an hour or so after sunrise. But since Kael had been coming here earlier and earlier every day, they had been starting early for the last few days.


    The only problem... was that the time when their training ended did not change. So no matter how early he came to the room, the time he spent training did not decrease, but increased.


    He wasn''t complaining too much, though.


    It was just... hard to understand how Hakon could walk around anytime at every time as if he never slept throughout the day.


    "What are we going to do today?"


    Kael had been here for almost three weeks. He was now at the beginning of the fourth week.


    During the first week, Hakon had made him train entirely on how to move his body, told him that he needed to improve his body, and then gave him a training program to follow every day.


    The second week, he had shown him how to use the daggers more easily and efficiently, and also added that on top of the previous one... doubling the time he spent on training.


    The third week, he taught nothing new, just watched him improve his body and his use of the daggers.


    Was there going to be something new this week too, or was he just going to watch him repeat what he had done before like the third week?


    "Today... we''re going to talk a little about eon."


    Kael couldn''t help raising his eyebrows slightly at his words.


    Eon was something that really intrigued him, he wondered what actually it was and how it was supposed to be used. But... he had always thought of it as the final stages of training.


    Had he trained his body enough? Had he learned to use his daggers like a professional?


    Frankly... he didn''t think so. Hence his confusion.


    "I can see exactly what you''re thinking from your face."


    Hakon widened his smile and finally detached himself from the wall he was leaning against. Slowly, he began to approach Kael.


    "And you''re not wrong in what you think. But don''t worry, we know what we''re doing. Now... first of all, sit down, cross-legged or whatever you are comfortable with."


    Kael quickly crouched down. Hakon put two meters between them and did the same.


    "What do you do when you strengthen yourself using eon? Tell me in detail."


    "I can create a warmth in my heart, wherever I direct it in my body, it gets stronger. The more warmth, the more power."


    "In your heart... I see, so how do you channel your eon through your body? Just by thinking? Or some other way?"


    Kael was silent for a while, thinking. Hakon quickly realized what was wrong.


    "You don''t know... I get it, you don''t have to force yourself."


    Kael couldn''t help feeling a little... defeated. Still, he kept his focus completely on Hakon.


    "Let''s start from the beginning. The biggest mistake in using Eon, Kael, is using it like... adrenaline. It''s absolutely wonderful that you learned it on your own, but it''s also quite wrong. Why is that? Can you think of anything?"


    "No."


    Kael answered honestly. He knew almost nothing about eon to be able to answer such a question.


    "Because you use it, you focus it on one part of your body, and then you throw it away. Eon strengthens your muscles, it makes you faster... but you leave it where you send it and it leaks out of your body after a while because it can''t stay still. In short, you''re wasting a lot of it. This leaves you unable to use it for more than short bursts of power."


    Kael continued to think as he narrowed his eyes slightly.


    Hakon... wasn''t wrong.


    Everything he had experienced in that town a month and a half ago was fresh in his mind. He remembered how Tharon and General Loukan had used their eon. He may have had a hard time feeling it, observing it... but there was one thing he remembered.


    And that was that their eons never stood still, never ran out... it was as if they were on an endless loop.


    "Everyone uses their eon differently, Kael. It''s creative to fire them in short bursts to gain sudden bursts of power and speed. So even if I say that the way you use your eon is wrong, it''s not a technique that is never used. It''s just, as I said, inefficient."


    "I have to keep my eon in my body at all times, right? Not in a fixed point, but... in motion. Keeping it inside, not letting it escape outside my body."


    Hakon was actually going to continue, but he paused at Kael''s words and nodded.


    "My eon... I was starting to accumulate it in my heart first. I don''t know if it''s right or wrong, maybe it''s different for others... but can''t I use it this way?"


    When he saw Hakon''s smile widen, he knew he was on the right track and continued.


    "So... instead of forcing it into my body of my own volition, why don''t I just let it flow? It generates and accumulates in my heart... and my heart is constantly pumping blood through my body. The blood is constantly circulating through my body, using my veins as a pathway. Can I mix the eon... into the flow of this blood?"


    Hakon looked at him in silence for a while, as if... fascinated. Then he nodded his head slightly.


    "You have the right idea. What you''re talking about is one of the techniques for using eon under ''body enhancement''. And an effective one nonetheless."


    Kael paused at what he heard.


    "Are there other methods?"


    "Of course there are. Remember what I told you, eon has no singular use for anything. It is diverse, more diverse than you can imagine. And each technique has its own advantages, disadvantages, strengths and weaknesses."


    Hakon was about to continue when he saw Kael''s thoughtful expression and paused.


    "So... can the method I learned to use on my own also be used as a ''fine'' technique? If it could be developed and found out how to use it more effectively, for example..."


    Maybe he was doing too much, yes... but Hakon couldn''t help a smile returning to his face.


    "Body enhancement techniques are many and varied. Also, each one takes a long time to master. That''s why most bearers or followers learn only one, rarely two, or extremely rarely three different techniques in their lifetime. But you are not wrong. What you say is very doable."


    And with those words, he watched Kael fall back into thought. He was fascinated again and again as he thought about what kind of ideas were running through his mind.


    ''The general was right.''


    At the very beginning... he was not very enthusiastic about training Kael. He had only agreed because the general had asked him to, because he trusted him more than perhaps anything else in his life.


    So what if he had potential and was a little smarter than normal people? He had seen hundreds of people much smarter than him, and even if he was smart, it wasn''t mind-bogglingly so. He was just a little above average, that''s all.


    And his potential? There was no way they could be sure of that.


    General Loukan had quite literally gambled by taking this boy named Kael under his wing.


    But after a short time, Hakon understood that he was wrong. Really wrong.


    ''Kael is not just a bright boy with potential.''


    He was so much more. He was perhaps the most talented kid he had ever seen. The way he was like a genius with a dagger, the techniques he used to train every day to improve his body, the speed with which he learned new things and practiced them correctly... and so much more.


    Kael didn''t realize it because he didn''t know much about other people... He probably thought everyone was like him. He didn''t think he was a genius, so he was striving too hard.


    But he wasn''t just a genius.


    No, he was more than that.


    He was a monster, in every sense of the word.


    ''We hit the jackpot.''


    This was what Hakon now thought about Kael. And he was sure that he would continue to surprise him, everyone.

 Chapter 60: Two Months of Training

    *(A/N: For non-privileged: A few days ago I had to spend a few days in the hospital because of an illness. Then I was discharged, I spent one day well... and then it seems that they couldn''t cure the illness because I had to spend almost five days in the hospital last week. Then I spent two days resting. And now, hopefully, I''m back... I have nothing more to say, I apologize.)*"We will not continue training after today."


    Kael paused at Hakon''s words, looking at him with a puzzled expression.


    "Instead of training, you will gain experience. I will send you on a mission."


    And now, he couldn''t help frowning.


    "Isn''t it too early? I don''t think I have completed my training."


    It was his second month in the capital. Hakon had really taught him a lot... how to fight, how to use eon, and how to be a good scout.


    Not only that, he had taught him a lot about the world. Most importantly, how to read and write.


    Yet Kael did not feel ready.


    No, he wasn''t scared. He just... had a feeling that he would be insufficient and too inexperienced. Working for the Empire was very different from simply being a mercenary.


    "Even if you have not completed your training, there is nothing more I can teach you, Kael. All you can do now, at least under me, is to keep practicing what I have taught you. You will not stop training, you will continue to improve. Do you understand?" Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This... was not what he expected, truth be told.


    There was nothing more for him to learn, huh?


    He looked at Hakon, glancing him up and down. He focused on the smile beneath his mask.


    ''He''s lying.''


    There was still so much he could learn from him. He was sure of that. About eon, about dagger techniques... about so much more.


    ''So... there must be a reason, right?''


    Read new adventures at m_v-l''e|-NovelFire.net


    If there was one thing he had learned in these two months... it was that Hakon was actually a pretty good guy. Not just good, but someone who really wanted the best for him.


    Whether it was for future purposes, or because he was his student, or because he cared about him... it didn''t matter. Hakon had trained him for two months, had done everything he could to make him stronger. There was no way he could change overnight.


    In short... there had to be another reason why they weren''t going to continue training. A reason Kael didn''t fully understand, but one that was probably more for his own good than for his harm...


    "I see."


    He was silent for a short while, then narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Hakon with a serious expression.


    "What do I do, then?"


    Hakon crossed his arms, and Kael saw the man''s smile widen.


    "It''s not much. There''s a group leaving tomorrow morning, not a big one. You will join this group as a scout, helping with their missions if you are asked. Then you will come back."


    "Is that it...?"


    Did it... really make sense for him to stop his training and go on such a simple mission... just to gain experience?


    "Oh, you thought the mission would be simple?"


    For some reason, Kael felt himself tense for a moment at Hakon''s words.


    ''Did I think wrong?''


    "A baron. Within the barony he rules, people are going insane for no reason. First, he reaches out to adventurers and mercenaries, but they either come back empty-handed or join the ranks of the insane. Finally, he contacts the Empire. That''s the mission in a nutshell."


    "So... I''m going to do more than scouting. I''m going to play a role in this mission too?"


    Hakon shrugged his shoulders.


    "It''s up to the mission leader. If he wants, he can even leave you at a random inn in the barony and try to figure it all out himself."


    Kael nodded thoughtfully.


    "So... why this particular mission? I''m sure there are many more. Did you just... randomly pick this one for me? Or specifically?"


    Hakon drew a single dagger of his own from his belt, then looked Kael straight in the eye.


    "You''ll find out when you leave for your mission, Kael."


    "Tch."


    Kael rolled his eyes as he clicked his tongue. Then he pulled out his own daggers and took a stance. Hakon spoke sarcastically as he simply began twirling his dagger between his fingers.


    "Come on, let''s duel one last time before you go. Let''s see how good you are!"


    And... so did Kael.


    He did not compromise himself at all as he pounced on Hakon without hesitation.


    But... as always, he lost. Not even a single blow, just... minutes of moving and finally getting tired.


    And, as always, when his time was up, he received a sound beating...


    *******


    "Damn it, damn it!''


    Kael cursed and cursed as he gently rubbed the right side of his stomach. Hakon, of course, was the cause of all these curses.


    Kael had attacked him for a few minutes today, as he regularly did every day, trying to at least scratch him. But again, as always, he had failed. When the time was up, Hakon had beaten the shit out of him!


    This happened so often that some evenings he couldn''t sleep well because of the bruises.


    ''At least I''ll get away for a few days...''


    Kael paused as he thought of his mission. He stopped rubbing the bruise on his stomach and squinted.


    His memory flashed back to his first mission in the mercenary branch. The one where he went in as a bodyguard and came out as... an assassin. A mission in which he had admitted he was a rotten human being.


    Now, he had another mission. But this time... he had no secret purpose. He was actually going to do his assigned task.


    ''Scout, huh...''


    Frankly... he was glad he was not an assassin. Even though he didn''t feel much about killing people anymore, he still didn''t like it. Though there was no problem with simply being a scout.


    He sighed deeply as he started walking again.


    ''Why this mission, I wonder...''


    There were things Hakon hadn''t told him. He thought he had gotten to know him a little over the past two months. He was almost certain that he was hiding something.


    The question was... what was he hiding?


    With these thoughts in mind, he went out into the palace garden, and without even looking in front of him, he started walking towards a certain place, as he had done every day for the two months he had been here.


    A few of the people working in the palace stopped when they saw him, whispering softly if someone was with him. Hakon, a well-known and skilled commander, had trained him himself, so there were a few rumors going around. He was used to the whispers. So he ignored them.


    He finally paused when he came to the front of a rather large building that... stank to his nostrils. His eyes fell on the sign right next to the entrance.


    ''The Animal and Creature Den.''


    He had only recently learned to read and write. So he was trying hard to read most of what he saw, to get used to it.


    He took his eyes off the sign and entered the huge building with slow steps. And the first thing that greeted him was... a rather huge, open space. Oh, and a version of the stench that was several times heavier...


    Still, without even bothering to cover his nose, Kael made his way through the large space and down the corridor on the left to the lower floors. He entered what looked like a cellar, but no guards tried to stop him.


    And after a few minutes, Kael reached his destination.


    ''As usual, disgusting...''


    He sighed slightly as blood, feces, and many other foul odors filled his nose. And... it wasn''t just the smell that disturbed his senses anymore.


    "Kiek! Kha kharada!"


    His ears were also filled with hideous, incomprehensible sounds.


    Kael pulled out his daggers, tried to ignore the sounds as he rolled his eyes, and approached a huge pit that looked as if it had been deliberately carved. It was almost twenty meters from one end of the pit to the other. It was barred off, and inside... there was a mini village of hobgoblins looking at him like hungry dogs.


    "Have they... reproduced again?"


    Kael couldn''t help but be surprised to see that there were more hobgoblins than usual.


    A guard next to him, looking at the hobgoblins with a disgusted expression, shook his head.


    "Yes. Will you enter as usual?"


    Hobgoblins were a type of creature that looked a lot like goblins, but in fact had little to do with them. The places they lived, the way they fought, the little culture they had... everything separated them quite clearly. The only thing they had in common was their appearance.


    And the biggest difference between them was... their strength.


    "Yes, but... it seems strange that there are so many of them."


    Kael paused immediately after uttering these words.


    "Ah..."


    Because he was going on a mission? Did they want to feed his curse more...?


    ''Why didn''t I think of this before...''


    "Whatever."


    Clutching his daggers tightly, he opened the tiny hatch between the bars above the pit. Then... he fearlessly jumped into the pit.


    An awkward silence fell over the area as the hobgoblins, kept in the pit like livestock, all turned towards him at once.


    Seeing the red eyes focused on him, Kael remembered the first time he had entered this place. He had almost trembled with fear. The hobgoblins were all... too strong.


    Much stronger than the goblins.


    But now?


    One of the hobgoblins finally moved like a lunatic, instead of standing quietly where it was. Saliva spattered from between its fangs, its red eyes seeing nothing but the sweet human flesh in front of it.


    The other hobgoblins moved after it. They were locked on their target.


    But when their target suddenly disappeared before they could reach him, they paused, not realizing what was happening.


    "Khirka! Kauk!"


    And then a red mark appeared on the neck of the first hobgoblin to move.


    As its head separated from its body and fell to the ground, its expression made it clear that it still did not understand what had happened.


    Immediately after it, its fellows suffered the same fate as it. The last thing they saw was the dagger washed in their own blood and the person holding it... looking at them with a blank expression.

 Chapter 61: A Strange Group of Five

    Kael woke up very early on the morning of the next day.Having done the same thing every day for two months, he reflexively prepared to go to Hakon without thinking about it. He was just leaving the room when he realized what he was doing.


    "Haaah..."


    He couldn''t help getting angry with himself as he headed towards the palace garden.


    ''How could I have forgotten?''


    There was no training today. On the contrary, there was a mission. A scouting mission with a group that Hakon had probably picked out especially for him.


    When he finally stepped out into the garden, Kael breathed in deeply. Hakon had told him what to do beforehand. He was to go to the north gate of the palace and meet a group of four people there.


    Yes, there were only five people on the mission including himself. They would travel in a single carriage and the journey would take six days.


    But apart from that, Kael had no other information about the mission or the other four people. Hakon had kept everything else secret from him.


    ''Let''s see, let''s see...''


    As he approached the north gate, he found himself surrounded by carriages and groups of people. His eyes traveled quickly over everyone, searching for his own group.


    Soon, a carriage caught his eye. It didn''t look like it was carrying any goods, it was completely prepared for the journey... empty, in short. In front of it stood three people.


    The first was a thin-looking man in his twenties. He looked more like a scholar than a soldier, wore glasses and a robe instead of armor.


    The second was a blond man with a slight smile on his face, a bow on his back and a short sword at his waist. Like the scholar, he looked to be in his twenties, but his goatee gave him a slightly... strange air.


    The last one was a beautiful woman in her thirties. The sword at her waist and the light armor she wore belonged to the Imperial army. She had her auburn hair in a ponytail and was looking around as if she was looking for someone.


    Kael approached the group with slow steps, and shortly afterwards, the auburn-haired woman''s eyes fixed on him.


    When he came up to them, he said only two words in a low tone.


    "Barony of Halve?"


    The woman looked at him with a surprised expression, then nodded slightly.


    "Are you... the scout who is coming with us?"


    Kael nodded at the question.


    He hadn''t missed her surprise and the way she was studying him. And, well, it was probably because he was sixteen.


    Before, thanks to his small body, he never really showed his age. But months of constant fighting, training, and building up his body had finally gotten him in better shape.


    He was still short for his age, though. Such was his body structure... but at least people around him could guess his age more accurately.


    Still, he was still young in people''s eyes. Even though he had more control over most things now that he was considered an adult, he was still four years shy of twenty. This made people think of him as quite young and find it hard to trust him in serious matters.


    The guards at the creature farm, for example... They took bets on how soon he would die on the first day.


    It was up to him, as always, to change the minds of such people.


    "Yes, it''s me."


    The woman''s eyebrows furrowed at Kael''s words. Her brown eyes slowly turned towards the blond man, who still had a smile on his face. He looked back at her with his green eyes. The man must have quickly realized what the gaze meant, because he quickly spoke.


    "Kael has been trained directly by Commander Hakon, you need not doubt his abilities. Although he is here to gain experience, he is also a bearer."


    The woman seemed to relax a little at these words.


    "I see."


    Kael glanced briefly at the blond man after the conversation which had taken place as if he were not here. But that was not important. Because... he hadn''t expected to be recognized. Or maybe this blond man had been briefed by Hakon?


    ''Could they all be like that?''


    The possibility suddenly occurred to him. What if the woman''s behavior was a deception and the whole thing was a test of how she would react in such situations, a real test of how trustworthy he was?


    Find your next read at mvl


    With this thought in mind, he began to examine the group again. Meanwhile, he realized again what had caught his attention when he had approached the group at the very beginning. So he asked in a calm voice.


    "Where is the fifth member?"


    With these words, the woman''s eyes began to roam over the dozens of people around her again.


    "We don''t know..."


    ''They were never informed about the other members of the mission... or pretend they haven''t. They seem to be really handpicked by Hakon... Even if they''re not, it''s best to assume that they are.''


    And so his eyes began to wander through the crowd. He would be careful, just in case. As he always was. If this was a test, and he was pretty sure it was, he would get a perfect score. No... he was going to get a lot more than that.


    "Oh?"


    He noticed a figure approaching them from the crowd. He was studying the members of the group in particular, just as Kael had been a few seconds before.


    He moved closer and closer to the group, finally catching the attention of the other members. The auburn-haired woman''s expression fell with each step he took, and when he reached the front of the group, he paused.


    "To the Barony of Halve, right?"


    And just as Kael had thought, this was the fifth member of the group.


    The only problem was...


    "Yes..."


    This person was quite young, just like Kael. Not as young as him, maybe, but... he must have been seventeen or eighteen. So he was not yet twenty.


    Despite his young looks, he was a tall guy. He was definitely over a hundred and eighty centimeters tall. He had long hair that was a very dark shade of navy blue. And his eyes... they were almost azure blue. He was quite attractive with a handsome face. He didn''t have any weapons on him, but his armor was some of the best quality light armor Kael had ever seen.


    The fifth member, after receiving the woman''s approval, began to run his eyes over the entire group again. Finally, he came to Kael and paused. The two looked at each other for a brief moment... and many thoughts ran through both of their minds at the same time.


    ''He''s a bearer too.''


    That''s what was going through Kael''s mind, that the person in front of him was also a bearer. But... that was not the only problem.


    ''No, a follower?''


    The most obvious distinction between bearers and followers was the difference in the amount of eon in their bodies. And Kael was extremely gifted at sensing eon in a way that most people are not.


    And the amount of eon he could sense from this ''fifth member'' was quite a lot. Even more than he had himself. Who, at least according to Hakon, was quite an anomaly in this regard.


    ''Then this person must be even more of an anomaly than me.''


    Still, he kept his thoughts to himself. Because the auburn-haired woman did not intend to remain silent for long.


    "Are you a bearer too?"


    The fifth member finally tore his sky-blue eyes away from Kael, and turned them slowly towards the woman as he gave her a gentle smile.


    "That''s right, Ms. Pecera." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Are you here to gain ''experience'' too?"


    "You got it right again."


    "Haaaah..."


    She couldn''t help sighing deeply. It was quite clear what she was thinking. Bearer or not, she didn''t want to deal with young people.


    Kael could understand why she thought that, so he kept quiet. But... another issue was bothering him this time.


    ''The Empire is a very disciplined, organized country. Why did they create such a... random group? It can''t simply be to test me...''


    The fact that the fifth member was not at all normal had changed his mind. Either this was not a test, but a really sloppy group... or it was indeed a test, but not for him.


    Something told him that it was this newcomer who was actually being tested, and he was just a secondary.


    "Anyway, since we''re all gathered..."


    Despite Kael and this fifth member, the auburn-haired woman remained professional and calm. Her expression turned slightly serious as she glanced around at all the members of the group and continued to speak in the serious tone expected of her.


    "I''m Pecera. I have been appointed as the leader of this group. The members of the group were quickly assembled without my knowledge, as the situation was said to be urgent. That is why I do not know anything about you. Please introduce yourself."


    Her eyes quickly turned to the only person in the group not wearing any armor, the man who looked like a scholar.


    "My name is Scher, and I am a normal person. I was told that my help would be needed on the mission, but I don''t know anything more."


    The blond man spoke after him.


    "Baroch, I will serve as the main scout of the group, I am also a normal human."


    "Kael, I am a bearer. I will serve as a scout."


    And the eyes slowly shifted to the last member. The target of all those stares, however, kept a smile on his face and gently introduced himself.


    "Matthew Treanor, I am a bearer like Kael. But I have no specific duties... I can do anything that is asked of me. My first choice, however, would be to fight when necessary, if possible."


    *(A/N: There will be two chapters after this one or more probably tomorrow, and then another.)*

 Chapter 62: Towards the Barony

    *(A/N: For privileged: A few days ago I had to spend a few days in the hospital because of an illness. Then I was discharged, I spent one day well... and then it seems that they couldn''t cure the illness because I had to spend almost five days in the hospital last week. Then I spent two days resting. And now, hopefully, I''m back... I have nothing more to say, I apologize.)********


    The group of five started their journey shortly after introducing themselves.


    Although they didn''t know each other very well, they did their best to maintain their professionalism. So it was Scher, Pecera, and Matthew who settled into the carriage. Baroch and Kael were constantly on the move, as they should have been, for the safety of their journey.


    Baroch, though a normal human being, was skilled. His movements, his stealth, his observations... everything gave Kael the feeling that he could be trusted.


    And Kael was... good. He was practicing what he had learned from Hakon, and in this way, he was training constantly while doing his job.


    About stealth, for example.


    It was almost impossible for him to be as quiet, as hidden as Baroch. The difference in experience between them was too great... but Kael made up for it with something else.


    Baroch was human, but he was not. He was a bearer who could use eon. And the uses of eon, even when not for a blessing, a curse, or a path, were extremely wide.


    So wide that it could solve the problem of secrecy, even if only a little bit, to a certain extent.


    Eon circulated very slowly through Kael''s blood vessels, seeping gently outwards at the same time at his will. The density of the eon that seeped out was quite low, so it couldn''t travel far, but by controlling this small amount of eon, he could suppress the sounds he made.


    There was no way to disguise his appearance in this way... but he was almost completely silent and that was enough for him. So the only thing he had to be careful about was not to be seen, rather than not to be heard.


    And that way, he could move much more easily in the forest, while at the same time improving his technique and his use of eon.


    With Kael and Baroch as scouts, the group completed the first day quickly and smoothly. They had left the capital in the morning and by now, the sun had already set and the sky was slowly giving way to the darkness of night.


    That''s why they had set up a camp. Not a big camp, but quite enough.


    They had left the cooking to the scholar, Scher, since he claimed to know how to cook. The rest of the group was... resting for the moment. Baroch was with the group as they were standing in a fixed place, while Kael was walking around the perimeter of the group.


    He had told the four that his intention was to go around, to take out animals and creatures if he could find them. And... that''s what he was actually doing. He was looking for creatures for his curse, he was scouting the area for possible dangers.


    But... that''s not all he was doing. It wasn''t just the dangers, the creatures that he was watching. On the contrary... he was also watching the group itself.


    And it was quite clear who he was mostly looking at. A person called Matthew, who claimed to be a bearer, just like him.


    ''Bearer, huh...''


    No, there was no way he was a bearer. Discover stories with mvl


    The more he observed him, the more Kael was certain that this person was a follower. The reason he was certain of this was because he had studied Matthew''s eon.


    Everyone''s eon had a certain shape, feel, color, more... But in bearers, these characteristics seemed to be rather pale. No matter how powerful they were, eon made itself evident only when a person had unleashed their full potential.


    But when he looked at Matthew''s, it didn''t have pale qualities.


    ''Sharp, like the general''s. But... different too.''


    It was hard to say exactly. But... the fact that he could feel it even when Matthew wasn''t actively using eon explained a lot.


    ''Either he''s a really powerful bearer or he lied.''


    Well... there was no problem with him lying, actually. So what if he hid the fact that he was a follower? He might not want to reveal his power, after all... It was perfectly understandable.


    Still, Kael wanted to keep an eye on Matthew. Something about him made him feel uncomfortable.


    *******


    On the third day of the journey, the calm before the storm was finally broken... and Kael found something.


    "Bandit tracks." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "How big?"


    The leader of the group, Pecera, asked seriously, though her expression didn''t waver much. Kael replied calmly.


    "It''s hard to be sure, but there must have been at least seven or eight of them.


    They seemed to be heading in our path."


    Pecera thought for a moment, staring at the ground.


    "They must have been novices if they left a trail behind them..."


    Her eyebrows raised slightly, she looked at Kael with a suggestive expression.


    Kael sighed slightly.


    "I can go ahead and handle it. If there''s anything I can''t handle, I''ll come back. Is that okay?"


    Pecera nodded in agreement. And with that, Kael turned and disappeared into the trees without a word.


    The bandits he had tracked down were not difficult to locate.


    There were a little more than he had expected, nine of them. But they didn''t seem to be waiting for the group heading for the Barony of Halve in particular; they seemed to be waiting for some random passer-by.


    Kael watched the men secretly, silently. He made sure none of them were bearers. He decided they were no threat to him after a short while... and finally acted.


    He withdrew the eon that blocked the sound he made, then walked with slow steps through the bushes in an exposed way.


    He quickly attracted the attention of the bandits. The four on his side of the road quickly turned towards him and asked with a very serious expression.


    "I''m only going to ask you once. Are you bandits or not?"


    Maybe it was unnecessary to ask the question... but it wouldn''t hurt to be sure.


    Maybe they were innocent people waiting on the road...?


    "Huh? What the fuck are you saying, brat?"


    The man talking to him paused, turned around, and looked at his three friends. Then a smile appeared on all of their faces.


    "Seriously... what are you doing here? These are dangerous roads for children... I wonder, are you traveling with a group or something?"


    Kael couldn''t help rolling his eyes.


    For a moment, just a moment, he wanted to think good things.


    Without giving him any answer, he pulled out his daggers.


    "Are those daggers? Those are dangerous things for you-"


    The man''s words were cut short. His eyes widened, staring blankly into the center of his forehead.


    As his body slowly fell to the ground, the last thing he saw was the hilt of the dagger piercing his skull.


    "H- huh?"


    The other bandits looked at the body of their friend, not understanding what had happened. Then, all of their eyes slowly turned towards Kael.


    What they saw was that the eyes they were sure were brown a few seconds ago now had a silvery glow.


    As Kael spread his eon throughout his body along the blood vessels, he sprang into action.


    He instantly took the second man''s head, grabbed the third man by the hair, slammed him to the ground, and kneed him hard enough to crack his skull. The last man he tripped and threw his dagger through his heart.


    It all took two seconds, no longer, no shorter.


    And that was enough time for it all to end.


    "Tch."


    He didn''t even need to use eon... had he overestimated them?


    He stopped his eon circulation, then walked towards the last of the five. He didn''t ask them any questions. He simply walked at them with his daggers, making his intentions clear from the start.


    But this time, he did not kill them instantly. He gave them a chance, deliberately creating openings in his stance. And he realized that they were not so weak.


    They were stronger than the trio he had killed in the street when he first entered Greenveil Town, for example.


    He killed the remaining five bandits in this way without using a drop of eon, without breaking a sweat. In the end, when he looked at the five corpses around him, he took a deep breath.


    ''I''ve gotten stronger, I suppose.''


    In his previous state in the town, he would not have been able to kill these men without using eon.


    But as he was now, it was as if... he was crushing ants with his foot.


    ''Is it my training with Hakon? Or is it the curse that has strengthened me with my kills over the last two months?''


    He hung his daggers at his waist, turned, and moved to rejoin his group. All the while, he kept thinking.


    ''Or both...''


    It was... satisfying to be able to see his progress in such a clear way. He couldn''t lie.

 Chapter 63: Barony of Halve

    Nobility within the empire was quite simple. At the top was the emperor, then dukes, counts, and finally barons.Each metropolis was controlled by a duke and was their territory. What was considered the territory of the metropolises was divided into counties. And these counties in turn were divided into baronies.


    Such a simple hierarchy prevailed in the imperial lands.


    The lands that belonged to the Kingdom of Arcanoa, for example, now had the same hierarchy, with the king''s brother Musthar V. Arcanoa at the top.


    Most metropolises were different from each other in many ways, as they had previously belonged to different kingdoms. And another way they differed was in easily recognizable factors such as vegetation, atmosphere, and climate.


    And the Barony of Halve... it was the greenest region Kael had ever seen.


    No, not simply green... a strikingly bright green.


    ''Woah.''


    Flowers, trees, bushes... everything. Everything was too green.


    And that''s why it was strange. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Because most of the world had moody colors. Gray skies, pale colors... dark tones caused by blood, mud, and more.


    Here, though, it was different.


    Hardly able to resist the beauty of the vegetation, Kael quickened his pace, moving slightly ahead of the cart, which was moving quietly. Then, he found the tallest tree he could find around and climbed up it, stood up, and looked around, not caring how exposed he was.


    He could now see the town they were heading for. It was a town with walls, but they didn''t reach up to the sky like in a metropolis. More like... they were simply there for protection.


    In contrast, the town covered a much, much larger area than Greenveil Town. Compared to this, it was even funny to call Greenveil a town...


    But that was not the main thing that caught Kael''s attention. It was... the greenery that surrounded the town, once again.


    No, not surrounding it... a greenery that seemed to literally become one with it. The walls were covered with vines, he could see the few tall buildings of the town and they were green too.


    It was as if the town was home not to people but to the greenery itself.


    ''Barony of Halve, Plentar Town...''


    His lips involuntarily curled upwards as he gazed mesmerized at the distant view of the town.


    Their journey was finally over.


    Now, they would deal with their main mission.


    *******


    Baroch and Kael joined the group after they had gotten some distance from the town. Their journey lasted six days, just as planned. And during those six days, Kael learned a lot about his group.


    Scher, for example, was here to be very much the brains of the group. The guy was really smart, he certainly had the makings of a scholar. He was even knowledgeable about things that Kael thought were a bit out of the ordinary. They even had a little chat about plants at one point.


    He couldn''t say he didn''t like the guy.


    Pecera, the leader of the group, meanwhile, was a woman devoted to her duty. Even though she wasn''t a bearer, she seemed strong. So much so that Kael wasn''t sure if he could win when he faced her. She also now had a better view of Kael and Matthew. She had recognized their abilities to a certain extent.


    Baroch was... what he was, a talented scout. Kael thought he could learn a few things just by observing him. He was also friendly, even if he was a bit awkward and sometimes seemed strange because he was always smiling.


    And finally... Matthew.


    Kael lowered his eyes slightly as he sat cross-legged on the carriage. Matthew was holding the horses'' reins. His lips were straight, his eyes focused on the road. He had driven the horses on most of their journeys and was still doing so.


    Kael had seen nothing problematic about him during these six days. He was almost ordinary... but Kael had not yet discarded his instincts. He didn''t like something about him when he looked at him... he had an uneasy feeling. That''s why he kept an eye on him.


    Eventually, he took his eyes off Matthew, just as the carriage began to slow down. When he looked ahead... he realized that they were right in front of the gate to the town.


    "Stop!"


    The guards guarding the gate quickly approached the stalled carriage. Pecera stepped out of the carriage at that very moment.


    "I am Pecera Panen, and also the leader of the team sent to solve the problem as a result of the letter of assistance sent by the baron to the Empire. This is our mission statement."


    She handed a scroll to the guards, which she had been holding in her hand since she got out of the carriage, and then the checks were carried out.


    While all the checks were being done, Kael turned his eyes to the vines that surrounded the walls. He looked at them for a moment, then squinted slightly.


    ''Huh...''


    He studied the vines even more carefully, his senses detached from his surroundings and focused only on the ramparts.


    Had he seen wrong... or had one of the vines moved?


    Slowly, he turned off his senses. Seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling... everything. Then, he focused on one sense in particular... carefully. And he saw exactly what he expected.


    His senses came back to him as his eyebrows rose slightly. Only one thing was going through his mind...


    ''Strange... and interesting.''


    Just then, the carriage he was sitting on started moving again and his eyes left the vines. The gates of the town opened wide and he was greeted by a sight just as he had expected.


    Greenery and buildings intertwined at the same time. The sides of the roads were lined with bushes and beautiful flowers, the houses were covered with vines that wrapped around the walls... and even the large mansion in the center of the town, presumably where the baron was staying, had its share of the green.


    And yet, no one in the town seemed to be disturbed. They were all quite normal, going about their daily business and talking like normal people.


    In this town... it was as if there were no problems at all.


    And so, the group continued calmly and slowly through the streets towards the baron''s mansion.


    *******


    The baron''s mansion was rather plainer than most mansions Kael had seen in his life. Not only the mansion itself, but there also seemed to be fewer servants or knights for some reason... hence the feeling of simplicity.


    ''Maybe that''s the way the baron likes it...''


    That was the first thought that crossed Kael''s mind. After all, this was the baron''s mansion... it wouldn''t be surprising if he had staffed it and designed it according to his preferences.


    And with these thoughts in mind, the group of five finally arrived at the baron''s room. They passed through the door opened by the servants, with Pecera and Scher at the front, Matthew just behind them, and Baroch and Kael at the back.


    "Welcome."


    Kael liked to briefly glance at the design when he first entered a place, but not this time. He didn''t think there would be much to see anyway... it had to be simple, like the whole mansion.


    So he turned his full focus on the man in his forties sitting at a table across the room.


    Baron Holm Halve was a man who showed his age quite distinctly... perhaps even a little too much. Most of his brown hair was gray, and his body was slightly fat, but he did not look overweight. His brown eyes, like his hair, were a little... strange, as if they had trouble focusing. All this and the wrinkles on his face were enough to make him think he was in his late fifties if he didn''t know his real age... but he had done his research.


    The group walked inside, right in front of the baron. The door to the room closed behind them. So, the only people left inside were them, two servants, and a knight who was obviously the baron''s personal bodyguard.


    "I am relieved to see the Empire responding to my calls for help... but I would like to ask, how much do you know about the situation?"


    Pecera took a quick step forward, quickly followed by Scher, but he deliberately stayed a little further behind Pecera.


    "We know that there are people in the city who suddenly became insane for no reason. And that the adventurers or mercenaries can''t solve the situation no matter what, and that they themselves have become insane."


    Pecera paused for a moment, straightening her posture slightly, but not in a disrespectful way. She just looked more... confident.


    "From the outside, our group may seem a bit... awkward and inappropriate for the situation, but don''t worry. On behalf of myself and the other four members of my group, I assure you that I believe we can provide you with everything you need."


    Baron Holm could only nod slightly. Then he let out a deep, really deep sigh and looked up at his knight, who was standing right next to his desk.


    It was a little difficult to see his face because of his helmet, but Kael could see his dark red eyes quite clearly. His black hair was slightly visible through his helmet. He was a well-built man, It would have been obvious that he was a knight even if the armor wasn''t there... that''s exactly what he gave off.


    But there was another detail about this man that caught Kael''s attention.


    And that was... that this man was a bearer.


    No, a follower.


    He could feel the man''s eon even more clearly than Matthew''s.


    "Let me introduce my official personal knight... Amar Slord, who will tell you the important details of the situation and listen to your requests."


    After these words, the baron''s eyes narrowed as he stared at the table. Then... he continued, his tone calm until now, but this time with a tremor he could not hide.


    "Just... please, help us. Forget the letter I sent to the Empire... If you can save this town and people... I am ready to give you anything you ask."

 Chapter 64: Insane of the Halve

    Kael was not quite sure what to think as he looked at the scene in front of him. Not only him, but also Pecera, Scher, and Baroch were looking at it with expressions that were difficult to understand.Matthew was the only one whose expression did not change significantly.


    "We keep everyone who becomes insane here."


    This was the dungeon. A very large dungeon underneath the mansion.


    It was a little... different from the dungeons Kael knew. It was not overly dirty, it had been cleaned and kept more hygienic for the people inside.


    But even that seemed a bit insufficient because of what was inside.


    "Huhuhu... hahahaha..."


    In one corner stood a man with one of the most crooked smiles Kael had ever seen, laughing incessantly in a low voice.


    In another cell was another man, completely naked. He must have ripped his clothes off himself because they were still on the floor of his cell. He was giggling all the time.


    And a woman in another cell was staring at the ceiling with a blank expression, drooling. Her lips were curled upwards too, but she seemed calmer than the others.


    Or was it because she was worse?


    "Why... are they here?"


    Scher was the one who asked this question. And with his question, Amar, the baron''s knight, approached one of the cells without turning his face towards him.


    It was the cell of the man who was in his corner, drowning in silent laughter.


    But when the door of the cell was thrown wide open, the man''s laughter came to an abrupt halt. His eyes, which seemed to be unable to focus properly, suddenly became clear and shifted instantly towards the open door.


    He stared at it for a while as if to check if he was seeing things wrong. Amar stepped aside to help him, pointing to the open door.


    The man jumped to his feet at that very moment. He headed for the door with a speed that was hard to believe belonged to a human being. But no matter how fast, Kael, being a bearer, could see the curl of the man''s lips.


    That crooked smile was an indication of what he could do once he was out of his cell.


    But before the dream of the owner of this smile could come true, the door to freedom was suddenly blocked by a large shadow.


    Amar stepped in front of the man and gently grabbed him by the arms. Then he tripped him with his foot, causing him to fall to the ground. But without letting his body hit the ground, he turned him slightly and gave him a gentle push backwards.


    The man suddenly found himself on the floor... in front of the cell wall. But he reacted quickly. He quickly turned back to the door and prepared to run once again. This time, though, there was a certain hostility in his eyes, a certain bloodlust. As soon as he saw Amar, he was going to pounce on him.


    But instead, he saw the cell door close again. And the click of the lock echoed in his ears.


    The man approached the door with slow steps, trying to push it a few times, but in vain. Then, he started to use force. And it was not a normal force at all... not only the door, but directly his cell itself seemed to tremble slightly.


    After a short time, the man gave up. He retreated back into his corner, ignoring all the eyes watching him, and collapsed there. And then... he started laughing quietly again.


    Amar looked at Scher out of the corner of his eye. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That''s why they''re here."


    But Scher didn''t focus on him. His eyes moved over the man towards the cell as if he wanted to see him more closely.


    "You kept reports, right? Notes for each patient, what happened to them in stages and so on."


    Amar nodded his head.


    "Yes."


    "Good... I want to see them all."


    He seemed genuinely intrigued by this.


    Well, of course he was...


    After all, Scher was a scholar, knowledgeable about many things, but his expertise was more in diseases, poisons, and their cures.


    He was not only the brains of the group... he was also the main person who would examine these insane people and try to make a diagnosis.


    *******


    The first thing the group did was quite simple.


    There were now a total of sixty-two people in the town who had become insane. Twenty-one of those had happened in just two weeks, so the problem was getting serious.


    As soon as Scher heard this, he took all the reports with him and started reading them one by one.


    And he soon realized why the baron was so desperate.


    "His wife... She is among those who became insane."


    "Oh..."


    Pecera couldn''t help but be surprised when he heard what Scher said.


    "When?"


    "Two days before the baron sent the request for help."


    In short... the baron only asked for help because his wife had become one of the victims.


    "Hmm..."


    Pecera was lost in thought for a moment. After a while, it was Baroch who spoke.


    "Do they have anything in common? The crazy ones, I mean."


    Scher shook his head from side to side.


    "I''ve read almost all of the reports. But I don''t see any similarities. In fact... it''s as if they went insane especially randomly. But the symptoms are a bit different."


    As he said this, he took out his notebook with an ink pen which he had hidden in his clothes until now. Then he started scribbling something on it. After a short while, he read what he had written.


    "Laughter is a common symptom when they have nothing to do. As soon as they realize they can break free, they strive for it. And... strangely, they have much more advanced physical abilities than a normal person. It''s as if whatever drove them mad also made them stronger."


    Kael raised his eyebrows slightly, not moving from where he had been leaning until now.


    "There''s a lot of greenery here... everywhere, actually. A parasitic plant, perhaps? First, it attached itself to the vegetation of the town and tried to grow. Lately, though, it completed its development and that''s why the number of cases has jumped. It''s a bit rare... but a schloremeia mutated by overexposure to eon, perhaps?"


    Scher paused for a moment.


    "Maybe."


    Then he scribbled something new in his notebook and glanced briefly in Kael''s direction.


    "Then... how about a tour of the town? Schloremeia or some other parasitic plant... it doesn''t matter. You can look for traces of it. You already know what''s what."


    Kael nodded softly. This was obviously what he wanted to do... so he wasn''t going to object.


    Just after them, Pecera entered the conversation.


    "Baroch and Matthew, why don''t you walk around the town with Kael? Watch the people, and if you see anyone going mad or about to do so, take quick action."


    Baroch and Matthew nodded, just like Kael.


    And so their plans were set, at least for the first day.


    *******


    After the talk with the group, Kael was doing what was expected of him as he walked the streets of the town. He was observing all the plants in the town, looking for one that would catch his attention.


    And he actually saw a few. There were so many different types of plants in the town that it was hard not to find something that could cause trouble. But... none of them were plants that could be the source of the trouble the town faces. And the townspeople would have been aware of these plants, as these plants were usually few in number, and not many people passed by or dealt with them.


    So there was nothing remarkable. Nevertheless, Kael made a mental note of the plants he saw and kept going. Finally, when he came to a certain place... that''s when he stopped.


    Well, Kael''s purpose was not exactly with these plants.


    Yes, he was aware of his task, but he was actually wandering the streets of this town for something else.


    His eyes slowly drifted towards the walls, towards the vines that wrapped around them.


    He looked at them for a while. Then he squinted slightly and focused on one of his senses that normal people don''t have.


    After a short time... he could feel it again. Just as he had felt it when he first entered the town, it was the same now.


    ''These vines... why do they have such an intense eon?''

 Chapter 65: Vines of the Town

    *******Kael looked at the vines with great interest. Closer and closer to the wall, he stared at a part of it that passed right in front of him.


    He slowly raised his hand and touched it.


    But nothing happened.


    He closed his eyes this time, leaving behind only the sense that allowed him to feel eon.


    And...


    ''Woah...''


    He was shocked by what he discovered.


    ''Is it possible that this... could have happened naturally?''


    The vines... on the walls, on some of the buildings, directly across the whole town... they were all connected to each other.


    ''Ah, no...''


    Yes, they were all connected, but not because they were in contact with each other.


    All these vines were the same. They all had the same origin, root... whatever it was. They were all... actually part of the same plant.


    Kael took his hand off the vine, opened his eyes.


    Now... there was only one question on his mind.


    What was the deal with these vines? Could it be the cause of the madness in the town, was it causing a completely different problem... or was it completely harmless?


    ''I suppose I should tell the baron and his knight about this...''


    After this quick thought, though, he paused for a moment, his brow furrowing.


    ''Though... Amar is a follower. He must already be aware of the vines. Then... the baron must know too. Why didn''t they tell us?''


    Even if the vines were harmless, they should have told them so that they could avoid speculation about them.


    He turned around, about to turn back to the baron''s mansion... but then he paused.


    When he saw the figure standing only a few meters away from him, he couldn''t help but feel a little nervous and surprised.


    "Is something wrong?"


    The figure in his path, Matthew, with his eyes fixed on the wall, did not react to the question. On the contrary...


    "I think you noticed it too."


    Kael could see where Matthew was looking. With that, his nervousness faded a little, and he sighed lightly.


    "Yes. The vines aren''t separate creatures, they''re all part of one plant. And they have a lot of eon..."


    Matthew nodded his head, not taking his eyes off the wall.


    "Do you think it has anything to do with the insane?"


    Kael shook his head from side to side.


    "Amar is supposed to know. He''s a follower after all. They would have figured it out by now. So... no."


    Matthew was silent for a while. Kael continued to stare at him.


    After a short while, he focused fully on Matthew''s azure blue eyes. And... he asked in a calm tone.


    "You''re not a bearer, are you?"


    Matthew''s eyes quickly traveled down the walls and fixed on Kael. His lips curled upward slightly.


    "On what basis do you draw that conclusion?"


    "From your eon."


    "So your senses are that sharp... even though you''re just a bearer?"


    Kael shrugged.


    "I''m good at sensing, let''s say." S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ahahah... then I''m a bit good with my eon, what do you think?"


    Kael couldn''t help squinting. He was not satisfied and opened his mouth again. But then...


    "H- huh?"


    Both Kael and Matthew''s eyes quickly turned toward a point on the street.


    There, they saw a man leaning against the wall of a building. Another man was standing next to him, staring at him with dilated eyes. He was the one making the noise.


    "H- hey? Are you okay?"


    The man leaned slightly towards the other, who was probably someone he knew. He also didn''t seem to understand what was happening.


    But it was different for Kael and Matthew.


    The two moved quickly to the man''s side, drawing attention to themselves in the process... but they didn''t care much about being out in the open.


    "Get away from him."


    It was Kael who said this. His words quickly caused the crowd to frown. But before they could, Matthew continued.


    "We were sent by the Empire, and the person you see is... going insane."


    And indeed he was.


    Immediately after Matthew had finished his words, the man leaning against the wall began to tremble, and slowly, as he slowly removed his arms from the wall, he straightened up and stared at the sky with glazed eyes. The corners of his lips curled up slightly as drool dribbled from between them. And then...


    "Hah... Hahahahaha..."


    He started to laugh.


    But before he could continue laughing, two figures suddenly appeared on either side of him. Without the man being able to lower his eyes from the sky and look at the figures on either side of him, Matthew slammed his hand down hard on the back of his neck.


    The man''s eyes slid back and closed as his body slumped to the ground.


    *******


    Whatever was driving the town mad, after its new victim had been placed in an empty cell in the dungeon, Kael and Matthew were standing in front of Scher.


    Scher was looking at them with sparkling eyes. But his expression remained serious.


    "What did you see? Tell me from beginning to end."


    And it was Kael who answered his question.


    "The man''s body suddenly started to draw eon from his surroundings. If I understand correctly, all the eon entered his brain, and then he started laughing."


    As usual, Scher scribbled in his notebook with every word Kael said. Then his eyes turned to Matthew.


    "And you? Did you see anything remarkable?"


    Matthew shook his head from side to side.


    "Nothing different from what he said."


    Scher looked down at his notebook, changed a few pages and read them. Then he started muttering to himself.


    Neither Kael nor Matthew could understand exactly what he was saying. But they didn''t try to. Scher was smart, he knew what he was doing.


    "Did you see anything else, then? Anything that might be relevant to the situation?"


    Kael and Matthew looked at each other briefly, then turned towards Scher at the same time. But it was Kael who spoke.


    "The vines... the ones all over town."


    Scher tore his eyes away from his notebook and looked at Kael with raised eyebrows.


    "They are not separate from each other. It''s all one giant part of a single plant, and it wraps around the whole town. It also has quite a large reserve of eon. I don''t know if it''s relevant to the situation, but we weren''t informed about it..."


    "A single organism covering the whole town, huh..."


    Scher closed the notebook.


    "I''m not sure if it''s related to the situation, but... it might be connected to something else, maybe. Let''s ask the baron about it."


    Then he turned and walked out of the room. He was heading straight for the baron''s office... Kael and Matthew followed him.


    *******


    "So you were... aware of this?"


    The baron nodded at Scher''s question.


    "Of course. Those vines are the reason why the town, this whole area, is so green. Do you think it might be connected to the situation?"


    "Yes..."


    Scher sighed slightly after his answer.


    "But apparently, they are not doing any harm."


    He wasn''t simply relying on what the baron had said. He had a book in front of him that explained exactly what vines were. And notes, of course.


    When Kael learned what the vines were all about, he couldn''t help but be surprised.


    These vines had been alive for centuries. There was a large part of it under the town that acted like its brain, and it was maintained directly by the town. And according to the people, it did more good than harm. It actively cleaned the air and purified the eon in the town, for example. There were many other good things like that...


    ''Interesting...''


    "Have you found anything so far?"


    The Baron''s voice was a little shaky with that sentence. His eyes seemed to sparkle with anticipation. He seemed to really want something to be found.


    "No."


    But Scher''s answer caused his eyes to go back to the way they were before, and for a brief moment, the hope he had had disappeared.


    "I see..."


    He took a deep breath in and out. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.


    "You may go, then."


    Kael, Scher, and Matthew walked slowly out of the baron''s office. They had heard everything they wanted to hear, and the baron... didn''t look well. So the three of them didn''t say anything.


    After closing the door to the office, though, they looked at each other and stood where they were for a short while. Scher narrowed his eyes slightly.


    "Those vines... investigate them yourself."


    Kael and Matthew nodded quickly.


    Scher didn''t seem to believe that the vines were completely harmless. Kael and Matthew, too...


    Before they went their separate ways, Scher turned towards Kael.


    "You can even try to infiltrate the place under the town. The townspeople seem to take the vine seriously, they may have even deified it. So let''s tread carefully."


    "Understood."


    And so, they finally went their separate ways.


    But Kael paused and turned slightly after walking along the corridors of the mansion for some time.


    "What do you want... Matthew?"

 Chapter 66: Several Problems with the Guardian

    Matthew had his usual smile on his face. He looked relaxed, and it was an expression that Kael didn''t like."I''m just... curious... why exactly are you on this mission, Kael?"


    Kael did not change his posture or expression. He only sighed slightly. Looking into Matthew''s eyes, he said a single sentence.


    "Same reason as you, maybe? How do you like my answer?"


    Matthew waited in silence for a while, his expression the same... unchanging. Only then did he slowly take a single step towards Kael. The sound of his footsteps echoed down the corridor, and he even looked a little intimidating in his upright posture.


    But Kael didn''t move.


    When Matthew was right in front of him, he inevitably felt a little nervous. But he was good at keeping it all under control.


    "Are you really sure you know why I''m on this mission?"


    And at Matthew''s words, Kael paused. His expression finally showed a hint of change.


    Now that he actually thought about it... he had thought from the beginning that Matthew was on this mission to gain experience, just like him. But... why? Just because they were close in age?


    Matthew could have been on this mission for a completely different reason.


    He... had made a mistake.


    "Why... are you on this mission, then?"


    Matthew widened his smile, and Kael tensed, sweat beading on his forehead. He used to just be nervous up until now, but after this...


    "It''s simple, actually. Not that complicated..."


    Kael held his breath. He didn''t know why, but he had a bad feeling. Maybe... maybe he should have reached for his daggers.


    "I''m gaining experience."


    "H- huh...?"


    Kael felt stupid for a moment. He just stared at Matthew. And he continued to smile as if nothing had happened.


    "Oh, it seems you''re really here for the experience, too. Very well, then."


    Find your next read at mvl


    Matthew turned away... but before he left, he said one last thing in a low voice.


    "Anyway, I feel like there''s a lot more going on here than meets the eye, so you''d better watch out."


    And then, he moved along the corridor and disappeared after a short time. And Kael... just stood where he was.


    ''What did that mean...?''


    He hadn''t trusted Matthew much before... And, to be honest, he didn''t even trust him anymore. What kind of conversation was this?


    He thought about everything Matthew had said over and over again. What stuck in his mind, though, was one sentence.


    ''There''s a lot more going on here than meets the eye...''


    Matthew... could he know something?


    Kael began to move with slow steps. But his brow was furrowed and his eyes narrowed.


    ''First... let me do what I have to do. Then, I will think about this too.''


    *******


    It didn''t take Kael long to find the ''central point of the plant''. When he put his hand on one of the vines and followed the streams of eon, he could easily feel them stretching under the town. So... he knew exactly where he needed to go.


    All he had to do was sneak in. And after a little research, he learned that getting in here was going to be harder than he thought. Impossible, maybe, even.


    Security was top-notch. People took the maintenance and security of the central plant really seriously. Those who were allowed to enter were either those who had permission slips directly from the baron or those who would be maintaining the plant.


    ''The entrance is under the mansion. It''s through tunnels that go underground and then it leads to a large area.''


    Inside this large area was an object that was collecting massive amounts of eon. An object that connects to all the eon streams around it... the brain, the center... whatever it was called.


    ''How can I sneak in, though?''


    If he had been a bit taller, maybe he could have disguised himself as one of the maintenance staff.


    Although...


    ''Hmm...''


    He paused as a sudden idea came to him. He remembered something from before, a name he had seen when Scher was studying people who had gone insane.


    ''Actually... Do I really need to sneak in?''


    *******


    Towards noon of the same day, a woman was making her way slowly through one of the tunnels that ran underneath the mansion.


    She had finished the daily maintenance of their town''s Guardian and now, she was going home to rest.


    As she moved forward, her eyes fell on the vines on the sides of the tunnels. He thought of one of her colleagues who had gone insane a few weeks ago. Who was also... their teacher.


    ''There are two of us left now...''


    Normally there were three people who looked after their Guardian, at least on a daily basis. How unfortunate that one of them, and actually the most important of them, fell victim to the disgusting disease that infested the town.


    ''Work got heavier.''


    To be honest, she had no complaints. She was happy to take care of the Guardian. But... she couldn''t help being afraid.


    What if something happened to her or the other maintenance worker? Then things could get a bit messy.


    ''No... I mustn''t think bad things.'' S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sighing, she tried to push these thoughts out of her mind. She was doing nothing but invoking the bad.


    Like that, she finally came out of the tunnels. She entered the room that connected to the inside of the mansion. And as she entered, one of the guards approached her.


    She spoke quickly.


    "I have finished the daily maintenance."


    The guard nodded and handed her a piece of paper and a pen. She signed her name, Fesila, on the paper. Then the guard thanked her and returned to his post. She thanked him in the same way.


    Fesila continued to walk through the mansion. She talked and laughed with the servants and employees she saw in the corridors. But she eventually left the mansion and stepped out into the town. With the pale rays of the sun, she began to walk home, feeling relieved.


    Everything was normal. The town, the people... the weather.


    But when she entered the street where her house was, she saw something out of the corner of her eye and paused. In one of the alleyways for some reason... had she seen one of the vines moving?


    ''Huh... strange.''


    The vines usually stayed still. There were rare occasions when they moved, but these little things usually signaled that something was wrong.


    Fesila approached the vine with slow steps, moving towards the alleyway.


    Just as she locked onto the vine... she noticed a young man standing right next to it. He was looking at the vine, just like her.


    When he heard Fesila''s footsteps, he took his eyes off the vine, turned around, and looked at the woman approaching him. His brown eyes were quite ordinary, at least that was what she felt looking at them.


    He didn''t look like someone important.


    "Oh, hi."


    "Hello... have you seen a problem, I wonder?"


    The youth waited a moment for the question. Then he nodded his head slightly.


    "The vines were moving. And... it doesn''t look good, to be honest."


    The woman paused at the words she heard.


    "It doesn''t look good...?"


    The youth nodded again.


    "Yes. The vines absorb eon from their surroundings and give it back, purifying the air in the same way, and all the time consuming sunlight. But there seems to be a problem with the flow of eon... the level of air purification has also decreased, and the sun is even paler than usual at the moment, so it''s not getting enough nourishment either."


    Fesila replayed everything she had heard over and over in her mind. Then, her brows furrowed.


    "May I ask how you draw these conclusions...?"


    The youth didn''t question the question at all. In fact, he answered as if he was expecting it.


    "Because I am a bearer and I can sense eon. As for the air problem, I can give the color of the vines as an example. The green color has darkened on some spots and even yellowed. Brown and white spots can also be seen here and there. The problem of sunlight is obviously the same."


    Fesila... was actually not overly skilled in botany. Yes, she knew some things... but her only job was to take care of the Guardian daily. So what she knew about plants was limited to the Guardian.


    And... she could see everything the young man said. The darkened places, the brown spots... maybe she couldn''t feel eon, she was just an ordinary person after all... but did the young man have a reason to lie?


    "Are you... a botanist, by any chance?"


    The youth paused, then smiled slightly.


    "Yes. I am also a member of the team sent by the empire to solve the problem in the town. My name is Kael."


    "O- oh..."


    Fesila thought for a while, her mind going back and forth.


    If what the young man in front of her, Kael, was saying was true, then... there was a problem.


    But the problem didn''t stop there.


    Because the person who really knew something about the Guardian and plants was now insane! He and the other maintenance worker had not yet learned what to do in such a situation! Their training was incomplete!


    "I... understand. Thank you for telling me."


    Fesila glanced briefly in the direction of her house. Then, she took a deep breath and turned back the way she had come. With quick steps, she started moving towards the baron''s mansion again.


    Kael only looked after her. He had a slight smile on his face.


    ''Well... this was easier than I thought.''


    *******


    *(A/N: I will upload two chapters in a row next time. But I have a thing to do today, so they may come a little too late. Sorry for it, but it''s important.)*

 Chapter 67: Knights Warning

    Nothing remarkable happened on the first night. Scher and Pecera continued their work, and Kael, Baroch, and Matthew wandered around the town.The townspeople were restless, but knowing there was nothing they could do, they went to bed, hoping not to go insane like others.


    This late that night, the lights were still on in the baron''s room. There were two people inside.


    The baron himself and... Fesila. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fesila was standing nervously in front of the baron''s desk. The Baron was looking at the report she had given him just before he left for work, and thinking at the same time.


    After a brief moment, he lowered the report and looked directly into Fesila''s eyes.


    "Your report says that everything was in order again today, Fesila. When I look at what you say, I think it''s true too, that there is indeed a problem with the Guardian. But... what made you come to this realization so quickly and suddenly?"


    For a moment, Fesila was torn between answering or not. Honestly... she was angry at herself for not recognizing such things as someone who took care of the Guardian, and at the same time embarrassed to explain her own incompetence.


    Still, she made her decision quickly.


    "A member of the team sent by the Empire... a guy who knows a lot about botany. I saw him studying the vines on my way home, and he told me about them during our brief conversation and suggested that there might be a problem with the Guardian."


    The Baron became thoughtful while Fesila waited in silence.


    ''The head maintainer is among the insane... the other two have not learned their duties properly.''


    When he looked at it that way... they were really in trouble. It worried him to think that the Guardian might be in trouble. So much so... that he even put the problem facing the town on the back burner.


    But then he paused. Could it be... that the Guardian was in this situation because of the problem the town was facing? Could it be that the Guardian had its own share of the thing that drove people insane, or... was suppressing it?


    "This person you mentioned... who was he?"


    "He said his name was Kael."


    The Baron involuntarily narrowed his eyes slightly. Searching his memory, he remembered that the person Fesila had mentioned was the scout who looked quite young. And as he remembered this, his expression fell a little.


    What would someone as young as him know about botany...? Maybe he could identify a problem, yes... but could he really solve it?


    "Well done, Fesila. I appreciate you keeping me informed about the situation. You can go home and rest... but before you go, could you ask this Kael to pay me a visit?"


    Fesila quickly nodded her head up and down. Then she left the baron''s room. When she closed the door, though, she took a deep breath.


    Frankly... she was scared. That she might lose her job, for example... that she couldn''t see how their Guardian was in trouble.


    But there was no problem. She was safe, she didn''t have to worry. So... the only thing she had to worry about now was the Guardian.


    And with that thought, she started moving again.


    *******


    Kael was surprised to learn that the baron had asked to see him quite late at night. He had not expected it to be so... early. He had thought he would make progress the next day.


    Apparently, he had underestimated the town''s sensitivities about this ''Guardian''...


    Because he could see that the baron was looking at him skeptically, but he could also see that he was serious.


    "You saw that the Guardian, I mean... the vines in town were troublesome."


    Kael nodded in agreement.


    "Yes, I only went by what I saw, and I may be wrong, but that''s what I think. Was there a problem, baron...?"


    The Baron let his eyes roam over Kael. Instead of answering his question, he asked him another.


    "How skilled are you in botany, Kael?"


    Without holding back, Kael curled his lips upwards and smiled.


    "The Kingdom of Arcanoa... I used to live there. And I was directly in charge of maintaining the palace garden and greenhouse. I''ve been interested in plants since I was quite young."


    "Oh?"


    The Baron could not hide his surprise. But what he couldn''t hide was also suspicion.


    He remembered what they were talking about the Guardian earlier.


    And... even if they didn''t show it, he was aware that the group sent by the Empire had a strange interest in the Guardian. They even thought it might be the cause of the madness in the town.


    Well, they hadn''t said it, but it wasn''t hard to understand.


    Now, out of nowhere, something like this had appeared?


    He thought about what Fesila had said. Then what Kael had said, and the visible signs on the vines.


    He was silent for a while and kept thinking. And then... he sighed slightly.


    "Kael... can I ask you a favor?"


    The young scout''s lips curved upwards slightly. But it was not a sly smile, it was sincere and respectful. He even bowed his head slightly.


    "Sure, go ahead."


    The Baron pulled a piece of paper in front of him. He scribbled something on it, took the small stamp on the edge of the table, and pressed it on the paper. Then he pushed the paper across the table towards Kael and looked him in the eye again.


    "I want you to use your knowledge of plants for us. If you see a problem with the Guardian... can you take the other two maintenance staff with you and check its condition?"


    Kael nodded happily.


    "Sure, I will."


    And he picked up the paper on the table and studied it briefly. It was permission to enter the place where the maintenance staff had entered.


    "Then please take care of it tomorrow morning."


    Again, Kael bowed his head respectfully. This time he didn''t answer... but he didn''t need to.


    He had a big smile on his face as he walked out of the baron''s office, permission letter in hand.


    Getting what he wanted had been... easier than he had thought. He had thought that the Baron would take a little more time to be convinced, maybe even ignore the situation. But... it had worked.


    So he headed to his room to get some sleep.


    At least that''s what he wanted...


    But he did not.


    Or rather, he couldn''t.


    When he saw the figure waiting for him a little further down the corridor, leaning against the wall, he paused, feeling himself tense involuntarily.


    No, it was not Matthew. It was Amar, the Baron''s private knight. His dark red eyes were fixed on the wall in front of him, and his black hair was exposed because the helmet that always rested on his head was missing this time.


    As Kael''s footsteps paused, Amar''s eyes slowly left the wall opposite him and turned towards him. Then, he looked at the paper in his hand.


    They both remained silent for a while. But since Amar didn''t seem to have any intention of speaking or moving, Kael held his breath and started moving again with slow steps.


    Each one of his steps left a heavy thud that echoed through the corridor. He didn''t know why, but it was much clearer than before... and it was also the only thing he could hear for some reason.


    Amar''s eyes never left him as he moved. The distance between them was decreasing by the second and Kael could hardly keep himself from sweating.


    ''Why am I so nervous?''


    He couldn''t find a logical answer to his question. Just as Amar passed in front of him, he quickened his pace a little. All his senses were working to their fullest, his whole body was ready for action like he had never felt in his life.


    And then... he stopped dead in his tracks all of a sudden.


    His eyes widened slightly as each of his senses slowly shut down, except for one... one he was using quite often these days.


    ''Eon... wait, eon?''


    He swallowed, turning his head only slightly back and looking towards where Amar had been standing earlier. He saw the man''s dark red eyes glowing, looking at him as if he were his enemy... and slowly filling the entire corridor with his eon, which had a brownish color.


    Amar''s eon was... strange. It suddenly filled Kael with a sense of spaciousness. Like... like the freshness of the wind blowing in the face in a desolate forest.


    The smell of leaves, earth, and trees filled his nose. He saw the vines forming inside the brown-colored eon, each one slowly approaching him.


    His reaction was very fast. His own eon quickly enveloped his body, and his body instantly became many times stronger. He threw himself back as fast as he could. He dodged the vines coming at him, but when he suddenly found Amar in front of him, he realized there was nothing he could do.


    Amar grabbed him by the neck, gripped him so tightly that he gasped for breath, and swept him off his feet. Kael tried desperately to kick him, but the vines he didn''t know where they came from tied his feet together and prevented him from kicking.


    Amar tensed the arm holding him by the neck, then slammed it hard against the wall of the hallway. Kael felt his bones breaking as cracks appeared in the wall, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.


    And just then Amar narrowed his dark red eyes slightly.


    "I know what you''re trying to do."


    His voice was cold. With each word, Kael found it harder and harder to breathe. Yet he didn''t give up, he didn''t want to. He tried everything he had to survive. He increased the amount of eon coursing through his veins as much as he could, constantly looking for a tiny opening he could open for himself... Explore more adventures at mvl


    But he couldn''t find it.


    On the contrary, Amar tightened his grip even more.


    "What do you want from the Guardian? What is your purpose? Who-"


    He paused for a moment.


    "No... what exactly are you?"


    As the grip on his throat loosened, Kael felt he could breathe again. Then Amar let go of him completely and he fell to the floor. Coughing up blood, he tried to clear his lungs, to get his body moving again. But Amar was right in front of him, his dark red eyes fixed sharply on him.


    It was not possible for him to escape.


    Straight away, it was impossible.


    "Cough, cough... Haaah..."


    He waited a while longer for the pain in his throat to subside. Then he slowly raised his head and focused on Amar''s cold eyes.


    "I- I don''t mean any ha- cough...! Ugh..."


    He took a deep breath, feeling a little more relaxed this time. But he was aware that the other man''s patience was not infinite.


    "I don''t mean any harm... I really don''t. Everything I said about the vines was true, I just exaggerated a bit to get permission. What I really want is to see how your Guardian is doing and see if I can find out anything about the town''s problem."


    He hadn''t told a single lie. He didn''t dare, frankly... Amar was really frightening right now.


    But that wasn''t all he had to say. As he thought about the questions Amar had asked him, one thing stuck in his mind.


    "But... what do you mean ''what you are''...? I''m not hiding my identity or something like that... Do I look like I''m not human?"


    Amar narrowed his eyes even more at the answer he received, taking his focus away from Kael for a brief moment, stepping back and making room for him.


    Kael got up slowly. Amar had no intention of attacking himself again. Because... he couldn''t feel that sense of danger, that killing intent that he had felt before.


    Still, he understood that he was dangerous. Amar... was definitely not someone to be trifled with.


    "You are human, don''t worry."


    Kael''s brow furrowed at the words that finally came out of his mouth.


    "Huh?"


    Amar sighed lightly and closed his eyes. When his eyelids opened again after a brief moment, his dark red eyes were no longer glowing, he had withdrawn his eon.


    "I will believe you... for now. But be aware that you are being watched, Kael."


    With those words, the corridor suddenly glowed with a brown light, Kael heard scuffling sounds, as if vines were crawling all around him... and when the light disappeared, Amar was no longer in the corridor.


    Kael took a deep, really deep breath. Slowly, he looked back at the wall Amar had pinned him against. He was sure there were a few cracks in the wall... but there was nothing there. He was also pretty sure that his bones were broken, but he felt pretty good now.


    Like... Like nothing had actually happened.


    *(A/N: I was going to post these chapters after two more days, actually. Because I will finally go home after two days. But I wrote these chapters from my phone and thought that it would be fine to post them. So... that''s it. I will come back in two days, fully so with no issues. Trust me this time. I even stacked some chapters.)*

 Chapter 68: Heart of the Guardian

    *(A/N: There will be another chapter in a few hours. And I wrote a bunch of chapters while I was gone even though I couldn''t publish any of them. So I have like 20 chapters ready. I scheduled everything. I''m prepared this time.)********


    After his encounter with Amar, Kael went to his room and threw himself on his bed.


    All sleep was gone.


    Amar... had really left a big effect on him.


    ''Scary...''


    He would not be honest if he claimed otherwise. The knight named Amar was now a far different person in his eyes.


    ''And he''s connected to this ''Guardian'', somehow...''


    What was this connection? He couldn''t stop wondering.


    One thing he was sure of, though... Amar didn''t like him very much.


    ''I''ll have to be more careful tomorrow.''


    At least he was now aware that he was being watched. He could act accordingly.


    He put his hands on his pillow, behind his head, and began to watch the ceiling.


    Even though his mind was full of different thoughts, one kept coming to the fore. Find adventures at mvl


    And that was... whatever the town''s problem was, whether it was with the Guardian or not, there was definitely something going on here that the Empire was not aware of.


    *******


    On the morning of the next day, just as planned, Kael, along with two other maintenance workers, prepared to go to the Heart of the Guardian.


    And it wasn''t long before the preparations were finished.


    "Are you ready?"


    The first of the maintenance workers, Fesila, nodded. The other, a young, ordinary boy who looked to be in his twenties, responded in kind.


    "Good... let''s go then, to the Heart of the Guardian."


    That''s what their destination was called, the Heart of the Guardian.


    And Kael liked it, he thought it was a fitting name for where they were going.


    "Yes."


    And so they left. They made their way to the lower levels of the mansion, entering one of the entrances Kael had identified earlier.


    The checks were done quickly. Kael got strange looks from most of the people around him, but he didn''t worry too much about it. All his focus was on the road ahead.


    As he had sensed before, underneath the mansion was practically an anthill. Tunnels ran everywhere, connecting to each other and getting more and more complex. What all these tunnels had in common was the abundance of vines in each of them.


    Just like the roots of a tree.


    Roots full of eon, or rather vines.


    ''Strange... and intriguing...''


    Plants had always intrigued him, dangerous or not. Even though he hadn''t put his botanical knowledge to proper use recently, it hadn''t dampened his interest in them.


    So, whatever his previous thoughts, he had a strange feeling when he thought about this plant called ''Guardian'' by the townspeople, its connection to eon, and the fact that it had grown to such a large size.


    Still, Kael put his mission first, just as he had done since he first stepped foot in the Empire. And he preferred to focus on what was in front of him.


    Finally, after traveling for some time, he noticed that the tunnel they were traveling through began to widen slightly. Not only that, the number of vines was increasing and growing in size. But the most obvious thing was definitely... the amount of eon.


    ''This is... almost dizzying.''


    The fact that so much eon was crammed into such a small space... was enough to overwhelm his senses as he was experiencing it for the first time. He tried to keep his posture and expression neutral, but if no one was around, he would have just let himself fall to the ground to recover.


    ''How do those two stand it...? Are they used to it?''


    Or were they less affected because they were normal people?


    ''Calm down, focus...''


    He regulated his breathing, tensed his muscles, and moved his own eon more fluidly through his body. He felt a little more relaxed. And right after he did that...


    "Here we are."


    Fesila, the one at the front of the group, said, halting her steps.


    Kael paused. He had only stopped paying attention to his surroundings for a brief moment to focus, but even though it was a brief moment, he hadn''t realized where he had come to.


    The tunnel widened as it went on and led to what looked like a big cave. A very large cave.


    But... was it even right to call it a cave?


    Kael could not see a single rock or stone. Not even soil or dirt, let alone rocks and stones.


    Everything was... only vines. Vines that covered everything with their dark green color, in some places thicker than his own body.


    And all these vines were moving towards a single point. The center of the cave. And there they were merging, growing, becoming a whole.


    ''Ah...''


    Kael stiffened with the pure eon he felt as he stared at what was in front of him. But the eon was not the only reason why he was frozen in place. Although it was worse than in the tunnel, it was still bearable.


    It wasn''t the eon... it was what he saw.


    ''So that''s why they call it a heart...''


    The Heart of the Guardian... was beating like a real heart.


    The vines, forming an egg-like structure almost four meters in size, were constantly moving. It was beating as a heart beats. It was carrying something as a heart carries blood throughout the body.


    ''It carries eon... all over its body...'' S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He could not help swallowing. This time, he had to try harder to calm himself and keep his focus. But he did it anyway.


    Slowly, he began to approach the ''heart''. His steps were slow, his senses were getting stranger with each step he took. Yet he did not stop and kept going.


    ''How does it get the necessary water and sunlight? Can something so big... really circulate enough nutrients and energy?''


    Maybe... eon was helping it?


    Maybe the reason why this heart-shaped structure was created in the first place was to send eon to all the vines to support the water and sunlight as energy.


    ''Ah... that''s why it had eon... or why it was able to grow so big because it had eon in the first place...''


    His eyes widened slightly as many different theories flooded his mind.


    ''The discoloration in some areas, the problems with what appears to be a lack of nutrients... these are all things that occur naturally in this plant... That''s why they didn''t take it seriously until now...''


    Everything made more sense now. This plant... even if it was successful in trying to keep itself alive, it was never completely healthy.


    Kael paused for a moment. His brow furrowed as something occurred to him.


    ''So... why did they agree with me that the color was different from normal?''


    If the color of the plant was always like this, they wouldn''t see it as a problem now. He could tell that there were similar conclusions for other problems of the plant.


    He kept thinking.


    He thought, thought, and thought...


    ''Eon... There was also a problem with the eon flow...''


    Finally, just in front of the heart, he paused again. Swallowing involuntarily, he squinted slightly. Then, he slowly raised his hand, trying to reach out to it.


    But he failed.


    "What do you think you''re doing?"


    He could do nothing against the tremendous force that suddenly grabbed his arm. His eyes quickly left the heart and turned to the man standing right next to him... Amar.


    He... was looking at him much more hostile than he had been yesterday.


    "I''m going to look at the eon flow of it."


    "Well, sorry then. You can''t touch it."


    "I can''t solve the problem if there''s one unless I touch it."


    "Then you don''t have to solve it."


    Amar gave Kael''s hand a hard shove, causing him to step back. The hostile look in his eyes grew worse by the second as he continued his words harshly.


    "It was ridiculous to even let you come here. Get out of here right now."


    But Kael... wasn''t going to give up. He had no intention of it.


    "I know you don''t trust me... but all I really want to do is study the eon flow. Just like I did in town."


    "Go back to doing it in town, then."


    Kael narrowed his eyes. He met Amar''s cold eyes with the same coldness.


    "Don''t get me wrong, I really have no intention of harming your Guardian, but... I don''t understand why you guys care so much about it."


    He took his eyes away from Amar for a brief moment and turned them towards the heart.


    "It''s a truly colossal plant that possesses eon... and it has many benefits for you as well as for nature, yes. But... not to the point of almost worshipping it, of naming it ''Guardian''."


    He turned to Amar again. This time, his words were much more confident, much calmer.


    "It does more, right?"


    He saw a brown glint in Amar''s eyes. The man''s crimson eyes started to change color as if to emphasize the amount of eon in his body, making Kael feel something much heavier than ''hostility''.


    "First and foremost, you... there''s something about you. You... can communicate with the ''Guardian'', right? And the Guardian does so much more than a simple plant can do. Like... literally protecting the town from outside threats, for example."


    Everything he said was speculation. It was all based on his guesses.


    But as it turned out, it was right on target.


    "It doesn''t change anything."


    Just like last night, brown colored eon spread out from Amar''s body and vines grew out of nothingness.


    They were all pointing at Kael.


    "Because if you won''t leave despite my warning... I will kill you right here."

 Chapter 69: Words of the Guardian

    "No... No, the fact that I know these things makes a lot of difference. You won''t kill me, for example."Despite all the vines staring at him, controlled by Amar, Kael was not afraid.


    Or rather, he made sure he wasn''t afraid.


    "I couldn''t be sure before, but now I am certain. Your guardian is... dying, Amar. And I mean that in the most serious way possible."


    He raised both hands in the air as the vines closed in on him step by step, taking a position completely open to attack. Yet his expression did not change one iota.


    "It is constantly growing, constantly expanding. Yes, it benefits its environment. Yes, it protects the place from creatures. But it is also slowly killing itself."


    One of the vines was right in front of his forehead at this moment. And... for some reason, even though it was a plant, it looked as sharp as a sword.


    "Because the more it grows, the more energy and resources it needs. And our world doesn''t have that. So it tries to get the energy it needs from eon. But even that''s not enough, so there are differences that shouldn''t be there in its color, in its eon flow, even in its respiration."


    He felt the tip of the vine on his skin, just in place to pierce his brain.


    Explore new worlds at mvl


    But... it didn''t go any further.


    When he realized that the vine had stopped, Kael was relieved, but he continued, careful not to let it show.


    "If it can really communicate with you... it must have some consciousness. You can warn him not to grow any bigger, Amar. We can try to help him. Together, even. Do you really... want to see the ''guardian'' you care so much about dying more and more every day? Are you really sure you won''t regret it when that day comes, when you find out that everything I said was true?"


    "Tch."


    Kael was so focused that he hadn''t blinked since Amar had first appeared. But there was a limit, and he finally blinked as fast as he could reflexively.


    When he opened his eyes again...


    The vine in front of his forehead had disappeared. Amar''s eyes were their original color again.


    "Well... fine. I''ll trust you, because what you said makes sense."


    He folded his arms across his chest. He looked at Kael with an expression that told him he still didn''t like him, even if the hostility in his eyes had faded a little.


    "Still... I''m still keeping an eye on you. I''ll take your life the moment I see the slightest sign of wrongdoing."


    Kael relaxed so much at these words that he felt as light as a feather. Although he hid it, he was deeply affected by the bloodlust and eon... so much so that if Amar had continued any longer, he would have been unable to breathe.


    But he got away with it. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For now.


    "All right."


    He glanced in the direction of Fesila and the other worker. They were both on the floor, both unconscious. Amar must have knocked them out before they approached him in the first place.


    ''He didn''t kill them... right?


    He felt relieved when he saw Fesila''s chest move slightly, indicating that she was breathing. Then he turned in front of him, taking one last look at Amar.


    Neither of them said anything, but that look said a lot. He had asked for his permission to continue. And Amar had given that permission in that short moment.


    So, he turned his gaze to the heart that had been beating in the same rhythm throughout this whole process.


    He took a deep breath, raised his hand again... and this time, he touched the heart without a hitch.


    At first... nothing happened.


    It felt like touching a soft wall that was simply moving. It was no different from touching the vines in town.


    But then he turned off all his senses and put everything into feeling the eon. He infiltrated the Guardian''s eon with his own. And the moment he did...


    Everything went dark.


    He didn''t see eon lines stretching for who knows how far. He didn''t find himself in countless streams of eon.


    Just... darkness.


    Nothing.


    ''H- huh...?''


    He pulled his hand back. Or rather he imagined he did... but he couldn''t feel his hand.


    ''What''s going on?''


    Amar... had he done something? Could he have tricked him?


    ''Did he... kill me?''


    If he quickly tore his body into several pieces, he would probably be dead before he realized what had happened.


    ''But... I can think.''


    Even more confused, he forced himself to calm down. He closed his non-existent eyes, then checked the eon in his body.


    And... he managed to feel something this time.


    ''I can feel my eon and the way it flows matches my body. So I am actually alive...''


    He could even feel the hand he was holding out because of the eon passing through it. So he was still where he was, not dead.


    ''Then... what happened?''


    He kept thinking. He didn''t stop even though he couldn''t find any conclusion.


    Then he paused.


    He focused again on the eon in his body. He extended it along his arm that touched the Guardian''s Heart, then tried to repeat what he had done before he found himself in this darkness...


    But then he paused once more.


    ''What... what is this?''


    He realized that a thought was starting to form in his mind.


    Well... it was normal. Everyone thought every time, after all. He himself was usually someone who did most things in his mind, who didn''t say much. So there was nothing as normal as thinking.


    The only problem was...


    It was that the thought was not his own.


    ''Uh... this is... too weird...''


    Illness.


    Madness.


    Death.


    "Ugh... Agh, aagghh..."


    His mind was hurting. He felt the pain in his head with each word that appeared before his eyes.


    Deception...


    Enemy...


    Outside...


    Each thought was a simple word. But they were so heavy, so painful...


    "AAAGGHHHH!"


    Eon...


    Dungeon...


    Dense...


    Finally, he couldn''t stand it.


    ''Ah...''


    The pain suddenly stopped. The darkness in his mind was gone in an instant, and he found himself in front of the heart again. He felt the tears falling from his eyes on his cheeks. The beating of the heart made his fingers and body shake.


    His eyes watered even more. He collapsed weakly as the strength in his arms and legs disappeared.


    He didn''t even have the strength to think.


    *******


    Amar... wasn''t thinking much as he watched Kael.


    There was only one thing on his mind. And that was... to kill Kael as soon as he caught him making one mistake.


    That''s why all his focus was on him. His eyes were sharp and he was watching all the eon flow through Kael''s body.


    But as he did so, he was faced with what was bothering him all over again.


    ''And he calls himself a bearer...''


    It was simply not possible. He had never seen a bearer with so many eon in their body before in his life. If his blessing or curse had something to do with it, maybe... but even that was absurd. Someone with so much eon should have already started on a Path, should have become a follower.


    He was most probably lying.


    ''Look at this...''


    Amar confirmed his thought again and again as he watched Kael''s eon condense along his body and move towards his arm.


    But when Kael''s eon made contact with the Guardian''s heart... all his thoughts vanished in an instant.


    His eyes widened. His arms crossed over his chest involuntarily released.


    "What?"


    The Guardian''s way of communicating with Amar was quite simple.


    Whenever Amar touched one of his vines, he could hear the voice of the Guardian''s primitive consciousness in his mind in the form of words. This allowed him to anticipate the threats the town would face. And that''s how he became strong enough to be where he is today.


    Because the Guardian was not only communicating with him, but also empowering him.


    But the Guardian had never said a word to him about the threat to the town. He simply refused to tell him about it.


    And now...


    "It''s... talking to him?"


    Amar quickly knelt down, placed his right hand on one of the vines on the floor, and closed his eyes.


    He waited for seconds. An answer, any words that would pop into his mind, any reaction.


    But nothing came.


    When Amar opened his eyes again... he stared blankly ahead of him. He didn''t even know what to think.


    ''There must be a reason...''


    His eyes narrowed again, turning cold. He looked at Kael''s body, which had collapsed at that very moment.


    ''It has something to do with that boy.''


    He approached Kael with slow steps. He nudged him with his foot and made sure he was unconscious when he didn''t react.


    "Tch..."


    He still didn''t like Kael. There was always something about him that bothered him. And Amar usually trusted his guts.


    He turned his eyes to the Guardian''s heart.


    "Do you trust him, really?"


    The heart continued to beat without any change in rhythm. As if it had not heard Amar''s question. Amar only let out a deep sigh.


    "So be it... all right."


    But... he made a mistake.


    Because he had no idea what actually the Guardian was thinking with its primitive consciousness at that moment.

 Chapter 70: A Strange Cave

    As Kael slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was that he was on a bed. Then he saw the ceiling above him and paused.''Ah...''


    His eyes narrowed as he remembered what had happened in the Heart of the Guardian. He got out of bed as fast as he could and checked his room.


    It was a normal one. It wasn''t like he was in a dungeon or anything... so Amar had really trusted him.


    ''They even left clothes, huh...''


    He picked up the clothes next to his bed and changed first. His body felt strangely good. The pain in his mind was gone.


    But the Guardian''s words were still in his mind. And he had to tell the others quickly.


    With these thoughts in mind, he quickly finished his work and went out of his room.


    What he found was not an empty corridor and the fresh air of the town.


    On the contrary... it was someone quite familiar.


    "Oh, you''re awake."


    Scher, the mastermind of their group, and Matthew, who was nothing but a mystery in his eyes at this point.


    "I''m awake... but you guys don''t look so good."


    Scher and Matthew looked at each other after Kael''s words. Then they both sighed slightly.


    "You didn''t sleep much. Only about six hours. But a lot happened in those hours..."


    Kael couldn''t help frowning. Whatever had happened... it certainly hadn''t been pleasant.


    "Like what, for example?"


    "The townspeople... are going mad much faster. The dungeon is almost full at this point."


    *******


    After Kael woke up, it didn''t take long for the team to assemble. Pecera, Baroch, Scher, Matthew, Kael, and finally Amar.


    Yes. Amar became part of the group. He had asked for it himself, to be more helpful to the group.


    "Briefly... The plant, seen as the guardian of the town, told you the words illness, madness, death, deception, enemy, outside, eon, and dungeon..."


    Kael nodded with Scher''s words. And Scher then fell into thought.


    "I think the words deception, enemy, and outside tell us a lot."


    Pecera suddenly jumped in, arms crossed over her chest and a serious expression on her face.


    "It''s like it''s trying to tell us that the situation in the town is a deception and that the real enemy is out there."


    Matthew gave her a very quick reply.


    "Maybe, but we shouldn''t ignore other words. Death, for example. We''ve never yet encountered a situation where the insane have died, and the dungeon might have something important to do with eon."


    The Guardian had actually used quite clear words.


    But still, confusing things prevented them from acting immediately.


    "I think we should send someone to investigate outside." Find exclusive stories on mvl


    Amar was usually a quiet man, but when he voiced his opinion, the whole group instantly focused on him.


    "If the guard emphasized the outside, then at least two people can go out to scan the town to investigate the situation. Let''s assign one person to search the dungeon. Another stays in the mansion to keep the situation under control, while the last two neutralize the insane in the town and send them to the dungeon."


    And... it made a lot of sense. At least the group offered no arguments against the idea and decided to go ahead with it.


    Baroch and Matthew were the two to go out. Scher was the one who was going to stay in the mansion as he was not very capable of fighting. Pecera and Amar would roam around the town, keeping the insane under control. Lastly, Kael would stay in the dungeon.


    "The situation is getting worse. And it''s likely to keep worsening rather than improving. So let''s hurry. Meet back here in four hours."


    And then, they were gone.


    *******


    The dungeon was as usual. The insane people usually laughed rhythmically where they stood, never taking Kael seriously.


    And this was also to Kael''s advantage. He could observe them more easily. That''s why he didn''t complain.


    ''I can''t see any trace, though...''


    Kael replayed the Guardian''s words in his mind. It had formed the word eon before the dungeon. So... what he should have been looking for in the dungeon was definitely eon-related.


    ''There was a sudden flow of eon into their brains before they became insane.''


    Kael approached one of the dungeons. One of the newly insane kept trying to get his head between the bars, but he couldn''t.


    Kael fearlessly stood right in front of the man, getting close to his face. He focused on the his brain as he activated his eon sense as much as he could.


    ''Here...''


    He could sense the presence of a small unnatural amount of eon in the man''s brain.


    But Scher and his group had long been aware of this eon.


    ''We haven''t found a way to get it out of their brains... but why did it get into the brain in the first place? Where did this eon come from...?''


    They had no idea.


    ''The amounts are almost the same. The density is the same. There''s no real difference between them...''


    Somehow, he felt like he was looking in the wrong place. Like... like he was missing something much bigger.


    *******


    "Did you find anything?"


    Before Matthew and Baroch began their search outside the town, they had set a point where they would meet every hour. It was barely an hour into their search. Now, they were giving each other their first report.


    "No. I want to check the woods on the other side of town, actually... because I''m almost certain there''s nothing here."


    Baroch thought a little about what Matthew had said. Then he sighed, not overly concerned.


    "I didn''t find anything either, but I don''t want to leave this place yet. There are a few other important places I haven''t fully explored."


    "Then I''ll go the other way."


    "All right."


    And just like that, after only a few minutes, he found himself in the forest he had mentioned.


    "Now... Now..."


    He curled his lips up slightly. He closed his eyes, then closed all his senses except one... just as Kael always did.


    But... the result he got was very different from what Kael usually got.


    The area where he could sense eon was much larger. The sense itself, meanwhile, was much sharper.


    Matthew waited like this for several seconds, looking for a sign.


    And... he found it.


    His eyes opened slowly, the smile on his face widened.


    "Interesting."


    He turned to his left, moving slowly through the trees. Unlike Kael, his eon sense was one that he could keep constantly on, much more effectively. And with the benefit of that, as he got closer to his target, he didn''t need to turn off all his senses to sense it.


    After a few minutes, the color of the trees and leaves around him slowly began to change. It was a rather minimal change, easy to miss. But Matthew didn''t.


    ''Their colors are fading...''


    He lowered his eyes to the ground, dug a little with his foot, and uprooted some grass.


    The grass was suffering from the same condition as the trees. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The only problem was... there was no ''natural'' reason for them to be like that.


    And strangely enough, he could feel that the eon around him was much different than usual.


    Much more... dense.


    And, strangely enough, rotten.


    Matthew kept moving forward. Every few tens of steps he took, the greenery around him grew paler. After a few minutes, he finally found something that interested him.


    "A cave, huh..."


    In front of him was a cave with a fairly exposed entrance. It was big enough for a person to pass through easily.


    He could feel the presence of that rotten eon from every part of the entrance.


    He stepped into the cave, every sense alert. The presence of eon all around enveloped him, but he didn''t care. He just walked deeper into the cave.


    The light had completely disappeared after a few seconds. The sunlight could not reach the point where he was now. But he continued on, not needing to create any source of light.


    Finally, much deeper into the cave, his eye caught a tiny glimmer.


    It was like... the tiny glow of a flame spreading a little light around it.


    Matthew''s expression grew serious with each step he took. He got closer and closer to the flame... and then he realized that the cave, which had sloped downwards until now, was flattening out. Moreover... the source of the flame he saw was a torch hanging on the wall.


    And not only that. There was a corridor straight ahead of him. A corridor flanked by torches... and at the end of the corridor, a huge cave room.


    Matthew made the decision to proceed to the room without hesitation and crossed the corridor at his usual slow pace.


    The room... was quite dark. However, there were lots of torches around, so the dim light made it possible to see a few things.


    And... the first thing Matthew saw was a large vine in the very center of the room with a figure kneeling in front of it.


    The figure was holding his hand on the vine.


    No, they squeezed it as hard as they could, actually.


    "I wasn''t expecting a visitor..."


    ''Oh, a woman...''


    Matthew put his usual smile on his face and answered her in a sarcastic tone.


    "I didn''t expect to find a cave like this in the middle of the forest either, to be honest..."


    He turned his eyes to the vine she was holding tightly.


    "And also didn''t expect to see someone treat something that a whole town considers its guardian in such a way..."


    The woman''s head moved slightly. She looked at her hand holding the vine, then threw it aside.


    "You should never have come here. Your death will be for interfering with my plans."


    Matthew widened his smile gently.


    But before he was allowed to say a word, he suddenly found a rampaging animal before his eyes.


    There was no way he could physically react. The animal, or creature, had appeared in front of him so quickly that he couldn''t even recognize when it had arrived.


    But he didn''t need to...


    He only needed to see it once.


    A blue glow suddenly appeared around him, then something long materialized in front of his body... and sliced through the creature that had come so close to wounding him.


    As the animal''s bisected corpse slumped to the ground, the blue-colored... sword... that had formed in front of Matthew slowly floated to his side, pointing its tip at the woman.


    "Oh, you''re a follower?"


    The woman raised her hand in surprise, pointing it at Matthew. And then... slowly, many shadows emerged from the darkness of the room. Each one looking just like the animals Matthew had sliced in half.


    Matthew sighed lightly.


    "You''re going to be a bit of a pain, huh?"


    With those words, a blue glow appeared around him again, just as before. His eyes were fixed confidently on the woman as two more transparent, blue-colored swords materialized.


    After a short moment... all the animals surrounding him jumped on him with a tremendous speed.

 Chapter 71: Outside the Town

    *(A/N: Sorry... I accidentally scheduled these chapters wrong so they didn''t get released. My bad...)********


    ''I can find nothing... absolutely nothing...''


    Kael was starting to feel annoyed.


    He had searched the entire dungeon. He had examined eon everywhere, thinking he might find something unnatural.


    But he couldn''t.


    All he had was the small amount of eon in the brains of the insane that they could not extract. Which he hadn''t even found in the first place. Scher had.


    ''Eon, dungeon.''


    His mind went back to the two words the Guardian had said. He started thinking all over again. He rechecked the natural eon in the room, looked again at all the insane people.


    Finally... he gave up.


    ''There is... nothing here.''


    He paused for a brief moment and sighed.


    ''At least nothing for me.''


    Unless the Guardian was trying to trick them or something, there was literally nothing for him to find here.


    If there was, it was beyond his abilities of observation.


    ''It must have been almost four hours... we were supposed to meet again.''


    And with that, he took one last look at the insane people in an annoyed way. He examined them out of the corner of his eye. Then he turned and walked out of the room.


    He wasn''t thinking much as he made his way to their meeting point. The only thing on his mind was whether the others had found anything.


    ''Huh... why does it feel a bit stuffy in here?''


    He paused for a moment on his way up the dungeon stairs. Frowning, he turned around and looked at the dungeon door.


    Strengthening his eon sense, he checked his surroundings again.


    And... for the first time, he found something.


    Or rather... he realized something.


    ''This place... why is it so devoid of eon?''


    He was talking about the outside of the dungeon. The stairs.


    But then he realized his mistake and paused again. As his eyes gradually widened, he realized something that could be quite important.


    ''No... this place is not devoid of eon...''


    It was the same as it had always been. The amount of eon in the atmosphere had not changed much, at least for this place.


    The place where the amount of eon changed was the dungeon.


    ''Is the amount of eon in the dungeon... constantly increasing?''


    He had been in it for four hours. And if the change was extremely minimal, he might not have noticed it in the short term because he was constantly getting used to it.


    It was only when he came out and encountered normal levels of eon that he noticed it.


    His lips curled upwards slightly. He didn''t go back to the dungeon, he only quickened his steps towards the meeting point.


    He didn''t know exactly why, or what the consequences would be, but at least he had found something. And Scher, being much smarter than he was, might be able to find something.


    *******


    Pecera, Scher, Kael, and Amar were waiting at the rendezvous point with Amar, now a group of six.


    What they were waiting for were the other two members of the group.


    "They should have been here by now."


    The deep silence in the room was quickly broken when Pecera, frowning, said what everyone wanted to say.


    "We are forty minutes past the agreed time. I don''t know about Matthew, but Baroch, as an experienced scout, should be aware of the time."


    Kael sighed slightly.


    "Something has happened to them, I think."


    And with those words, all eyes turned to him.


    "Didn''t the Guardian tell us that the enemy was outside? It is very likely that they encountered this ''enemy''. At least that''s my guess."


    That was the guess of the others, too, obviously.


    They just... weren''t sure what to do.


    "Even if Baroch is a normal person, he is experienced. And Matthew said he was a bearer. Whatever they''re up against must be strong to have kept them so long. I think we''re dealing with a powerful bearer at the very least, a follower at worst."


    And Kael said nothing more. Then, it was Amar who kept talking.


    "We didn''t find anything in the town, the only thing we know about the dungeon is the small amount of eon we couldn''t extract from the insane''s brains and that the natural eon inside is constantly increasing. Now we''re almost certain there''s an enemy outside the town... I think it''s clear what we need to do."


    His eyes traveled over the three members of the group, sharp, cold, and confident.


    "Kael and I will go to this ''enemy''. Ms. Pecera and Mr. Scher will stay here and continue to keep the situation under control."


    A short silence fell over the group.


    What Amar had said certainly made the most sense for their situation. He was a follower and Kael was a bearer, after all. They were the most capable of fighting.


    And... no one had any objections.


    *******


    It was a strange feeling for Kael to go outside with Amar, to walk smoothly beside him.


    This man... had tried to kill him not long ago, after all. Twice, in fact.


    But now he was just looking ahead as if it had never happened.


    "They went into the forest."


    Kael paused at Amar''s words.


    "Forest?"


    "It''s about my blessing. I can see it clearly when I study the surroundings and use it."


    ''Oh...''


    This... was a surprising piece of information for Kael as well as an acceptable one.


    ''Blessing...''


    Apart from his own curse, he had yet to see almost any blessing or curse in active use. Even as a Bearer, that is.


    So... it felt strange to hear about someone else''s blessing.


    Still, he didn''t let his interest get in the way of his task. Continue reading on §Þ??


    "Then we are going to the forest..."


    And so they did.


    Amar, thanks to his blessing, was a pretty good tracker. Better than Kael, who was a ''scout''. He could guess exactly where Matthew had been. So much so that they even found his footprints at one point.


    But after they had traveled for some time through the forest, Amar paused, turned to his right, and squinted.


    "Did something happen?"


    Amar did not answer the question. He turned the way he was looking, slightly quickened his pace, and kept going.


    Kael, who was following behind him, couldn''t understand much. But then one of the places Amar had passed over caught his eye. He saw a very distinct stain on the grass and his expression instantly turned serious, his eyes narrowed.


    ''Blood...''


    Blood... was not a good sign. Especially with two people missing.


    ''I hope they''re not dead...''


    With that thought in mind, he continued to follow Amar in silence.


    And when Amar finally paused, he did the same and turned to where he was looking.


    "Oh..."


    This... was exactly what he didn''t want to encounter.


    There was a dead body in front of them. A corpse that they knew who it was.


    "Baroch..."


    And the way he died didn''t seem so painless. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "He was dismembered, disemboweled, and then eaten a bit. It looks like the work of a wild animal or creature."


    Amar didn''t continue, but Kael didn''t need to. He could see something quite obvious himself.


    "There is a characteristic eon that permeates the corpse..."


    In short, although it looked like the work of a wild animal... it was actually the work of a Follower.


    ''I smell rot. But not from the corpse, from the eon. This... is definitely not a nice eon...''


    Kael liked to study other people''s eon. Each one had a different feel to it and told a lot about the person.


    And this was the first time he had come across an eon that evoked such... bad feelings.


    "I found where Matthew went. There''s a cave not far from here."


    Without a second glance at Baroch''s corpse, Amar turned back to the cave he had mentioned. He moved forward with his usual coldness.


    Kael, though, looked at Baroch''s corpse with an involuntary sadness on his face.


    He had... liked Baroch. He was a good person. Talented too.


    He certainly didn''t deserve... to die like this.


    But that was their world. Cruel, unfair, rotten...


    There was nothing he could do.


    So... after a short time, he turned back in front of himself.


    Baroch might be dead. But they had to move on.


    And they did... After a short time, they found the cave Amar had told them about.


    Amar entered the cave without slowing his steps. Kael realized that the cave was filled with that rotten feeling eon and involuntarily grimaced.


    It was certainly not something he could not bear. But if there was a way where he didn''t have to endure it, he would definitely prefer it, even if it was dangerous.


    "Kael, get ready. We are going to meet someone powerful."

 Chapter 72: Escaping from the Cave

    When he saw Amar''s hand hovering over the sword at his waist, Kael didn''t hesitate, he grabbed both of his daggers and began to twirl his eon through his body.If even Amar was taking this seriously, he, a weaker person, had to be much more careful.


    In this way, they passed through a corridor filled with torches. Then they entered a cave room that seemed to be quite large.


    And what they encountered was... something they certainly didn''t expect.


    ''Matthew... is fighting?''


    Matthew was on the opposite side of the room, holding a transparent sword that glowed with a blue color. He was covered in blood and his clothes were torn in many places. He looked out of breath as if he had been fighting non-stop for hours. Yet his eyes were still full of life.


    He had no intention of dying.


    ''Are they... creatures?''


    There were creatures that looked like monkeys but actively used all four limbs to walk, tailless and quite furry. They all had squinty eyes and dull facial expressions. They reminded Kael of the human-turned-creatures he had seen in the Arcanoa Palace.


    ''They are quite fast...''


    He found it difficult to follow them with his eyes. They didn''t look that strong, but their speed was extremely high. So much so that he couldn''t help wondering how Matthew was still alive.


    She sighed slightly, gripped his daggers tighter, and prepared to help him.


    But then Amar grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.


    "Wait here."


    He didn''t understand why he had to wait... but he did as he was told and broke his stance, even if he didn''t let his guard down.


    Amar pulled his hand back from Kael''s shoulder and unsheathed the sword at his waist.


    It was a long sword. Not overly broad, but it seemed to be over a meter long.


    But the sword was not the point.


    The moment Amar began to move towards Matthew, a flash of brown appeared around him. Vines began to grow out of the ground as his eon slowly wrapped around his body, and not only that, it spread out around him.


    The next second... Amar suddenly disappeared and appeared right next to Matthew. Even though Matthew couldn''t see him, when he sensed his presence, he involuntarily widened his eyes, turned around, and tried to attack the new ''presence'' he sensed...


    But he was slow. At least compared to Amar.


    So Amar grabbed him by the shoulder and threw him backwards with great force... right at Kael.


    Matthew used his center of gravity in the air to straighten his stance, dig his feet into the ground, and slow himself down. Preparing to strike again, he quickly shifted his gaze to the spot where he had just stood... but then he simply froze in place.


    "Huh?"


    A blank expression crossed his face as he saw the vines grabbing, tearing, and mercilessly killing the creatures he was fighting. But then he saw Amar and his eyes widened.


    He quickly turned around. And found Kael staring at him, two daggers in his hands.


    "You claimed you weren''t a Follower, right...?"


    Matthew''s lips curled upwards, then he gave a small laugh.


    "We all have a few things we''re hiding, you know."


    He straightened his posture, then tore his eyes away from Kael and back in Amar''s direction.


    Amar had already finished off all the creatures. Where he was looking now... was the other side of the cave.


    Kael turned his eyes there, and then he saw someone he didn''t understand how he hadn''t noticed until now, just sitting there, kneeling. A woman... was clutching a large piece of vine in front of her.


    "Are you the one who drove the townspeople insane and played with the Guardian''s health?"


    Amar asked coldly as he pointed his sword and the vines around him at the kneeling figure.


    "Would you believe me if I said I am not?"


    When the figure, a woman by the sound of her voice, answered Amar''s question with another one, Amar tightened his grip on his sword and prepared to pounce.


    "No."


    And then, just like at first, he disappeared.


    But the woman in front of him was not much weaker than him.


    A purple glow suddenly filled the room. The woman dropped the vine she had been kneeling on just a second before and stood up, then grabbed Amar''s sword in the air with her bare hands.


    "A pity, then..."


    As the fingers holding the sword suddenly changed color like those of a rotting corpse, Amar tried to retreat quickly without changing his expression. At the same time, countless vines were thrown at the figure in front of him... but the woman blocked them all with her seemingly rotten hands.


    At first, Kael couldn''t understand why the vines didn''t try to wrap around the woman when they were blocked. He thought for a brief moment that what Amar had done was a stupid move.


    But then he looked over to where Amar was and saw him looking at the sword in his hand. Then he saw how the metal she had touched with her finger had changed color, turning to dust as if it were rotting.


    "I have nothing more to do with the vines of your Guardian anymore. Your timing is good. We can fight."


    Amar threw his sword aside without any reaction. He was looking at her with a much more serious expression this time.


    "You are... not a Follower. You are a Seeker."


    "I didn''t feel the need to tell you."


    Kael stared blankly at the pair in spite of what he had heard.


    ''Seeker...? What does that even mean?''


    "Me too."


    The brown glow around Amar suddenly intensified. He fought against it as if waging war against the purple color that filled the entire room. But that wasn''t the only change.


    Tiny little vines, resembling blood vessels, began to grow over Amar''s body. The tips of his fingers turned the dark green color of the vines, the brown in his eyes glowed so fiercely that Kael suddenly realized how much he had underestimated his strength.


    Amar... was much stronger than he had thought.


    But the woman was no inferior to him.


    "We''d better get out of here."


    Just before Amar and the woman attacked each other, Kael suddenly turned to Matthew as he heard him talking.


    He could understand why he said that. The battle between these two... would probably affect this whole cave.


    They could get caught in the middle.


    "I think so too..."


    He actually wanted to watch the fight. But he was also aware that there was nothing he could do.


    Besides... they could do a lot more good if they could get word to the town as fast as possible about what was happening here than just standing here.


    Matthew turned around, almost at a run, and made his way back towards the entrance of the cave.


    Kael, meanwhile, took one last glance in the direction of Amar and the woman before leaving. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Amar''s vines seemed much stronger than before. Likewise, his body seemed to have somehow adjusted to his ability. And... even though Kael didn''t fully understand the strength of the woman, she looked quite strong too. She met all of Amar''s attacks with her bare hands, even trying to touch him in the gaps she found.


    Your journey continues on §Þ??


    The fighting ability of the two was almost the same.


    ''Seeker, huh...''


    He turned around, his mind filled with a new thought as he followed Matthew down the torchlit corridor towards the surface of the earth.


    Apparently... Bearer and Follower were not the only terms used to designate those with power.


    There was still so much he didn''t know about the world...


    "Watch out!"


    Kael snapped awake the moment he heard Matthew''s voice. Immediately, he saw one of the creatures that had fought Matthew in the room below just a few minutes ago.


    ''They''re too fast!''


    As fast as he could, he threw himself backwards while tilting his head to the side. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he managed to stop the creature''s claw from slicing his face, but he couldn''t stop his nose from being scratched with a rather deep gash.


    Gritting his teeth, he charged one of the daggers he still held with an eon in his arm and hurled it at the creature as it leaped over him.


    The creature failed to hit Kael, its excessive speed sending it flying into the wall behind them. It quickly regained its balance and got to its feet, then quickly turned around and prepared to strike again.


    But just then it found Kael''s dagger on its forehead.


    It tried to dodge it with its extreme speed, tilted its head to the side, and twisted its body, but its opponent was not just one person.


    It successfully dodged Kael''s dagger with only a graze, but the next moment, it found a blue sword, much larger than the dagger, lodged in its abdomen.


    The life in his squinted eyes quickly faded, the sword in his belly turned to dust, and the creature''s body simply collapsed.


    "It must have something to do with her blessing, curse, or path. We may encounter more on the way. Let''s be careful."


    Kael nodded at Matthew''s suggestion. The creatures were, even though the only thing about them was their speed, dangerous.


    And with that, the two made it out of the cave.

 Chapter 73: Attack on Town

    After Kael and Matthew left the area, and thanks to that, Amar was able to fight more freely. He no longer had to worry about injuring them... and he could use his vines freely.The only problem was that it wasn''t enough. The woman had managed to touch his arm during their fight. That''s why he had what looked like a hand-shaped rotted place on his right arm. And it hurt a lot, even made him gasp for breath, as if it was draining his energy.


    He was in a difficult situation.


    "Give up, you won''t win."


    And the woman was well aware of that.


    Yet Amar did not answer her.


    Instead, he used the vines around his body to attack her once more.


    The woman... just sighed slightly. She raised her right hand, then simply pulled it to the right side.


    The purple-colored eon that filled the room suddenly rippled. An even darker smoke suddenly burst from her palm and rained down on Amar''s vines.


    One by one, the vines withered, shriveled, and collapsed to the ground, rotting before they could reach her. Amar stopped his attack and retreated backwards to avoid the smoke.


    "Our paths are in opposition. I am the worst match you will ever face in your entire life. You don''t stand a chance against me. I haven''t even used my blessing yet."


    Amar gritted his teeth. Even though he didn''t answer her, he was well aware that what she said was true.


    "What... is your goal...?"


    The woman tilted her face, hidden by a hood, slightly to the side.


    "Power, and a little revenge, I guess."


    "Revenge?"


    The woman sighed deeply.


    "I''m not going to tell you my life story. Just know that I hate your town and your beloved Guardian. Actually... you didn''t even need to know that either."


    The woman stretched slightly, then slowly removed her hood and uncovered her face.


    She was quite a beautiful woman. She must have been in her thirties, but her beauty belied her age. She had orange hair and eyes that glowed purple because of her eon. She had a tiny face with small freckles.


    She was a woman who could have attracted even Amar, if her eon hadn''t made her feel so... filthy.


    But that wasn''t the point.


    "Let''s finish this. I have to move on to the final step."


    What mattered... were her eyes.


    As Amar was looking at her, she fixed her violet eyes on him.


    Then Amar saw her eyes suddenly change color and turn yellow.


    ''Her blessing!''


    He quickly averted his eyes, careful not to look at her, and tried to understand what kind of attack he had been subjected to.


    Then, suddenly, he felt his whole world spinning, his stomach churning.


    ''What...?''


    "Die."


    When he found her rotten hand in front of his face, he tried to fight back. But his whole world was spinning, and his stomach kept having a vomiting reflex.


    So he couldn''t.


    Only... physically.


    As a last resort, Amar poured all the eon in his body into his vines and randomly attacked her.


    Even though his senses were blurred and his body was in pain, he managed to make her retreat. Then, he put the attack aside and unleashed vine after vine, closing them all in on himself.


    Soon, he was plunged into darkness by the vines. But he did not stop. He surrounded and surrounded himself... and then he used the vines to bury himself in the ground.


    He felt all of the woman''s attacks. The vines around him were rotting fast and she was approaching him in the same way.


    Yet he kept growing new vines.


    Finally... he managed to get his body deeper and deeper into the cave floor. Not only that, he found what he was looking for... one of the pieces of the Guardian that had been scattered all over the area.


    And the moment he came into contact with it, even though his communication with it had largely broken down, he asked for its help, as he always could.


    And his Guardian understood what he wanted, even if it couldn''t comprehend what he was saying.


    Amar suddenly found himself being dragged underground by vines that did not belong to him.


    He breathed a deep sigh of relief, then.


    He had escaped.


    *******


    Kael and Matthew got back to town as fast as they could and explained the situation to Pecera and Scher.


    Now, they knew who their enemy was.


    "We must quickly gather all the knights, bearers, and followers in town and go to the cave!"


    They had no idea how long Amar could hold on. So Kael wanted to move as fast as possible.


    And the others mostly agreed with him. It was clear that the woman was connected to the town''s problem and if they could take her down, most of it would be solved.


    Scher quickly made a decision for the group.


    "I''ll tell the baron about the situation and arrange what I can. Go through the town and stay in the dungeon until I make the announcement. Keep everything under control until I leave."


    And he quickly headed for the door to get out of the room.


    But just as he was about to open the door, it was opened by someone else before him. And the person who entered... made them all freeze in their tracks.


    "A- Amar...?"


    Scher quickly stepped aside to make way for Amar as he entered with a grim look on his face.


    He was in pretty bad shape. He still had the hand-shaped rot on his right arm and his eyes were a little glazed over.


    He hadn''t realized it before, but the smoke the woman had used not only damaged what it touched, but also dispersed into the air and caused harm when inhaled.


    "I''ve been poisoned, I can''t use my right arm at the moment, I managed to escape somehow, but we need to be quick. That woman said she''s going to move on to the final step. She''s going to do something dangerous."


    Scher nodded quickly. This time, there was nothing to stop him like Amar, so he quickly left the room and headed for the baron''s room.


    After Scher left the room, Amar took a deep breath and looked at Kael and Matthew.


    "Good work."


    He didn''t say anything else. Just... that was it.


    Kael and Matthew looked at each other. They both felt like smiling, but neither of them reacted.


    They were in a situation where they had to act quickly.


    But they couldn''t do that.


    Because the next second, the whole manor started to shake as if there was a violent earthquake.


    "H- hey, what''s happening?"


    Pecera turned to Amar in a slightly panicked, but still professional tone, quickly grabbing onto something.


    Amar could only squint.


    "The dungeon... the center of the tremor is the dungeon."


    And it was then that the group remembered an important detail.


    The dungeon... eon...


    They had forgotten about the ever-increasing amount of eon in the dungeon! Or rather, they had put it on the back burner.


    As soon as Kael and Matthew heard the word ''dungeon'', they moved quickly. Their destination was, of course, clear.


    *******


    Soon, Kael and Matthew realized what was happening.


    Or rather... they saw it.


    ''The insane... have made it out of the dungeon!''


    All of them, in fact, had made it.


    The mansion was full of insane people after the tremor that had shaken the whole town.


    And in the last few days, so many insane people had appeared that it was almost impossible to pass anywhere without running into one in the mansion.


    Chaos.


    That was the only word that could describe the mansion.


    Kael and Matthew overpowered most of the insane who came out and attacked them, and continued on towards the dungeon. Fortunately, the insane were not overpowered, even if their physical strength had increased. This made them a little difficult to defeat, but not impossible.


    Especially the fact that there were two of them gave them a great advantage. After all, insane people were notoriously bad at thinking straight and often focused on a single person.


    So, after a short time, the two reached the stairs leading down to the dungeon.


    And the moment they did, Kael''s brow furrowed. So did Matthew''s.


    "There are... still too many eon here."


    The eon that filled the dungeon, so much that it was almost hard to breathe because of its density... was almost never spent.


    On the contrary, it was practically doubled.


    So the eon here was not the cause of the tremor.


    ''What is this woman up to?''


    Kael was beginning to understand a few things as he saw what was going on.


    The reason the people in the town were going insane... was probably because she knew they would be gathered in the dungeon and she could throw the barony into chaos when the time came.


    But even though the insane were a threat to normal people, they were not overly difficult to defeat. So... they only existed to cause chaos and distraction.


    At least that was his idea.


    ''Then why is this eon so dense?''


    Kael paused for a brief moment. He remembered what had happened in the cave. Before she started fighting Amar, the woman was holding a piece of vine that he was sure belonged to the Guardian.


    And if he remembered correctly, there were a lot of those vines in that cave, all with rotten spots on them. Which, In short, indicated that the woman wanted to hurt the Guardian for some reason. Who knows, maybe it was because of her that Amar and the Guardian were disconnected.


    ''She may have wanted to prevent the Guardian from informing Amar about the situation.''


    And... what exactly was the ''next step'' she told Amar about?


    Using the insane to avoid suspicion, using them to accumulate an enormous amount of eon in the mansion, and then using them again as a distraction...


    Blocking Amar''s communication with the Guardian. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Find exclusive stories on §Þ??


    The power to decay and rot everything, an ''evil'' purpose targeting the town...


    Kael paused. Perhaps her target was not the town but... something in the town?


    Suddenly, an idea came to him, and then his expression darkened.


    "Heart of the Guardian..."


    Kael quickly started to make his way up the dungeon.


    "Matthew, we need to get to the Heart of the Guardian quickly. I think the woman''s purpose is related to the Guardian."


    Even as he said this, he didn''t wait for him at all. He quickened his pace and started running.

 Chapter 74: Weak

    There weren''t many insane people in the tunnels leading to the Heart of the Guardian. Which made Kael even more convinced that what he was thinking was right.After all, the mansion was going to focus entirely on clearing out the insane. And when they saw that there were few of them approaching here, they would shift their focus elsewhere.


    Still, that didn''t mean the tunnels were completely unguarded. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The guards who were responsible for what went in and out remained at their posts, no matter what. And Kael and Matthew inevitably encountered them.


    And, naturally, they were not allowed to pass without a permit.


    The result, then?


    Kael and Matthew knocked out both guards. The situation was urgent now. They had no time to waste on formalities.


    So they made their way through the tunnels. And the duo... finally reached the Heart of the Guardian.


    ''Just as I thought!''


    The Guardian''s Heart was beating smoothly. It was in its usual place.


    The only problem was... the woman they had seen in that cave was here, too. Just as Kael had suspected.


    The woman sensed the presence of two people coming towards her and turned in their direction. Her eyes were the color of the original, green, because she didn''t use eon at the moment. And... seeing her beauty for the first time, the two almost stumbled, even if only for a brief moment.


    "Oh, welcome."


    Kael and Matthew quickly assumed a fighting stance. Both had their guard up.


    "You don''t have to be so serious... I don''t have to kill you anymore, after all."


    The woman curled her lips up slightly, showing Kael and Matthew a rather innocent smile.


    "I have already achieved my goal."


    And at that very moment, another person stepped into the Heart of the Guardian. Someone all three of them knew quite well.


    Amar, whose eyes showed that he could still fight, even if he was in pretty bad shape... had arrived here. He too had probably suspected that woman was targeting the Guardian... and rushed here just like Kael and Matthew.


    But the woman didn''t mind him much either.


    "Oh, you''re welcome too."


    Though... Amar didn''t even listen to her.


    "Stay away from the Guardian, you witch!"


    Kael, Matthew, and the woman were momentarily taken aback when they sensed the anger in the voice of the normally calm, cool man.


    "Witch...? My Path may look malevolent from the outside, but I am not a witch. On the contrary, what you are trying to protect is more malevolent than me."


    Amar''s eyes flashed with a brown gleam, and the vines beneath his feet stirred with the same anger as if responding to his emotions.


    "You can''t fool me with your sweet tongue!"


    The vines rushed at her. Each one had spikes that aimed to pierce through her.


    Read new chapters at §Þ??


    But she still didn''t seem to care.


    "How quickly you forgot what I said in the cave..."


    She raised her hand. Purple smoke, an ability of her Path, quickly surrounded her, then covered the vines.


    One by one, the vines withered and fell to the ground, and the woman kept her smile on her face.


    "You can''t do anything against me."


    She narrowed her eyes as the purple smoke disappeared into the air.


    "Though there''s no need for me. You''re in such a bad state that you don''t notice things around you."


    Amar''s eyes widened. He quickly turned around and defended himself... but what he was facing was not something he should care about defending himself against.


    It was a cross-eyed, insane snake, just like the creatures she had used in the jungle.


    And this snake... took the opportunity to sink its fangs into Amar''s arm.


    "Agh!"


    Amar gritted his teeth, grabbed the snake by the tail with his other hand, and threw it aside. But the moment he did, his eyes blurred and the world began to spin.


    "You don''t even know the history of the ''guardian'' you think you serve, let alone why it exists."


    The woman turned her eyes slightly back to the big beating heart at her feet.


    "How many lives were sacrificed, who died, what happened... to bring this thing into existence... you have no idea. You don''t even know why it keeps growing and growing, and you think it''s helping you..."


    Knowing how powerful she was, Kael, who until now had not attempted to do anything, was momentarily thrown into doubt by what he heard.


    When he had first come to this town, he had thought that the plant called Guardian might be something troublesome... Then, after what he had experienced with Amar, he had come to trust it.


    Were his initial suspicions... correct?


    "What you think is protecting you is constantly draining your life. Little by little, it grows itself by killing you all. It may not want to, in its primitive consciousness, but it doesn''t or can''t stop it. Either way, its past and what it does doesn''t change."


    The woman narrowed her eyes, her expression turning serious as she slowly raised her hand and placed it over the Guardian''s heart.


    "That is why it must disappear. Along with this town that sees it as a god."


    Just as in the cave, her hand suddenly took the shape of a rotten one, her eyes shimmering with a purple glow. As he did so, his eyes were not on Amar, but on Kael and Matthew.


    And she was looking at them with such intensity that... even if Kael and Matthew wanted to stop her, they could not move.


    Then... the woman applied her ability to rot on the heart.


    At first, nothing happened. But after a single second of silence, a brief purple began to spread from the back of the woman''s hand over the heart.


    Then it began to expand rapidly. Unusually fast, in fact.


    The Guardian''s heart gradually slowed down as it turned completely purple. As the room, covered in lush green vines, rapidly decayed, the Guardian... just went to its death.


    Just like that.


    The woman removed her rotten hand from the heart even though the process was still in progress. After her eyes and hand returned to normal, though, she sighed.


    And that''s when Kael realized something else.


    The woman was talking about killing the Guardian, but she was also talking about destroying the town... but was just causing the Guardian to rot enough to destroy the town?


    ''Ah, the eon in the dungeon!''


    And his thought was spot on...


    But just like before, he was powerless to do anything.


    "Now, the town..."


    This time, the woman raised her hand gently, then simply snapped her fingers.


    Kael felt a violent earthquake and heard an ear-splitting sound, like the ones just before the insane were released from the dungeon. But this time it was so strong that he couldn''t stand, so he lost his balance and fell over the rotten vines.


    Matthew, although injured, kept his balance better and did not fall.


    After the tremor was over, the woman smiled brightly. Amar had already passed out from the snake''s venom, so she didn''t need to pay any attention to him. She simply did not even see Kael and Matthew as a threat.


    She simply bent down, dropped to her knees. She began to scrape the rotten vines from the floor with her hands. She dug, she tore, she dug, throwing all the rotten pieces aside, and finally... she reached the soil beneath the vines.


    She touched the soil. Her eyes narrowed a little, and her smile widened at the same time.


    "I have avenged you all... sleep in peace."


    And she just stayed where she was. Not saying anything, not moving a muscle... just waiting.


    Kael and Matthew looked at each other as they stood where they were, not making any move. Even though they didn''t speak, they were both thinking the same thing. And they both understood it.


    They just left the woman and Amar where they were. There was nothing they could do about them. She simply didn''t care about them, but if she did, she could simply kill them. Amar was poisoned, but his chest was still moving, so he was clearly alive. Since she had no intention of killing him anymore, they could leave him here.


    So they turned and ran back the way they had come, leaving the Heart of the Guardian. It was a very different experience compared to before, as the green tunnels turned purple and rotten pieces kept falling from the ceiling... but they kept running, not caring.


    Finally, when they reached the walls of the mansion, past the place where they had knocked out the guards... that''s when they realized what the second tremor and the sound meant.


    The path to the tunnels was normally one level below the mansion and covered with concrete.


    But now... sunlight was shining on their faces.


    The mansion had almost completely collapsed.


    Kael quickly climbed over the rubble. He aimed to get high enough to see the whole town... and he did.


    The sight he finally saw... made him freeze in his tracks.


    "This... This..."


    The town... was in complete ruins. Everywhere, there was a trace of the intense eon from the dungeon. The few lucky survivors were trying to understand what had happened in fear and horror, a few were trying to help the wounded, some were trapped under the rubble, crying and screaming incessantly.


    ''I...''


    He had... failed?


    So... he couldn''t do anything?


    He didn''t care much for this town or the people it had. But it was still his mission to help them. He had tried to get these people out of trouble, that was his goal...


    But he had failed.


    His enemy... had won. Easily. Almost effortlessly.


    ''Ah...''


    Then, he silently thought to himself.


    ''How... weak I am...''


    He... had lost. Completely.


    "I''ve been dreaming of this for years, you know."


    He stiffened again at the sound. But he didn''t turn around, he didn''t need to.


    That woman... apparently, she had decided to move.


    "Oh, how good it feels to achieve it..."


    Kael involuntarily clenched his teeth, his fist.


    He held no great grudge against this woman. Frankly... after two or three days, he would have forgotten her.


    But he was angry.


    That he had failed.


    That he was powerless.


    That this woman... had won by completely crushing him.


    "Oh, are you angry?"


    And she realized that pretty quickly.


    But she didn''t even have to care about Kael.


    After all, he was... weak.

 Chapter 75: Understanding Himself

    "Tell me..."At Kael''s words, the woman paused. She didn''t make any sound, she just waited for what he was going to say.


    And Kael continued.


    "Have you ever... felt powerless?"


    At first, the woman looked thoughtful. Then, though, she smiled.


    She was in a happy mood. So she didn''t ignore Kael and actually listened to him.


    "Of course. It took me years to get to where I am now. I''ve been in so many situations that I had to run for my life, barely escaping death."


    She wanted to answer honestly. And she did. But instead of remaining silent, waiting for Kael to continue, she asked him a question.


    "And do you know... how interesting you are?"


    She didn''t wait for Kael to react to her question.


    "You have so many eon in your body that at first, I thought you were a follower. But you''re a bearer. If you think you''re weak... don''t. If you stay alive, you''ll probably be stronger than me when you reach my level."


    Kael clenched his fist so hard that it pierced his palms. Blood warmed his fingers.


    "The only reason you feel weak is because I won as your enemy. That you couldn''t complete your mission because of me."


    Kael took a deep, really deep breath.


    He involuntarily thought about everything that had happened to him so far. Everything he had experienced up to this moment came flooding back to him. He began to remember how... incompetent he had been all the time.


    In Musthar V. Arcanoa''s mansion, he had ruined his mother''s life just by existing, pregnant by some random guy. His mother might have been happy, but she was doomed because she had poured everything she had into his well-being.


    He had ruined his own life, one after another, many times.


    In his days as a slave, he had ruined the lives of everyone below him so that he could rise.


    The moment he stepped into the palace, he found himself in the ruins, fleeing from the literal hell. He was even the one who killed the king.


    He had massacred many creatures and animals in the forest where he had spent months trying to survive.


    Then he had destroyed the lives of four innocent people in the name of ''mission'' in the town he had found.


    The town itself was almost wiped off the face of the planet while he was there, even if he was not the cause of it.


    And now... this town. He was on a mission to help, but... this town was in ruins now.


    Why... why did everything around him have to be in ruins when he was striving for something?


    Why... did he always fail at every goal except surviving?


    Why... did everywhere he went, there was destruction, ruins?


    "Oh..."


    He saw the woman standing next to him looking at him with a concerned voice and expression. But he ignored her.


    His life at this point... was all about survival among the ruins.


    Getting stronger, accomplishing something, completing his mission... and more.


    Everything was just a by-product.


    And that... frustrated him even more.


    He had no problem surviving. Getting to live another day... was good.


    But... couldn''t he make peace for once, in a proper way?


    "Hey."


    Destruction...


    He paused. Lost in his thoughts... Then, though... he realized something else.


    Before... he had told himself that he would continue to live for his purpose, even if it meant destroying everything around him. Ruining everyone opposing him.


    Why was he thinking about such things now?


    He raised his head and looked at the ruins of buildings and people around him.


    ''I am... this.''


    He had accepted it before. And... he had decided to go on in spite of it.


    But now... what he accepted was something else.


    ''I... don''t care about things around me.''


    Actually... it was like that from the beginning.


    ''I just... lament my powerlessness for losing so badly.''


    The dead, the ruins, even the woman next to him.


    He didn''t really care about any of them.


    He only... felt this way because it was his ''mission'' to protect them and he couldn''t fulfill that mission.


    ''Everywhere I go turns into rubble, every person I meet is either ruined or dead...''


    His life was... a series of ruins, really.


    And... it would continue to be so, probably.


    There was a warmth in his heart, after all these thoughts, like the first time he used eon. But it didn''t strengthen his body, it didn''t make him more resilient.


    It just... gently spread throughout his body. It spread its warmth everywhere. And when it reached his mind... it began to take shape.


    The woman standing right next to him while he was experiencing this could only take a deep breath.


    ''Ruin, huh...''


    Kael''s eon had some of the characteristics from the very beginning. But now... it was completely taking shape and transforming. So the people around him could feel it too.


    Especially this woman, who was quite powerful, felt it even more.


    Kael''s eon... it gave her a frightening feeling. As if everything was going to fall apart as long as she stayed by his side. It made her feel like she was... walking helplessly through ruins.


    But what she found most frightening was the amount of eon and how heavy its characteristics were.


    Not everyone who became a Follower could instantly have an eon with such pronounced characteristics.


    ''He''s really interesting...''


    And finally... all this ''scary'' eon began to recede. The silvery glow that had been hovering around Kael receded into his body, and after a short time, it disappeared completely.


    Kael opened his eyes slowly. A silvery glow flickered briefly in his normally brown eyes, but then it disappeared as quickly as it had come.


    "Congratulations."


    She congratulated him in a soft tone. But Kael... didn''t pay her much attention.


    He raised his hands, looked at his palms.


    ''So to become a follower... you have to fully accept what you are?''


    "You must have learned on your own which Path you are following. And also the first ability you gained."


    She was right. The images that appeared in his mind a few moments ago gave him a few ideas.


    For example, the Path he followed as a follower was... Ruin.


    Path of Ruin.


    Therefore, his title was Follower of Ruin.


    And the first ability he gained because of his Path was... strange.


    He lowered his hands, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply.


    It was... funny that he became stronger because of the person he had lost by being crushed.


    Very funny.


    It was also strange to be standing side by side with her like this. Even though she was his enemy.


    Although... were they really enemies?


    "Anyway... I hope we meet again in the future. I''m really... intrigued by you."


    Kael paused, then slowly looked in the direction she was standing.


    But... there was no one there now.


    ''She''s a weird one...''


    He turned back in front of him. He looked again at the ruins in front of him, at the corpses of people.


    And then he repeated it inside himself.


    ''I am... this.''


    Someone who will somehow bring destruction and ruin wherever he goes.


    *******


    Enjoy exclusive adventures from M V L


    The town was almost beyond rebuilding.


    About eighty percent of its population was dead.


    The plant they considered their Guardian no longer existed. Which... might actually have been a better outcome. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There was not a single thing the group had accomplished in the town.


    There wasn''t much left of the group, though.


    Baroch had died in the forest.


    Pecera had been buried under the ruins and her body was still not found. She too was probably dead.


    Scher had somehow survived, but he had broken his arm.


    It was questionable how Matthew was even still alive in the first place. Even after fighting so long in the cave, he had been standing up for hours. But, somehow, he too was alive.


    And last but not least, Kael was alive.


    Only three of the group of five remained.


    And now... they were getting ready to go back.


    "Amar didn''t wake up, right?"


    Amar... was in a kind of coma. No one knew when he would wake up. But he still wanted to ask.


    And Scher gave the answer to his question.


    "No."


    "I see..."


    The three were silent for a short while. Then they looked at each other, sighed, and began to move through the ruins of the town.


    Their own carriage was normally kept in the mansion''s stable. But when everything collapsed, the stable collapsed too, and their carriage was destroyed as a result.


    Since the Baron was, unfortunately, dead, they couldn''t ask him for a new carriage.


    So they had to walk to the nearest town.


    This was not really a problem. Walking was nothing they couldn''t do.


    The only problem... was the looks they got from the townspeople.


    Every person they passed looked at them with different expressions. Some looked at them with hatred. Some looked at them... with disappointment. Some with hope, that maybe they could help. Others just... looked at them. Detached from life, almost.


    After a while, Scher suddenly stopped. One by one, he looked at the townspeople around him. Then, he took a deep breath.


    "All the townspeople who can hear me!"


    He shouted so loudly that his voice echoed through the ruins. Everyone who heard his voice focused on him.


    "We failed in our mission, we came to help you with the insane, but because of the superiority of the threat we faced, we suffered a crushing defeat and... we couldn''t stop the town from being destroyed... I know you blame us!"


    Kael and Matthew quickly realized what he was trying to do. They then stepped back, allowing him to take the lead.


    And Scher... at this very moment, bowed as much as he could. Almost ninety degrees.


    "We apologize! Even if there was nothing we could have done, even if we failed because we faced someone much stronger than we expected, we apologize for failing in our mission and for causing you to lose your loved ones!"


    Kael and Matthew bowed after him.


    "I will write a detailed report to the Empire about what happened here, and even if we fell short... at least they will send someone to rebuild the town or do their best to relocate you. Even if our mistake is irreparable... we will try to do everything we can!"


    And he remained bent at ninety degrees for a few more seconds. Then, he slowly stood up. His eyes swept over the people listening to him.


    He didn''t know if his speech had comforted them. But... at least he felt a little more at ease now.


    He had worked night after night for this town, after all. It may not have looked like much from the outside, but he had discovered the tiny eon in the brains of the insane. He had found many symptoms of the insane and discovered ways to deal with them more easily.


    He only slept like... a few hours at best every night. Just to be of more help.


    Not only that, he had managed the situation as well as he could, he had made sure that the people were not harmed by the insane, and he had saved the town from a lot of damage.


    But he still couldn''t stop it from getting destroyed.


    He considered himself... a failure in every sense of the word.


    Still, he had made his speech and didn''t need any more. So he turned away again, walking on in the deep silence that enveloped the whole town. Kael and Matthew followed him in the same way.


    The trio... left the town just like that.

 Chapter 76: Returning to the Empire

    After their crushing defeat in the town, the trio of Kael, Matthew, and Scher left the Barony of Halve and arrived in a different town in about two days.It was a neighboring town to Halve. And just like Halve, it was ruled by another baron.


    They showed the Imperial crest and told a few things about what had happened in Halve. Then asked the baron of the town for a carriage. With that, they managed to get one without much trouble.


    This way, since there were three of them, they were able to move a little faster and travel in four days which would normally take them six.


    After entering the imperial palace, instead of resting, they wrote their reports as fast as they could, not hiding anything.


    And then... Kael suddenly found himself in front of Hakon.


    It had been about half an hour since he gave his report. He had wanted to meet Scher and Matthew one last time... but couldn''t because of Hakon''s urgent call.


    When he had heard that he had been called in such a hurry, he had thought it was urgent. But when he saw Hakon smiling at the table across from him... he couldn''t help but be involuntarily annoyed.


    "I heard that you failed your mission, Kael."


    And then the annoying feeling only intensified.


    "Yes."


    Still, he answered honestly. He couldn''t lie to Hakon anyway...


    "Depending on your report and the situation in the town, the consequences of this mission will be determined for you. But if what you say is true, you will not be punished or anything like that... don''t worry. The Empire is quite fair in such matters."


    He had no idea if that was supposed to be comforting to hear. But he made no comment.


    Hakon widened his smile.


    "You do know why I called you here in such a hurry, right?"


    Kael remained silent for a while. He made eye contact with Hakon for seconds. The man''s dark eyes seemed to grow darker every second he waited without answering... but the smile on his face did not fade.


    Kael sighed slightly. Then he replied in a rather flat tone.


    Stay connected with M V L


    "Because I''m a Follower, right?"


    Hakon widened his smile.


    "Right. And we need to talk a little bit about that. Because being a Follower is a lot different than being a Bearer. Especially in your case."


    Hakon raised his right hand, pointing a finger at Kael''s chest.


    "Thanks to your curse, every time you kill a living being, the maximum amount of eon your body can carry, its purity, output power, efficiency, and more increases. That''s why, before you became a Follower, you already had far more eon than a normal Bearer. That''s normally a pretty good thing, but when you become a Follower... things change a bit." S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kael paused, his brow furrowing involuntarily.


    Wasn''t it in his favor to be a Follower, in short?


    "Because you became a Follower, your eon reserves, which were already excessive, became even more so. Now, because of your curse, the amount of eon in your body is so high and your characteristics are so distinct that you are practically shouting your Path and that you are a Follower. Because your body can''t hold so much eon compared to your level and it leaks out. Even if you don''t realize it."


    Kael narrowed his eyes, finally understanding what Hakon was talking about. Now he understood why the people around him always looked at him with an uneasy expression. It had been like this since he left the Barony of Halve, but he hadn''t paid much attention to it. He didn''t care much about other people anyway.


    "And on top of that, because my eon is not exactly the feel-good kind, I unintentionally affect the people around me."


    But this was a bit of a bigger problem.


    "Exactly. It''s hard to make an accurate guess, but what your eon makes people feel is... simply destruction. But don''t worry, it''s nothing that can''t be solved. You just need to learn how to keep your eon in your body better."


    Kael sighed slightly as he realized where this was going.


    Training, they were going to do that, basically.


    He was going to go through that hellish training again... probably a lot harder this time.


    Still... this time, he didn''t approach the idea with as much resentment as before.


    After all...


    ''I''m weak.''


    So... he had to get stronger.


    "We''ll start training directly tomorrow. And tomorrow, we will talk in detail about your Path and the ability you have gained through it. For now... I have to deal with the results of your mission. So you can go to your room to rest."


    Kael nodded respectfully. He turned around, preparing to leave the room.


    But then, his hand remained on the door handle and he paused. Slowly, he turned around and looked at Hakon.


    "I want to ask you something."


    Hakon kept his smile and raised his eyebrows curiously.


    "Yes?"


    "Seeker... what does it mean?"


    Hakon paused. His smile faded slightly as his eyebrows flattened.


    "May I ask... where did you hear that word?"


    "The woman in Halve and Amar said it to each other when they were fighting."


    "Hmm... I see."


    Seeing Hakon''s demeanor change, Kael wondered if he had said something wrong. Was this... something he wasn''t supposed to know?


    "Here''s the thing in a nutshell, Kael. Most things about blessings, curses, and Paths are usually kept secret. For example, most normal people know about Bearers, but the only people who know about Followers are those who have the opportunity to do business with them... at least unless they hear it from others. In the same way, eon is also not something that is well-known. And Seeker is one of those things that is kept secret."


    ''Oh...''


    He had really... said something wrong, then. He wasn''t going to be killed just for knowing that word, thankfully. No one would have gone that far...


    But Seeker was not a word he could say in public, apparently.


    "Follower is the common name for people who follow a Path. But it is also the name of only the ''first stage'' of a Follower. There are stages that are reached as you advance on a Path. And ''Seeker'' is one of those stages. For example... I too am a Seeker. Although I introduce myself to people as Follower of Hunt, my real title is Seeker of Hunt because of the actual stage I am in."


    Now... quite a lot was clear in his mind. Just as he had guessed, Seeker was a title that represented one''s power, just like Bearer and Follower.


    "Like everything else, we''ll talk about it tomorrow. For now... I really have a lot to deal with."


    Kael nodded meekly. Then he left the room.


    As he took slow steps towards his own room, he couldn''t stop thinking.


    What stage was Seeker the title of?


    Bearer was technically stage zero. Because a Path was not yet being followed.


    Follower was both a common name for all people following a Path and the title of the first stage.


    Was Seeker, then, the second stage?


    Kael frowned after dwelling on this thought for a moment.


    ''That woman... technically used three abilities related to her Path.''


    One was to make living beings go insane, another was that purplish smoke she could control by spraying it from her palm, and the third was the transformation of her body.


    ''Followers have only one ability related to their Path. Logically, they should have two abilities in the second stage... So Seeker is the title of the third stage, not the second?''


    What was the title of the previous stage?


    How many stages were there?


    How powerful was a Seeker... basically?


    With countless questions on his mind, Kael finally reached his room. Without bothering with anything else, he got into bed, put his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling.


    He had... missed his bed, actually. The one given to him in Halve wasn''t bad, but lying down on his own bed was a different thing after being away from it for a long time.


    But he didn''t sleep immediately. He sighed a little while looking at the ceiling.


    ''Ruin...''


    His Path.


    Tomorrow... with Hakon, he would use his Path for the first time.


    He would be lying if he claimed he wasn''t excited.

 Chapter 77: Follower Ability

    Just as he did before the Halve mission, Kael woke up early in the morning and went straight to meet Hakon.When he arrived at their usual place, he again found Hakon already there waiting for him.


    Once again, he had failed to arrive before him... but this time, he didn''t care too much about that.


    Because he was excited.


    And seeing his excitement, Hakon couldn''t help smiling.


    "So... let''s first talk about what it means to follow a Path and progress through it."


    Kael nodded meekly, his ears pricked up and his eyes wide.


    "You already know that a Path is determined by what one has experienced in their life and is tied to a certain concept. So following a Path requires acceptance, understanding, intimacy, and more with that concept. As you progress in these things, you progress in your Path. And at certain points, you advance in some stages."


    Hakon went to the side of the room and picked up a book. He opened it and showed Kael a page.


    There were seven circles on the page and small writing inside the circles. The first circle was quite small, with each circle getting bigger and bigger.


    "What we call stage zero is the Bearer. Those who do not follow any Path and only have a blessing or a curse. Stage one, Follower. Those who have just started to follow their Path. Stage two, Pursuer, those who have been granted a second ability by their Path. Stage three, Seeker. Those who can increase certain powers by projecting the characteristics of their Path onto their bodies. Next are the fourth, fifth, and sixth stages. But you will learn about them later. That''s all you need to know for now."


    Kael was a little... disappointed to hear this. He wondered what the next three stages were.


    But Hakon must have had a reason for hiding them, otherwise, he would have told him directly. So he didn''t press too hard.


    "Each time you reach a new stage, you not only gain a new ability, but your eon reserves, control, and physical abilities also improve. There is a much bigger difference between a Follower and a Pursuer than you might think, in short. That''s why you should always avoid colliding with someone at a higher stage than you unless you have an extreme advantage."


    When Kael nodded in understanding, Hakon placed the book he had been holding in his hand on the table next to him.


    "There is nothing else you need to know about the Paths for now. So let''s talk about your eon leaking out. What you need to do for that is simple... It is your body that cannot bear your eon. So you have to work on improving yourself physically. You will also use your eon constantly and develop the system that resembles the circulatory system you have created. It''s easy to explain, but it will take some work, so don''t ignore it."


    He understood almost immediately what he had to do. And he certainly had no intention of ignoring it in any way.


    "Now, lastly... can you explain to me specifically what your Path is and the ability you have gained?" Experience tales with M V L


    And they had finally reached the point they had been waiting for all along.


    Under normal circumstances, the Path and the abilities were not supposed to be told to anyone. The more such information was kept secret, the more advantageous it was.


    But why would he keep it from Hakon? He had no reason to... and he couldn''t, anyway. Otherwise, he would be under suspicion. And he would lose trust.


    So, without even thinking about it, he continued excitedly.


    "It''s Path of Ruin. And, well... the ability I gained is a little strange. It doesn''t seem to be related to ''destruction''..."


    Hakon nodded understandingly.


    "It is possible. Paths only follow a ''concept''. The abilities change according to the way of thinking of the person following the Path, their life, how they fight... in short, everything. If you think about it a bit, you will realize that it somehow fits the concept of ''Ruin''. It will be more understandable if you explain the ability..."


    "Well... it basically ruins the senses of the people around me."


    Hakon paused for a moment, his expression thoughtful... then his lips curled upwards.


    "Ruining your opponent''s senses, huh. It somewhat suits your style and is also related to your Path, I guess... And it''s actually a pretty useful ability. So... can you create hallucinations, or is it simply about messing with the senses?"


    Kael wasn''t entirely sure of the answer to that question.


    But when he thought that the ability was linked to ''ruin'', for some reason, he didn''t think that it could create hallucinations that were basically constructions of things.


    And so he answered honestly.


    Hakon''s answer to that, though, was surprisingly optimistic.


    "The abilities you acquired in the previous stages get stronger as you advance to new stages. So even if you can''t do it now, you might be able to do it in the future, who knows? But... let''s give it a try first, shall we?"


    Hakon put his hands on his waist and put on his rather annoying-looking smile again.


    But Kael didn''t even find him annoying. He was so excited to use his ability that he hardly focused on Hakon, instead pumping his eon into his body.


    His eyes took on a silvery glow and his body grew stronger. But whereas most of the time Kael focused everything on strengthening his body, this time, he focused on something different... He imagined his Path, Ruin. He focused on the images and thoughts that appeared in his mind when he became a Follower. And finally, that he was using his ability.


    And he chose Hakon as his target.


    The eon in his body suddenly surged. The silvery glow in his eyes intensified. After a short time, his eon shot through the air and traveled towards Hakon.


    Hakon didn''t feel much at first. Kael, meanwhile, continued to look at him expectantly. And then...


    "Oh..."


    A slightly puzzled expression appeared on Hakon''s face as he raised his eyebrows.


    "It''s hard to notice at first... but I find it hard to pick things out. I can''t focus on my sense of smell, and the sounds seem to blend together."


    Hakon paused for a moment.


    "I feel... cold, I guess. Interesting... quite a lot. But more importantly... your ability also plays with my eon sense, Kael."


    Hakon raised his hand. A very tiny, red glow appeared in his dark eyes... and then he simply moved his hand away.


    His eon suddenly left his body and spread out. Kael''s eon retreated, unable to resist his, and Hakon regained all his senses.


    Kael felt a little... disappointed to see his ability so easily countered.


    But Hakon''s thoughts were very different.


    "Being able to block the sense of eon... is a much bigger thing than you think. You can even cause people to misuse their eon with this ability. But I''m curious about one thing... can you choose which senses to ''ruin''? Or... ''ruin'' what the senses specifically perceive?"


    Kael forgot his earlier disappointment as soon as he realized what Hakon was trying to say.


    "I think... I can, even in a limited way. But I see what you''re trying to say. If I first block the other person''s eon sense and then delete myself specifically from their sense of sight..."


    "You can actively turn invisible, even make attacks that your opponent will never perceive. Your ability... is much more effective than you think, and it suits you very well. I can''t imagine how powerful it will be, especially when you become a Pursuer or Seeker."


    Kael withdrew his eon, his eyes returning to their usual brown. His lips curled upwards, grinning.


    He could visualize the myriad uses for the ability he had acquired. There was no disappointment left in his thoughts. He was just... excited about the future and his ability.


    This was only the Follower ability. What about his Pursuer ability? And when he became a Seeker, how would his body change and be affected by the concept of Ruin?


    He was getting impatient.


    "Your talent is good, but you are still lacking in eon and physical strength. So, for now, we will emphasize those two... and soon, I will send you on a new mission. Is that clear?"


    He nodded quickly, his voice confident and loud.


    "Understood!"


    With that, Hakon widened his smile.


    "Then... let''s start training, again." Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And they did...

 Chapter 78: A Strange Friend

    Sitting in a well-lit room, in the midst of countless swords hanging on the walls, the old man focused on the sword in front of him, not even glancing at others, no matter how high quality they were.He gently lifted it up and placed it gently on two pieces of wood.


    The sword was full of cracks. The leather of the hilt was tattered, even the tip of one of the crossguards was missing.


    It was trash in the truest sense of the word.


    But instead of throwing it away, the man began to clean it with the utmost care. His dark green eyes were narrowed but sharp, not allowing himself to be distracted in the slightest.


    And it was at this moment that he heard a knock on the door of his room.


    He paused, pulled out the cloth he had used to clean the sword, and spoke in a deep voice.


    "Come in."


    The door to his room opened slowly, and then closed just as slowly.


    He knew who had come in. And he was also waiting. So he let him approach without saying a word.


    The young man with dark blue hair stood in front of him, then respectfully got down on one knee and bowed his head.


    "I have returned from my mission, Master." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The old man, General Loukan... did not react in any way. His expression was flat, emotionless. And neither was his voice.


    "I heard you failed, Matthew."


    Matthew didn''t deny it, didn''t even look for excuses.


    He just... admitted it.


    "Yes."


    The only reason he lost was because he lacked strength. And it was his own fault he was weak.


    He had no excuse.


    But Loukan didn''t care too much about that. The mission was not something he had set up to succeed in the first place.


    Matthew''s real mission was something else.


    "Kael... how do you think he is?"


    "Talented. Even though he''s not particularly strong, he tries to do things with great care and skill. His senses are sharp, he moves very carefully. He has more eon than I''ve ever seen in anyone before, and its characteristics are so distinct that if I didn''t know better, I''d think he was a Pursuer, not a Follower."


    He paused for a moment. His eyes narrowed, thinking of all the time he had spent with Kael during the mission.


    "Besides... he seems trustworthy if he''s on our side."


    These were his thoughts about Kael. Nothing more, nothing less.


    General Loukan was silent for a while. Then he let out a deep sigh.


    "He''s someone we can use, you say."


    Matthew answered without thinking this time.


    "If we can get him to trust us... yes."


    "So you don''t think he trusts us yet?"


    "Yes."


    Loukan was silent for a short while. Then he sighed a little, picked up the cleaning cloth, and began to clean his sword again.


    "Blessing of Arcanoa and Path of Ruin... I want to use him."


    A tiny smile appeared on his expressionless face. His eyes remained serious and focused on his sword, though.


    "Start spending time with him. Make sure you trust each other. Once I feel he is completely trustworthy... I will start training him with you."


    So far, Matthew had listened and accepted his Master''s words without question, but now... he couldn''t help but pause.


    "No matter how powerful his Path is... I don''t think he is compatible enough with you to train him, Master."


    He was completely honest. There was not the slightest hint of jealousy in his words, not the slightest idea of getting in Kael''s way.


    General Loukan was the Savant of Sword. So, his knowledge and techniques were all related to ''sword''. That''s why his students had to follow the Paths related to the sword, or at least use a ''sword''.


    Kael''s Path was neither related to the sword nor did he use a sword as a weapon.


    It would have been far better for him to find a Master who was more compatible, and therefore more suitable for him, than General Loukan.


    "Trust me, Matthew. You know best that I will not make a wrong decision."


    Matthew raised his head and slowly stood up. His azure blue eyes were on his Master. And then... all he could do was sigh slightly.


    "As you wish, Master."


    Knowing that they had nothing more to say, he turned and walked slowly out of Loukan''s room.


    ''Kael, huh...''


    It seemed that... he would soon have someone to train with properly.


    *******


    Kael''s days, as they often do, became monotonous pretty fast.


    Training with Hakon, trying to improve his Follower ability, stepping into hell to improve physically, honing his chosen ''circulatory system'' method of using eon... and so on.


    Yet he never complained. He accepted everything he was told without a single grimace and started doing them quickly.


    And because of this, his progress was rapid.


    Day by day, he grew stronger. And, additionally, as he continued to feed his curse, no matter how minimal, the eon in his body also increased and became of better quality in every aspect.


    Finally, a week into the Halve mission... someone caught his eye in the garden of the Imperial Palace.


    ''Isn''t he...''


    Without thinking too much about it, he walked over to the person he had seen, who soon noticed him.


    A small smile appeared on Kael''s face. And so did the other person...


    "Hi, Matthew... I didn''t expect to see you here."


    Matthew replied in kind, his azure blue eyes fixed on Kael.


    "Likewise..."


    Even though their mission had failed... Kael had come to trust him a little after what they had been through. It wasn''t blind trust, of course, nor was it ''complete''.


    Just... he saw him as closer to him than the others, if nothing else.


    "You''ve been absent all this time. At least I didn''t see you anywhere... Where have you been?"


    Matthew widened his smile before answering the question.


    "I had some... important things to do, let''s say. I returned to the palace today."


    And Kael was inevitably surprised to hear that.


    But then he realized that his surprise was absurd.


    Matthew had been more powerful than he was from the beginning, he had been a Follower for much longer than he had been. And Followers were important people... so of course he would continue to be sent on missions.


    "But I''m surprised, because... you''ve improved. At least your eon doesn''t fly everywhere like it used to."


    Kael put one of his hands on his waist and smiled again.


    "I''ve been practicing. I have a long way to go... but thanks."


    And then...


    The two suddenly found themselves in an awkward silence.


    Neither of them had much to say.


    "Did you hear what happened to Halve?"


    And finally, Matthew decided to bring up such a topic.


    Kael paused for a moment.


    Now that he thought about it... he had no idea what had happened to Halve.


    "Do you have any information?"


    "Yes. After Scher and our reports, a large team was sent to the town. They decided that rebuilding the town would be too costly. So the survivors received financial support and were relocated to any nearby town they wanted."


    Kael inevitably felt a little relieved to hear that at least something was being done on behalf of the survivors. But Matthew''s next words made him stiffen.


    "There was also... some information about the Guardian."


    "Oh..."


    Now, that was... something he was really intrigued.


    "What''s the case?"


    "About thirty years ago, there were rituals performed by a cult under the town. People from the surrounding area were kidnapped and sacrificed. The cult was trying to produce a seed. And, well, they did..."


    So that was... the story of the Guardian.


    "Then... That woman knew about the cult. And among the sacrificed were people she knew..."


    "Most likely."


    This... confirmed many of the suspicions he already had.


    And with it, he found it even more difficult to see her as an enemy.


    She was... just one of the countless human beings who had had their share of life. Only, unlike the majority, she had found the time to fulfill her dream, survived, managed to grow stronger, and finally succeeded.


    Just like Kael was trying to do.


    Actually... they were quite similar, huh?


    But Kael had another thing on his mind.


    "What about... Amar?"


    Matthew shook his head from side to side without much response. Then, Kael let out a deep sigh.


    Whatever he''d been poisoned with... he didn''t really want to face anything that could put a Seeker in this position again.


    He couldn''t help feeling pity for Amar, but at the same time, he couldn''t care much for him. What had happened to him was something of a lesson.


    Never trust anyone or anything without knowing what it is.


    "Do you have any free time?"


    He paused at Matthew''s sudden question.


    "Sort of, I was just about to go for lunch."


    "How about eating together?"


    And he was surprised by the offer.


    He had thought that after their small talk, they would go their separate ways. Just like after Halve.


    Matthew apparently thought differently.


    "Sure, I guess."


    But he wasn''t inclined to refuse the offer either.


    Why should he dismiss the existence of a friend with whom he could chat? He was aware that humans were social creatures, and the idea of a ''friend'' with whom he could occasionally communicate was not a bad one. Discover exclusive tales on M V L


    So they went to the cafeteria together.


    They ate their meals in conversation.


    And wished each other a good day before parting ways.


    On the way back to the training room, Kael... sighed and looked up at the sky.


    Matthew was... strange, yes.


    But he wasn''t a bad guy.

 Chapter 79: A New Mission

    In a dimly lit room, with not much sunlight coming in... a young man was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in the center.He was surrounded by a pale, silvery glow. A glow that seemed to try to destroy everything it touched, a glow that made the beholder involuntarily tremble inside.


    But the young man didn''t seem to be affected by it.


    Well... why should he be affected, when he was the source?


    Soon, the silvery glow slowly faded away and the young man opened his eyes.


    His eyes went to the room''s only window, measuring how much light was coming in... and then he sighed.


    ''Two hours...''


    He had been working on his eon for two hours. His eon circulatory system was doing very well.


    So, he stood up, prepared to leave the room... but just as he reached for the door handle, he suddenly paused.


    His brown eyes narrowed, his hand in the air, he didn''t react at all... but then, he sighed.


    "What happened...?"


    And immediately after his words, a figure slowly emerged from the darkest part of the room, an annoying smile on his face.


    "I''ve been watching how you work, you''ve improved several times more than I thought you would."


    "Thanks, I guess. But I know you''re not here just to watch me."


    "Oh ho... good, then. I can get straight to the point."


    His smile widened slightly, his dark eyes narrowed.


    "We have a new mission for you, Kael."


    And he said exactly what Kael had expected.


    ''A new mission...''


    How long had it been since Halve? It must have been forty or fifty days. He had really learned a lot in the time since his mission... he had improved a lot.


    "And this time, you won''t be with a ''team''. It will be just two people."


    Only two people... either it meant that this mission was not very important, or they were afraid that too many people would attract attention.


    He would have preferred the latter, frankly.


    "And, well... you know this second person quite well."


    But when he heard an unexpected sentence, he paused, his eyebrows raised involuntarily and an expression appeared on his face that made it clear that he was surprised.


    "Huh?"


    A person he knew...?


    *******


    ''I should have guessed...''


    Kael''s first thought when he saw who was waiting for him... was that it was definitely not a coincidence.


    Because the person in front of him...


    "Oh, wait..."


    It was Matthew.


    "They gave us both the same mission...?"


    The two had spent a fair amount of time together recently. They usually only chatted at lunchtime, though. But Kael thought he could at least refer to him as his ''friend''.


    Now, though, he ignored Matthew''s question and turned to Hakon standing behind him.


    The man had his usual smile on his face.


    "Your mission is pretty simple. There is a small gang causing trouble in an eastern barony. You will deal with this gang."


    Kael and Matthew looked at each other, then at Hakon at the same time.


    The last time they had said a mission was simple, nothing good had happened.


    Now, what made the Empire think this gang was simple?


    "Only two Bearers are known to be in the gang. No Followers, that''s for sure."


    And that was a quick response to their thoughts.


    Dealing with two Bearers was a fairly easy task as long as they acted correctly as two Followers.


    The only problem was...


    ''Why can''t the people in the barony handle this gang?''


    Not every barony had someone like Amar, yes... but almost all had a few Bearers and even Followers working for the baron. If this was a mission they thought Kael and Matthew could handle, the people in the barony should have been able to handle it too.


    "Think of this mission, just like the last one, as a way of gaining experience."


    And that was a response to Kael''s thoughts.


    ''Since when did this man... become a mind reader?''


    Kael pushed his thoughts aside, then sighed and straightened his posture.


    Whatever, if he was given a mission... he would do it.


    It would be a good way to see how much he had improved, too


    *******


    Kael and Matthew set off with two horses. Kael had learned to ride horses, even if it had been by force, during his training. Matthew had known how to do it for a long time... so they would have no trouble with that.


    The Barony they traveled through was only slightly larger than Halve. It was called Ghran, and it wasn''t much of anything special.


    But it was still a little further away than Halve. So, even though they traveled on their individual horses, it took them a week.


    Just as in Halve, they passed through security and went first to the Baron.


    The Baron was a thin man, quite skinny, one might say. Other than that, he was blond with blue eyes.


    When he saw Kael and Matthew for the first time he was clearly disappointed. Still, he didn''t press too hard, he told them the problem.


    "They showed up three weeks ago. They lure poor and weak people from the outskirts of town and swindle them or put them in debt. There is an allegation that they capture those who have no money and sell them as slaves. We tried to catch them a few times, but their intel is pretty good, they anticipate almost every move we make, act accordingly and avoid being caught. We have not been able to capture a single one of their men."


    Kael couldn''t help but be surprised after hearing this.


    ''Well, maybe it''s not such an easy mission...''


    "We think there are eighteen of them in total, including two Bearers. They hide their faces when they are out and about. We have no other information... unfortunately."


    Having heard all they needed, Matthew and Kael looked at each other. Many things were running through both of their minds, but one was at the forefront.


    "I''m going to wander the town hidden."


    Kael was unconditionally the best of the two at hiding.


    Matthew was going to search more openly and see if he could catch anything. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For now, this was how they decided to make their first move.


    *******


    There was only one thing Kael could think about as he walked around the town, very quietly, above the rooftops.


    ''They know we''re here.''


    He knew the Baron wasn''t kidding when he said the intel was pretty good, yes... But he hadn''t expected this either.


    He and Matthew had only been in town for two hours.


    ''Then... there must be someone leaking information. Not even the baron knew who was coming here, someone who knew we were meeting with him...''


    The baron''s butler, perhaps?


    One of the authorized maids who worked at his mansion?


    He wasn''t sure...


    But if there''s one thing he knows...


    ''Nothing will come out of town.''


    He took his eyes off the dark, dimly lit streets of the town and turned towards the mansion.


    ''I need to search directly inside.''


    And he would do it secretly, even from the baron.


    With that, he sneaked into the mansion. It wasn''t hard not to be seen by the guards and maids roaming the corridors, he had mastered stealth to a considerable degree after all...


    So he entered his first target, the butler''s room, through the window.


    But he didn''t just enter... he didn''t hesitate to use his Follower ability while doing so.


    As the eon in his body spread around him, he moved in such a way that it affected anyone who entered a certain area... the whole room.


    Thanks to his training, he also knew which senses to focus on and how. In this way, he only disrupted the sense of sight. And not completely, but in a way that targeted only his own being.


    Using his ability so specifically was eating up a lot of eon. But his eon reserves were more than enough. He could spend a minimum of seven or eight minutes in the room without being caught by anyone.


    So, he started his investigations quickly.


    The butler was not in his room, presumably still working. So, he soon deactivated his ability. With that, he rummaged through drawers, cupboards, the bed, the armchairs, the desk... literally everything. Of course, he made sure to fix it all perfectly at the end. Continue your adventure with M V L


    The only problem... happened in the tenth minute he was in the room.


    The door suddenly opened, just as Kael was checking one of the drawers.


    Kael quickly used his ability to disguise himself, closing the drawer at the same time, and just stood still.


    The butler was an old man. Probably in his late forties. He was careful and sharp-eyed.


    But he didn''t even notice Kael''s presence. As if... he was simply not in the room. So, he walked over to his desk, pulled some files out of a drawer, and began to examine them.


    As quietly as possible, Kael hid himself in a corner, behind the couch. Then he deactivated his ability again, so as not to waste too much of his eon.


    The butler did not make any suspicious movements, nor did he communicate with anyone. When he finished going through the files, he changed into pajamas, then got into his bed and simply... slept.


    When Kael was sure that the butler was fully asleep, he used his ability to come out of hiding. He looked at the files the butler had reviewed a moment ago, and saw that they were all related to the town''s financial affairs.


    ''This guy... seems to be clean.''


    He found nothing suspicious. And the man had not made any suspicious movements, either.


    For now, he left the room so that he could investigate the others. His next target was the head maid''s room.


    And he found her already asleep in his bed.


    The only difference was... there was someone else in her bed.


    ''This woman... wasn''t married as far as I remember?''


    He already had some information about the people whose rooms he was going to search.


    He approached the bed with his ability active. The head maid was a woman who could be called beautiful. Her black hair was a dark shade of black, though a little disheveled now. Together with her body, she was clearly desirable for men.


    The man sleeping next to her... if he remembered correctly, he was a guard.


    ''Anyway...''


    He was not interested in people''s private lives. He just came here to do research. And he did...


    In the end, he found nothing. Just like the butler, the head maid seemed to be clean.


    Unsatisfied, he left this room too. He snuck into a few other people''s rooms to investigate. And... he witnessed a few scenes that could be considered quite intimate. But he didn''t let them get in the way of his mission.


    Finally, later that day... he met Matthew, completely empty-handed.


    "I found nothing..."


    And Matthew was not much different.


    "It''s like... there''s never been a ''gang'' in this town ever before. There''s not even a trace of them among the people..."


    This mission...


    It was definitely going to be a bit more challenging than they thought.

 Chapter 80: Leaving the Barony of Ghran

    As Kael and Matthew sat across from each other at a table, all they could do was... think."We haven''t found a single trace of any gangs since we stepped into the Barony."


    Three days.


    They had been here for three days.


    And... what they found was literally nothing.


    "How can a gang be so... organized and silent?"


    He could hardly believe it. So much so... that he now even had a few doubts that this gang might not actually exist.


    Matthew sighed as he pondered with his eyes squinted and his hands folded over his chest.


    "What if... there really is no such gang?"


    He lifted his squinting eyes from the table and turned them on Kael. Kael, meanwhile, asked the question he knew the answer to but wanted to confirm.


    "Do you think the Baron wrote a... fake report?"


    Matthew didn''t change his expression, he kept his posture and continued.


    "None of the people in town are related to the gang. We haven''t found anyone who owes money to the gang since we''ve been in town. We''ve searched every corner here for three days and what we found is just... nothing. I feel like... we''re trying to find something that doesn''t exist."


    The two remained silent for a while longer. They looked at the ceiling, at the table... and at each other as various thoughts passed through their minds.


    After a short while... it was Kael who broke the silence.


    "Let''s go, then."


    He looked into Matthew''s eyes in particular, not moving his gaze an inch.


    "We won''t find anything here. Either the gang never really existed, or they''re hiding out wherever they are because we''re here."


    And Matthew didn''t look away either. They both just looked into each other''s eyes.


    "Let''s ask the Empire for a larger and more capable team. If the difficulty of the mission increases, we can move more easily with more people." Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Matthew... finally tore his eyes away after a brief moment and leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh.


    "Yeah, I think so too."


    *******


    Kael and Matthew informed the baron that they would be gone for a few days to get more support from the Empire.


    The Baron was clearly displeased with them. Now, when they admitted they were incompetent... he seemed even more upset.


    Kael could guess quite clearly what the man was thinking. He was probably wondering why the Empire had brought two such young and inexperienced young men here.


    But there was nothing he could do.


    And so... Kael and Matthew soon left the town. They galloped their horses back to the capital the way they had come.


    What they didn''t know... was that they weren''t actually two people.


    Above them, flying in the sky, was a tiny crow. It was always over the two, following them until they left the town and night fell on the same day. Only when it was sure that they had really left the town did it turn away and return to the town.


    In this way, once inside the town limits, he descended and entered a window quite close to the floor of the baron''s mansion.


    He landed on the arm of a man whose face was hidden by a hood, and then, its whole body trembled for a bit. After a few seconds, a big smile appeared on the man''s face. He released the crow back out of the window and with slow steps, he walked through the corridors and into a certain room.


    This was... the wine storage room of the mansion. The townspeople owed much of their income to the special, sweet wine they produced. So it was a pretty full storage room.


    But the important thing was... the guards inside.


    When the man with the disguised face entered, the six guards in the storage room smiled at the same time.


    One of them, the tallest, who also seemed to be over two meters tall, took off his helmet and pulled back his orange hair with his hands. His brown eyes were quite... ordinary. Then the man whose face was hidden took off his hood and widened his smile, along with his green eyes and dark blond hair.


    "Have the brats left?"


    "Yes. They''re miles away from the town. It will take them at least three hours to get back from where they are, even with the horses. They won''t come back from that point."


    The tall man sighed lightly without breaking his smile.


    "I thought they would never leave... crazy brats, they even searched the mansion secretly. They are certainly not bad at their job..."


    He squinted, then looked at the green-eyed man.


    "They just didn''t include how diverse the blessings can be. That''s what happens when you''re inexperienced."


    He stretched, took off his armor, tossed it aside, and then put his hands in the pockets of the plain clothes he had been wearing for days. With a nonchalant demeanor, he exited the wine storage room and confidently began to make his way up through the mansion.


    When he finally arrived in front of the baron''s room, his smile widened and he pushed the door open hard.


    The baron jumped in fright when he saw his door suddenly open. Then he saw the person in front of him.


    The fear vanished from his face, but... it was replaced by a timid and uneasy expression this time.


    "W- what do you want...? The brats of the Empire just left town..."


    The tall man approached the table with slow steps, picked up one of the papers the baron was working on, and read its contents.


    "Funds for a new grocery store on East Street...? Oh, there''s good money to be made here..."


    He crumpled the paper in his hand, rolled it into a ball, and shook it behind his back. He turned his eyes back to the baron, who could not stop trembling with fear.


    "We''ve expanded, Baron. We have made contact with a larger group in the county. We will leave this town tomorrow evening. When those brats come back here again, they''ll think there really is no gang here, and you can relax a bit. I''m not gonna lie, it was a good use of your money. Thank you for your services. I just wanted to let you know that we''re going to make some travel money before we leave."


    The Baron could not think of anything to say in reply, nor did he have the courage to open his mouth. He could only... swallow and accept the man''s words.


    He had to be happy. After all... the gang that had been terrorizing the town for months was finally going to leave. Who knows, maybe never to return...


    But he was not happy.


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    Not at all.


    Why... why hadn''t the Empire sent someone decent? He had gone to all that trouble just to write a report, to make sure that it was a maid who was not connected to himself just to be safe, to remove all suspicion.


    But the Empire had just sent two brats without even taking him seriously!


    Maybe... Maybe if someone more experienced had come, they could have removed these wastes who call themselves human from the face of the earth.


    But it was too late.


    "We''ll release your son before we go, although he might be missing a few fingers... his mind was a bit out of whack last time, too. But no problem, he''ll be fine... probably."


    He saw the Baron clench his fist under the table, his expression forced.


    Well... what could he do...? He was really enjoying it, seeing a baron suffering in front of him.


    "See you next time."


    He turned and walked out of the room, hands in his pockets and confident.


    Their days as a simple gang were over. Finally... he had managed to take a step towards something much bigger.


    The future looked... bright.


    *******


    The next day, the tall man and his gang looted the grocery store they had seen while they were in the Baron''s office. Quietly, of course... making sure that no one heard them, and making sure that the owner of the greengrocer''s shop would never say a word to anyone.


    Then, they prepared to leave town, just as they had said they would. As a team of eighteen people, they were heading for their new destination... the city at the center of Uhron County, of which the Barony of Ghran was a part.


    And soon they were on their way. Their journey was not short. For almost a week and a half, they traveled by horse and cart.


    Finally, they arrived in the city where the Count Uhron lives. Thanks to the loopholes created by the group they contacted, they managed to get inside, hiding their identities.


    The city was quite big. Maybe not as big as the metropolis of the Duchies, but certainly several times the size of the town in their Barony.


    Even the Count''s mansion looked like a mini palace. Thinking of the money, the fame, the power they could earn here compared to that small town... all the gang members were practically drooling, especially the tall man who was their leader.


    In this way, they entered a very large inn, which was their meeting point. And they found exactly the man they were looking for sitting at a long table in a corner of the inn.


    Eighteen men sat at the long table, one by one, without making a sound. The tall man sat right next to the man already at the table.


    The man at the table turned to him slowly, his dark eyes quite... plain. Then, asked with his seemingly same plain voice.


    "Dazul of the Barony of Ghran, is it?"


    The tall man, Dazul, nodded his head. The smile on his face never faded.


    "Nice to meet you, then. I am Hasron, co-leader of the largest gang in Uhron. We have reviewed our arrangement, found no problems... and have agreed to be business partners. Underneath this inn is a structure of tunnels, and that''s our headquarters. Come with me, we''ll meet with the leader and... decide exactly what we''re going to do."


    Hasron and Dazul, along with seventeen others, got up from the table at the same time and made their way to the back of the lobby of the inn. Then they started to descend down to the ground through a ladder that was there...


    All the while, there was someone leaning against the wall next to the secret staircase leading underground.


    After the whole group had descended, he sighed deeply, opened his eyes, which shone with a silvery glow, and looked coldly at the staircase. Then, slowly, he too began to descend the stairs, among so many others who didn''t even realize he was there.

 Chapter 81: Noble Trafficking

    Dazul and his gang followed Hasron until they got quite deep. They passed through long tunnels and corridors. Finally, they reached the front of a room with two doors almost three meters tall.They were a bit nervous going in. The gang, or group, or whatever it was, they had made a deal with, was really big!


    They had hit the jackpot.


    And that thought was multiplied when the door to the room they were going to enter opened.


    The room was... huge. The walls were covered with eye-catching artwork and paintings. The carpet on the floor was of such high quality that Dazul normally would not have dared to step on it.


    But he didn''t care when he saw Hasron walking over it, not even caring its presence there, and approaching the center of the room. He swallowed involuntarily as his eyes fell on the person sitting at the table at the end of this sumptuous room.


    It was... a woman. It was surprising, he couldn''t lie. Normally, it was strong men who were involved in ''gangsterism'' and the like.


    But this person... she looked quite fragile.


    And beautiful at the same time.


    Her blonde hair was neatly braided and loose over her shoulders. Her blue eyes, like the sky, were brilliant. She was wearing one of the one-piece dresses worn by nobles, a beautiful red one.


    As they entered, her blue eyes were on them. Then, her pink lips curved upwards slightly.


    "Welcome, Mr. Dazul and his gang."


    Even her voice was pleasant.


    ''I... want this woman.''


    It was a thought that Dazul could not get out of his mind, no matter how much he suppressed his desires and instincts. He wanted this woman... absolutely.


    Not now, maybe.


    But when he was strong enough... he definitely would.


    "Thank you for being kind enough to include us in your group..."


    For now... he would respect and put his desires aside. The person in front of him was, after all, the leader of an illegal group operating in an entire county. He was not going to underestimate her just because she was a woman and looked fragile.


    There must have been a reason for her to be where she was now.


    "I like respect. Respect is one of the things that separates humans from barbarians."


    She smiled after her own words.


    "I''ve heard about your activities in Ghran, and I''ve looked into it. Rather than trying to develop things quickly, you secure yourselves first, make sure you have a place to run to in case of emergency, and try to grow slowly. And that... I like that."


    ''Ah...''


    Why was she praising him like that?


    With each passing second... he wanted her more and more.


    "My name is Feria Lockhend, I am the leader of the Red Feathers, the largest organized gang in Uhron County."


    But the moment he heard her name... Dazul suddenly went rigid.


    ''Lockhend...? Wait...''


    "At the moment, we are dealing with a relatively big business. I''d like to make you a partner in it, in a way that you''ll be quite happy with your share in the end..."


    Lockhend... was a name he knew.


    A family name.


    And... if he remembered correctly...


    ''The daughter of Count Uhron? And¡­ if I''m not wrong¡­''


    Dazul tried to collect his thoughts. If he remembered the name Lockhend correctly... He was involved in something much bigger than he thought.


    He asked gently, trying hard not to change his expression or tone of voice.


    "Of course, we would be happy to accept a big business. But... can we find out what kind of business it is, by any chance?"


    Feria Lockhend widened her smile.


    "The trafficking of a few nobles."


    Human trafficking... but with nobles?


    ''That''s... really big business right there.''


    As surprised as he was that the person he was working with was a noble... and a really big one at that¡­ hearing what the business was had an even greater effect on him.


    And yet...


    "I see."


    He did nothing but widen his smile.


    "We accept, of course."


    How and why would he turn down such an opportunity...?


    Of course he would jump at it!


    After all... getting involved in a human trafficking business where nobles were used as products as long as they were not caught would bring him too much money and fame.


    The only thing he didn''t know...


    They were already caught.


    *******


    ''Damn, using the ability on more than one person really consumes a lot of eon.''


    The ceiling of the room they were in was fortunately extremely high. That way, Kael could listen to the whole conversation without getting caught, even though he had deactivated his ability after getting up there.


    He turned his eyes to the still-talking duo of Feria and Dazul, narrowing his eyes.


    The task of taking down a gang in a simple barony had reached a point where... it was completely out of his league.


    ''Feria Lockhend... good to know her name.''


    He had no idea who she was, but it was always good to know people''s names. Especially criminals.


    Now, he had to go back and report this to Count Uhron quickly. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Some of the nobles to be sold are downstairs, they will leave for their destination in half an hour. Accompany them, and in the meantime, you can learn a little about the city."


    But Feria''s next words left him frozen in place.


    ''In half an hour...?''


    Was it... possible for him to make it in time?


    It would probably take him an average of twenty minutes to sneak out of here in the first place.


    He narrowed his eyes, lost in his thoughts.


    Just then... Feria announced to Dazul and his team the whereabouts of the captured nobles. Kael paused at this moment.


    ''All right...''


    He had... an idea.


    Something a bit stupid, but something that could make it work.


    *******


    Dazul couldn''t stop smiling for a second as he walked along the long underground tunnel with a guard leading the way.


    ''I''ve heard that some of the nobles are involved in illegal activities... but to come across one - now that''s luck!''


    Nobles always had the perfect connections to facilitate this kind of work. So doing business with them was both simple and profitable.


    When the guard who was leading the way stopped, so did he. Then he saw the door leading to a dungeon.


    Together, they stepped into the underground dungeon and Dazul could not help being surprised again.


    The dungeon was... quite full. There was someone in every cell. They were pretty filthy, but they seemed to be taken care of enough to survive.


    So, they came to one of the cells at the end of the dungeon. And Dazul took a look inside.


    There were two females and three males. One of the females looked to be in her teens, the other in her mid-twenties. One of the males was in his late forties, while the other two were quite young. They were dressed in simple pieces of cloth, just like those in the other cells. But... they looked much cleaner.


    ''Well, they are nobles after all...''


    Even in captivity, they were valuable.


    The guard with him opened the cell door, approached the five, and then stopped when one of them was in front of him.


    Dazul frowned when he saw what the guard was doing.


    "Is there a problem?"


    The guard nodded, not taking his eyes off the noble standing in front of him.


    "There were... four nobles here. I didn''t hear anything about the fifth."


    Dazul''s eyes narrowed. He walked over to the guard and looked at the boy standing in front of him.


    His black hair was dirty and disheveled, just like the others. His brown eyes, meanwhile, flickered with fear, his face twitching with horror.


    But just then, he opened his mouth.


    "I- I am Baron Halve''s nephew! Y- you will definitely pay for this!"


    Even his voice was full of fear. But it was something else that caught Dazul''s attention.


    ''Halve...?''


    Just then, he remembered the town that was said to have been destroyed about a month ago.


    "He was just captured on a journey to the county, and it seems he doesn''t know what happened to the Barony of Halve."


    Dazul and the guard slowly turned around and found another guard standing before them.


    He was wearing a helmet, so they couldn''t tell what color his hair was, but... he had relatively blue eyes.


    "Oh, strange... they would have told me about a newcomer to distribute the food evenly."


    But then he paused.


    If he was a newcomer... he didn''t need to eat anyway.


    That would explain why he hadn''t been informed. He wasn''t even a guard in this dungeon in the first place... he was just bringing food.


    "Anyway, understood."


    "Let me go! I- I said let me go quickly! Hey!"


    Dazul sighed slightly. He approached the young noble, then struck him hard on the neck.


    The boy collapsed to the ground, drooling.


    "He was making too much noise. And I only knocked him out... so he''ll be fine."


    He didn''t really need to explain himself. The guard next to him was thinking of doing something like that.


    The guard shrugged his shoulders, then tied each of the captured nobles'' hands with a chain, and tied the chains together with another one.


    The five nobles were led out of the cell in a line.


    As they left the dungeon, Dazul took one last look inside.


    ''Strange... there are quite a few guards in the dungeon.''


    Apart from the guard who had just told them the situation, he could only see two others. One was resting on the edge, almost looking asleep, while the other was leaning against the far wall. It was impossible to see his face because of his helmet and the distance between them.


    ''Three... I would have put at least five.''


    With that thought, they left the dungeon.


    Silence quickly took over the seconds after they left.


    ...


    It was in this silence that the two guards Dazul had seen both collapsed. There was a flash of blue between their clothes and their backs.


    Experience new tales on M V L


    Swords... that were flying.


    Swords that made them look like they were standing.


    Then, the swords slowly turned to dust and disappeared, while the third guard in the dungeon stretched his back.


    "Huuugh...! Kael''s ability is quite useful, huh?"


    He was pretty good at hiding the glow and eon of swords.


    A smile appeared on his face. He dragged two of the guards into a corner that was relatively hidden and left them on top of the other guards who normally worked here.


    As he made his way towards the exit of the dungeon, he saw all the captives in the cells staring at him, and widened his smile.


    "Don''t worry, we will free you as soon as we finish this gang. Thank you for your silence."


    Then, with a lot of hopeful eyes looking at him behind his back, he left the dungeon.

 Chapter 82: Ambush for Ambush

    The place where the nobles were to be sold was not far from Uhron County, but not far either.It was a journey that would take almost three weeks if they traveled by carriage. And they would travel in two carriages.


    Six bodyguards from the Red Feathers would accompany four members of Dazul''s gang.


    And Dazul had taken himself, his Bearer friend who could communicate with crows and rats, plus two of the most trusted men in his gang.


    He had decided to go himself, yes, because even though he trusted his own men, he felt that two of their Bearers would be the best choice for a human trafficking job where nobles would be sold.


    And he was glad he did!


    When he examined the plan for the journey, he noticed some flaws. Many flaws, actually, some of them too obvious.


    So much so... that the thought even crossed his mind that he was being tested. And if that was true... he was certainly happy with his decision to accompany the journey.


    He quickly reported to Feria the flaws he had seen and any suggestions he could think of to remedy them.


    And... Feria smiled and said that she would be able to carry out his suggestions.


    And in this way... he confirmed that this woman still did not trust him, that she would continue to test him.


    ''She''s not taking any chances, huh...''


    He could have taken it for granted that there would not be... literally ''ten of them'' going on this mission.


    But that didn''t matter.


    ''I will continue to prove myself.''


    All he had to do was succeed, become more and more valuable in her eyes, and rise up.


    And he could do that.


    No, he would. Discover exclusive tales on M V L


    And so... finally, this group of ten started the journey.


    The nobles were kept in a carriage, bound hand and foot. From time to time, they kept bumping their bodies against something because of the rough road, and there was nowhere for them to sit steadily.


    They were all silent. As if they had accepted their fate. Their eyes were calm, dull, even.


    But... there was a reason for that.


    Because one of them was actually very different from them.


    ''They tied it tight, huh...''


    Kael, with his back against the inner wall of the carriage, was trying to untie the binding on his wrist.


    Fortunately... none of the nobles were Bearers or Followers, so no extra precautions were taken. So he could use a little eon to increase his strength many times over.


    And so, he managed to break the chain binding his wrists, even though it was tied quite tightly.


    He was very quiet, not even making a sound as he tore and tore at the chain.


    Once his hands were free, it was time for his feet. He managed to break them silently after about five minutes of struggle.


    Finally... he was completely free.


    ''Now, now...''


    They only had ten people to deal with. Then... they could escape with the nobles and report the situation to the Empire.


    He turned to the nobles who were in the carriage with him. He smiled slightly, then gave them a thumbs up.


    "Don''t worry, we''ll finish quickly."


    The eyes of the four in front of him were... still dull. He did not know how long they had been in that dungeon, but it had certainly not been quality time for them.


    Yet he could also see the hope in their eyes.


    And that was enough.


    He took his eyes off them, stretched slightly. Then, he poured most of the eon in his body into his follower ability.


    First, he used it to disrupt the eon sense of everyone within twenty meters of him. Then... to hide himself from everyone''s eyes.


    There were a few more senses that he would specifically ruin in this way. So he moved quickly, knowing that his time was not excessive.


    He got out of the carriage as if he were not a captive. Meanwhile, the trio following the carriage from behind did not notice him, nor did they notice that the carriage door had opened.


    Even though he was standing right in front of them, they continued talking among themselves as if nothing had happened.


    Kael quietly jumped out of the carriage and approached the trio. From the sense of touch of one of them, he destroyed the presence of the sword hanging on his waist. Then he unsheathed the sword.


    He had not ruined their sense of sound. That''s why the trio paused at the sound of the unsheathed sword.


    But... it was already too late.


    Kael decapitated all three with a single swing of his sword. All three were normal people, three people who had no idea what was happening right in front of them.


    It was that simple to kill them.


    Kael narrowed his eyes, tossed the sword aside, grabbed the two daggers hanging from the waist of one of the trio, and began to sprint forward.


    The moment he passed the carriage carrying the nobles, he used almost half of his eon reserves in an instant, erasing the presence of one more sense from the senses of everyone around him.


    And... at that very moment, three blue swords appeared on the carriages still moving forward.


    The lips of one of the foremost guards curled upwards, grasped one of the blue swords that had appeared, and stabbed the other two into the two guards standing behind him.


    A total of five people... thus dead.


    Kael pounced on another with his daggers, and Matthew decapitated another with his sword.


    Immediately afterwards... Kael deactivated his ability, both because his eon reserves were near the bottom and because he thought that would be enough.


    "H- huh?"


    One of the trio sitting in the front car, specifically the nameless Bearer, who had dark blond hair and green eyes, widened his eyes and quickly turned around.


    All the while shouting.


    "Dazul! There is an ambush!"


    Dazul and the Bearer who could control crows and rats, moved quickly. The guard who drove the carriage did not let go of the reins, ready to rev up the horses at any moment.


    But then... the Bearer and Dazul stiffened where they were.


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    Why... why was the carriage carrying the nobles so far behind?


    They were a group of ten men...


    Where were the other seven?


    And that''s when they saw the duo looking at them.


    One was wearing the uniform of his own guards. He had thrown aside his helmet, so that his dark blue hair and shimmering azure blue eyes were exposed. In his hand, he held a sword that shone with a blue glow.


    The other was... a black-haired young man with silvery eyes, wearing a piece of cloth that the captive nobles wore.


    It was Matthew and Kael, of course.


    "A- ah, these are the brats the empire sent to Ghran!"


    And they were quickly recognized by the Bearer, who had watched their every move for three days while they were still in Ghran.


    Dazul''s expression suddenly darkened at what he heard.


    He had to accept it. If the two had deceived themselves from the very beginning and had even managed to sneak between them without being caught... he had been overconfident and overconfident.


    He had underestimated these two... even if they were brats.


    ''We are two Bearers, and there are two Bearers in front of us. We are older than them, more experienced. Even though we underestimated them at first... now we can crush them with our sheer power!''


    And with this thought he curled his lips upwards, activating his blessing.


    Dazul''s blessing was a simple one.


    Simply... every time he roared after using his blessing, he grew stronger, healed a little, and became more resilient.


    All he had to do was to roar every chance he got after using his blessing.


    ''The blue one''s blessing must be to create the sword in his hand, the other one''s... illusion or playing with our senses?''


    He knew enough about them.


    But they didn''t!


    He stretched, prepared to roar, and spread his hands wide.


    This was... going to be a piece of cake!


    But then...


    "H- Ugh-?!"


    He paused, realizing that he could make no sound from his throat.


    His eyes widened, and with his eyes fixed on the sky, he slowly tried to lower his neck... but that''s when he felt the cold of the dagger slicing through his vocal cords and his blood soaking his clothes.


    ''W- when did he... come... to me...?!''


    "Don''t you... underestimate us too much?"


    When Kael''s cold words entered her ear, she paused for no reason.


    His body suddenly stiffened.


    A strange, cold sensation enveloped his whole body.


    His surroundings seemed to change. Inside the ruins, in the dust that covered the whole area, his lungs slowed down as if he had difficulty breathing. A helplessness and fear permeated him that he could not make sense of.


    "There''s a reason the Empire sent us after all... right?"


    The next second... the whole world turned upside down.


    Dazul couldn''t comprehend what had happened. But then he saw his friend''s head detached from his body, spinning in the air and falling backwards.


    ''Ah...''


    And... in the last seconds before he died, he realized.


    His head too was separated from his body.


    *******


    Kael and Matthew took care of business after Dazul and the other Bearer.


    Kael quickly pursued the driver of the fleeing carriage and caught up with him a kilometer or so later, killing him too. Matthew, meanwhile, returned and explained the situation to the nobles, reassuring them.


    "Now... I know this place from the maps, there should be a town to the west. Let''s go there first, ask the townspeople for clothes and help. Then... let''s go straight back to the capital."


    Neither Kael nor the nobles objected to Matthew''s suggestion. Kael had no knowledge of maps anyway. And all the nobles wanted... was to return home to their families.


    But...


    ~clap!


    ~clap...!


    ~clap...


    With the sound of applause coming from behind a tree on the side of the road, they inevitably paused, their guard up.


    "Bravo..."


    When the voice of an old man entered their ears... Kael and Matthew''s eyes widened.


    "You''re very talented... very, very talented."


    Because... in the next second, all the trees around them moved.


    And from behind them all came guards dressed in Red Feathers'' clothes.


    "It''s a pity... you didn''t realize that we don''t trust the people we give this mission to either..."


    The old man stopped clapping. He brushed his graying hair aside with his hand, squinted his black eyes.


    "Now... you will die."


    And with his words... all the surrounding guards reached for their weapons.


    There was only one thing running through Kael''s mind, all the while...


    "Shit!"

 Chapter 83: Hunting the Humans

    Kael used his ability as fast as he could.If he could disrupt the vision of everyone around him, even if only for a few seconds, it would be enough for them to escape.


    But... the moment he used his ability, his eon collided with someone else''s eon, and because he was trying to reach too many people at once, his eon was quite thin and weak. So it just dissipated like that.


    "I know what your ability is, don''t even try."


    He gritted his teeth at the words spoken by the old man at the front, glancing at Matthew out of the corner of his eye.


    Even though they didn''t speak... there was what could only be described as perfect communication between them.


    And it was Kael who initiated it.


    What are we going to do?


    I don''t know.


    You should know!


    Hah? It''s you who should know! You''re smarter than me!


    Let''s run, then!


    Run where you idiot?! We''re surrounded!


    I told you!


    But then... Matthew paused for a moment.


    And then the old man, arms folded across his chest, spoke once more.


    "Kill them, we''ll continue with the nobles."


    Matthew turned to Kael, narrowing his eyes.


    And Kael... understood right then that he was going to do something, nodding his head in approval of whatever he was going to do.


    "Be careful, then..."


    After saying these words quickly... Matthew closed his eyes and just stood there.


    Swords, spears, axes approaching him from all sides... he just stood there as if accepting his death.


    ''Damn it, I shouldn''t have trusted this id-''


    But Kael''s thoughts were interrupted by the next moment.


    He and Matthew were in a circle... when suddenly a dark blue field appeared around them.


    Then... in an instant, dozens of flying shields surrounded them, repelling any weapons that came at them, and not only weapons, but the men!


    ''Ah, this...''


    Kael couldn''t help his eyes widening at what he felt as he looked at the shields.


    These... were not shields created by Matthew''s follower ability. He could understand from the eon they possessed.


    ''This... is his blessing!''


    He had never thought about what Matthew''s blessing was until now.


    If he had known it was so... useful, he wouldn''t have bothered in the first place!


    But then he found Matthew''s hand on his shoulder and saw that his expression was quite serious.


    "Start running, the shields won''t stay up long."


    Kael nodded quickly. And the next moment... they burst through a gap Matthew created between the shields and dived into the trees.


    It didn''t take them long to realize that they weren''t going to be so successful in running, though, as a voice came from behind them.


    "They''ve gone into the trees, get them!"


    The two clicked their tongues at the same time.


    "You could have told me earlier what your blessing was."


    Matthew didn''t answer, just sighed with a blank expression. Continue your journey at M V L


    "The shields can only stay up for three seconds at most, and they all consume a lot of eon. They''re a bit more powerful than my swords because they''re separate from my Path, but I can''t use them much, and once I''ve created them I can''t move them much, they''re just momentary."


    It was totally... a blessing on instant defense, then.


    "But forget my blessing, what are we going to do? They''ll come after us and we had to leave the nobles with them."


    Kael thought deeply for a while. Then he turned to Matthew with a serious expression.


    "Those swords you can create... how far can you control them?"


    Matthew''s answer was quick.


    "About seven meters."


    "And how far away from you can they maintain their existence?"


    "Twice as far."


    "That''s more than enough."


    Kael smiled, squinting slightly as a silvery glint appeared in his eyes.


    "We''re going to... hunt them."


    He wasn''t so sure about Matthew, that was why he had asked the questions.


    But himself...?


    The ones who should be afraid were the ones who were after them.


    After all, the forest was... his territory.


    *******


    Following Kael and Matthew, fifteen people entered the forest.


    And... four of them were Bearers.


    Hunting these brats was going to be a piece of cake for them!


    Of course, they were not going to be complacent just because their opponents were young and inexperienced. They were going to stand together as the experienced ones and not let the forest be used to their disadvantage!


    But then...


    "Agh!"


    Suddenly, they heard one of their number groaning momentarily.


    The fourteen turned at the same time to their friend from whom the sound had come.


    And... they saw a blue sword piercing their friend''s chest and stabbing his body into the ground.


    They could not see where the sword came from!


    "Watch out, they are hiding!"


    They all turned in the direction of the sword. After all, it had to be thrown from somewhere... the person hiding had to be where it was thrown from!


    "AAGH!"


    But then the person in the middle of them suddenly appeared with a sword on his back and plunged into a tree in front of their eyes.


    "Form a circle!"


    They quickly put their backs on each other.


    So what if their first thought was wrong...?


    There were still thirteen of them and in this position, they could dodge any attack!


    The next second, a total of two swords appeared, hurtling toward them!


    Both of them came from different locations, both of them were really fast!


    But because of the stance they took, they quickly dodged these two swords. Then the Bearers, two by two, rushed to where the swords had come from.


    And just as they were about to enter the bushes, they all turned around.


    They saw someone covered in a silvery glow, approaching their nine friends, back-to-back in the center...


    He was so... fast that they could only make out his figure.


    But there was no way nine people, not even a Bearer, could see a Follower like Kael. Especially when he was using his ability even if slightly.


    With that, Kael passed like lightning through the back-to-back nine and disappeared back into the trees.


    And as he passed... he made sure to slit the necks of two of them.


    Those of the Bearers who were close to the direction Kael had gone quickly headed in that direction. Once they had seen him, if they were fast enough, they could figure out exactly where he had gone!


    But then, the seven of them heard voices coming from the direction of their remaining friends.


    "Ugh!"


    "A- AAAAGGH! MY LEG... MY LEG!"


    The fallen swords they had just parried... suddenly started to move on their own, catching the circle of people off guard and slicing off their feet!


    "COME OUT, YOU FUCKING PESTS!"


    One of the Bearers lifted his foot up and struck the ground as hard as he could.


    The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck. Everyone else who felt the tremor, except their allies, was disoriented, unable to think straight.


    It must have caught those two brats off guard!


    "It''s a pity my feet didn''t touch the ground, though..."


    But then, he heard the voice whispering quickly in his ear and his eyes widened to their fullest.


    He saw feet wrapped around his waist, then the cold metal of a dagger approaching his throat before his eyes.


    And then... his throat was cut, his head severed from his body in a single blow.


    ''That leaves three bearers... and that old man.''


    It was... Kael!


    He was moving so fast while misleading everyone with his ability that no one could track him!


    They could probably take down the three Bearers at this point. They must have been on edge after what had happened to their friends, unable to think straight for fear of death.


    But that old man...


    ''He was a Follower at worst...''


    The only problem was, he never showed up! He hadn''t entered the forest with the team he had sent after giving the orders...


    Or he had entered and was waiting for the right moment.


    Either way, he was a threat because Kael and Matthew didn''t want to let the nobles be sold. It would be far better if they completed their mission by rescuing them.


    And with that thought, Kael turned to face the three remaining Bearers.


    And at that moment... he found a pair of black eyes staring back at him.


    His eyes widened in an instant.


    Because these two eyes... were not the ones that were familiar to him.


    They did not belong to Hakon.


    They were the eyes of the old man he had been thinking about just a few seconds ago!


    He quickly planted his feet on the back of the Bearer he had just killed and pushed himself with all his might.


    As he was thrown backwards, the sharp edge of a huge axe came down just before his eyes.


    It landed on the ground where he had just been, splitting the headless Bearer''s body in two.


    It was so fast and powerful... it even sent a shockwave, albeit a small one.


    ''Holy, it was so close!''


    But this was not the time to relax yet.


    Because the old man''s dark eyes were on him again... and were slowly turning an orangish color.


    Kael analyzed the man''s eon extremely quickly.


    And the man''s eon was... hot. Kael felt like he was right under the sun in the middle of summer, in a cloudless sky. If he stayed any longer without doing anything, he would even sweat.


    ''Hot...!''


    The moment he caught the clue, he picked the nearest tree and jumped behind it.


    Immediately afterwards... he felt a tremendously hot gust of wind blowing on him.


    Fortunately, he was behind a tree, so the heat did not damage his clothes or himself...


    But the temperature of the air passing around him was sweltering enough to make him sweat quite quickly!


    ''His follower ability allows him to send out a wave of very hot air...''


    He was sure to be a bit... challenging!


    But there was one thing that Kael forgot...


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    And it was that his enemy was not only this old man.


    After all, there were still three Bearers in the field they hadn''t killed yet!


    So, he saw the tip of the spear approaching him overhead.


    In just half a second, it would pierce through his skull and into the tree behind him!

 Chapter 84: Challenging Old Man

    A blue sword flew out of his sight with a speed that even Kael had difficulty seeing.The spear that was about to pierce his skull suddenly snapped, and the eyes of the man holding it widened.


    Kael quickly squinted. He could feel the eon moving behind the tree, exactly where the old man had been.


    Using his ability only on the man in front of him, he removed his own presence, moving behind him as fast as he could at the same time. Then... another wave of hot air blew over him.


    The man''s body, accompanied by his screams, shielded him from the hot air. And as the attack passed them by, Kael kicked him hard in the head.


    He didn''t have time to wait a second. So without even checking if he was dead, he turned his eyes to the old man... and used his ability once again.


    The last time, the old man had managed to block his ability because there were too many targets for him and he had to divide the eon.


    Now he targeted only him, pouring his eon all over him.


    And even though the old man tried to block his ability again, he only half succeeded.


    Kael''s image fogged up before his eyes, almost disappearing.


    But he didn''t care much about that.


    Things were getting troublesome now. He had to take these two brats much more seriously. Having lost so many men, he couldn''t afford to lose any more!


    ''Where''s the second one?''


    Out of the corner of his eye, he looked back for less than a second. The blue-haired brat was fighting with other two Bearers. And it wasn''t as if he had an overwhelming advantage. On the contrary, his situation did not look particularly good.


    ''Then I can focus on the one in front of me!''


    He turned back in front of him, his eyes on the blur that was already moving towards him.


    ''He wields a dagger, and his physique is much weaker than mine. I can finish him off in one blow.''


    His speed was a bit of a problem, yes...


    But all he needed was one blow.


    He used his ability, sending the hot air into the blur. But this time, instead of staying where he was, he pushed himself a little and followed his ability, attacking himself.


    The blur... avoided the wave of hot air by throwing himself quickly to the left. But that was exactly why the old man was on the move!


    He swung his axe at a diagonal angle towards where Kael had dodged the attack. But the blur, Kael, was fast. He managed to avoid the axe by quickly stepping backwards.


    The old man pointed his hand at him, sending another wave of hot air close by.


    Kael ducked as far as he could, even laying himself almost completely on the ground. In this way... he dodged the old man''s ability once more.


    But... now that he was lying on the ground, he was quite vulnerable.


    The old man turned his axe over and swung it at the blur that lay beneath his feet. This time, his attack would reach him, he had nowhere to run!


    At least he thought so.


    Because, as the axe was closing in on him at full speed, Kael wrapped his feet around the man''s legs and, supported by them, spun himself sideways around him.


    As soon as the axe cut where he had just been, he leaped to his feet and tried to drive his daggers into the old man''s back...


    But then he saw the palm facing him, hidden under the man''s armpit, and his eyes widened.


    He loaded his arms with as much eon as he could and quickly pulled them in front of him, ducked his head, and threw himself aside.


    He had managed to act fast, yes...


    But this time, his evasion of the attack was not perfect.


    The heat wave permeated his arms, if only for a second. He felt his hair burning, his skin almost shriveling. The hot air was going to pass through the gaps between his fingers and arms and seep into his whole body... and in fact, it did a little.


    But just then, Kael managed to get out of the path of the attack. He quickly put distance between himself and the old man and checked his condition.


    There were burns on his arms that looked quite large. Part of the piece of cloth he was wearing was blackened by the heat, almost to the point of burning, but... it wasn''t as bad as he thought.


    As he checked himself... the old man pulled his axe out of the ground and smiled broadly.


    "I told you, you will die."


    The blur whose figure he couldn''t quite make out... didn''t give him any answer.


    The old man suddenly felt all his senses strangely jumbled.


    ''Does he still have eons left?!


    He was aware that Kael''s ability should consume eon like crazy. But... Kael kept using it over and over again!


    His opponent''s eon reserves were... truly staggering.


    He paused, realizing that even though all of his senses were going crazy... one of them was actually not affected at all.


    And that sense was... the sense of touch.


    He could feel his clothes, the light wind against them, the slight warmth of the sunlight, and more... he could feel them all.


    ''Behind me!''


    As soon as he felt the change behind him, he contracted all his arm muscles, turning his axe behind him as fast as he could while using... his blessing.


    The function of his blessing was a bit... complicated.


    It multiplied the momentary force of all objects he touched according to their momentum.


    In short, the more instantaneous the speed of his axe, the greater his explosive power. And to facilitate this, his agility increased with every second he used his blessing.


    It was a pretty decent blessing for someone with a built body like his.


    The only problem was... the greater the force his grace multiplied, the more eon it absorbed.


    That''s why he always saved his blessing for the final attack and used it as a surprise at the last moment.


    ''He is done!''


    The swing of his axe and the spinning of it happened almost simultaneously. Only a handful of Pursuers, let alone Followers, could have seen that attack!


    And Kael couldn''t see it either, of course.


    Even though his attack was instantaneous, the old man could feel the body his axe sliced through. And as he completed his attack... there was indeed a blur before his eyes.


    A blur split in two.


    "Heh."


    He took a step backwards to keep his axe steady, realizing that the fingers holding the handle were red from the sheer force, but he didn''t care.


    Slowly, his senses returned to him. Slowly, the blur hiding his opponent disappeared...


    "I told yo-"


    But then he swallowed his words.


    His eyes widened in an instant.


    The blur he had sliced in half with his axe... was not his opponent.


    It was his ally, the Bearer whose head was missing.


    He looked around quickly, trying to protect himself. He tried to see Kael, to understand where he was.


    And he saw him... collapsed on the ground not far from him.


    Kael was gasping for breath. The glint in his eyes had completely disappeared, back to their original color of brown.


    ''Did he run out of eon...?''


    The old man narrowed his eyes. Unsure if this was also a trick, he kept his axe in an alert position, ready to attack and defend himself at any moment.


    "Now... what are you planning, brat?"


    Kael raised his eyes slowly, meeting his. Then he let out a deep sigh and dropped himself to the ground.


    "I''m not planning anything, I''m out of eon."


    If he really ran out of eon... then his chances of winning were zero now.


    The fight between them was already over.


    And he had... accepted that?


    "Look behind, idiot.."


    The old man''s eyes widened at the voice behind him. He turned his eyes back and found the blue-haired young man, Matthew, in front of him, holding a blue sword.


    Behind him, where he had just fought, both Bearers lay motionless on the floor.


    ''Are they... already dead?''


    He tried to defend himself with his axe, using his blessing one last time to finish Matthew off with an unexpected block followed by a quick counterattack.


    But then, his whole body stiffened. The pain he felt in the back of his head made the whole world blur and all the power drained from his body.


    "You idiot, who do you think you turned your back on?"


    Kael''s voice echoed in his ears.


    The moment the old man had turned to Matthew... he had thrown one of his daggers right at his head.


    But he didn''t even understand what had happened. Read the latest on M V L


    Because the next moment, Matthew''s sword severed his head from his body... and he collapsed to the ground just like that.


    "Huuuuuh..." Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kael took a deep breath, his brown eyes fixed on Matthew.


    "So... only two Bearers were enough to challenge you that much?"


    Matthew threw his sword over his shoulder and smiled.


    "Believe me, they both had the most frustrating blessings I''ve ever encountered."


    Then he held out his hand to his friend on the ground.


    Kael rolled his eyes as he gladly accepted the hand and stood up.


    "Keep making excuses."


    Matthew said nothing. Kael, meanwhile, stretched as he stood up, causing a few of the bones in his back to crackle. Then he turned his eyes to the trees in the forest.


    "Let''s be quick, we need to rescue the nobles. There shouldn''t be many of the gang left after the ones we killed here."


    Then he paused, his brow furrowing as a thought occurred to him.


    "Wait... Did we kill the regular guards whose feet you cut off?"


    Matthew just stood there, frozen in place.


    "I guess... no?"


    And Kael let out a much deeper sigh this time.


    "I''ll have to... search the forest a bit, then."


    It didn''t matter if they lived or died, actually.


    But... when he had the opportunity to feed his curse for free, why would he pass it up?


    "You head towards the nobles. I''ll be right behind you."


    And, strangely enough, Matthew didn''t question him and nodded his head.


    "Fine by me."

 Chapter 85: Possible Serious Problem

    It was just as they thought. After killing the old man and the others, they had taken down most of the group.The only ones left were two Bearers and eight normal people who dealt with nobles. Which took them less than half a minute to kill. Experience tales at M V L


    Finally, when they retrieved the nobles...


    "We won''t face another ambush now... will we?"


    Matthew shrugged his shoulders in reply.


    "I don''t know, but if we do, we''ll be in a tough spot... that''s for sure."


    Kael sighed slightly. Then he turned his eyes to the four nobles crouched on the ground behind Matthew.


    So far... they hadn''t spoken much. They had been communicating largely through body gestures, making no sound.


    And that was still the case.


    ''Are they still too scared?''


    This was the most logical explanation... but for some reason, it began to strike him as strange that all the nobles he had met were so ''weak''.


    Most of the time, he had thought that nobles were the strong ones. Like all of them were Bearers or Followers. But... the reality was different. The vast majority of the nobles he had met were only skilled in policy work, such as running their own settlements, and that was it.


    ''Well, whatever.''


    He bent down to the nobles and untied their hands one by one with his dagger. Then he put a small smile on his face.


    "We''ve taken out almost all of our chasers, now... we''re going to go to the nearest town and get some clean clothes first. And then..."


    He paused, turning his eyes to Matthew.


    They looked at each other for a moment. But when Kael saw that he didn''t react much, he turned his gaze back to the nobles.


    "We''ll go straight to the capital."


    Actually... the best option was to go to the Count of Uhron and inform him of the situation. The city was much closer to here than the capital and it would have been much faster.


    The only problem was...


    ''I just... can''t find myself trusting the Count.''


    Yes, he had never seen him once.


    Yes, he might turn out to be a really good guy.


    Still... ever since he had learned in Ghran that the Baron himself was directly supporting the gang they were targeting, whatever reason he had, he had chosen not to trust anyone without seeing and understanding them.


    Just in case.


    *******


    With Matthew as their guide, it took them a full day to reach the nearest town.


    The only problem was... the town''s baron was probably the most cowardly person Kael had ever met.


    At first, they were going to ask him for help by showing him their Imperial crest. But the moment Matthew pulled it out of his pocket, the baron''s eyes widened as if they were going to pop out of their sockets.


    All he had to do was give them clean clothes. But the baron... thinking that Kael and Matthew had come for him... started saying one thing after another, not even letting them speak.


    He apologized for the woman he had threatened just to spend one night together.


    He apologized for the maid he accidentally killed.


    He apologized for firing a man from his job and making sure that he would never be able to find another one, just because he got on his nerves.


    Finally, as he apologized for his mistakes and crimes, Kael and Matthew could only stare at each other, their faces twitching.


    "We... we just want clothes... we are on a different mission..."


    It was only when they finally found the space to speak and uttered those words that the baron stopped. A silence fell over his office so deep that no one moved.


    Eventually... he basically ran out of the room.


    When they got the clothes they had asked for from the maids, they learned that the baron had gone to his bedroom and wept bitterly.


    It was a rather... strange day for sure.


    But they managed to get what they wanted and set off again. What to do about the baron... they chose to decide later.


    *******


    Nothing happened to them during the journey. No other ambush, no one following them, no bandits, no creatures blocking their path...


    Nothing at all.


    Though... a small part of the reason for this was that Kael regularly left the carriage and went into the forest to kill things. Every day, he could find a few wild animals and creatures. But they were still relatively few in number. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In this way, they made it safely to the capital. They handed the nobles over to the guards, then, without even reporting, they went straight to Hakon.


    And they managed to find him in his office, although it was quite... unlikely that he would be there.


    A few minutes later...


    "So... you found the gang in Ghran, you took out the leader and the Bearer with him, but there''s a much bigger gang in the city in Uhron County, and you rescued the nobles they were going to sell for human trafficking... Did I misunderstand anything?"


    Kael and Matthew shook their heads at the same time.


    And Hakon... widened his smile.


    "Good. Do you know anything about the gang in Uhron?"


    Matthew remained silent, not having any information.


    But Kael... knew something.


    "Feria Lockhend... that was the name of their leader."


    And after what he said, not only Hakon turned to him, but even Matthew, who had been standing silently beside him.


    "Lockhend?"


    "Did you say Lockhend...?"


    Kael paused, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at Matthew and then at Hakon.


    "Did I say something I shouldn''t have...?"


    Hakon quickly shook his head from side to side.


    "No, you just... said something quite surprising. Where did you get this information?"


    "Directly from Feria Lockhend herself."


    Hakon narrowed his eyes, the tiny smile on his face vanishing in an instant.


    "Are you... sure about this, Kael?"


    "I was hiding in the same room when the leader of the gang in Ghran was talking to her. She''s a pretty woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. She used that name when she introduced herself and said she was the leader of an illegal group called the Red Feathers."


    Hakon''s expression darkened further.


    "Feria Lockhend is the daughter of Count Uhron, who married into the Lockhend family last year. But that''s not the real problem."


    Kael suddenly felt himself tense, his eyes narrowing just like Hakon''s as a thousand thoughts ran through his mind about what could be the problem.


    But the answer he got... it was definitely something he hadn''t expected.


    "Lockhend is a ducal family, Kael. And if it turns out that their daughter-in-law is involved in something illegal, especially trafficking other nobles, it will cause them a lot of trouble."


    "Oh..."


    Kael quickly realized how... big this was and stayed where he was with his thoughts.


    "We need to investigate this. Every last detail. And if Feria Lockhend really had a hand in this ''gangsterism''..."


    Hakon turned his eyes to the table, his black eyes even more... dark than usual.


    "The Empire may be in turmoil for some time to come because of the Lockhends."


    Hakon was silent for a short while, then stretched, took a piece of paper out of his desk drawer, and began scribbling.


    "This mission... is out of both your league. I will mark your mission a success and you will receive your reward, though."


    Then he took out another piece of paper, scribbled the same thing on it, and handed it to Kael and Matthew.


    "Write your report, not leaving out a single detail. Then you can leave. Your days must have been exhausting, get some rest. Then... we''ll see what happens."


    Kael... was very surprised, not expecting things to get so serious. Nevertheless, he obediently pulled the paper to himself and wrote his report at length. When he finished... he and Matthew walked out of Hakon''s office.


    As they walked down the corridor, both of their faces were stoic.


    "Feria Lockhend, huh... Why didn''t you tell me earlier?"


    There was no anger in Matthew''s question. He must have had dozens of thoughts running through his head too. He was just... curious.


    "I don''t know. I guess I didn''t think that woman would be that important."


    "..."


    Kael paused for a moment, his mind filled with questions he did not know the answers to and could not understand.


    For example... if Feria Lockhend was so highly placed among the nobility, why was she involved in such... simple ''gangsterism''?


    Trafficking nobles was certainly not a simple thing to do, yes, but... why were her underlings simple and weak? Why was she operating only in her father''s county?


    She must have had a lot of money. So that couldn''t have been the case.


    It couldn''t have been fame either. The only greater fame than being part of a Duke''s Family would have been being a relative of the Emperor or something.


    Was she looking for entertainment, simply?


    He wasn''t sure of the answer, it could have been something he had never thought of.


    But, nevertheless...


    ''People... are just so strange.''


    After a short while, he parted ways with Matthew and returned to his own room. After days of sleeping on the floor, doing nothing but riding horses... his bed certainly felt comfortable.


    Yet there was another reason why he had allowed himself so much comfort.


    And it was because... for some reason, he thought his future was about to get a bit troubled.


    So he closed his eyes. His mind surrendered to the darkness, he slept soundly.


    The next day, when he woke up with the sun shining on his face and saw what awaited him in his room, he realized how right he was.


    He didn''t know why, but... sitting on his desk was a rather familiar figure with an annoying smile on his face.


    "Good morning, Kael."


    Kael let out a deep, really deep sigh.


    Good thing he had decided to get a good night''s sleep. Because he knew something like this was going to happen...


    When had his instincts ever failed him before?

 Chapter 86: Infiltrating the Barony of Dolcan

    "What am I expected to do...?"He had just woken up. Even the blurriness in his eyes was not completely gone... but he knew why Hakon was in his room.


    Or rather, he knew why he might be here.


    The fact that he was here... meant there was an emergency.


    "Ahahah, you can figure things out so quickly... I really appreciate that about you."


    Kael rolled his eyes, meanwhile Hakon simply squinted.


    "There''s something about the Lockhend case. I told you and Matthew yesterday that this was out of your league, but... I have just the mission for you. And it''s supposed to be extremely secret."


    A secret mission, huh...


    For some reason, he remembered the mission Laen had given him in Greenveil Town. Those four merchants he had killed... he still hadn''t forgotten them.


    "And...?"


    "I''ve been researching Feria Lockhend ever since you gave me her name, and about half an hour ago I realized that she corresponded quite frequently with a baron."


    Kael paused, more or less realizing what the mission was.


    "I''m going to go to the barony secretly, then inspect the letters... And if I find anything troubling, I''ll take it with me as evidence, right?"


    "Exactly."


    Kael sighed deeply.


    "I also won''t have anyone else with me this time, I guess."


    "You guessed right."


    Kael didn''t say anything for a while. His brown eyes lingered on Hakon for a few seconds, then narrowed and focused on his black eyes.


    "Why... me, though? Even if it suits me... you said this matter could become too big of a problem. Wouldn''t it be better to give it to someone more trustworthy, a Pursuer or something? You going there yourself, for example... You have a camouflage skill, after all."


    "That''s exactly the problem, Kael."


    Kael frowned, waiting for Hakon to continue, listening to what he had to say.


    "This matter... could become quite serious. So the fewer people who know this information, the better. My sudden disappearance would attract attention. And... I wasn''t kidding when I said this mission is secret, not even the Empire knows about it."


    And at that moment, Kael''s eyes suddenly widened.


    Basically, Hakon was giving him this mission himself. It was not an approved assignment from Empire!


    Which meant...


    ''If I''m caught, I won''t have an official assignment document behind me to defend me!''


    They weren''t giving him this mission because they trusted him.


    This mission... was exactly the kind of mission they would give to someone like him whom they did not yet fully trust!


    If he failed in the mission, it would do them almost no harm...


    "Also..."


    Hakon widened his smile, not averting his eyes even for a second.


    "What makes you think I don''t trust you? I have every confidence that you will accomplish this mission successfully..."


    Kael tried really hard to keep his face from twitching.


    ''I bet you have, asshole!''


    *******


    With his horse beneath him, heading for his destination, Kael had a rather stoic expression.


    But... the same could not be said for his mind.


    ''I cannot fail... I absolutely cannot...''


    He was terribly nervous.


    He knew he shouldn''t be nervous, but he couldn''t help it.


    If he failed in this mission, if he was captured... everything he had worked for so far was for nothing. Hakon and General Loukan would just throw him away!


    They wouldn''t have a choice!


    ''Damn it... fuck this!''


    He slammed the reins hard on his horse, making it go faster, even though it was already quite fast.


    All the while, as he cursed Hakon incessantly in his thoughts, another kind of them appeared.


    Like... if he succeeded, they would start to trust him a lot more. And he had no doubt that the reward would be good. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This mission... was as much an opportunity as it was a danger.


    And he wanted to do everything he could to make the most of it. That was one of the reasons for his nervousness.


    He gripped the reins even tighter, narrowed his eyes.


    ''No failing.''


    And so... he kept moving forward.


    *******


    The Baron with whom Feria Lockhend corresponded was not governing one of the baronies within Uhron County, like Halve and Gran, but an entirely different county.


    It was therefore quite far from the capital. Nevertheless, Kael traveled all this way quite quickly because he was traveling alone. Even though his curse was quite saturated, he hunted animals and creatures wherever he passed each day. He was never idle.


    And so, at the end of twelve days... he stopped his horse when he had to go down a seemingly high hill.


    He squinted, looking with interest at the town at the bottom of the hill.


    The town walls were the smallest he had ever seen. They were barely four or five meters high.


    But that didn''t mean that its security was low... because he could see quite a few guards moving around on the walls. The entrance to the town was strictly controlled.


    Much stricter than necessary for a barony, in fact.


    ''Dolcan Town... let''s see what you''re hiding.'' Discover exclusive content at M V L


    He dismounted and tied his horse to a tree, out of sight from the town.


    Then he waited until night fell, for nearly two hours... all the while making plans to enter the town unseen by anyone.


    The guards on the walls... were about fifteen meters apart. No matter where he approached the town, he would always be in sight of at least three guards. And he was too far away from them to use his ability.


    Kael turned his eyes to the entrance on his side of town. A few carriages drove in and out. Their controls were solid and thorough, and they were all carefully inspected to see what they were carrying.


    Kael began to examine each of the guards circling the walls, to see what kind of men they were.


    What he was looking for was simple. He was looking for anyone who looked the least bit lazy, tired, careless... After all, with so many guards, there was no way that every one of them could be perfect.


    And it was just as he thought.


    ''Those two... look pretty tired.''


    He wasn''t sure if it was a miracle, but the two guards advancing behind each other were exactly the types he was looking for. Both of them walked quite slowly, only quickening their pace when they realized they were falling behind. They also both looked rather careless.


    As Kael watched them, another guard called out to one of them, and the guard... only realized it the second time the person called out.


    ''Wonderful.''


    Kael moved quickly. He began to approach the wall diagonally so that he was on the same side as the two men.


    He moved from tree to tree, careful of his every move as he made his way down the hill. So, keeping himself always in line with the two guards he had chosen, he sneaked closer, closer... and closer.


    Finally, he came to a place where he was only twenty meters from the walls. Moreover, he was in front of a part of them that faced the hill, and it was also a bit curved.


    But the most important thing was that Kael could now use his ability.


    He focused his eyes on the three guards most likely to see him. Then he used his ability, completely erasing himself from the trio''s view.


    He ran quickly to just below the curve of the wall, then climbed up and moved to the center of the trio where he used his ability.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he began to check the other guards. The trio he had chosen earlier continued to move through their rounds, soon moving out of the range of his ability, but Kael ignored it and stayed where he was. He used his ability on each new guard that came close.


    Finally, after about three minutes... he caught a tiny gap in the line of sight of the guards outside his ability''s range and quickly exploited it.


    He climbed up the three-meter-thick wall so fast, jumped over it and into the town so quickly that even he could not observe what exactly was happening around him.


    As soon as he jumped into the town, he threw himself between two buildings.


    His breathing was even, every movement was silent, and it happened with perfect speed.


    No one had seen him...


    "Huh...?"


    Except for the old man in the middle of the two buildings he had stepped between!


    Kael didn''t even hesitate as the man looked at him with a puzzled expression. His eyes quickly turned cruel.


    Without even waiting for the old man to make a sound, he covered his mouth with one hand and placed the other at an angle behind his head. Then, he snapped his neck as fast as he could.


    At first, the old man''s eyes filled with astonishment, but then, slowly, all signs of life disappeared from his eyes... he just died like that.


    Kael let out a deep, yet silent sigh. He had had to move so fast to avoid being caught that he hadn''t had time to consider whether there might be someone in his hiding place.


    He leaned the old man gently against the wall, laying him down so that it looked as if he were asleep. In any case... he was probably a homeless beggar. His clothes were quite dirty and his hair was full of dirt and dust.


    He was sure that no one would look for him, that they would care if they saw him sleeping here.


    "Huuuu..."


    After taking care of the old man, he stretched, made sure again that no one was watching him, and turned his eyes to the tall building in the center of town.


    It was much smaller than the mansions belonging to the other barons... but a little taller.


    ''Let''s go...''


    The clothes he was wearing were especially casual, specially prepared by him as he waited for the night to fall. He just needed to give it a little touch now.


    He took off the piece of cloth that hid his face and tucked it into his clothes. Then he craned his neck, put on a casual expression, as if he were a normal person, and walked unnoticed out of the building to blend in with the crowd.

 Chapter 87: Office of the Baron

    After all the training he had received, all the practice he had done, Kael had thought that infiltrating a place would be at least a little bit easier.Not much, just a little bit...


    Oh, how wrong he was...


    ''Why the hell is there so much security in this place?!''


    The mansion was surrounded by guards, trained dogs, controlled checkpoints, and much more.


    He had to think about every step he took, calculate every point he wanted to make.


    It took him forty minutes of analysis and calculation to get into the garden, let alone inside the mansion, without getting caught!


    Well, in the end... he succeeded. And as long as he got what he wanted, it didn''t really matter how much time he spent.


    Still, it was frustrating!


    He calmed himself, took a deep breath.


    ''Now...''


    He had managed to sneak in by disrupting the dogs'' sense of smell.


    And yes, he could ruin animals'' senses too. Explore more adventures at M-V-L


    But his next problem was to get inside the mansion. Though, this... was easier than he thought.


    Moving step by step through the garden without anyone noticing, he spotted the baron''s office, and keeping his ability active, he climbed to the roof.


    Then... he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Thanks to the structure of the building, the roof had ledges for the rooms and recesses above the corridors. This gave him a few spaces where he could deactivate his ability without worrying for the first time.


    And in this space... he waited for quite a long time.


    He was hiding behind the bulge just above the baron''s office. No one could see him, and the dogs in the garden couldn''t smell him from here.


    Basically, he was quite comfortable here.


    And comfortable meant there was plenty of time to formulate the perfect plan.


    Kael lay down, closed his eyes, and used his eon to enhance his senses. The Baron''s office was just below him, after all... even if there was a wall in between.


    So he thought that if he developed his senses to a certain degree, he would be able to hear his movements, his voices.


    And he did.


    Although he could have used more eon, to avoid the few Bearers or, in the unlikely event, Followers in the mansion, he was limiting himself. So what he could hear was not extremely clear, some things were even difficult to make out...


    But it was enough.


    He could hear the baron humming a melody. He could also make out the sounds of the papers on his desk, which he was constantly moving around and scribbling on, though it was difficult if he focused on them.


    That''s how he knew where the baron was in the room.


    He calculated how far away he was from the window, and even made tiny calculations to figure out where his face was looking.


    Ten minutes into his analysis, though... there was a knock on the baron''s door.


    "Come in."


    Kael focused all his attention on his ears. He turned off all his other senses and pushed his hearing to its maximum.


    "Ah, Sirbas. I''ve been waiting for you."


    ''Sirbas...?''


    It was... a name he did not know.


    The person who entered, Sirbas, closed the door and approached the baron''s desk.


    "Any news?"


    "Yes, sir."


    It was a... man. His voice sounded very strange, quite... thin. But he could still tell it was a man.


    "Nice! What is the news?"


    Kael couldn''t help frowning. What could make a baron so... excited?


    Sirbas didn''t answer, on the contrary, he moved closer to the baron''s desk and then silence fell over the room.


    ''Did he give him something? I couldn''t hear a sound...''


    The silence continued for a few more seconds. But finally...


    "Great! That''s excellent news."


    Kael tried hard not to click his tongue. Sirbas had given him something, probably a piece of paper, and the baron had read it completely inward.


    ''Maybe he''ll comment on something?''


    But... he couldn''t hear anything from the baron. Absolute silence reigned in the room. The only problem was that he knew Sirbas had not left the room, that he was still standing there.


    ''Why are they so quiet?''


    Kael waited a while longer. But there was no sound from inside...


    And with that, suddenly, his eyes widened, a possibility entered his mind.


    ''Did they... notice me?''


    Fear gripped his whole body. He opened his eyes and looked around, waiting for someone who was about to pounce on him...


    But no one came.


    He was alone...


    And that''s when a faint voice entered his ear, the voice of the baron. A low, incomprehensible sentence of some sort...


    He quickly closed his eyes and focused on his ears again.


    But the baron had already finished talking.


    "Understood, sir."


    With those words, Sirbas left the room. And Kael... made the mistake of not hearing what the baron was saying and stayed where he was.


    If he hadn''t had to hide, he would have scolded himself out loud, but he didn''t. What had happened had happened. Now, he just had to keep doing what he had to do.


    To keep waiting, to keep analyzing.


    And so... a day passed.


    He kept analyzing.


    Then two days.


    Three days...


    Kael hid on the roof the whole time. He had problems with food or things like that, of course... but with little things like a piece of bread he had taken with him before entering the mansion, they weren''t too big a problem.


    In the end... he had achieved his goal.


    He had learned the baron''s daily routines. He figured out where certain things were, what time the servants came in at night.


    He also learned a few useless things.


    The baron was cheating on his wife, for example.


    And that the reason he didn''t have a child was because he was infertile, even though he was hiding it from everyone.


    And he didn''t know why, but the baron had a habit of muttering meaningless things over and over. Kael wondered if he was crazy more than once. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Still, it didn''t matter.


    He could finally take action and that was what mattered.


    With that, he waited for nightfall.


    The Baron usually worked late into the night, only then sleeping, waking up at noon, and getting back to work. So Kael had to wait under the cover of darkness for quite a long time.


    And the baron rose from his desk only three hours before sunrise. He stretched, yawned sleepily. Then he did a few things, like organizing the files in his room, and finally went to sleep.


    Kael moved rather quickly. He stepped perfectly down from the roof, avoiding any eyes that might see him, and stood in front of the office window.


    The Baron left the window slightly open to allow the room to ventilate. In this way, he had no trouble sneaking in.


    Since the Baron''s sleeping hours often varied, the servants never entered the office at night, and when they woke with the rising of the sun, they started to clean up. In short... he had three whole hours.


    The design of the room and the positioning of the furniture were as he had imagined it when he was on the roof. Only... it was fancier than he had imagined.


    Still, he didn''t waste time on that and quickly approached the baron''s desk.


    When the baron worked, he often heard the sound of drawers opening and closing, so he would check them first.


    So he began to rummage through one drawer after another, examining the files.


    There were many things in the files. Things that concerned the town, a few files about the renovation of the mansion, a list of women he had cheated on his wife with, and many other things...


    ''Why don''t they put these things in more secret places...?''


    He put aside the list of women with whom the baron had cheated on his wife. When he was sure there was nothing useful in this drawer, he put it back the way it was before and moved on to the next.


    He found many things. Yet the vast majority of what he found had to do with things that the baron already had to do, and the rest was unnecessary.


    But when he realized that he had finished searching every drawer in the desk, he frowned. He stood up and started rummaging through the cabinets fixed to the wall just behind the desk.


    There were quite thick files and books in the cabinets.


    But not all of them, again, were useful.


    ''How surprising... The Baron was actually a decent, dedicated man...''


    Kael could not help but praise the man. What he was doing was really about growing his town, his business, and his future. Likewise, he didn''t persecute his people. In fact, they liked him very much.


    ''Leaving aside the cheating on his wife, of course...''


    Which, as far as he could tell, very few people knew.


    ''Whatever.''


    He looked through the books in the cabinet, searching for something hidden, but he couldn''t find it. Finally, realizing that nothing worthwhile was going to come out of here either, he put everything back the way it was and closed the cabinet door.


    The same thing happened in another one.


    And then in another...


    Finally, with a sigh, he walked across the center of the room, slowly turning around, looking carefully at every corner of the room.


    He couldn''t see anything that caught his attention.


    His face twitching, he narrowed his eyes and began to search every corner of the room more carefully.


    But the man had nothing illegal to do or anything to indicate his connection to Feria Lockhend.


    "Tch."


    He clicked his tongue, closed his eyes, and began to scan his memory, and then paused as a thought occurred to him.


    ''Now that I think about it... who was that Sirbas?''


    Since the first time he had heard of the man, he had never seen him enter the baron''s office again. It was as if... he had disappeared.


    ''Where could he have gone?''


    He hadn''t found any files related to him inside. So his existence had slipped his mind a little.


    Now, though... he had no other suspects but the person called Sirbas.


    ~creak!


    He suddenly paused.


    ''Is that... the door?''


    His eyes widened as he realized what the sound was. He quickly turned to the door of the office.


    ''The fucking door!''

 Chapter 88: A Stupid Plan

    The person who came in... looked skinny. His brown hair had gray spots in places, he must have been over forty. His clothes were not pajamas or the clothes of someone who had just woken up. He looked more like... a butler.The man let his dull yellow eyes roam the room for a while. Then, he closed the door without a sound and approached the baron''s office.


    He passed Kael standing in the middle of the room, not noticing him at all... Or rather, unable to notice him.


    ''He... He didn''t see me... I did it.''


    Kael had used his follower ability as soon as he realized the door had opened. Apparently, he had managed to erase himself from the man''s line of sight before he saw him.


    ''That was close... too close.''


    He calmed himself, slowed his breathing and his heart. Then he studied the man who had entered.


    ''Who... is this, though?''


    While he was in these thoughts, the man finally reached the table and then bent down under it. He took out what looked like a key from his pocket, then... pointed it at a spot on the floor.


    As Kael continued to watch everything carefully, there was a ''click'' at the spot where the man extended the key, then that part of the floor sank slightly, revealing a hole.


    The man inserted the key into the hole, turning it a single turn. Then he pulled the hole aside like a trapdoor and opened it.


    The secret compartment was completely filled with what looked like letters.


    ''Letters...?''


    Kael''s eyes widened.


    ''Letters!''


    The man was shuffling through the letters, pulling most of them to the side, almost as if he was looking for something specific.


    Kael approached him as he continued to search for what he wanted. The letters he had pushed aside were right next to him, out of sight. So he reached for one of them, quietly pulled it towards himself, and tucked it between his clothes.


    And... he didn''t stop there. As the number of letters the man pulled aside increased, he took a few more with him.


    Finally, just as he was about to take one more...


    "Aha..."


    Suddenly, the man stood up with a single letter in his hand. If Kael had been a little distracted, they would have almost bumped into each other!


    But, fortunately, it didn''t happen.


    "Found you..."


    Kael frowned the moment he heard the man''s voice.


    ''That voice...''


    It looked familiar.


    Even...


    ''Sirbas?''


    It was definitely him, he was sure. Their voices were identical.


    Sirbas didn''t even open the letter he found. He simply tucked it into his clothes, then put all the letters he had stacked aside back into the secret compartment and locked it. When he was done... it was literally impossible for anyone to realize that there was a secret compartment there.


    He took one last look around the room with a smile on his face, then his smile widened and he left the room.


    As the room fell silent again, Kael deactivated his ability, then sighed deeply.


    ''Now, this was just... weird.''


    He approached the window through which he had entered the office, went up to the roof, where he had spent three days, and took out the letters he had smuggled out while camouflaging himself.


    ''Let''s see what we have...''


    He carefully opened the first letter and quickly began to read what was written.


    And...


    ''Bingo.''


    The first sentence of the letter was simple, but actually something he was looking for.


    Dear Baron Dolcan, this is Feria Lockhend. It is with great pleasure that I inform you that I have found someone to buy the nobles we are holding captive.


    The letter went on to say who would buy the nobles and where, and that she was satisfied with the work done with Baron Dolcan.


    The sentence at the bottom of the letter was quite ironic.


    Please burn this letter after you receive it and destroy the evidence.


    ''Idiot...''


    The Baron did not burn the letters, but kept them.


    He probably wanted to use them if something happened, or he had some other motive, who knows.


    Either way...


    ''Now, I have proof.''


    He put the paper back into the letter, then moved on to the second letter.


    This was a much older letter, almost a year old. It was one of the first letters Feria Lockhend sent to the baron. And its content... was a guarantee that there would be a relationship between the Dolcan Family and the Lockhend Family if they started to make big profits from their business.


    The third letter, unfortunately, was not about Feria Lockhend, but about another dirty business of the baron. It seems that after his work with Feria, he had taken up illegal activities on his own...


    The fourth and last letter he was able to plagiarize was the one that caught his attention the most. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''This...''


    It... was a warning.


    A warning from Feria Lockhend to the baron.


    The Second Imperial Princess is suspicious of something, we will be inactive and silent for a month or so. Please don''t try anything on your own.


    So there was already someone after them...


    Kael strained his memory, trying to remember who the Second Princess mentioned in the letter was, but he had never heard of such a person before.


    ''Does the Empire know about this? Or is this princess trying something on her own?''


    If she was someone whose mere presence could cause Feria Lockhend to worry, she must have a lot of influence. Or someone so powerful that she was feared.


    When he finished reading this letter, he tucked it back into his clothes, then took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.


    It would be about two hours before sunrise. He had only been searching the room for an hour.


    ''Should I look for more things, or is this enough...''


    His mission was simply to find the letters between Feria and Baron Dolcan.


    And he found them.


    In short, his mission was over.


    ''This is... enough, I think.''


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    He didn''t need to try any harder when the risk of being caught was high. At least that was the decision he had made.


    He rose slightly to his feet. From the roof, he had a fairly easy view of the manor garden and the town in general.


    ''Back to square one, huh...''


    He had to get out of here before he got caught, now.


    *******


    It was easy for Kael to infiltrate the mansion.


    But getting out...


    ''Damn... what the hell is this?''


    It was almost impossible to get out!


    ''Why has security been increased? Has something happened? Why is it harder to get out of here than in...?''


    A day had passed since he found the letters. It was the beginning of the next night.


    But he still couldn''t get out of the mansion, let alone the town!


    There were guards, dogs, and more everywhere. He wasn''t sure what was going on in the mansion, but something was definitely happening.


    ''Maybe they realized someone had snuck in?''


    Or maybe it had something to do with the letter Sirbas had taken with him... who knows?


    ...


    Well, actually... he didn''t need to find out why security had been increased.


    He just needed to get out of here safely, without losing the letters, without his identity being discovered.


    He kept thinking, different plans began to form in his head.


    How about sneaking up on one of the guards, knocking him unconscious, then changing his clothes?


    The dogs would be a problem, though...


    Trying to sneak through was impossible in the first place...


    But then he paused. He went backwards in his thinking, to a certain thought.


    He just had to make sure he didn''t lose the letters, his identity didn''t get discovered, and he didn''t get caught.


    ''Huh...''


    His lips involuntarily curled upwards at the thought. But it wasn''t because of excitement or happiness, or because he had come up with the perfect plan.


    ''I am an idiot...''


    He took a deep breath, then slowly stood up.


    He was completely exposed, anyone could see him now... But he didn''t care.


    ''I''m really stupid to do this...''


    He really was.


    But in the end... all he had to do was to keep his identity a secret.


    Was it really a problem if someone found out that someone had infiltrated the mansion, or even... that he had walked out in front of them?


    He just needed to keep his intentions and the fact that he had the letters secret.


    ''Fuck this shit, but...''


    He looked at the sky, the stars, and the moon for the last time. As his smile widened, he let himself fall off the roof.


    ''Let''s go!''


    Meanwhile, just below him, a few guards were walking around, chatting.


    But as soon as they saw the figure descending towards them in the darkness of the night, they all stopped chatting and turned towards him.


    They didn''t have a chance to see the face, to understand who he was, nor to understand what this figure actually was.


    Because the figure, Kael, without a care in the world, pumped eon all over his body and suddenly started running at an explosive speed.


    "Ah..."


    The eyes of one of the guards widened as he looked at Kael''s figure moving away at tremendous speed. And then...


    "G- get him! Someone has infiltrated the mansion!"


    The whole mansion was suddenly alerted by this shout in the middle of the night.

 Chapter 89: Escape from the Town

    After his first mission, Kael had a thought.And that thought was... the barons had too much power.


    If every baron had their own private knights like Amar, how much power did counts, dukes, kings, or the emperor himself possess?


    The nobles were frightening, even if most of them were not individually powerful.


    But then Kael realized something else.


    And that was that not all barons had a knight like Amar who was a Seeker.


    Amar was probably an exception. Because all the baronies he stepped into after that day were quite poor in Bearers, let alone Followers.


    And the Barony of Dolcan was among that majority.


    Therefore...


    ''There are only two Follower in the whole mansion, the Bearers are getting close to ten... but as long as I''m fast, there''s no way they can catch me.''


    And he was fast.


    Really fast.


    Normal people could only see him as a mere blur. Knights and guards could more or less make out his figure, but only Bearers and Followers could actually ''see'' him.


    The large amount of eon in his body was quite useful in these situations. And he didn''t hesitate to use it, this time. He used his speed to the limit.


    He was past the dogs before they could bark, leaped up the thick, tall walls of the mansion in a single bound, and found himself instantly running across the rooftops of the town.


    He could see his chasers coming after him, the guards on the rooftops trying to block his way.


    The news that someone was on the run had spread too fast, although he didn''t know why.


    But it didn''t matter.


    Because he dodged them all with his speed. He ran through them, even stepped on some of them to gain more momentum...


    Arrows rained down behind him at some time and he had to get off the roof, forcing him to enter the streets of the town.


    Countless guards were gathering on the great wall he was running towards, but he did not change his direction.


    Finally, he came into the alley he had entered a few days before. The body of the old man whose neck he had broken was still there. He had begun to stink, his skin was so pale that it was impossible not to know he was dead.


    But for some reason... no one noticed that he was there, as if to announce to the world how lonely and insignificant the old man was.


    He took a deep breath, tensed his leg muscles, and jumped as high as he could.


    There were so many soldiers on the wall he was trying to get on that he couldn''t see behind them...


    But as long as they did not see him, they were not a threat.


    He used his ability, used all the eon left in his body to erase himself from the sight of the countless guards on the wall.


    His eon reserves were drained so quickly by his ability that he was almost stumbling for a moment... but he kept himself together. As he stepped onto the wall, among the guards waiting for him with various weapons at the ready... he heard a voice behind him.


    "Attack him!"


    Because of the range of his ability and where he was aiming, those behind him could see him as he was.


    But therein lay the problem.


    Those in front of him couldn''t see him at all.


    That is why their faces were filled with confusion at the order that came to them.


    What were they going to attack? There was nothing to attack!


    "Look behind you, idiots! What are you waiting for?!"


    The faces of some of the guards became even more confused. But some of them listened to the order and turned around.


    The last thing they saw was a figure climbing the hill on the edge of town at full speed, seeming to disappear into the darkness of the night...


    *******


    Kael was lucky. His horse was still near the tree he had tied it to, grazing as he reached it.


    But, unfortunately, it couldn''t eat anything now. There was no time. After all, they had to escape quickly.


    Kael quickly untied the horse, jumped on, and tapped the reins.


    The horse neighed loudly, then broke into a gallop. Kael sped through the trees at great speed. For minutes, he made his horse run as fast as he could. Not forgetting to check behind him from time to time.


    He couldn''t see anything. But he didn''t stop, he kept going.


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    For almost an hour, he only rode his horse through the forest as far away from the town as he could.


    And at the end of that hour... his horse was so tired that he had to stop.


    Knowing that the animal needed to rest, he tied it to a tree and went back, hiding in the direction he had come from. He immersed himself in the silence of the forest, in the darkness of the night, and listened.


    Seconds slowly turned into minutes. For a long time, Kael checked to see if anyone was coming after him.


    After about ten or ten minutes...


    ''There is no one...''


    He took a deep breath, opened his eyes.


    No, he would not relax completely. He was not going to let his guard down. Even if he could not see or hear anyone coming after him, he was going to act as if such a person existed.


    He was not going to risk anything.


    And yet... he would be lying if he claimed he wasn''t a little relieved.


    For almost an hour and a half, he had been running away, literally giving it his all. He was tired, even a little exhausted. He needed rest as much as his horse needed it.


    So, he looked for a spot where he could hide himself among the leaves and bushes. Then he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.


    Slowly, his body surrendered itself to sleep... Yet it was not exactly ''sleep''. He was always alert, his senses sharp enough to pick up the slightest abnormal sound.


    *******


    Shortly after sunrise, his eyes widened slightly.


    He yawned, unable to stop his face from twitching a little.


    Stretching his body, he came out of hiding and checked his surroundings.


    He seemed... safe. He had not experienced or perceived anything that disturbed him while he slept.


    In fact, he felt quite well-rested.


    ''I actually did it, huh...''


    His plan, at least in his own opinion, was totally foolish. Not knowing what the abilities of the Bearers and Followers in the town were, he was likely to find himself in an unexpected situation.


    Nevertheless, he managed to leave the town successfully. And no one was after him...


    He reached into his clothes and confirmed that the letters were still there. Only then he could breathe a real sigh of relief.


    He stood up and made his way to where he had tied his horse. The chirping of birds and the rustling of tree leaves in the gentle breeze were the only things that filled his ears. Strangely enough... despite being in the middle of the forest, he had not encountered a single wild animal or creature.


    ''I am lucky...''


    Although... it would have been better if he had been unlucky, to feed his curse.


    But it was all right. It would be a long time before his curse was hungry enough to kill him, so it wasn''t that important.


    So, he got to his horse and found it standing where it was.


    ''I am really lucky, huh... How strange.''


    Even his horse was alive, it hadn''t been eaten by anything in the night.


    When he got to his horse, he saw that it was looking at him with... a rather stern expression.


    Horses couldn''t have expressions, of course. Yet, somehow, as he looked at the horse, he could almost feel what it was thinking.


    A smile formed on his face. He put his hand in the horse''s mane, stroked it gently and petted it.


    "Thank you for not failing me." S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The horse neighed as if in reply. It moved its head and rubbed lightly against Kael.


    After giving the horse the care it deserved, Kael stepped back slightly.


    "Now... I know you''re tired and you haven''t eaten well the last few days, but we need to keep going if we don''t want to die."


    The horse neighed again. But this time Kael felt something different from what he had just felt from it and couldn''t help his smile widening.


    He jumped on the horse, took the reins, and looked up at the sky. Checking where the sun was, he calculated where he needed to go.


    His mission was not yet over.


    After the mess in the town, the baron would know something was wrong. So he had to get back to the capital as fast as possible.


    "Let''s go!"


    He tapped the reins gently... But, despite that, the horse reared up slightly before starting to run even more energetically than yesterday.


    Their destination was clear, and this time, with no one chasing them, they could move at a more brisk pace...


    ~crack!


    But even though they had just started moving, Kael brought the horse to a sudden halt.


    ~thud! ~thud! ~thud!


    His eyes widened at the sounds in his ears.


    There wasn''t just one sound, there were many. It was as if a tiny army was moving... rhythmic footsteps echoing throughout the forest.


    Kael left his horse behind and moved in the direction of the sound, then... he could finally see the moving group.


    ''What... is that?''


    Before his eyes were dozens of horsemen and perhaps more than a hundred soldiers on foot. They were following a wide path through the forest. At the same time... the direction they were heading... was the direction Kael had escaped.


    ''Are they going to Barony of Dolcan?''


    He focused on the soldiers'' clothing. And yes, they were Imperial soldiers. Moreover, there were a lot of Bearers and six Follower among them.


    One of them was even...


    ''Pursuer? Her presence seems to be more overwhelming than the others...''


    He squinted, focusing on who he suspected was a Pursuer. She was standing on the carriage at the front. She wore no helmet, her brown hair was short and she had gray eyes. She looked to be in her thirties, her features were sharp.


    He was having trouble feeling what her eon felt like, and he didn''t want to be noticed by her by focusing on his sense of eon. So he didn''t try too hard.


    He was just... confused.


    ''Has Hakon made a move? Or has the Empire realized something is happening?''


    Should he go out, identify himself, and tell them what he had learned... or should he ignore the soldiers and return to the capital, as had been his intention all along?


    He narrowed his eyes, unable to stop his lips from twitching.


    He could not see any family crests or flags on the soldiers. So this group of soldiers was entirely loyal to the Empire, not to a noble.


    And yet...


    ''Well... I won''t do it.''


    He would not risk it. He had as little trust in the Empire as he had in the nobility.


    ''My mission is clear, and so is what I must do.''


    And so, without anyone noticing, he returned to his horse, mounted again and stretched. Then, he continued on through the forest.


    He was just... continuing his ride, but something had occurred to him that gave him a guess as to the identity of the group.


    It was one of the letters he had in his clothes.


    ''Could it be... the Second Princess that Feria Lockhend mentioned?''

 Chapter 90: Self-Given Mission

    Previously, it had taken Kael twelve days on his horse to reach the Barony of Dolcan from the capital.But after his escape, for some unknown reason, he returned even faster. In exactly nine days.


    He had tried to return as soon as possible, without much rest. And he succeeded as well as he could.


    At the same time, unexpectedly... he was a bit attached to his horse.


    It was a fast and powerful horse. Only, in some situations... he could sulk like a human, at least that''s what Kael felt from it, but other than that... it was quite friendly.


    Still, these were all things he would have to think about later. After all, there was something he had to do now that he had made it back to the capital...


    And he was standing outside Hakon''s room right now to do exactly that.


    He knocked gently, then stepped back slightly, waiting for an answer.


    He had only just arrived to the capital. So Hakon might not have realized it was him.


    Despite that...


    "Come, Kael."


    He rolled his eyes, then opened the door and walked in.


    Hakon was at his desk. He had his feet up on his desk and was holding a glass with something Kael wasn''t quite sure what was in it. He had that annoying smile on his face.


    Kael didn''t say anything, and also didn''t wait for Hakon to speak. He simply approached the table, took out the letters he kept in his clothes, and handed them to him.


    Hakon took the letters slowly, one by one, examining the appearance of each one. Then he took one at random and read its contents.


    Then the second, the third... and the fourth.


    When he had finished reading everything... he just put the letters down on the table and turned his eyes back to Kael.


    "I assume you didn''t get caught?"


    "I didn''t... at least they don''t know who I am, but I may have caused a bit of a fuss when I ran away."


    "Oh. A fuss, huh... Do they know you stole the letters?" S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "If they checked, maybe, if not, no. But there were almost a hundred letters there, maybe two hundred. So even if they checked, it''s still possible that they might not realize it."


    He paused, his next words a question rather than part of his report.


    "Has there been any news about the thing I did there?"


    Hakon shook his head from side to side.


    "No. They probably don''t want anyone from the Empire to come and investigate for they are afraid."


    That... made sense.


    But he wasn''t finished with his questions.


    Normally he would have been a little hesitant to ask this question. Hakon himself had told him that some things in this world were better not to know, after all.


    Curiosity was bound to end badly.


    Still... since she was mentioned in one of the letters, there was no harm in asking.


    And for his next question, he needed to get the answer to this one first.


    "So... who is the Second Princess?"


    Hakon''s smile widened as if he had been expecting this question.


    And indeed he had.


    "The Emperor has three sons and two daughters, Kael. The Second Princess is, as you might guess, the younger of the princesses."


    ''So the Emperor has a family, huh...''


    He didn''t know why, but he found it difficult to imagine this man as a ''human being''. The existence of the so-called ''Emperor'' was like a divine being for him.


    He narrowed his eyes. He thought about what the daughter of the man he had difficulty even imagining, perhaps the most powerful man on the entire continent, might be like.


    She was probably a monster in her own right. And... she must have been quite beautiful to be the daughter of an Emperor. At least that was what he thought.


    He imagined someone so beautiful that no one on the battlefield would dare touch her, yet she would crush everyone in her path like an ant.


    That''s what the Second Princess was like in his mind.


    "Oh, and also... I know you haven''t forgotten what we talked about before, but the Second Princess... isn''t particularly popular or supported. So be extra careful not to talk about her."


    ''Huh? She''s... disliked?''


    This... was information that he definitely did not expect and found quite strange.


    Why would a princess be disliked?


    Was she a brute? A disobedient, maverick, foul-mouthed person for example.


    The woman who Kael had imagined changed in an instant. The delicate figure he had first thought of was replaced by a tough and big war maniac who smiled like a lunatic all the time.


    He could almost hear her cursing incessantly as she fought!


    After a short time, he shook himself out of his thoughts.


    It was kind of fun to think about what the Second Princess was like, he couldn''t lie. But there were more important matters at hand...


    Turning his brown eyes back to Hakon, he asked his last and indeed most important question.


    "Have you sent any troops to the Barony of Dolcan?"


    Hakon paused for a moment. His eyebrows rose slightly as his smile faded.


    His eyes seemed to speak for him as if he had guessed why Kael would ask such a question out of the blue.


    "Did you... see a troop?"


    Kael nodded quickly.


    "It didn''t have a crest other than that of the Empire, so I''m sure it wasn''t some random noble. And I thought it might be the Second Princess since she was mentioned in the letter."


    Hakon''s expression suddenly turned serious.


    "How many days ago did you see them?"


    "Eight days ago."


    And this was when the Hakon Kael ''knew'' was completely changed into someone new.


    His eyes suddenly became colder than ever, the annoying smile he always had on his face was gone. His feet were not on his desk anymore, he had put them down.


    He... looked like a cold-blooded murderer now.


    "Haaaaah..."


    He didn''t even look at Kael. He was in the midst of other thoughts, and this... was telling Kael again and again the seriousness of the situation.


    "She will threaten the Baron, gather evidence of Feria Lockhend''s illegal dealings, and use it to protect her position as a princess."


    As Hakon muttered these things to himself in a low voice, he folded his arms on his chest and leaned back in his chair.


    "We were planning to use Feria Lockhend for ourselves... This is certainly not good. If it''s eight days ago, she probably already gathered the evidence she wanted, sorted it out, and is on her way back to the capital."


    He clicked his tongue and stood up, ignoring Kael and heading for the door.


    But then, as if suddenly remembering his presence, he paused, turning to him out of the corner of his eye.


    "Ah, right..."


    Kael''s eyes involuntarily narrowed at the words he heard.


    ''This man... had he really forgotten me?''


    It seemed so.


    The moment he encountered something that could seriously interfere with his plans, Hakon completely ignored Kael''s presence.


    ''Then he doesn''t include me in his plans at all...''


    That meant... that in their eyes, despite what he had done so far, he was still untrustworthy.


    He didn''t matter to them.


    "You may return to your room, Kael. Even though the mission I gave you was unofficial, you have earned our trust even more, proving your abilities once again. So I will arrange your reward, and it will be a good one for sure... don''t worry."


    Then, he turned and prepared to leave.


    But...


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    "Stop."


    And... he did stop.


    This time, instead of looking at Kael out of the corner of his eye, he turned completely around. His eyes, which were completely black... really resembled those of a serial killer.


    "The evidence the Second Princess has... if I destroy it, there''s no problem, right?"


    He narrowed his eyes, his expression cold. Just like Hakon.


    "They can''t accuse the daughter-in-law of a ducal family without hard evidence, after all. And we have the only proof."


    If no one trusts him...


    He would make them trust him with his own hands.


    "Even if a few of her men die in the process, it will not be a ''success'' for her, but a ''failure''. And you don''t seem to like this Second Princess very much... so it suits you."


    If no one sees him as a valuable asset...


    He was going to raise his value with his own hands.


    "And if I can''t... you can make me look like an agent of Feria trying to destroy the evidence about her. So, nobody suffers from this. Only me..."


    Rather than waiting for someone else to take him to a certain point...


    He had to scrape himself to that point with his fingers.


    And he was going to do it.


    "Am I not the Follower of Ruin, after all? Let me personally ruin the Second Princess''s plans... What do you say?"


    A deep silence fell over the room. A long one in which neither Kael nor Hakon said a word.


    But, then...


    "Follower of Ruin, huh..."


    Hakon''s lips suddenly curled upwards. The implication of his eyes had not changed, but...


    "Sure, Kael."


    He certainly liked Kael''s suggestion.


    "Go. Destroy the evidence the Second Princess has. If you succeed... I''ll put you in the reports as the main figure in this whole Feria Lockhend mess. The Empire will be quite pleased, that''s for sure. Me and the General included, even."


    Kael did not smile, did not react in any positive or negative way.


    He simply... nodded. But he had one last thing to say before he left Hakon''s side, about his self-given mission.


    "I need to get some plants from the greenhouses in the garden, is that okay?"


    At first, Hakon didn''t understand why Kael would ask such a thing... but he couldn''t find a reason to refuse.


    "Take what you want, I''ll cover it."


    When he confirmed after a brief silence that Kael had nothing more to say, he turned and opened the door of his room, just as he had done at the beginning.


    Before leaving, though...


    "Good luck, Kael. I¡­ hope you succeed."


    And then, he just left the room. He left Kael just like that.

 Chapter 91: Preparations

    The larger the group traveling, the longer the travel time.Moreover, when Kael saw the Second Princess''s squad, they were still a day away from reaching the town.


    If they rested in the town for two days, they should travel around seventeen to nineteen days from there to here.


    In short, subtracting the nine days it took Kael to get back to the capital and the distance to the town on the day he saw them... he had nine to eleven days to prepare.


    Thinking the worst, Kael made a plan that they would arrive here in nine days.


    So...


    First, he took a carriage with him. Then he filled it with lots, and literally lots, of plants.


    Each one had a different effect.


    But they had one thing in common... they were all poison.


    All of them.


    Some were lethal, some hallucinogenic, some messed with the digestive system, some made it impossible to sleep.


    He knew what they were all for. And he was going to use that.


    By the time he finished preparing the carriage... the night of the day he arrived in the capital had fallen.


    ''When they are four days away from the capital, I will start attacking.''


    This meant that he had about five days.


    If he moved a little faster and took two days to travel, he had three whole days to prepare.


    And that was more than enough.


    And yet...


    ''I have to give a perfect performance. Everything... has to happen in the best possible way.''


    Hakon could have done this on his own.


    And if Kael hadn''t acted quickly, he probably would have done the same thing, even if his method would have been slightly different.


    He wasn''t doing something that only he could accomplish, in short. He was simply seizing an opportunity that he had given himself.


    And so, he had to outdo himself, he had to achieve the best possible result. The one that was impossible for him.


    Only in this way could he achieve the goal he wanted.


    So he revised his plan many times, he would prepare all his traps by thinking over them at least three times.


    He had time, and he would make the most of it.


    ''The order of the poisons...''


    He had to arrange the plants to get the best result. The group on the move had to collapse irreversibly.


    ''How can I use them?''


    He had decided the order in which he would use the poisons, but... how would he apply them to the group?


    He had many ideas, literally... After all, the intended use of the plants was quite varied.


    ''Is it wrong to start four days before the capital?''


    He had chosen this method to make the most of his time, but now... he hesitated.


    Wouldn''t it be better to move more slowly, more cunningly?


    ''Is it enough to use only poisons?'' Your journey continues at M-V-L


    He could inflict heavier damage.


    He could work more effectively.


    Instead of relying entirely on poisons, he should use them as a tool.


    Of course, he also had to consider the possibility that the group he would encounter would be prepared for these. He didn''t know if the Second Princess was among them or not, but he remembered the Pursuer woman he had seen.


    There was a good chance that the Second Princess was that woman.


    And if it was her, most things would have been carefully checked, most everything would have been done to make sure there were no problems.


    He also had to prepare for the measures they could take in case of a problem.


    Moreover...


    ''There are eleven Bearers, six Followers, and one Pursuer among them.''


    He didn''t know their abilities, he didn''t know what their capabilities and experience were. If even a single one of them had the ability to cause trouble for his plans... they could fail.


    Kael frowned, narrowed his eyes.


    No, they were going to fail.


    This had to be a full-fledged group, after all. A group prepared for every possible situation.


    There was definitely someone among them who had the ability to foil his plans. The opposite was basically impossible.


    Kael sighed deeply as his mind raced, thinking of dozens of things for every situation.


    ''This... is definitely out of my league.''


    It wasn''t something one person could handle, let alone himself. He was sure of that.


    He had picked himself a big challenge, a mission that he would most likely fail.


    Yet he did not despair.


    ''I can do it.''


    On the contrary.


    ''I''ll do it.''


    He motivated himself even more.


    So, he prepared, prepared... and prepared.


    He developed a counter plan for every possible possibility. He even went ahead and prepared even more plans just in case those counter-plans failed.


    The days slowly passed one by one. As Kael moved farther and farther away from the capital, he worked on things that would make the group''s journey to the capital more difficult.


    He did not rest or even sleep.


    He was so dedicated, so focused that even though he kept meticulous track of time, he could not stop it from passing away quickly.


    Like that... it was exactly five days since he left the capital and started preparing.


    If his calculations were correct, he was a day or less away from meeting the group again...


    He had finished his preparations, even though there were a few more things he could and would do.


    *******


    Baron Dolcan had led a simple life.


    The sudden rise of the Empire, swallowing up all the kingdoms around it one by one, did not affect him much.


    As soon as he had taken the oath of allegiance, everything had continued as before, and the town he was already going to manage was in his hands as well.


    Why should he have a problem with the Empire? Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was successful, he had a beautiful wife, the townspeople loved him very much.


    He was a bit... a bad husband, though.


    He couldn''t control himself sometimes.


    So... he kept a few secrets that his wife shouldn''t find out.


    But other than that, he had no problems.


    His life was one of the most humble lives a simple nobleman like him could live.


    And then... he received an offer.


    "I need to sneak a group of carriages through your territory."


    Said one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her blonde hair, her sky-blue eyes were so... lustful that he couldn''t help swallowing.


    His instincts were taking over his logic.


    He wanted this woman.


    But... he restrained himself.


    After all, she was someone a simple noble like himself could never touch.


    She was the daughter of a count and the daughter-in-law of a duke.


    There were few nobles in the Empire who had never heard of Feria Lockhend.


    And yet...


    "Pardon my rudeness, Lady Lockhend... but may I know what these carriages are transporting?"


    He was a baron loyal to his duties and responsibilities.


    Even if it was Feria Lockhend he was dealing with... he could at least find out what her purpose was, could he not? The territory she wanted to sneak through was his territory, after all...


    But the moment he saw the delicate, small smile of the woman in front of him, he forgot all his responsibilities.


    When he heard her next words, the way she spoke them so calmly, despite their content and the fact that they were a grave crime, he couldn''t get the words out of his throat.


    He couldn''t even keep his lips apart.


    And...


    That conversation was the first moment of the connection between the two of them.


    The Baron let the carriages pass.


    Even if he didn''t want to.


    If he hadn''t, he would have had to die anyway, because he learned of Feria Lockhend''s plans.


    He had no choice.


    For a few days, he felt remorse. He was gutted that he had allowed a crime to be committed.


    But then... Feria Lockhend sent him a letter, a secret letter with exactly the same request as before.


    At the end, he was told to burn it.


    But the baron didn''t.


    Because he was scared. He was so scared of the crimes he had committed that if one day it all came to light... he wanted to have evidence to say that he had been forced into it.


    So he didn''t burn any of the letters he received, even though he had allowed all the crimes to happen over the years.


    The money that came into his treasury as a result of his partnership with Feria Lockhend was such that he soon found himself willingly becoming a partner.


    Everything was perfect.


    As long as they didn''t get caught, at least.


    But then someone snuck into his mansion and simply ran away.


    The Baron spent hours in fear. Who was the intruder? What was his purpose? Why was he here?


    He was afraid of being caught.


    But then... as if that wasn''t enough, he was betrayed.


    From the most trusted person in the town, his butler.


    He told him that in exchange for taking almost all the money in the treasury, he would leave the town, keep his nose out of his business, and disappear.


    The poor baron could do nothing but accept.


    He could collect the money back. He would be in a difficult situation for a while, yes... but he could refill the treasury.


    So he didn''t worry too much about it.


    It just... hurt him deeply that his most trusted person, his butler, had betrayed him.


    The next day... he found the lifeless body of his butler in the middle of his room.


    And as he tried hard not to scream... he found a woman staring back at him.


    She had short, brown hair that touched her shoulders. She looked to be in her thirties, with no wrinkles on her face. But the most important thing was... her eyes. Cold, gray eyes that gave him nothing but a sense of danger.


    And then he learned the bitter truth.


    He had been caught, already.


    For a very long time.


    Only he didn''t realize it.


    His life was over...


    Or so he thought.


    "If you cooperate, we can get you out of this with a simple punishment."


    Yes! His life was not over...


    There was still a way out.


    That''s why he never resisted. He even gladly became a ''prisoner'' of the group he had learned belonged to the Second Princess. Even though his hands were tied and he was standing behind a carriage like a prisoner, he didn''t worry about anything as long as he would survive in the end.


    Everything was perfect, once again!


    At least... until the tenth day of their travel.

 Chapter 92: Slowly Cornered

    The group''s journey back to the capital was uneventful. The scouts identified potential problems in advance, eliminated them, and kept the group moving forward safely. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.The cooks provided good food and kept the group full and strong.


    Just like when they traveled to the Barony of Dolcan, they were returning without any problems.


    This mission... although a secret and of great importance... went quite smoothly until now.


    But on the tenth day... something unexpected happened.


    It was not the scouts who first noticed the movement, but a random guard advancing with the carriages.


    "The bushes are moving!"


    Hearing his words, everyone immediately paused, ready to assume a battle stance.


    And immediately after that, the group was surrounded by countless creatures and wild animals.


    Apparently, they had somehow managed to escape the scouts'' eyes.


    It was very well possible.


    Little mistakes happen every now and then.


    No one in the world was perfect, after all.


    And... they were of no great importance to this group. These animals and creatures were all simple, powerless hunters living in the forest.


    And therefore just as easy to defeat.


    The only problem that was noticed... was that these animals and creatures were not behaving normally.


    Why were they specifically attacking the group as a whole instead of attacking each other?


    Why were there so many of them?


    Why... did they not seem to care much about their lives and only wanted to attack?


    Who knows...


    In the end, it didn''t matter.


    Because they had slaughtered every one of them.


    Not a single animal or creature had survived. The Followers didn''t even need to act, only the Bearers and normal humans were enough to fend off the attack.


    The people who made up their group were too strong, after all.


    The tiny attack had done nothing more than slow their journey to the capital by twenty minutes.


    At least, that''s what they thought.


    About forty minutes after the attack... this time, they found themselves among random forest dwellers. Not just wild animals or simple, powerless creatures.


    Birds, squirrels, rabbits...


    A little army of animals that have no reason to attack humans.


    They succeeded in surviving this attack too.


    Success wasn''t the right word, though... After all, this attack was never likely to be a threat to them in the first place.


    But there were wounded compared to the previous attack.


    Some of the smaller animals had narrowly dodged the attacks and made it to them.


    So there were nine injured in the group of seventy-three people.


    When they realized that the attacks were not simple ''attacks'', they kept the injured under observation. And only half an hour after the second attack... what they expected happened.


    The nine wounded men suddenly became aggressive, their eyes rolled back in their heads.


    Now, they knew one thing for sure.


    Their group was being specifically targeted by someone or something.


    A woman, the only Pursuer of the group with short hair and gray eyes, who was also in charge of the group''s progress, first slowed down their advance.


    She increased the number of scouts to be ready for any situation. And the nine who became aggressive... she just killed them and left their bodies behind.


    Who knows, maybe they didn''t just need physical contact to spread their madness.


    She couldn''t risk such a thing.


    At the same time, she could no longer trust the people in her group in the truest sense of the word.


    So she took a head count. He made sure that there were no more or fewer of them. He also ordered everyone to observe each other and report any suspicious behavior.


    That same day, a few hours later... she received a slightly different report than she had expected.


    "L- lady... two of our scouts have disappeared."


    This... was a significant loss.


    Not only had their numbers been reduced to sixty-two, but they had lost two of the scouts who had been providing security for the group.


    This meant they were more vulnerable to attack and possible danger.


    Fortunately, none of the Bearers had died, so the gray-eyed woman tried to reassure herself.


    There were two Bearers among the scouts. If they had lost one of them, it would have been much worse.


    Still, when she noticed the tension that was beginning to spread through the group, she knew she could not remain silent.


    Her orders were simple. Everyone was to stay close together. The scouts would now move in pairs and look out for each other. Likewise, a few people, who were not scouts, were to keep a distance from the main group and constantly observe the surroundings.


    "Don''t be afraid! Our enemies are hiding and moving silently, clearly expressing their fear. This means they are weaker than us!"


    She had to keep the group''s spirits high.


    But even so... fifty minutes later, he received another piece of unexpected news.


    One of the Bearers and a normal man who had been scouting with him had disappeared.


    The gray-eyed Pursuer''s brow furrowed at what she heard, a look appearing on her face that made it clear she was frustrated.


    She did not know the true identity of the attackers. Nor could she see any trace of them.


    She narrowed her eyes, thinking.


    Even though she was a Pursuer, there was no sign of any unusual eon in the surroundings.


    That meant there were no Bearers or Followers among the people causing trouble.


    They were most probably normal people.


    People with clear intentions.


    But... they were acting quite professionally.


    And yet...


    ''It will not be under my personal supervision.''


    She was a Pursuer, a notoriously unpopular one who was feared even by the others in general.


    Normal people might be able to hurt those in her group, but they could not make this mission fail under her watch.


    And so, slowly, night fell.


    The group stopped in a suitable place to rest, setting up a tiny camp.


    There were almost three times as many people on guard duty as usual. The shifts were much tighter. Everyone was on alert.


    But there were no attacks all night long. They were having a very normal night.


    It was just... at some point, they felt that the air around them was a bit heavy. They attributed this to their nervousness, to the knowledge that they were being targeted. There was no strange smell, after all, and the food was normal. They couldn''t have been poisoned, and they had four experts on the subject.


    None of them had detected anything. Otherwise, with their keen senses, they would definitely have caught these poisons.


    Nevertheless... the night did not continue as calmly as it started.


    Because almost half of the group of sixty people couldn''t sleep during the night.


    They might have been nervous. They might have been scared, and they were, even if a little bit... There might be some other reasons too, who knows?


    But almost thirty people having extreme difficulty sleeping on the same night?


    No, this was not normal.


    Even if they had no idea what was happening... there was definitely something going on.


    And she couldn''t let it go any further.


    No matter what.


    So, the gray-eyed woman approached one of the six Followers the group had in the middle of the night.


    "Use your ability, leave a mark on as many people as you can and notify me immediately of the dead."


    Then she went to another one, one whose only ability was to sense the flow of eon around her with an amazing clarity. Her ability sharpened and strengthened her sense of eon enormously.


    "Report to me even the slightest change in the eon around us."


    To another...


    "You will taste each of the dishes yourself. Use your immunity and notify the entire group as soon as you detect a poison."


    This person could tell if he was poisoned by the change of eon in his body, so he was a perfect poison detector.


    "Go to those who cannot sleep, investigate what is wrong with their bodies. Report everything you find."


    In this way, she gave the Bearers and Followers she had a lot of tasks according to their abilities.


    Everything was perfect.


    It was impossible for them to miss something, for something to be done by simple people in the background without them noticing.


    Even if there were no simple people involved, they would notice it.


    She thought there would be no more difficulties in their mission, even if she would never let her guard down.


    After a short time, they realized why those who could not sleep could not sleep.


    It was a poison, obviously. An extremely rare one, and the only way it could be administered was by inhalation.


    They had no antidote with them, so the only thing they could do was to go all the way to the capital and make sure everyone was cured there.


    They gained one new piece of information through this.


    And that was that the ''heavy air'' they felt last night was not from nervousness, but from a poison.


    "They can administer poisons in disguise, as if they know all the ways we perceive them and are aware of how to respond to all of them..."


    He looked at the poison experts in his group. They were all busy, doing their best.


    And yet...


    ''Then most of our poison specialists are rendered useless, except for the one with the immune ability.''


    Now, they had to approach everything more carefully. The slightest anomaly, no matter how small, no matter how ''natural'' it seemed, was now a threat.


    They could get through most things by approaching their environment in this way.


    And when they arrived at noon of the next day and nothing had happened yet, the gray-eyed woman felt a little relieved.


    It seemed that she had made the right decisions and had managed to disrupt the plans of whoever the attackers were.


    But she had been so wrong.


    "M- my lady!"


    At the tense and worried voice, the gray-eyed woman suddenly turned her attention to the person running toward her.


    It was... the Follower she had told to mark those in the group.


    And seeing him approaching her like this could only mean one thing.


    "Who''s dead? Tell me quickly."


    Follower was a young man, and his reactions were as frightened as one would expect from someone as young and inexperienced as he was.


    "T- the cook and one other person who was helping him!"


    The gray-eyed woman made her decision rather quickly.


    "Throw out all the food, no one new will take the position of cook. From this point to the capital, we will proceed without eating."


    Targeting the cook meant only one thing.


    Something had been or would be done to the food. Your next read awaits at M-V-L


    And she, of course, was not going to allow it.


    If they moved a little faster, they only had about three days. They could get through that time without eating.


    ''A little more... a little more...''

 Chapter 93: Getting Tricked by an Invincible Enemy

    After throwing all the food away, the gray-eyed woman gave her men a simple order."Gather everyone together and take a head count."


    All the moving carriages stopped and the whole group gathered together. Then the counting began.


    And the result was...


    "Huh..."


    She suddenly narrowed her eyes.


    "What happened?"


    "There are fifty-seven people..."


    The total number was supposed to be fifty-eight.


    The woman ran her eyes over those gathered in front of her. After a brief moment, she paused, frowned, and turned to the man next to her.


    "Count again, there are fifty-eight of us."


    The man counted again.


    But...


    "I count fifty-seven, my lady..."


    After what she heard, the gray-eyed woman turned to someone else.


    She told her to count everyone too.


    And then...


    "I count fifty-six, my lady."


    Her brow furrowed even more in confusion.


    Were they under the influence of an illusion?


    Was something playing with their sense of sight? Stay tuned for updates on M-V-L


    Had they all been poisoned with some unknown poison?


    What was going on here?


    ''I don''t sense any eon.''


    She turned her eyes to her right, to the woman who had a follower ability on eon sensing.


    Her reaction was to shake her head from side to side.


    ''If she doesn''t sense any either...''


    They had been poisoned.


    And none of them had any idea how small or big the effect of this poison was.


    *******


    "M- my lady!"


    The gray-eyed woman sighed deeply.


    She had no idea what had happened again.


    But... it certainly wasn''t good.


    "Haaaah... what happened again?"


    "We found pits dug ahead of our path, traps that could damage the carriages!"


    ''They know our route completely.''


    The road would probably be full of such traps. And if they made the scouts focus on these traps, then they would be vulnerable to threats from their surroundings.


    "Change our path, take a different route. Not the routes indicated on the maps, they might have guessed that we would change direction. Try to choose the most likely route that will not be a trap and make sure we take that route."


    Their journey would perhaps take a little longer... and that would probably be a big problem for those who couldn''t sleep.


    But it was certainly a better option than driving themselves into their traps and leaving themselves open to the threat.


    Still... the news didn''t stop there.


    "We can''t contact a Follower and a Bearer!"


    ''Where are they? How can they do it?''


    Hours later...


    "People started vomiting and hallucinating!"


    ''We''re not even eating... how did they get poisoned?''


    "We''ve lost four more people!"


    How...


    How could they kill people without being caught in any way?


    "The tire of one of our carriages went into a trap!"


    They had changed their direction, their path.


    How could they encounter traps even here?!


    She was going insane!


    ''If only... if only I had an ability for scouting...''


    As a Pursuer, she was quite strong.


    But her abilities were all about head-to-head combat.


    She was useless in the current situation and had to rely on others. And her enemies were superior, more knowledgeable than those she had to rely on!


    So... even with extra precautions, they finally entered into the night with only a day left to the capital.


    After the next night, at dawn, they would be able to see the walls of the capital.


    They were so close...


    But they were also so close to exhaustion.


    There were only thirty-seven survivors.


    Twenty of them could never sleep, they were tired and worn out.


    They could never eat, afraid of poisons. They were starving, close to collapse, unable to move.


    The situation was bad.


    Extremely bad.


    But the worst thing was... they were attacked in this state.


    At their weakest moment, when everyone could barely walk, goblins and wolves suddenly rained down on them.


    Just like the first two attacks, they were frenzied. Moreover... they were marching on exhausted soldiers.


    Was there really any way to defend this?


    Well, there was.


    And it was herself.


    She took her soldiers behind her, confidently diving among the goblins and wolves.


    Her gray eyes turned green as her eon activated, then her skin color turned slightly green as well.


    She felt a growing anger inside her, the power coursing through her muscles as she grew slightly taller.


    The goblins and wolves didn''t stand a chance.


    They couldn''t even touch the soldiers.


    The gray-eyed woman- though... green, actually, when she used eon, showed how much of a difference there was between them as a Pursuer by tearing them apart with her bare hands; by unleashing her rage on them.


    When it was all over... all around them was just carnage.


    Massacre in the truest sense of the word.


    Disassembled bodies and blood...


    The ground was not even visible because of the red in some places.


    The gray-eyed woman felt her anger fade as she withdrew eon from her body. The green spots in her skin color disappeared, returning to their original color. Then she turned back towards her group and spoke coldly.


    "We continue."


    Her men could not look at her without being slightly frightened, even though they knew what her ability was. Still, they did not disobey her.


    There was no resting now.


    They had to reach the capital... before she herself became tremendously exhausted.


    When the sun rose the next morning... they found three more dead.


    No, they hadn''t disappeared or been poisoned to death like the previous ones.


    Two had simply died of starvation and lack of sleep.


    And one person... had been killed with his throat slit, as if he had been left in the middle as a message to everyone.


    And it was at this point that the gray-eyed woman understood one thing in particular.


    The people after them... they wanted them to slowly lose themselves.


    They wanted them to go crazy.


    They wanted to break them psychologically.


    She reminded herself of what she had told her soldiers when the attacks had just begun.


    "Don''t be afraid! Our enemies are hiding and moving silently, clearly expressing their fear. This means they are weaker than us!"


    They must be really weak if they were using this method.


    She sighed deeply, looked up at the sky.


    After a while, she gathered everyone together again.


    She counted thirty-six people, including herself.


    Again, the others did not add up to her count.


    Why was this so?


    What was wrong with her that this was happening?


    She didn''t feel any eon so just what was the reason...


    One by one, she ran her eyes over everyone who was still alive.


    They all looked so tired that it seemed impossible to tell if there was a traitor among them. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But then...


    "Huh?"


    The woman she was keeping with her made a sound of surprise.


    The gray-eyed woman turned to her quickly, clearly expecting an answer, even if she didn''t say anything. And she got her answer.


    The woman, whose Follower ability allowed her to have a keen sense of eon, raised her finger and pointed to someone in the group.


    This person... was a normal human being. His role in the group was simply to be a ''soldier''.


    "That man... he is surrounded by a tiny eon that seems almost impossible to feel."


    She didn''t listen to her anymore. She didn''t need to.


    She hurried to the man in question, and when she was next to him, he almost fell to the ground in fright, but paused at the last moment.


    "Y- yes, my lady!"


    She narrowed her eyes, studying him with great care.


    She did not recognize him, it was not a face she knew well.


    She could see beads of sweat running down his forehead.


    His eyes were trembling, signs of fear.


    And... there was indeed an eon hovering around him that was hard to feel.


    "Who are you? What is your name?"


    The man opened his mouth to answer.


    But the moment he did... the small amount of eon around him fluctuated.


    The woman suddenly realized that her ears were numb. It was as if... her hearing was being tampered with. At the same time, the image of the man in front of her blurred slightly, almost blending together... disappearing.


    ''He''s running away?''


    She raised her hand and swung it hard towards where he had just been standing, even though she was not sure of his position.


    Before he knew what was happening, the man she had attacked was instantly pinned to the ground. His head and left shoulder hit the ground so hard that cracks appeared beneath him, blood splattered over a wide area.


    When she saw the eon around him disappear and realized that her senses had returned, she squinted again, looked around quickly, and turned to the others.


    What she saw... was them looking at her in genuine horror.


    "Huh?"


    Surprise showed on her face.


    Why were they looking at her like that? She had just killed the traitor or one of them...


    "M- my lady..."


    The person approaching behind her was Follower, who had just pointed the man out to her.


    "T- the man gave his name normally, stated his rank, asked for your orders... Why... did you... kill him?"


    The woman quickly looked at the corpse on the floor, then back at the woman who had just told her this.


    What...?


    Hadn''t they seen how the man had started to disappear?


    For them... this man had just stood where he was and done what was asked of him?


    As her eyes widened, it suddenly dawned on the gray-eyed woman what was happening.


    The man... was not trying to escape by dulling her senses.


    On the contrary, she had been tricked.


    The ability had been used on her and she had been made to think that this person was a traitor.


    She clenched her fist. Her face twitched as her lips began to tremble with anger.


    Whoever that was... was playing a game with her, literally.


    They had a Bearer, or a Follower, from the very beginning.


    It was just that... they were so skilled that she couldn''t even sense them. Not even the woman she always kept around.


    ''They can distort all of the senses... does the sense of eon also apply?''


    This... would explain a lot.


    How they were never caught and more...


    And yet...


    "Tch..."


    Still... she was even more frustrated, enraged now.


    She had been made to kill one of his men with her own hands. This would shake the group''s trust in her, make them fear her, and further disrupt the order.


    It was so clever...


    If she was incapable of thinking about it, she would surely have gone mad by now.


    Fortunately, she could still think, and she wasn''t going to let her emotions get in the way of her logic just yet.

 Chapter 94: Miserable End

    ''First of all... objectives.''The woman turned around, quickly checked on the baron being held captive.


    The man was scared shitless. He could probably guess what was happening because he had seen everything around him. And, well... he seemed to have lost his mind as a result.


    Still, she was sure that if they could get out of here, he could still be used for their purposes. He was a man with a high survival instinct and he was also not that stupid.


    He would do everything just to be alive.


    So, she left him as he was. She walked towards one of the carriages. And what she found when she got inside was... simply a chest. There was nothing inside except this chest.


    She opened it, checking the contents.


    There were all the letters that Feria Lockhend had sent to the baron.


    Nothing seemed to be missing.


    In short, whoever the traitor was, he or she hadn''t found the letters yet, or if they had, they had chosen not to take them.


    She got out of the carriage and, to be deceptive, entered all the others. She stayed in all of them for a certain amount of time and then got out.


    There was nothing they could do, at this point.


    Only...


    "We keep moving forw-"


    Her eyes suddenly widened. All her senses expanded to their fullest and after a long time, finally... she felt an abnormal eon fluctuation.


    She instantly grew taller, her skin color slightly greened, and her eyes sparkled with a lush green glow.


    She ran as fast as she could.


    She was furious. Both she herself and her ability had made her so angry that she had only one target, the spot where she felt the eon fluctuation.


    And it took her a very short time to reach that spot. What she found in front of her as a result was, though... nothingness.


    Literally nothing.


    The trace of eon was here. And it was quite clear.


    It felt... destructive. It made her feel like she was walking cold through the ruins.


    But there were no people.


    No creatures or animals.


    ''It could be playing with my senses.''


    Thinking this, she did not deactivate her ability. Remaining alert, she studied her surroundings, and after a few moments... she realized something.


    ''This... is a decoy.''


    No one was here, she was sure now.


    This was just a move to lure her here.


    She ran back at the same speed, almost even faster than before. She turned back towards her group, thinking that whoever had done this... she would find each and every one of them and tear them to pieces.


    It was absolutely unacceptable... to be tricked like this!


    Stay connected with M-V-L


    She was a noble, a proud one, nonetheless.


    And even she had her limits.


    This was enough!


    But when she turned back, she couldn''t help but freeze in place at what she saw.


    "What... is this?"


    There was literally... chaos in front of her.


    "S-s top! You idiots!"


    She screamed at the top of her lungs. The sound she could make in this form was quite wheezy, so she usually didn''t speak.


    But, this time, she didn''t care.


    His men were fighting each other.


    They were attacking each other like they were crazy, despite their exhaustion.


    "I- it''s you, right?! You''ve been acting suspiciously for days!"


    One of the scouts said, his hands on the throat of a guard he had subdued.


    "I''ve found the traitor! It must be him, he just disappeared and reappeared out of nowhere!"


    A guard was literally tearing apart a carriage driver who had done nothing wrong.


    "Hahahah! Did you think you''d never be found, idiot!"


    All of them...


    "Die, die, die, die!"


    They were all out of their minds.


    "COME TO YOUR SENSES!"


    The gray-eyed woman roared as loud as she could. It was her Pursuer ability, which increased the physical and mental strength of everyone who heard her voice, including herself.


    And with this ability, everyone who had gone mad slowly paused. The lips of those who laughed slowly pursed, some of those whose hands were covered in the blood of their comrades could not help widening their eyes. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ah... A- AAAGGHHH!"


    In the end, someone let out a scream of horror.


    But before he could utter a sound, the gray-eyed woman suddenly appeared at his feet, smacked him lightly on the head with her hand, and knocked him unconscious.


    "Listen to me, you idiots!"


    She roared again, drawing all attention to herself.


    "You have all been poisoned, calm down and use your logic! We must stick together!"


    Fortunately, her words managed to register with her men. With her Pursuer ability, those around her swallowed and focused on her, waiting for her next orders.


    The woman first counted how many were alive.


    There were only eighteen.


    Their group... almost all of them were gone.


    ''Damn it... damn it!''


    How could they... end up in such a situation?


    How... when almost everyone was a professional, how had they managed to be defeated, to be so humiliated, against an enemy they had never even seen once?


    ''More careful, more careful...''


    They still had a chance.


    As long as the mission succeeded, the rest didn''t matter.


    They could still succeed...


    "Stand up!"


    And so they did. Even if they were weak, exhausted... her men slowly stood up.


    "Come on, let''s go-"


    But she couldn''t give the next order.


    Because... in front of her eyes, one of those who stood up suddenly collapsed, foaming at the mouth.


    "H- huh?"


    Right next to him, a guard who had only just regained her reason and sanity... lost it again as her eyes widened.


    When she heard the sound of collapsing behind her, she turned around to see another friend collapsing, foaming at the mouth, just like the one next to her.


    Then... she too collapsed.


    In front of the grey-eyed woman''s eyes, in mere seconds... almost all of her men collapsed unconscious, all foaming at the mouth.


    And all she could do was watch, her eyes wide.


    Despite her strength, unable to do anything.


    With trembling steps, she approached the only one who hadn''t collapsed yet.


    This was the Follower who was immune to any kind of poison.


    He was literally terrified as he watched what was happening around him.


    He was so frightened that he was shivering all the time.


    He was not even in his right mind, even though he was not under the influence of any poison.


    "H- hey, calm down..."


    She was about to go to him and calm him down, to tell him that they should continue their mission... but she paused again.


    ''No... no... isn''t this enough already...?''


    For the second time in as many days, she caught an abnormal presence of eon.


    It was the same eon she felt the first time when she ran into the decoy. She felt like she was wandering through the ruins, cold and chilled inside.


    The only difference was... this time... this eon was everywhere.


    "I- I beg you, let me go! P- please... I will make you live like a king in Dolcan!"


    Suddenly, she was stunned by the voice she could hear. She slowly turned around, and there before her was... the sight of their captive, Baron Dolcan, on his knees, his forehead pressed against the floor, crying and begging.


    There was a young person in front of him, one who seemed to be separate from everything else that was going on around him.


    But it was not so, she knew it well.


    Because... this youth was the source of the eon that enveloped the surroundings. His black hair fluttered in the breeze and his eyes sparkled with a silvery glow. He held two daggers in his hands.


    The youth simply threw his dagger at the baron''s head. And as the dagger pierced his skull, the baron''s voice suddenly went silent, his body shook violently as he fell sideways.


    The man she was supposed to protect... was slaughtered in front of her eyes.


    The gray-eyed woman suddenly felt the whole world stop.


    All her thoughts were erased from her mind. The only thing she could see... was the youth in front of her.


    It was him.


    He was the traitor.


    He was the one who had ruined the whole mission, who had caused everything to fall apart.


    She felt her anger rise to immeasurable heights. Or rather... she couldn''t feel it. Because she was that angry.


    The moment she felt her feet leave the ground, she found herself in front of this youth. She was so fast that no one should have been able to see her.


    But the youth he attacked saw.


    Her hands, greenish in color, were about to grab him and tear him apart... when she suddenly found his silvery eyes staring at her.


    They were cold, calm.


    But then, suddenly... they disappeared.


    Along with the youth''s whole body.


    No, he wasn''t too fast.


    He had simply disappeared.


    The woman, suddenly finding herself in the middle of the forest, alone, didn''t know what to do.


    She looked around, threw her hands behind her back, trying to block a possible attack... But she was met was just... nothing.


    "I- impossible!"


    She could more or less sense the presence of even Seekers in this form. Not even they could use their abilities so flawlessly, so precisely in front of her.


    "W- what would a Savant want with us?!"


    But then, she felt the presence of cold metal in her throat and was suddenly speechless, as if she had swallowed her little tongue.


    The world was spinning, strangely. At the same time, she felt nauseous, almost vomiting.


    "I''m not a Savant, I''m not even sure what stage you''re talking about."


    His calm voice entered her ears. Eyes widening, she quickly reached for her Pursuer ability and even her blessing at the same time.


    But...


    "You were just poisoned."


    The coldness in her throat slid aside as her eyes widened, slowly giving way to warmth.


    Being a Pursuer, she naturally had a certain immunity to poisons. It wasn''t impossible to be poisoned, just a bit difficult. That was why she had been able to stand so far, to remain unaffected as his men writhed from the poison.


    But there was a limit.


    And it seems she had already crossed that limit.


    ''Ah...''


    She realized too late that her head had been separated from her body as her world turned upside down.


    She... had lost and died in such a humiliating way.


    Even when she died, her face was one of incomprehensible stunned confusion, disgust with herself... and disappointment.

 Chapter 1 - 1: An Impossible Goal

    --Volume I: The Birth of a False King--


    The sky was a light shade of gray, as usual... flat and hopeless. It looked like it was going to rain, but... it was fooling those underneath. It was always like this, after all, gray and... endless.


    And then there was the sun, faintly visible behind the grayness of the sky. It cast only as much light as it was allowed to, and with it, heat. It was as hopeless as the sky itself. And just as... lonely.


    One of the places where it managed to get its light and heat despite all this was a rather large palace with a large garden in a kingdom west of the largest continent on the planet.


    It was not in the middle of any city, there were no buildings or living people around it. It was built as if the king wanted to stay away from everyone else.


    And in one spot in the garden of this palace was a skinny, rather thin-looking young man, but as thin as he was, his eyes were sharp. His black hair fluttered a little as he walked, with the light breeze blowing across his face, adding a pleasant air to his appearance. But... that was it. He had no other distinguishing features. Even the simple white one-piece outfit he was wearing was of poor quality.


    The young man paused for a moment when the wheelbarrow he was pushing caught on something. Sighing, he turned his brown eyes skyward, towards the pale sun. Finally, he lowered them and looked at the palace next to him.


    He had dreamed of it for many years. Just to force himself to live, maybe, yes... But now... he was really here.


    ''I really did it, huh... Who would have guessed?''


    That was the only thing going through his mind.


    He was fifteen now. Three years of hard work were paying off. He had managed to leave the filthy mansion where he had spent almost all his life and stepped into the palace.


    After years of living in such an environment, the palace environment was... so new. There was no smell of feces, his clothes were spotlessly clean, not even dust in his hair. It was certainly going to be hard to get used to, and it was.


    But... there were a few things that had not changed.


    "Hey, slave! What are you standing there for? Why did you stop?!"


    A smile appeared on the young man''s face. If there was one thing that hadn''t changed... it was certainly people''s behavior.


    He lifted the wheelbarrow again, in which he had carefully sorted the herbs from the garden, and gently pulled it aside. His voice, like his body, was weak as he answered the man.


    "Something got caught in the wheels of the wheelbarrow. I apologize!"


    He looked at the man speaking to him. He was bald, but also well-built and slightly older. He was a servant, in charge of supervising the slaves, at least those who worked in the garden.


    At the young man''s words, his eyes dropped to the wheels of the wheelbarrow, and when he saw the relatively large stone nearby, he sighed.


    "Go on, be quick!"


    He said nothing more. The young man lifted the wheelbarrow and walked on without another glance at the bald servant. Breathing in the autumn air, he made his way through the huge gardens of the huge palace and reached his destination. But, before he entered the greenhouse reserved for botany, he paused again at the sound of a voice.


    It sounded like a... collision. And it was.


    It was the sound of the palace knights.


    The barracks were not far from the greenhouse. So when they were training, if something serious was going on, some of the sounds could reach the greenhouse.


    The young man sighed lightly and turned back to the front again.


    He had dreamed of becoming a knight as a child, like so many other. But... dreams were different from reality. He needed a strong body to be a knight, something he didn''t have as a slave... And even if he had a strong body, he could never rise because he didn''t have a blessing. Knighthood aside, he would most likely be one of those soldiers who would be sent to die in regional battles.


    For these and other reasons, he had long ago given up the dream of becoming a knight. As a slave, he had no right to dream anyway. At least... not according to others. He did more than dream, after all.


    When he entered the greenhouse, the first thing he did was to remove the plants from the wheelbarrow and set them aside. He sorted them one by one, removing the seeds from those with any.


    His skills in botany had gotten him here, and that was exactly his job. He was in charge of collecting, growing, and sorting the special herbs in the palace garden. He knew what each plant was and what it could do with others, and if he encountered something that he didn''t know, he learned it.


    As he was separating a few plants from each other, his steady hands slowed down a little, and he paused as he squinted his eyes. He thought about what he had been through and what he had done to get to this point. But then he shook his head from side to side with a determined look on his face and went on with his work.


    He had a goal, a goal he wanted to fulfill, no matter what. He would most likely die trying to fulfill it, the probability of survival was... low. Even less likely to succeed. But no matter what, even if he had to devote his whole life to it, he would try... he would succeed. At least... he was convincing himself that he would succeed, fooling even.


    Because that was his reason for living. That''s why he gritted his teeth instead of committing suicide a long time ago.


    Revenge.


    No, rather than something grandiose like revenge... an excuse to keep on living.


    ~crack!


    He stopped what he was doing and quickly turned his head at the sudden sound behind him. And what he saw in front of him... he could only sigh inwardly. Yes, inwardly. If he had done it from the outside...


    "Brat, what are you doing? Move aside!"


    He said nothing to the woman who suddenly entered the greenhouse. He stepped aside meekly and did as he was told.


    The woman quickly glanced at the plants lying on the table. Then, without turning to the young man, she asked in a bored tone.


    "You have collected plants to make narcotics. How much demand is there?"


    He bowed his head and answered in a submissive voice.


    "About three bowls. But they asked for five, just in case."


    The woman frowned for a brief moment when she heard what he said. She looked at what plants he had collected to make the medicine once again. And... she saw that he had collected some very potent herbs.


    "Five? With five bowls of these, they can put almost a hundred and fifty soldiers to sleep..."


    She thought for a while longer, as if... something was wrong. But then, suddenly, she yawned, as if tired. But she still didn''t look at the young man.


    "Whatever. Do you know how to do it?"


    "Yes. I crush the lorasa, mix it with water, then-"


    "Okay, okay. It was enough to say that you know. Don''t talk too much and keep doing what you''re doing."


    The woman moved away from the table, went to the plants on the other side and started checking them, ignoring the young man completely.


    He looked at her back for a while. He was not even a fly in her eyes, but he could understand. It annoyed him, maybe, but he could understand. And he was also aware that he had to be obedient. That''s how he had gotten to where he was.


    No matter what, don''t make a sound, don''t disobey, don''t smile in silly ways or show emotions... The list went on, but these were the principles he followed for his purpose.


    After looking at her back for a while, he went back to work, doing what he had to do.


    But... just then, someone else entered the greenhouse and his work was interrupted again.


    When he saw the person entering... all he could do was bow his head.


    After all, there was one of the palace knights in front of him. As a slave, he was too lowly to look at him directly.


    "Elsin, are the requested narcotics ready?"


    Elsin, the head botanist of the greenhouse, the woman who had just spoken to the youth, turned to the knight.


    "I have just entered the greenhouse, Manar."


    Then her eyes shifted to the youth, who still kept his head bowed, and she pointed at him with her eyebrows. The knight named Manar also turned to the young man.


    "Oh, I see. You can raise your head."


    The youth slowly raised his bowed head.


    The knight was not wearing a helmet, his face was exposed. He had blondish curly hair and brown eyes. He was almost two meters tall and had a well-built body, although it was not obvious from the armor he was wearing. Other than being a little taller than normal, he was not much different from a normal knight.


    The youth did not look the knight directly in the eyes, even though he studied him briefly. He wasted no more time and quickly explained the situation.


    "It will be ready in two minutes, sir."


    The knight nodded his head in understanding, which the youth did not expect.


    "Go on with your work, I will wait."


    Normally, the answers he would have received would have been... ''hurry the fuck up'', ''I have more work to do!'', ''don''t keep me waiting!'', or something like that.


    Nevertheless, he quickly returned to the table in front of him and continued to prepare the narcotics. Even though the knight in front of him seemed to be understanding, he was not going to waste his time.


    So, Knight Manar and Botanist Elsin began to talk amongst themselves as the youth prepared the requested narcotics. They did not care much about the young man''s presence.


    "What were the narcotics requested for?"


    The ease in the tone of the woman''s voice, even though she was facing a knight, caught the young man''s attention. He thought they might be close to each other, so he listened to the conversation while doing his job.


    "All I know is that the palace healers want it, and they''ll want more. War is coming, Elsin. The empire is practically on the kingdom''s doorstep. Probably some of the scouts have been wounded, and they''ll be making things up for them. In short... your workload will increase considerably."


    The woman''s expression fell even lower. She was definitely not happy with the situation.


    "If we had more botanists, it wouldn''t be much of a problem. But..."


    She looked out of the corner of her eye at the young man preparing the last bowl of narcotics.


    "Not many people know about plants, and it''s a pain to train someone from scratch. I don''t even understand how this slave knows almost as much as I do."


    Following her, the knight turned toward the young man.


    "He knows almost as much as you, huh?"


    At that moment, the youth finished preparing all the bowls and placed them in a bag, sealing it so that it would not open by itself. Then, without looking anyone in the eye again, he turned around.


    "I''ve prepared the narcotics, sir."


    From the corner of his eye, he saw the knight smiling slightly.


    "Good, then follow me. Let''s deliver these."


    He turned quickly towards the exit of the greenhouse, then just as quickly paused. He turned slowly towards the young man.


    "Do you have a name?"


    The woman jumped at the knight''s question before the young man, though.


    "You ask a slave if he has a name? Of course not. Don''t waste time with idle talk, Manar, get the narcotics away quickly. If what you say is true, we will have way too more work to do here."


    The knight sighed slightly. Without another word to the woman, he walked out of the greenhouse. The young man followed behind him.


    As they walked through the palace garden, the knight kept opening and closing his mouth. He was trying to say something and then giving up continuously.


    The young man... looked at him in surprise every time.


    ''Most people are not so... kind.''


    Even though he could only see his back, he understood what the knight was trying to do and that he was actually a good person. It was not easy to meet good people, especially as a slave.


    He let out a deep sigh that no one could hear. His eyes shifted to the sky, and in his mind... Elsin''s words echoed.


    Most things didn''t bother him, and even if they did, he kept it to himself and kept quiet. Because the moment he did otherwise, he could lose everything. But... this one in particular was hard to hold back.


    The reason slaves didn''t have names was often because they didn''t have families. Even if they did, they were separated from them at a young age and trained to be obedient. So they didn''t need a name.


    But... he was different. He had a family, at least back then... And his late mother had given him a name, even though she knew it meant nothing.


    A name that no one else needed to know, a name that his mother had decided on without much thought, but a name that reminded him of who he was and what he was for. A name that he liked.


    ''Kael. My name is... Kael.''


    He looked up at the pale sun that would soon set and squinted. As he reminded himself of his name, he repeated his purpose, which seemed even more impossible than a dream in a world where it was forbidden to even imagine things.


    ''My goal is... to kill the king''s brother.'' S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 2 - 2: Mysterious Man in Robes

    Kael and Manar made their way to the two-story building next to the palace. Soon, they were inside.


    What they saw was the kind of sight Kael had been expecting.


    This was the building where the palace healers worked. There were beds for many patients, medical supplies, and more. There would normally be few or no one here. But... this time, it was quite full.


    As Manar had predicted, a large military unit was injured and it was hard to see an empty bed, at least on the first floor.


    Just then, one of the healers scurrying inside saw the pair, and his eyes widened.


    "Ah, finally!"


    He grabbed the bag from Kael''s hand without even asking what it was and rushed into a room without saying anything to the duo.


    "What... happened here?"


    Manar''s question, asked in a low voice to himself, was answered quickly and unexpectedly.


    "The Empire... It is coming, that''s what happened."


    On a bed quite close to the entrance was a soldier who appeared to have lost an arm. His condition was not too bad, except for the missing arm, but he had such an expression on his face... as if he had narrowly escaped death.


    Manar squinted his eyes slightly when he saw him, and a look of sadness appeared on his face.


    "Gab... were you in the scout troop? Why didn''t you tell me?"


    Kael waited in the background for the dialog between the two. ''Empire'' and ''coming'' were important words, after all.


    As the eyes of the man whose name, or shortened name, was Gab, fixed on Manar, probably a close friend of his, he continued with an expression as if he was screaming that he was mad.


    "Forget about me, Manar... You must escape from here, everyone must get away from this kingdom before it is too late... They... They are coming..."


    Manar looked at his friend with an even sadder expression. Then, he sighed.


    "Everyone knows the war is coming, Gab, but everyone who can escape is already too late. And-"


    Unexpectedly, however, Gab suddenly jumped up from his sickbed and stood over Manar. His face suddenly showed signs of terror.


    "No, no! There is no war, Manar! It''s not going to happen...! The Empire... the Empire doesn''t even take us seriously, it doesn''t even need to!"


    Manar put a hand on his friend''s shoulder. Even though his action was very sudden, it didn''t scare him at all.


    "Calm down, man, calm down..."


    But Gab pushed Manar''s hand back over his shoulder.


    "No, no you don''t understand... It was one person who did this to us, Manar, one person. A unit of almost eighty men was destroyed at the hands of one single human. She didn''t kill a single person, she left everyone alive on purpose. She wasn''t even sweating when it was all over. Just... just..."


    He paused, his eyes widened, as if remembering things he didn''t want to remember. As the strength in his legs disappeared, he fell back onto his bed. His unfocused eyes fixed on the ceiling. The corner of his lips curved upwards slightly and he smiled painfully to himself.


    "She was laughing... Hahahaha... That woman was just laughing..." sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Manar''s expression suddenly changed as his friend spoke. He looked around, at the condition of the soldiers. Some of them were indeed badly wounded, but just as he had heard, not a single one had died.


    This was... serious. Much more serious than he had thought.


    After a while, he turned around. He looked towards Kael, who was quietly watching the whole thing from behind. He then let out a deep sigh.


    "Go back to the greenhouse, your work here is done. At least for now..."


    Kael nodded meekly. He actually wanted to hear more. What was happening here... was as important to him as it was to everyone else.


    If the Empire was really coming for the kingdom, then... everything he thought about the future would change.


    Halfway to the greenhouse, he paused, looking up at the huge palace. Somewhere inside, he was sure, the king whose brother he wanted more than anything to kill was comfortably enjoying himself. Now, of course, if the Empire was really at the gates, that comfort must have been translated into endless worry about the impending end.


    He thought for a moment.


    Actually... if the Emperor killed the king, wouldn''t they kill his brother too, to leave no royal family? As long as the king''s brother got what he deserved, did it matter who brought about his end? Yes, he wanted revenge, but... it was hard to do. In fact, it was almost impossible. His fate as a slave, the limits of what he could do, were clear.


    This time, his eyes left the palace and traveled far away. The walls of the palace largely blocked his view of the outside. Yet the light gray sky was still in front of him.


    ''Empire, huh...''


    He turned again and continued towards the greenhouse. But this time, he was much more thoughtful, his eyes fixed on the ground.


    He had heard a few things about the Empire. It had taken over almost the entire continent in just nine years. There were only a few kingdoms left. The kingdom he was now a slave to, the Kingdom of Arcanoa, was one of them.


    He didn''t know why they had left the kingdom alone until now. Yes, the Kingdom of Arcanoa was not a very big one. It was actually quite small... but its position on the continent was quite important. That''s why he had previously thought that the king was on good terms with the emperor and that''s why he hadn''t attacked yet. But now... that was clearly not the case.


    The emperor probably had a reason for ignoring this place, and now that reason was gone.


    He took another deep breath.


    ''If they are really going to end this kingdom... I hope they make sure the king''s brother suffers too.''


    And so, he reached the greenhouse. He put all his thoughts aside so as not to be distracted in front of Elsin, prepared to go inside... but then paused again at the sound he heard.


    His eyes quickly darted to where the sound had come from, the entrance to the palace that was not far from the greenhouse. The huge gates of the palace were creaking open, attracting the attention of almost everyone around.


    Kael focused his attention on the gate in the center of the walls. Yes, the greenhouse wasn''t too far from the entrance, but it wasn''t close either. He had to focus to understand what was happening.


    And so, he saw six people entering the palace.


    Five of these six were palace soldiers. Two of them were even knights, he could tell by the armor they were wearing. The other three... even if they were not knights, they were relatively strong enough to stand out from the other soldiers. He had even heard that one of them was a knight candidate.


    But none of that mattered. Because... these five people had not entered the palace just like that. They surrounded the sixth person who had entered the palace with them, as if to protect him.


    As Kael continued to study them, he realized that this thought was wrong. No, these five people were not protecting the person he had taken in between them. They were... they were afraid of that person. They were protecting their surroundings from this person.


    Kael couldn''t help swallowing. He focused on the person among the five, trying to figure out who it was.


    Thanks to the brown robe he wore from head to toe, it was impossible to see his face. But he looked like a skinny man. A lock of blond hair peeked through his hood, the brightest yellow Kael had ever seen.


    Nothing more than that could be said about the man. But... As Kael continued to look at this man, he couldn''t help but feel uneasy. It was as if there was something, something not right... something that was affecting him. He felt like he was going to lose himself as he looked at this man. But he couldn''t take his eyes off him either. It was like he was locked in.


    It was like... it was like seeing a beautiful, really beautiful flower.


    The soldiers and the robed man moved steadily through the garden towards the palace. Kael could not rest until they were finally out of sight, his eyes following them constantly. Finally, when these six people entered the palace, his eyes widened. He looked around, at the other people. And what he saw... were dozens of people, just like himself, staring at the palace gate, not understanding what was happening.


    He was not the only one affected. Everyone in the palace garden was mesmerized by the man from earlier.


    "Hey, what are you standing there for? Come in, we have more work to do!"


    When he heard Elsin''s voice from inside the greenhouse, he swallowed involuntarily, turned to the door, and entered the greenhouse. But his mind could never forget what he saw. Even if he didn''t want to be distracted in front of Elsin, there was only one thing on his mind.


    ''Who was... that man?''

 Chapter 3 - 3: Darkness and Silence

    In the time, since seeing the mysterious man, Kael has made countless different medicines with herbs. He listened to Elsin''s nagging and sighing. Sometimes, Elsin would randomly turn to him, say some nonsense, and then wait for his approval without saying anything. Kael did what was expected of him.


    When midnight came and Elsin finally decided she was sleepy, she left the rest of the work to Kael and went to sleep. Kael didn''t complain about that. He liked to be busy with something. It was fun to work with plants too, at least it made the time pass quickly and it was... much easier than what he had done before.


    So, even after Elsin left, he prepared and sent out countless medicines that the healers requested, and started making new ones.


    But... eventually, he got tired too. After the last bag he sent, there had been no further requests. So, he went outside, looked at the position of the moon, which, like the sun, had a definite orbit in the sky, and realized that it was quite late. Even if he was a slave, there was no one to resent him sleeping at this hour.


    It would be different if he had a task at hand, but he didn''t... and he had already prepared a lot of medicine.


    He went back inside, towards the far end of the greenhouse. There was a wooden bed reserved for him. It didn''t have any sheets or a quilt. It was just... a big piece of wood, really. But he never complained about it. He had a bed, even if it had a rough surface.


    So, he laid himself down on the piece of wood. He fixed his brown eyes on the hill and the dark sky. The transparent roof of the greenhouse was a bit dirty, so there was no clear view, but he could see the moon and some of the bright stars.


    His eyes squinted. Memories from a few years ago came to mind.


    His mother liked to look at the stars. She didn''t have much time to look at the sky because she usually worked at night. So whenever she had the chance, she would stare at the night sky. And Kael would see his mother''s happy face, which he didn''t get a chance to see, and he would be happy too.


    He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He stopped himself and surrendered to sleep before the good memories were buried deep in his mind with bad nightmares. He would probably be very busy tomorrow. The knight, whose name was Manar, was sure the healers would want even more medicine. After the sight he had seen today, he was sure of it too. So he wanted to sleep well.


    So all his senses slowly shut down, his connection with the world was gone. He waited for one of the usual nightmares or to wake up directly into the next day with the birds chirping.


    But... he did not wake up directly to the next day. Instead... he saw himself looking up into a dark sky. Stars were everywhere, twinkling with a dazzling light.


    He was having a dream. But this dream... was a little different from the normal ones. It was neither a nightmare nor did it feel like a normal dream. It felt... much more real.


    Kael focused on the stars in the sky. He just watched for a while, not moving. He couldn''t move anyway. But then... finally he realized something.


    The stars... were getting brighter and brighter with each passing second, as if they were approaching the ground. It was only now that he realized it because they were slow. But he did, in the end. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The stars came closer and closer, closer and closer... Kael did nothing, he just watched them.


    After a while... he realized that the stars actually looked like flowers. Snow-white, and strangely... beautiful flowers with five petals.


    He raised his hand and tried to reach for one of the flowers, the biggest one, the closest one. He didn''t know why, but... they felt so beautiful. If he could, he would give himself to them, that''s what he was trying to do...


    But then something happened. Everything froze, crackled... and broke. His eyes were suddenly wide open.


    He couldn''t hear the birds chirping, he couldn''t find Elsin in front of him, angry with him for working, nor could he see anyone else to remind him that he was a slave. Instead...


    "Ah... AAAAAGGHHHHHHHH!"


    He heard a scream.


    *******


    Kael jumped out of bed. The first thing he did was to look around. His vision was a little blurry as he had just woken up from a nap, but the first thing he noticed was... that it was darker than usual for some reason.


    His eyes quickly shifted to the sky, looking at the moon, trying to figure out how long he had been asleep. But... all of a sudden, he just froze where he was.


    He looked blankly at the sky, or rather at the place where the moon should be. But... the moon was not there. He couldn''t see the stars either. Just... endless darkness.


    Slowly, step by step, his eyes widened.


    It was not cloudy before nightfall. Even just before going to sleep, he was sure that there was not a single cloud in the sky. Clouds were not something that gathered quickly, at least not unless someone or something was involved that could do it.


    In short, what was in front of him was not something that happened naturally. And to think of the scream just now...


    ''Oh, the scream!''


    Kael quickly stood up from the piece of wood that had been his bed and crouched down in the middle of the greenhouse, among the plants.


    Of course, the first thing he did when he heard a scream was not to jump out. He was not an idiot, he was well aware that screams were not good things.


    In such a situation, since the walls of the greenhouse were mostly transparent, the first thing he had to do was to move to a place where he could not be easily seen from the outside. One such place was between the plants in the greenhouse. And so he did.


    He pricked up his ears, listened outside. It was strangely quiet. Nothing had happened after the clear scream he had just heard. But he still waited... and waited.


    Then, in the middle of all this silence and darkness... he heard something. A singular footstep.


    It was slow, really slow. It was also... heavy. Too heavy to belong to a human being.


    Kael felt the sweat beading on his forehead, felt the calm he had always taken care to maintain slipping through his fingers. Everything seemed to freeze as his eyes widened. He could hear nothing but the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer, but he still couldn''t move his body.


    ''Move, you idiot!''


    Cursing himself inwardly, he gritted his teeth, realized that the footsteps had reached the door of the greenhouse, and silenced his thoughts as if he had swallowed his little tongue. With a swift movement, he threw himself down among the plants at the edge, making no sound and covering himself with the scattered plants.


    If he had a little more time, if he hadn''t just frozen, he would have been able to hide much more perfectly. But now... some of the plants he had used to hide were broken. It was obvious to anyone paying attention that someone had gotten between them.


    He waited, praying that whatever was approaching the greenhouse, be it a creature or a malicious human being, someone unwary of his environment. He had no choice. And after this waiting... the footsteps stopped. An intense silence fell over the greenhouse.


    Kael moved his head as close to the ground as he could, as far into the plants as he could. He restricted his own vision a little, he could only see the ground and a little above it. But instead of giving himself a better view, he just kept waiting. He was scared.


    After the silence that settled over the greenhouse and his efforts to conceal himself... he finally heard a creaking sound. A slow creaking sound that spread throughout the greenhouse. It was the first time he had witnessed the greenhouse door, or rather a door, open so slowly.


    His eyes, which could only see the floor, shifted to his left. He saw the end of the door opening with a creak, then stopping. He held his breath, his eyes never leaving the door.


    ...


    Seconds passed.


    ...


    But... nothing else happened in the following seconds.


    The door just stayed open. There were no footsteps, no people or creatures, literally nothing...


    Seconds finally turned into a minute. A single minute in which nothing happened. Silence continued to reign in the greenhouse. Time continued to pass under the absolute darkness of the night. Yet Kael did not come out of hiding.


    Finally... the sound of a footstep echoed through the greenhouse again. Kael tried to stop his body from trembling, his eyes completely fixed on the edge of the door. But... he paused at the sound of the next step. Because it wasn''t coming from close, but from further away... farther away than before.


    Whoever or whatever had opened the door to the greenhouse was walking away.


    Kael felt his heartbeat relax. His body had stopped shaking on its own, he was... safe again.


    He pricked up his ears. He waited until the sound of footsteps reached the point where he couldn''t really hear them. He had to wait for almost three minutes. And with that, he was certain that this... thing... was not a human being. No human being would walk so slowly.


    But now... he had another problem.


    ''Should I go out or should I stay here?''


    He could wait for the morning, maybe... But the fact that he could not see the moon when he looked at the sky frightened him. What if it wasn''t morning, what would he do then?


    But it was also dangerous to go outside. It was unclear whether the only danger outside was the owner of the footsteps he heard. The fact that he had experienced such an event in the palace in the first place showed that there were certainly no simple things here.


    He took a very quiet but deep breath in and out. He lifted his head out of the plants he had buried it in. He simply wanted to put himself in a more comfortable position, and if he could, he would simply take a look outside and then wait inside the greenhouse until morning.


    But when the rustling sounds of the plants rubbing against him as he moved echoed in his ears, he stopped.


    There was no rustling of the wind, no plants stirring in the gentle breeze. Just... everything was as it was. Silent, motionless...


    Nothing.


    His eyes slowly lifted upwards, looking towards the door the creature had just left open. He could see out through one of the gaps between the countless plants. Thanks to a tiny hole there, the palace garden behind the open door was in front of his eyes.


    But... he was not the only one looking through this hole.

 Chapter 4 - 4: The Struggle for Survival

    Kael froze for a moment. He could see out through the hole in the plants, yes... But it should have been impossible for those outside to see him. He was right next to this little hole and the people on the other side were not. On top of that, it was quite dark outside. After all, the moon and the stars were not in the sky... or were being blocked.


    So why... was there... something beyond the door of the greenhouse... looking in his direction?


    In the distance, in the very center of the palace garden, he could see a tall silhouette. It was impossible to see its whole body because of the darkness, but he could more or less make out that it was quite hairy. Another thing he could make out... was a pair of red eyes staring at him.


    Kael just stood still. He didn''t move a muscle.


    ''That thing... it doesn''t see me. It''s only looking this way, it''s impossible for it to see me... Even I can barely see it.''


    He was sure that if he didn''t move, this creature wouldn''t see him. The only reason it was looking here was coincidence.


    But then he saw the creature move. It was walking towards the greenhouse, never once taking its red eyes off Kael. It was a little slow at first. But as it kept taking steps, it seemed to... speed up.


    ''Oh...''


    Kael paused, his eyes widening again and again.


    ''This thing... it can see me!''


    Terror gripped his whole body, fear began to override his thoughts.


    Was he going to die here? Was he going to die in the safest place in the kingdom, in the king''s palace...?


    He swallowed, trembling with fear, and looked again at the creature approaching him. The closer it got to the greenhouse, the clearer it became what its body was.


    It had a human-like appearance and was indeed quite tall. However... it was very hairy. On top of that, its skin color had turned gray, almost black. The brightness in his red eyes continued to increase every second.


    Kael clenched his fist. The creature''s steps continued to quicken. In fifteen seconds, at most, he would be inside the greenhouse.


    His death was closing in on him.


    This time he clenched not only his fist but also his teeth. His whole body trembled once again at the thought of dying. He was not sure what to do.


    ''Damn it...''


    Finally, he let go of his clenched fist, his teeth stopped chattering. His eyes left the creature and wandered around the greenhouse. He looked at the plants. Some he had grown with his own hands, others had been grown by Elsin or long before.


    But the plants were not his main focus. Instead, he looked towards the table where he had worked before he fell asleep, and then at the bags there.


    The bags were full of medicines that he had prepared for future use. And also bowls with materials that have been pulverized but not all of them have been used.


    "Tch."


    With a click of his tongue, he darted out of the plants and approached the table. He opened one of the bags and took out a bowl. He then took one of the pulverized herbs and mixed it all into the medicine from the bag. He covered the bowl and began to shake it rapidly, turning around and looking at the creature.


    The creature''s body was now easier to see. It was almost two meters tall, but it looked as if it had been forced to grow taller. As if... it had previously been the size of a normal human being. Its body hair was definitely much longer than it should have been, and its extremely dark skin color made it look like an overly tall monkey that had tried to transform into a human being, but the transformation had been interrupted. But it was wearing clothes, so... it was probably the other way around.


    And its eyes... they were much redder than they had just been. Each of its fingers was strangely elongated. The tips were bloody and they had what looked like the claws of a wild animal. Its footsteps, inaudible before because it was so far away, now rattled the ground.


    It would be five seconds at most before it reached the greenhouse. It was much faster than before. A little more and it would start to run.


    Kael finished shaking the bowl in his hand. He pulled aside what he had covered himself with and ran towards the plants. He uprooted one with purple flowers and dipped it into his bowl. Just then, the sound of footsteps reached inside the greenhouse.


    ~bam! ~bam! ~bam!


    He heard the sound of the creature approaching him. Each step sounded as if it weighed hundreds of kilograms. Yet he did not turn around. Instead, he gripped the bowl tightly with both hands and waited only a second or so.


    ''Now!''


    In an instant, he turned around, finding the creature literally right in front of him. He had a huge, black, and bloody palm coming towards his face. Each of its five abnormally elongated fingers was spread out, ready to grasp the skull, as if preparing to crush it.


    The creature''s face was right in front of him, behind the claw pointed at him. It did indeed resemble a human face, but it was anything but human. With its black skin and emotionless face, it was like an emotionless puppet programmed to kill.


    Kael threw the bowl with all his might at the creature''s face. At the same time, he threw himself to the side.


    The bowl shattered in the creature''s face. But the creature did not make a sound. Its claw tried to follow Kael as he darted to the side, but only half succeeded as its vision narrowed. It only managed to create a long scratch on Kael''s back with the sharp piece of bone at the end of its index finger.


    Kael felt his back burning, yet he did not stop. He had thrown himself so suddenly that he landed unbalanced on the ground, but he quickly got to his feet, glancing behind him out of the corner of his eye.


    The creature was right behind him, staring at him. On its face were the broken pieces of the bowl and traces of the reddish liquid inside. It trickled down to its chin and fell drop by drop to the floor. Its lips were flat, completely emotionless.


    After locking eyes with Kael, it tried to take a step towards him again, but then... it paused. It almost fell to the ground, as if its entire balance had been thrown off, but it managed to stay standing, even if only barely.


    Kael couldn''t help but smile when he saw the creature struggling to take a step. His plan had worked. He had multiplied the dosage of the anesthetic used to relieve the pain of the soldiers several times over and thrown it directly into the creature''s face with a plant that would amplify its effect even more.


    Even if it wasn''t a normal human being, a drug of that intensity should at least have had enough effect to disorganize its movements. And it did.


    Kael quickly jumped to his feet, grabbed one of the bags on the edge of the table without thinking, pulled out another bowl, and prepared to throw it in the creature''s face.


    But the creature was already on the move again, this time using both hands to grab him by the shoulders! And Kael had no chance to dodge it, the creature had less than half a second to grab him! As a fifteen-year-old slave, with no blessings or curses whatsoever, it was impossible for him to react!


    But there was one detail that Kael did catch. And that detail... was that the creature''s hands were shaking. It was not as if he was facing a creature that could easily cut a man in half... but an old man who had difficulty moving due to old age.


    But it was still a creature. The force behind those hands must have been much greater than he thought.


    So... Kael took a gamble. He didn''t try to run, he didn''t try to dodge the attack. He simply threw the bowl into the air, right back into the creature''s face, and let it catch him.


    The bowl shattering again in the creature''s face with all its contents happened at the same time as Kael felt fingers on his shoulders. He fell on his back, the creature on top of him, and together, they found themselves on the floor. The only difference... Kael was on the bottom while the creature was on top.


    Kael quickly held his breath, not inhaling the smell of the drug dripping from the creature''s face, even as it dripped down his face. The creature... raised one of the claws on his shoulders, prepared to tear Kael''s face off. But then... it paused, looking down at the hand it was trying to raise.


    It could barely keep its hand in the air, trembling uncontrollably. It couldn''t even lift him up the way it wanted to. As if... it couldn''t feel its arm enough.


    Kael took the opportunity to quickly try to get out from under the creature. With his skinny body, he really could do it, all he needed was a little time... but the creature noticed. It aimed for Kael''s face once again, not caring how much force it could transfer to his arm.


    Kael moved his head to the side as fast as he could. If the creature''s movements hadn''t been slowed down, this would have been certain death... But thanks to that and the small size of his body, he managed to dodge the creature''s claw, just barely. There was now a cut on the right side of his head, extending from above his ear to the nape of his neck. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kael was locked in place thanks to the hand on his right side. He could move nowhere, and so... he turned to face the creature. There was still uneasiness in his eyes, but thanks to the adrenaline, he was still almost conscious.


    Turning back to the creature, he waited for it to attack him again. In that case, he would no longer be able to dodge any attack, but that did not happen. The creature just waited. And Kael... finally met its eyes.


    The creature had a tired expression on its face as if it was forcibly resisting sleep. The glow in its red eyes had faded a little, but not completely. Its lips were still straight, indicating its lack of emotion, and its nose moved slightly, showing that it was breathing.


    Kael realized that the arm on the right side of his head was shaking. The creature was trying to keep itself upright with the support of its arm. It didn''t seem to care about Kael anymore, just trying to cope with the sleep and the overdose of medicine... in this case, though, probably poison... that had entered his system.


    But it failed. After a short time, it just collapsed on Kael''s skinny body. And even though it didn''t succeed in killing him... it took all his breath away with that one act alone.

 Chapter 5 - 5: Dark Garden of the Palace

    Kael tried quite hard to get the creature''s body off of him. Even though it didn''t look like it, the creature was truly heavy... and also difficult to move. But eventually, he managed to get himself to a point where he wasn''t suffocating to death. Then, he crawled out from under the creature and got as far away from it as he could.


    Now, as the adrenaline was slowly wearing off, he could feel the pain of the wounds on the side of his head and back. He was panting and his heart was beating so fast that his chest felt like it was going to burst. Still, he restrained himself as best he could, looking down at the creature''s body on the ground.


    Its chest was rising and falling, however weak it was. He couldn''t see its face because it was face down, but it probably still had the same straight lips and expression. He was sure of that.


    He gritted his teeth, stood as far away from the creature as he could, and approached his table. He picked up the knife he used to cut the roots from the plants and approached the creature once again.


    He got on its back, crouched down. He grasped the knife with both hands and raised it, then took a deep breath in and out.


    He had never killed anyone or anything before, but he had seen a lot of corpses and bodies covered in blood. Where he lived before coming to the palace... people were sometimes even slaughtered for fun or something so stupid that it didn''t even make sense. Just like someone he knew closely... So he was not far from the concept of ''killing''.


    Finally, he gritted his teeth and brought the knife down firmly where the creature''s heart was. The tip of the knife broke before it pierced all of the creature''s skin... but it did manage to pry it open a little.


    The creature''s body shuddered violently as if it were trying to respond in pain to the poison coursing through its system... It even noticed Kael on its back and tried to throw him aside. But Kael didn''t stop. Even though his knife was broken, he lifted it again, and brought it down in the same spot as before.


    This time, the blow went much deeper, as the creature''s skin had already been opened once... The broken piece of the knife also touched the creature''s heart, and because Kael was a bit clumsy, he scratched the side of his hand.


    But Kael did not stop again. He raised the knife once more, ignoring the knife fragment that scratched his hand, and struck again at the creature''s heart. And this time... the fragment of the knife reached the creature''s heart, piercing it. Kael''s broken knife also went deep.


    The creature struggled and struggled, but it didn''t have enough strength. Its red blood watered the clothes it was wearing, spreading to form a small puddle on the ground. After a few seconds... it finally stopped moving.


    Kael inhaled the deepest breath he could, then exhaled it back as deeply as he inhaled. He looked up towards the sky. Then... he couldn''t see the moon and he remembered his situation again. His eyes widened.


    ''Idiot! Why are you relaxing, nothing is over!''


    He quickly jumped to his feet, throwing himself back into the plants. He constantly looked around, watching the palace garden through the transparent walls of the greenhouse. If someone or something from the outside had even glanced once in here, they would have easily seen everything that had happened. It was a mistake to be relieved that he had managed to kill the creature!


    ''Huh, though... why is there a creature inside the palace in the first place?''


    It was easy not to think about things when he was struggling to survive... Though, now, he could think.


    ''That man in robes who entered the palace... I think of him for some reason.''


    That man was too suspicious. He would not have been surprised if he was the cause of what was happening here now. But... why was this happening in the kingdom, especially in the king''s palace?


    It was at this moment that he remembered what he had heard the other day.


    ''The empire, one woman destroying an entire scout troop... Ah...''


    It was just a simple thought, but it made a lot of sense. The Empire was powerful, he had learned that the other day in the healers'' building. If one woman could destroy an entire scout troop... why couldn''t someone more powerful take over a single palace? The world was full of crazy things, after all, full of blessings and curses impossible to comprehend...


    ''But if it''s really the Empire... Why bother with something like this? Kill the king, announce that you''ve taken over the kingdom, and be done with it. Isn''t that easier?''


    Even though he could understand some things, there were things he could not. His eyes shifted to the body of the creature that had formed a pool of blood. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''It was a human, at least it used to be a human. I''m sure of it.''


    There was no way it could have gotten the clothes it was wearing from some random place. So... he was a human back then and had been transformed into this creature.


    An ugly expression appeared on Kael''s face. He tore his eyes away from the creature, back towards the palace.


    Was it... safe for him to stay here now? He had heard that some creatures were sensitive to the smell of blood, and this place was... very bloody. And even though he was hiding in the plants, this creature had spotted him easily just a few minutes ago. It only had to look in his direction to do so.


    ''It is... not safe here. I have little chance of survival in this place if there are other creatures. I must act, I must find a safer place...''


    So, he quickly came out of hiding. First, he checked his surroundings, but there was no danger anywhere he could see... for now.


    He quickly went to his table. He looked for Elsin''s bag and found it. Even though he didn''t have such a thing, Elsin always used it to make her work easier. It was quite a big bag, he could store a lot of things in it.


    So, he quickly filled it with herbal powders, bowls, and ready-made medicines. He had three bowls of anesthesia that he had overdosed on, two narcotics, two medicines for his wounds, four knives, and two bowls of poison to use with them. He would have liked to take more, but that was all he could fit in his bag.


    ''Okay, here we go...''


    He slung his bag over his shoulder, then took a deep breath... and finally made his way to the door of the greenhouse.


    The first thing he did when he got to the door was to check outside again. And again, he could see no danger.


    Still, he took no chances. He ran towards the wall of the palace, clinging to it, his eyes darting here and there. He wasn''t sure where it was safe, but he certainly didn''t want to be exposed in the open. Entering the palace through a window was the most logical option and that''s what he was going to do.


    So, he made his way across the garden along the palace walls. He knew a window within his reach, he had seen one on his way to the healers'' building. He could use it, it was not far from the greenhouse.


    He went on, and on... He kept walking while always looking around.


    He didn''t have to walk far to reach the window. At most... two minutes? That would be enough, he was sure. So, he kept going. But when he reached the end of the first minute, for the first time, his eyes caught something... and he quickly crouched down.


    He had seen something moving. It was quite far ahead, the window should have been closer to him than what he saw... but he couldn''t risk it.


    He crawled to the nearest bush, then raised his head slightly and looked up at the movement.


    There was indeed something there. Something tall, just like the creature before, another... creature. But the same.


    It was so far away that Kael could not see it properly. But he was sure it was a creature, its red eyes glowed no matter how far away it was.


    As he watched the creature for a while, he realized that it was moving. It was quite slow, but it was definitely moving. It seemed to be... moving away.


    Kael breathed a sigh of relief. He could wait for the creature to move away, then keep moving towards the window. The danger in front of him now was... not a great one.


    At least, he thought it wasn''t...


    Kael continued to watch the creature, and the creature continued to move away... But then there was a change. Although Kael couldn''t quite make out what it was... it was as if the creature had stopped moving away for a while. It just stayed where it was.


    ''What is it doing...?''


    As this thought crossed his mind... the creature suddenly turned its head so quickly that Kael blinked and the creature''s appearance seemed to change in an instant. The single red glow that he could see because he had been looking at the creature from the side... now there were two.


    The creature was looking at him.


    ''Oh, shit...''


    Kael didn''t even think twice. He jumped to his feet and ran towards the window. He didn''t stop, he didn''t even slow down. He just ran.


    But he wasn''t the only one who started running. Along with him, the creature suddenly increased its speed.


    ''Fuck, fuck, fuck!''


    It was a stroke of luck that he was able to defeat the previous creature, he was aware of his capabilities. He had little faith that he could kill a second one. So he had no intention of engaging in a fight with this one. But... could he reach the window?


    And... what if the window was closed, what would he do then?


    ''Of course I''ll break it, don''t think about stupid things! Run!''


    And once inside...?


    ''Don''t think!''


    He looked at the creature out of the corner of his eye. It was a woman this time, but just like before, she had black skin and was tall. The clothes she was wearing were... strangely familiar. But the problem was that, just like the previous creature, it was speeding up!


    Kael stopped thinking, put everything he had into his legs, and ran with everything he had.


    Soon, he saw a slight protrusion in front of him, at one point in the palace walls.


    ''The window!''


    He forced himself to run even faster. The window was definitely closer to him than the creature, he could make it! No, he would make it! There was no room for hesitation!


    He finally made it in front of the window he remembered. Just as he remembered, it was high enough for him to easily enter.


    But there was one problem...


    The damn window was actually closed!

 Chapter 6 - 6: A Familiar Creature

    Kael didn''t even look at how close the creature was to him, he quickly grabbed one of the knives in his bag and drove the hilt into the window. The window rattled, but did not break. But Kael didn''t stop either.


    He realized that the sound of footsteps behind him was getting closer. Adrenaline surged through his body again and he hit the window again. Cracks appeared on the window, but again... it did not break.


    "Aaaah! Come on, come on!"


    Once again, he hit the window, this time literally with all his strength and without a care in the world.


    The cracks on the window suddenly widened, then the glass quickly shattered. Some of the glass shards rained down on Kael, leaving two small scratches on his face. But he didn''t care.


    He went up to the window, heedless of all the shards of glass that might sting his hand. His hands were covered in blood, his fingers were bloody from the shards of glass... but he didn''t care. He pulled himself up and threw himself through the window. He tumbled across the floor, dragging something like a rug with him.


    He quickly straightened the knife he held upside down in his hand, pointed it at the window, and waited for the figure of the creature preparing to pounce on him... but all he saw was a pair of red eyes staring back.


    The creature was in front of the window, standing there, tall and tall, and... looking right at Kael.


    Kael swallowed. He remembered that the same knife in his hands had failed to make a proper wound on the creature before, but he held on it tightly nonetheless. But, even then, the creature did not attack him. It just continued to stand where it was.


    After a short time, Kael realized something was wrong, and his eyebrows raised. Finally, instead of waiting for an attack, he began to study the creature. And as he did so, he realized something.


    When he had looked at the figure of the creature before, he had realized that it was familiar, yes... But the creature in front of him was actually someone he knew! The dark hair falling over its shoulders, the clothes it was wearing...


    It was none other than Elsin!


    Is that why it didn''t attack her...? Because it recognized Kael?


    Kael looked into Elsin''s eyes, which were glowing with a deep crimson color. He quickly erased what he had just thought from his mind.


    No, it wasn''t ''Elsin'' in front of him. He was sure she wasn''t or couldn''t think straight... Even if she was, why wouldn''t she attack him just because she recognized her? Kael was a slave, a simple slave... Nothing important in her life.


    Well, maybe a little... just because he could halve her workload. But that wasn''t the point!


    Elsin, or rather the creature, turned around after a short time... and walked away from the window as if nothing had happened.


    Kael found himself staring blankly out the window.


    "H- huh?" S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As the adrenaline in his body began to recede, he realized he could barely hold the knife in his hands. A few of the glass shards had sunk into his palms, cutting his fingers. But he didn''t care, he moved to the left where he could see where the creature had gone, and tried to see it. Of course, he didn''t go near the window... he wasn''t stupid enough to do that.


    The creature was really moving away. Its back was completely to the window, walking slowly towards the greenhouse.


    "A- Ah..."


    Kael felt the strength in his legs disappear, he let himself fall to the ground. His breathing and his heart were in the greenhouse again, fast and like it was going to burst his chest.


    ''I''m alive...? I''m alive...''


    He did not know why the creature did not attack him, but he was not going to complain. He was happy to be alive. After all, that was his goal in the first place!


    ''Strange things are happening here... damn it.''


    Calming himself, he finally checked what kind of place he had entered. It was a small room, there were cupboards everywhere and the floor was pretty clean... at least it should have been clean before because it looked pretty bad now thanks to him.


    ''Is this... some kind of storage room?''


    It was obviously too small for a storage room in a palace. But he couldn''t find any other explanation. There was so much he did not know about the world. He had never needed to learn such things as a slave. He didn''t even know how to read and write. This room must have been one of the things he didn''t know.


    After spending a short time recovering, he stood up, then paused suddenly.


    ''Ah, right...''


    He went to the wardrobe closest to the window, then moved next to it, and started to push it very quietly and slowly. He struggled because the wardrobe was heavy, but gradually he kept moving it.


    Even though it hurt him because of the wounds on his hands, he finally brought the wardrobe to the front of the window he had broken and closed his only connection to the outside. He wasn''t going to take any chances just because the creature hadn''t come in, he certainly wasn''t going to do that.


    Finally, he took a deep breath, as he always did, and looked at the wardrobe, which was quite difficult to push.


    ''Let''s see, let''s see...''


    He opened the door carefully, checked inside.


    Inside the wardrobe... there were clothes. A lot of clothes, all similar to each other, made for different bodies.


    ''Are these... for the servants?''


    He went to another wardrobe and found the same clothes in it. Another one had the same clothes in it.


    ''Tch, it would have been better if there was food...''


    He looked at the clothes in one of the wardrobes, studied them for a while. Then he raised his hands and looked at them. He could see a few pieces of glass, and his fingers didn''t look very good...


    Couldn''t he use one of the clothes in the wardrobes to wrap his hands?


    He didn''t think anyone would care about a single piece of clothing... Although, what would someone do if they met him in such a situation?


    ''I don''t know until I see it, I guess...''


    He sighed, took a piece of clothing out, and cut it with one of the knives from the greenhouse. One by one, he removed the shards of glass from his hands, gritting his teeth even though it hurt so bad. Then, he used one of the antiseptics from the greenhouse on his wounds and wrapped his hands before they continued to bleed, and when he finally finished everything... he actually looked fine.


    He stood there in the room for a while.


    ''Now... what should I do?''


    He could choose to wait in the room, it seemed logical. He could wait until morning and then go out again and return to the greenhouse. He had damaged a part of the palace, and as a slave, the consequences would certainly not be good... So he would prefer that his actions were mysteriously attributed to a random person no one knew who he or she was.


    Being held responsible for the corpse in the greenhouse was more than enough for him. He could at least blame the creature for the damage there, which was already dead.


    ''I''ll wait until morning, then I''ll go back to the greenhouse... They''ll soon find out what happened here, and when they do, they''ll start cleaning up the creatures. They won''t leave the palace abandoned... will they?''


    He wasn''t sure, but one thing he did know... his life was likely to change.


    If the Empire was really responsible for what was happening now... then he had no idea what would happen to him.


    What kind of people were slaves to the Empire? He had heard of a kingdom where there were no slaves a few years ago. Who knows, maybe the Empire was one such country and he would be freed from his slave status...


    But he knew he had to wait for the bad, not the good. Having high hopes often ended in disappointment. He had learned that the hard way as a child. So... in all likelihood, when he was discovered to be a slave, he would either simply be killed or left in someone else''s hands.


    Although... wasn''t it optimistic of him to think he could leave here alive in the first place?


    So far, he had literally danced with death and managed to survive by pure luck, but there was no guarantee that he could continue to do so. Like... what if the door of the room opened, a creature entered... and slaughtered him before he even realized what was happening?


    ''Idiot... just hide in one of the wardrobes, why are you just standing out in the open?''


    He sighed, approaching a wardrobe. He was going to make room for himself by moving the clothes aside.


    But... just then... he heard a rather loud noise.


    ~crrak!


    It came from the door he had turned his back to. And it had opened so fast that he didn''t even have time to react.


    ''Hah, knew it! Fuck my luck!

 Chapter 7 - 7: Bloody Corridors

    Kael turned around quickly. He knew he didn''t have time, there was a good chance that whatever was behind him would quickly slam him to the ground and kill him... But he took his chance anyway.


    And he didn''t actually find himself suddenly on the ground. What he found in front of him was not... a creature.


    "Huh?"


    He should have been surprised, but he was not the one who made that sound. On the contrary, what he found in front of him... was a flesh and blood human being like himself. A real one, not a monstrous one.


    He was dressed in the servant''s clothes of the palace. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had a skinny body, unkempt black hair, and beard.


    He seemed surprised to find Kael. Kael was the same way, of course.


    "W- what are you doing here? Ah, fuck! RUN!"


    Kael''s eyes widened. This man had rushed into the room, and now he was telling him to run.


    He didn''t have to wait long to confirm his suspicions. Within seconds of the man''s words, a shadow appeared in the doorway, and... two eyes, glowing red as always.


    Kael was already thinking before he even saw the creature.


    Could he reach for his bag? No, the creature was too fast.


    Could he somehow use the knife in his hand? Same thing, the creature was too fast. And... he didn''t trust himself.


    Could he escape? It was clearly impossible.


    The creature was probably extending its claw towards them when he looked momentarily at the man in front of him, and saw the terror on his face. He wasn''t even looking at himself, his eyes were on the shadow looming in the doorway. His expression was as if his life was passing before his eyes.


    So... Kael made a decision that he would probably never make faster in his life.


    "I... am sorry."


    He put his hands on the back of the man whose back was turned towards him, pushing him into the creature''s claws. The creature''s claw sliced through the man''s abdomen at the same time. The man''s blood splattered on Kael, but he didn''t even think about it.


    The thrust of the man''s body had knocked the creature slightly off balance, and thanks to that same body, it now had a blind spot on its left side.


    Kael quickly passed through this blind spot with his small body and was out of the room in an instant. He didn''t look back, he didn''t think about what he might find in front of him. He just ran, without stopping... completely ignoring the fatigue and the pain. He prayed that the creature would be preoccupied with that man,


    After a while, whether he wanted to or not, things started to catch his eye.


    The corridors of the palace were quite wide. But... empty as well. Empty for the ''living'', at least. As he ran and ran, he could see so many corpses of people and creatures. The walls and even the ceiling were splattered with blood in some places. The palace... it literally had become a bloodbath. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But what he found strange... was that he could see hardly anyone alive.


    Were they hiding? Were most of them already dead? Most of the bodies he saw out of the corner of his eye in the corridors were human. Servants, soldiers, unknown people and so on.


    But there were also bodies of creatures. So someone had fought these creatures and managed to kill them.


    Exactly how long after the events had started had he woken up and the palace was already like this?


    Kael swallowed, took one last look around, and then he saw a room with no trace of blood at the entrance. There was also no one alive around him, at least not that he could see.


    He swallowed again, ran into the room, and opened the door without thinking. He only glanced inside briefly, but could not see any creatures. It was a small room anyway.


    He quickly closed the door, distanced himself as far away from it as possible... and then just collapsed where he was.


    He was panting again, his heart beating too fast. Was this the third time? It was becoming... tragicomic, frankly. If he found himself like this one more time, maybe he could laugh.


    Unless... he dies.


    He paused with that last thought. He squinted, just staring at the ground.


    It was strange. Everything was so strange. Yes, he suspected an attack by the Empire, but it didn''t change the fact that it was still very strange. He didn''t understand anything.


    ''Could I be... dreaming or something?''


    That was the first thing that came to his mind. What he had been going through for the last hour... was too fantastic for a slave like him. But then he quickly pushed the thought out of his mind.


    ''No, it can''t be a dream.''


    The way he was breathing, the way it hurt, the way his muscles ached... everything was too real. And he couldn''t remember ever being so lucid in a dream.


    He waited again in silence.


    Why was he trying so hard to stay alive? He had stopped expecting anything from life a long time ago, the only reason he had ever strived was for an empty goal that he didn''t even believe he could achieve; he only used it as an excuse to move forward. But... what was the point of a goal when the palace was like this?


    He thought of the man he had pushed to his death a few minutes ago. He hadn''t even thought twice, he had thrown someone who had no idea who he was into the claws of a creature. He had done it to survive.


    His already slightly squinted eyes narrowed even more. He heard a voice slowly rising from the depths of his mind, a sweet memory from years ago... a short sentence.


    ''Everything so I can live, huh...''


    He took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, waited for a while... then opened them again. His lungs and heart had calmed down.


    He lifted his head. For the first time in absolute silence, he looked carefully into the room.


    It was certainly bigger than the room full of servants'' clothes. But... it was not much different. At least in terms of the number of wardrobes. Apart from that, there was a table, an armchair, and a bed. It was as if it was the room of someone who lived in this palace.


    Kael paused, and for a moment, a terrible thought entered his mind.


    ''I... I haven''t been in the prince''s room, have I?''


    He quickly surveyed the room again. Then he heaved a deep sigh.


    ''No, it''s too... austere for a prince''s room. I heard the prince was a snob.''


    He stood up slowly, his eyes lingering on one of the wardrobes.


    ''I suppose the best way to find out is to look at the clothes?''


    After all, the better the quality of the clothes, the more important was the person who wore them.


    So, he approached the wardrobe and calmly opened the door without thinking too much about it. But then... his eyes widened again at the sight before him.


    The wardrobe was not empty. And no, he wasn''t talking about clothes. Inside... there was a person. A living person. And when the door of the wardrobe he was in was opened, he didn''t just... stand still.


    Kael saw something glowing faintly in front of his eyes, then a... sword aimed right at his chest.


    ''Hol-''


    The person in the wardrobe was fast, and he did not expect to find himself in such a situation. He believed he was alone in the room! But he wasn''t!


    He saw the sword approaching his chest, he was watching in slow motion what was happening... but he couldn''t move.


    ''After all that, am I going to die because of someone who doesn''t even look at who is in front of him...?''


    Wasn''t such a death... too funny? Even for him?


    However, just as he was thinking this... the sword suddenly stopped. Kael''s eyes slowly left the sword as a deep silence fell over the room again, finally getting a chance to look properly at the person inside the wardrobe.


    Before him stood a man in his late forties. His neatly coiffed orangish hair was gray in places, and his face had visible, if not obvious, wrinkles. His light brown eyes stared at Kael in surprise.


    ''Is this... a nobleman?''


    Kael jumped to that conclusion as soon as he saw the man. He couldn''t believe that someone with such neat and well-groomed hair could be a normal person. And the clothes he was wearing... they were exactly what a noble would wear. He was wearing a simple tunic with a light pattern that matched his hair color. His brown pants were of good quality fabric, and the boots he was wearing looked like leather.


    "Ah, a h- human...?"


    When the old nobleman stuttered, Kael froze in place for a moment.


    Meeting a nobleman was not a good thing for him!


    The old noble''s eyes roamed over Kael''s body as he thought about it. But soon, he stopped at his neck, staring for a moment at the mark on that very spot. Then... the surprise in his eyes disappeared in an instant.


    "A... slave?"


    Kael cursed his luck again. Of all the things that could have happened, he had met a nobleman!

 Chapter 8 - 8: Old Noblemans Room

    The old nobleman drew back the sword, which was clearly trembling in his hand. He looked disappointed while trying to hide his fear. It was clear that he would prefer a knight or anyone who knew how to fight to the skinny, fifteen-year-old slave in front of him.


    His eyes quickly shifted to the large bag Kael had slung over his shoulder.


    "Hey, what''s in the bag?"


    Kael cursed his luck inwardly, but answered the man softly.


    "I''m a slave working in the greenhouse on the palace grounds, sir, and inside my bag are a few bowls of medicine and poison I''ve prepared for when I encounter the creatures."


    The old nobleman''s eyebrows rose slightly.


    "What kind of medicine?" S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Narcotics, anesthetics, and poisons that I''ve overdosed on, as well as antiseptics in case I''m injured."


    The man looked genuinely surprised.


    "You''re a bit clever for a slave, huh? Have you ever met one of those... creatures that people turn into?"


    ''Aaahh... I wish I had no restrictions...''


    "Three, sir. I killed one."


    This time the man seemed genuinely surprised. His eyes went back to the mark on Kael''s neck, the mark that told him he was a slave. He couldn''t see anything strange about the mark. So... there was no possibility that the slave in front of him was lying.


    But... how could this frail boy have survived three creatures and even killed one of them? He knew the creatures were not extremely dangerous. His own knight had easily taken down two of them at once before they had to part ways because he had to run. And yet, this skinny boy...?


    "Do you... have a blessing or a curse?"


    That was the first thing that came to mind. But when Kael shook his head from side to side, his confusion only increased.


    "No, sir. Like I said, I''m just a botanist. And any medicine overdosed is a poison."


    The nobleman thought for a moment. The boy before him... perhaps he was not as useless as he thought.


    "How is the palace? Tell me what you saw until now."


    Kael remembered the scene he had seen in the corridors. Squinting slightly, he answered calmly.


    "The corpses of men and creatures litter the halls. As a slave, I beg your pardon as I don''t know exactly what happened... but it doesn''t look good."


    The noble''s expression suddenly soured. He cursed several times as his focus shifted away from Kael.


    "The fucking Empire... Damn it! We shouldn''t have let that man into the palace!"


    As he continued to mutter to himself, Kael quickly realized that everything he had been thinking was true. The Empire was really behind it all, it was all happening because of that man he had seen in the morning.


    But there were still things he didn''t understand.


    The palace was not full of powerless people. Knights, soldiers, more... The Kingdom of Arcanoa may not have been a big kingdom, yes... but this was a fully furnished palace. So what if a few of the people turned into creatures? Even the King himself was a strong man to begin with, it should have been impossible for the palace to get like this.


    He paused for a moment.


    Although... why had he thought that only ''a few'' people had turned into creatures? If a large number had turned, especially important people like knights and soldiers... Then it was quite easy for the situation to come to this.


    "Hey, slave! Step aside!"


    At the old nobleman''s words, he suddenly came to his senses and quickly stepped back. The old nobleman finally came out of the wardrobe where he had been hiding, shook himself off, and sighed lightly.


    "Do you have any food with you?"


    Kael shook his head from side to side. The old noble swore again. He didn''t seem to have any intention of leaving this room.


    But then... suddenly, a deep silence fell over the room. The old nobleman and Kael looked at each other, and then both of their eyes slowly turned towards the door of the room.


    The old nobleman swallowed. Without taking his eyes off the door, he spoke in a whisper. He turned back to the wardrobe from which he had emerged.


    "Hey, check the hallway. If there''s a creature, get it out of here."


    Kael wanted to turn toward him and stare blankly at his face. He was... just leading him to his death! He was telling him to feed the creature, to literally take it away from him by sacrificing his life!


    He swallowed, realizing he was frozen in place. His legs were not moving.


    He turned towards the old nobleman and he looked at him without saying anything. There was no compassion in his eyes as if he didn''t even see Kael as a human being.


    ''Why should he...''


    It made sense that someone who had lived as a noble until this age would see slaves simply as ''tools''. In the eyes of the other man, Kael was like a pebble they could throw away to distract those nearby.


    "Go on, go!"


    He felt the mark on his neck burn as he stayed where he was. A nobleman was giving him orders, after all, not a normal person. The pain of disobeying orders was much more severe.


    ''Damn it... Damn it!''


    His legs finally moved. As the pain from the mark on his neck slowly disappeared, he approached the door. But he didn''t stop there. No, he still hadn''t given up. So he took out from his bag a poison so thick that it could easily kill a normal human being, dipped it into the metal of his knife just enough to soak into it, and let it sit. Finally, he rewrapped the poison, put it back in his bag, and looked at his knife.


    The blade that had resembled the color of normal metal was now slightly... darkened. It was no longer a normal knife.


    Kael swallowed again. Clutching the knife tightly in his left hand, he reached for the door handle and looked behind him.


    The old nobleman was nowhere to be seen, and the door of the wardrobe he had just left was closed.


    Kael clicked his tongue, turned around, and took a deep breath.


    ''If I stay here, I will die from my restraint, and if I go outside, I will be chased by the creatures and most likely die again.''


    He felt like laughing, because it was really funny. He ''had'' to throw himself to his death with just one word from a human being.


    ''Well, whatever happens... here we go...''


    He braced himself, turned the door handle silently, and opened the door as quietly as possible. He looked to his right and then quickly to his left. There was nothing but corpses and blood in the wide corridors of the palace. It looked clean.


    ''Huh, am I lucky?''


    He went out with calm steps, closing the door to the room again as quietly as possible. Now... he was in the corridors again. But he had no idea where he was supposed to go.


    He got as close to the wall as he could, slowly making his way along the corridor. After only a few seconds, a window caught his attention.


    ''I wonder what it''s like outside...''


    He approached the window cautiously. There were still no creatures in the corridors. It seemed he was really lucky... and so, he reached the window.


    He looked out, not showing his whole body. He really wondered what was happening. But with what he saw... he literally froze.


    ''This... This... What the hell is this...''


    The greenhouse was quiet and empty when he woke up. He couldn''t see anything until he reached the window of the room full of servants'' clothes. But the place he was looking at now, the place he would have reached if he hadn''t broken the glass and jumped in, but had kept walking for another minute...


    A great battle had raged outside. He could see more bodies, more blood than even the palace corridors contained. It was literally a massacre.


    But the massacre was already over. There was no one fighting now, only... the victors of that battle.


    There were almost twenty of these tall creatures, maybe more. Some of them just wandered around the garden as if on patrol... All were slow, their steps too heavy. A few were crouched over the corpses on the ground, not caring who or what they were... they were eating them.


    But they weren''t the important thing, Kael couldn''t even focus on them. He wouldn''t have been so surprised if he had only seen them.


    There were three other creatures in the garden. Unlike the human-turned-creatures, they were not extremely tall, but not short either. Yet the main difference was definitely their bodies.


    These three creatures... looked like werewolves. But they were not exactly ''werewolves''. Their whole bodies were completely covered with hair, like fur. They had huge claws, claws that were out of proportion to their bodies. The clothes they were wearing before were torn to a great extent because their bodies had expanded, emphasizing their frightening bodies even more. They seemed to have a slight hunchback, which made them look strange. Their faces looked like human faces, just like the weaker ones. If it weren''t for their red eyes and dark skin, they would definitely look like ugly humans.


    On top of that... underneath these creatures, the cause of the massacre outside, there were not only normal people.


    There were knights on the ground. Knights whose armor was shattered, crushed... ''knights'' whose organs were scattered here and there, obviously having a painful and agonizing end.


    These creatures could kill knights! Knights with blessings, knights who were the most powerful people Kael had ever seen!


    ''No way...''


    Kael looked at the scene in front of him with genuine shock.


    ''Are there... any of these inside the palace?''


    If so, it would explain much more easily why the palace was in such a state. There were only three of them outside, if there were more inside the palace... with the other creatures, it would all be over in no time at all.


    But Kael couldn''t stay in his thoughts for long. Because the next second, all those red glows in the garden suddenly turned towards him. Every one of the creatures outside, including the three furry creatures that looked like werewolves, were looking in Kael''s direction... no matter how far away they were.

 Chapter 9 - 9: Entrance Hall

    Kael ducked quickly. He had ducked so fast that it hurt, and his knees were begging him not to stand in the position he was in now. But Kael didn''t care.


    All the creatures in his field of vision had turned toward him, all of them, without exception! Was he going to care what position he was in, that he was hurting? Of course not!


    He crawled across the floor to the other side of the window, then jumped to his feet and started walking away from it. He didn''t even look outside, he was just trying to get away from the window. Even if the creatures were coming here, he would have already gone somewhere else. Still, he was careful not to make a sound so as not to attract the creatures inside the palace. At the same time, he was thinking.


    ''These creatures... they can tell when they are being watched.''


    It was like this every time. Whenever he looked at a creature and was sure it couldn''t see him, it would instantly turn towards him. The most logical conclusion he could reach was that the creatures could sense that they were being watched. Not only that, they could pinpoint where they were being watched.


    ''In how many seconds? I didn''t look out the window for very long, seven or eight seconds at most. Then I have to look at each creature for a maximum of two seconds, three if I need to examine something. More than that is dangerous.''


    He paused with these thoughts. His eyes squinted slightly, slowly focusing in front of him.


    For a brief moment, silence surrounded him. There was nothing, just... nothing.


    In his left hand, he gripped the knife tightly. Meanwhile, his right hand was ready to pull a bowl of narcotics from his bag.


    He took a slow step, then another. All his senses were alert, at least as alert as a slave''s can be.


    Soon, he found the cause of what was bothering him.


    ''The smell of blood is getting stronger.''


    He was not sensitive to the smell of blood, but even a normal child could detect the intensity of the metallic scent wafting through the corridors.


    If he continued on the path he was on now, he was in for a very unpleasant sight.


    He looked around, trying to find a room, but there was not a single one. The corridor only stretched forward. But it curved in a strange arc, so he had to move forward to see beyond a certain distance.


    ''I can''t turn around. I already came here running from a creature...''


    But he was also afraid to move forward. The smell of blood was so disturbing that he would not be surprised to find an army of creatures ahead.


    ''Still, I have no choice...''


    So he kept on stepping. He was praying to find a room. He didn''t want to go any further in these corridors.


    But his prayers were not answered. Instead... the corridor continued to move forward and the smell of blood intensified.


    After a short while, the curve of the corridor finally began to lessen. After a few more steps, Kael would finally either come to a straight corridor, come to the end of it, or come out into a large hall or clearing.


    He glued himself to the wall on his left. Up to now, he had been going on the right side of the corridor so that he could see directly where he could not see because of the curvature of the corridor, but this time, he was not sure what to expect. So he kept moving forward.


    When the curve of the corridor finally disappeared... he found the third of the three possibilities he had just thought of.


    Yes, it was indeed a big room. But it was not just a ''big room''. This was... the entrance hall of the palace.


    *******


    Kael looked around the hall, trying hard not to hold his nose.


    The spectacle before him made the massacre in the garden seem like a mere trifle. There was such a pool of blood on the floor that he couldn''t see what the floor was made of. There were dozens of bodies, perhaps more than a hundred. Nobles, soldiers, servants, creatures... There was even a corpse that looked like one of the three creatures he had seen in the garden.


    But... ''corpses'' were not the only things in the hall.


    There were four creatures walking around. With slow, heavy steps, just like before. The red of their eyes glowed as bright as ever.


    Kael soon stopped looking at the hall and stepped back. He had only looked inside for three seconds, following his self-imposed rule as closely as possible. While he followed it, he also managed to quickly examine everything in the hall.


    ''Now... what can I do?''


    Turning back was not an option. It was also too dangerous to hide where he was now. If one of the creatures in the hall started moving towards where he was, he would be finished.


    For a moment, he thought he could go to the corridor directly across the hall. But one of the creatures was right at the foot of that corridor and facing that way. So he would probably start moving down that corridor after a short time.


    So... if he didn''t want to stay where he was, there was only one place he could go. That is, up the stairs to the second floor.


    ''Hahaha... look what I have to do. Is it better if I just die painlessly so that these creatures... don''t eat me while I''m still alive?''


    Killing himself was an option, of course. In fact... it was a rather sweet option, actually.


    He thought for a while. Even if he was short on time, he thought. But then... he clenched his fist and his teeth.


    ''No, I''ll survive, at least I''ll try my best to try.''


    He held his breath, he had made up his mind. He moved forward again and leaned at an angle where he could see the hall.


    Just as he had predicted, one of the creatures was moving towards the corridor opposite. It had its back to him. So, there would soon be only three creatures to deal with.


    And these three creatures... were not in positions that would overly impede his ascent upstairs.


    One was in front of the entrance door to the palace, not looking towards the stairs. The second was busy eating a corpse, and it didn''t look like it would be finished any time soon. In fact, he had only just started. The third one... was in the middle of the hall. He was staring at a spot between the creature that would soon leave the hall and the massive staircase leading upstairs.


    Kael stepped back again as his mental count reached three. He took a deep, really deep breath.


    ''Well, I don''t have to worry about my smell. It''s impossible for anyone here to smell anything but blood anyway... I don''t know how developed their senses are, or if they are, but I''m sure if I take off my shoes, I can move without making a sound. I just... have to stay out of their line of sight, that''s all.'' Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And there were places in the hall where he could do that. First of all, there were a lot of wide pillars, and he could hide behind them. Apart from that... he could use the corpses, although he was sure it wouldn''t be a very pleasant experience. He wasn''t going to resort to that option unless he really had to.


    ''Well... I''ll wait for that creature to move into the hallway.''


    He looked around the hall again. None of the creatures were looking in his direction, a good sign.


    Quickly, he looked for a path to the stairs. There were almost seven meters between him and the stairs, and within those seven meters were two huge pillars.


    If he could get behind the first pillar, he would be out of sight of all the creatures. But the problem was the second pillar. Once there, there was no way to avoid the creature gnawing at the corpse. If it raised its head, it could see him. Even if he moved out of his line of sight, using the pillar, then there was a chance that the creature in the center of the hall would see him.


    So... what if he crawled slowly between the corpses, while the creatures were not looking at him? He was pretty sure he wouldn''t be noticed in a place where the smell of blood was so strong. The only problem was... He wasn''t sure of the creatures'' level of intelligence and perception abilities.


    Would they be able to recognize that a body that appeared out of nowhere had not been here before? Or was there a way for them to detect that Kael was alive, regardless of the scent?


    He sighed slightly. He wasn''t really sure what he should do.


    But... just then, something caught his attention. A faint sound suddenly entered his ears, an... echo. An echo coming from behind him.


    His eyes widened. He quickly turned around and focused.


    A second passed, then two seconds... and then... the sound of a footstep.


    A slow, slow yet heavy step. One he was unfortunately getting used to hearing... and the harbinger of very bad news.

 Chapter 10 - 10: Gamble

    Kael did not know what to do for a brief moment. There was a creature approaching the hall, he was sure of that. But he couldn''t jump straight into the hall in front of him!


    He looked towards the hall, then back again. He stopped for a while, turned in front of him. He looked back again and then in front again.


    ''What should I do... What should I do?''


    The footsteps were not so close, they had only recently begun to echo. And because the corridor was curved, he had some time. But not much.


    ''Damn it...!''


    He took a deep breath. Fear and nervousness had enveloped his whole body. But, even then, he made up his mind. He wanted to live, after all.


    He took another look at the hall in front of him. The fourth creature he had expected to leave the hall had already entered the corridor, but he could still see its body. It was close enough to turn back if there was a commotion in the hall.


    He tore his eyes away from it and took a quick look at the positions and movements of the other creatures. The creature at the foot of the entrance door had its back completely turned. The other one was completely detached from the world dealing with the corpse, it didn''t seem to care about its surroundings. And the last one... he would have to be really fast if he wanted to avoid being seen by it.


    The sound of the next footstep behind him was the trigger. Kael quickly took off his shoes and put them aside, then looked at the pillar closest to him. He took one last look at the creatures and moved as quietly as he could, without turning towards them again, to the back of the first pillar.


    Two meters, that was how far he had to go without being seen. But if even a single one of the creatures turned towards the stairs, they would see him. He was standing in plain sight.


    In the same room with three of the creatures.


    He found it difficult to control his heartbeat. But, even then, he finished the first meter quickly, meanwhile closing his eyes to avoid looking at the creatures.


    Soon, a shadow appeared in front of his closed eyes, the shadow of the pillar.


    Kael quickly crouched down, holding his breath. The hall was silent, there was no change around him.


    He had successfully passed behind the first pillar unnoticed.


    He only looked at the creatures for a second and then hid back.


    They were still in the same place, he had to move now! This was his chance! So, he prepared to move towards the second pillar, held his breath, and... suddenly froze in place.


    The sound of the footsteps that forced him to move echoed through the hall, even though it was quite low in volume. The hall was already silent, but with the sound of that step... an even more abnormal silence enveloped Kael''s body.


    He heard a footstep from inside the hall. Then another. Then... another.


    The creatures he had tried to avoid were on the move!


    Kael didn''t dare look behind the pillar. Before, he could, because the creatures moved quite slowly unless they saw a target, and their faces were not turned towards him. But now... they should all be facing towards the corridor he had just come from. On top of that, the creature at the entrance to the hall must have been facing directly towards the pillar where Kael was hiding now!


    ''Fuck... fuck! I should have been faster!''


    Now, there were two possibilities. Either one of the creatures would discover his hiding place as it made its way down the corridor, or it would cross the corridor before the creature coming down the hall, giving Kael the perfect opportunity to actually escape.


    Kael would have really liked the second possibility to happen. But he didn''t trust his luck that much. So, he had to think of something.


    He looked at his knife, which he had never put down until now. Then, he thought about the medicines, or rather poisons, in his bag.


    ''Can I do it?''


    With the amount and intensity of the poison in his knife, even if he simply scratched a person, he could paralyze them within five seconds at most. He had a really powerful poison. But... three creatures? Or even four with the one coming into the hall?


    ''No, I have no death wish.''


    Although... if he didn''t hurry, he wouldn''t have to wish for his death to die. His time was limited.


    So... as difficult as it was, Kael finally made a decision rather fast.


    He couldn''t move. If he moved an inch, one of the creatures would notice him.


    He could not fight either. The outcome of the fight was death.


    So... he decided to wait, to take a gamble. He had no other choice, anyway.


    He waited. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Their footsteps grew closer together.


    He waited.


    One of the creatures paused where it was, then the others did likewise.


    He continued to wait.


    The seconds were filled with silence, an intense silence in which no one moved a muscle. The creatures had met each other.


    Kael, meanwhile... still waited.


    After a short time, the sound of footsteps echoed once more in the entrance hall.


    Kael focused, trying to discern from the sound of the creatures'' footsteps where they were heading.


    Two of them... were actually moving away. And even better, in the opposite direction of the hall, towards the corridor he had come from!


    He didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. But he decided to do neither, as he wasn''t trying to die, and continued to listen.


    After a while, his expression fell.


    Yes, two of the creatures were indeed moving away from the hall. However... the other two seemed to have no intention of leaving. On the contrary, they started moving around the hall again.


    ''The ones walking away must have been the ones who heard the sound of footsteps at the beginning and headed towards it. Then, the ones who wandered into the hall... are probably the ones who came here from the corridor and ate the corpse.''


    He was afraid to turn around and look at their position. Only then did he realize that one of the creatures actually had its back to him. The footsteps were moving away from him, and the creature couldn''t walk backwards.


    At least... not if the world was mocking him. With what he had been through so far, he wasn''t sure if it was trying to be helpful or if it was really mocking him.


    Although... if the world was trying to help him, he shouldn''t have gone through this in the first place, right?


    Kael pushed his thoughts aside and reassessed the situation.


    He was now sure that he wasn''t in the line of sight of one of the creatures. The only problem was... the other one. Because it was no longer moving, so there were no footsteps. Kael had no idea where it was facing.


    ''Well... I think I can handle the two creatures somehow. If I can poison the other one before it reaches me, we''ll be one on one.''


    Of course, this was a backup plan. His main plan was never to fight the creatures directly. He would take his chances first.


    So, he held his breath again, turning around as slowly as he could. As the rest of the hall slowly unfolded before his eyes, he saw the first of the creatures. It was the creature that was moving away from him. And just as he had predicted, it was the creature that had eaten the corpse.


    Kael kept looking towards the back of the pillar. Finally... he managed to see the other creature.


    It wasn''t looking in his direction, so his luck was good. But... it didn''t have its back turned completely. It was looking towards the corridor where the other two creatures had gone, in the direction Kael had come from. If he pushed a little harder, he could see the glint in his red eyes.


    In short, Kael was now probably only a few inches out of the creature''s line of sight.


    ''Great!''


    Kael quickly turned around. He would be even further out of the creature''s line of sight as he moved towards the second pillar. So luck was really on his side!


    He didn''t want to waste time. He quickly turned back towards the second pillar and started walking towards it again as quickly but slowly as possible. He took each step with care. He didn''t care about stepping in the blood on the floor or the body parts that sometimes touched him. His only goal was to survive and he was going to do it.


    When he came between the two pillars, he began to get excited. The creature looking towards the corridor was in a position to see him if it turned its head slightly to the side, but he could not turn around and check it. He was scared, he was worried, but he was also confident.


    So... he finally managed to get behind the second pillar. But he didn''t even stop to rest, he headed straight for the stairs! After all, he would never get a chance like this again. He was not going to make the same mistake he had made at the first pillar.


    A few seconds later, he stepped onto the first flight of stairs. The stairs were really huge. And as huge as they were, they were also exposed. So he had to be even faster than before. And so he did.


    He climbed the stairs so quickly but so quietly that he couldn''t help wondering how he could do it. Adrenaline and fear could really make people do strange things. Nevertheless, he kept going.


    When he finally made it to the second floor, he quickly ducked behind the railing and waited. His ears were wide open.


    He could still hear the creature walking towards the entrance door. The other one was still standing where it was, not making a sound.


    Kael couldn''t help smiling involuntarily as he looked at the wall in front of him.


    ''I... made it.''


    He would have laughed if he could. But he didn''t. Instead, he just stayed where he was. He simply tried to calm himself down, and he succeeded nonetheless.


    Now... all he had to do was keep moving forward.

 Chapter 11 - 11: Snow-White Flower

    Kael crawled behind the railing into the corridors of the second floor. He had made it past the entrance hall, but he had no time to relax, and he knew it.


    Finally, when he actually made it out of the entrance hall and stepped into a corridor, he took a deep breath.


    ''Okay, I made it to the second floor, so... what should I do now?''


    If he had had the chance, he would never have left the first floor. But circumstances had forced him to move forward, and now... he was on the second floor.


    But... it was dangerous here too. And probably much more dangerous.


    His best chance was to find a room where there were no creatures and hide there until morning or until the palace was out of this situation. In short... his goal was exactly the same as on the first floor.


    He looked down the corridor. Just like on the first floor, it was curved. He couldn''t see beyond a certain distance. But he had no complaints, curved corridors suited him, after all.


    ''One room, just one safe or empty room.''


    With this thought in mind, he began to move slowly and silently. It hurt sometimes because he took off his shoes in the entrance hall to avoid making noise. Moreover, it felt really disgusting to step on dried blood. Still, he didn''t mind, at least tried to do so... and just moved forward.


    After a short while... he found the room he was looking for. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was a room with no blood stains at the entrance and no sound coming from inside.


    He checked his surroundings, made sure he heard no footsteps, and that he was indeed alone. Finally, as he reached for the door handle... he couldn''t help thinking.


    He could sometimes see corpses of creatures around. Humans were not the only ones killed. But... where were the people who killed these creatures? There were only two people he had ever met. One was the servant he had pushed to his death with his own hands, the other was the old nobleman. The state of the palace was indeed dire, yes... But wasn''t it strange that he had met so few people?


    ''Though... the knights and soldiers must have run straight upstairs to the king.''


    The palace, if he was not mistaken, had six floors, and the king was naturally on the top floor. Those who had fled during the incident had either flown outside, causing the scene he had seen in the entrance hall, or they had run to the upper floors, to the king, more specifically to where the vast majority of his soldiers and knights were, a potential ''safe spot''.


    Couldn''t he have gone to the upper floors himself?


    It wasn''t that Kael hadn''t thought about it. It''s just... he was a frail boy. He couldn''t easily do anything if a creature appeared in front of him. The journey to the upper floors was dangerous. On top of that... he was a slave. So he was one of the first to be disposed of in the event of a possible situation. Even if he reached the upper floors, he would be among the first to die.


    So it made more sense to hide somewhere, at least to him.


    With that thought, he opened the door, his mind clearing quickly at the same time and focusing on what was in front of him.


    The room looked like one of those designed for personal use, just like the old noble''s room. The placement of furniture was different, of course, and the room looked a little bigger and even simpler than the old noble''s room... but the contents were exactly the same.


    Kael stepped inside and closed the door. The first thing he did was to approach the wardrobe, which he opened without a second thought. This time, however, he took a step back.


    The wardrobe was... surprisingly empty. There were only clothes inside, as there should be.


    ''Tunics and good quality pants... A nobleman''s room again.''


    Sighing, he left one door of the wardrobe open. Then he turned around, this time taking a good look around the room. And... all of a sudden, he just stood where he was.


    His eyes locked on the only bed in the room. It was almost parallel to the wall and in the far corner of the room. The cover was flat, no one was there.


    But... Kael could have sworn he saw movement there.


    He moved slightly closer to the bed, but not too close. The first thing he did... was to lean down.


    And... just as he expected, he found a pair of eyes staring at him from under the bed.


    Neither of the two moved. They were completely silent.


    The person under the bed... was a woman dressed as a maid. She looked to be in her early twenties, quite young.


    "H- Hello?"


    Kael tried to be the first to speak, but when the woman quickly brought her index finger to her lips, he stopped with a sigh.


    "Sorry... Then... I''ll pretend I didn''t see."


    He didn''t even look at what she was going to do next. He simply stood up, walked away from the bed and her.


    He had not expected to find someone in the room. But... it wasn''t as bad as he thought. He didn''t even need to communicate with her.


    He approached the wardrobe where he had left the only door open. Without caring too much, he pulled the clothes aside and sat down inside. He could have closed the door in one move, but he left it open so as not to be out of breath for too long.


    ''Now... I''ll just wait, I guess.''


    Sitting in the wardrobe, he began to think. How long had it been since he woke up in the greenhouse?


    ''An hour or so, huh...''


    When he thought about everything he had experienced in just one hour... it was like being in a surreal dream. Even if he added up everything he had experienced in his fifteen years of life, he had never experienced as much action and tension as he had in this last hour.


    He paused for a moment, his eyes squinting as his lips curled up slightly.


    ''Well, I guess I have.''


    The day his mother died... it was a much more tense, much more fearful day. He had no idea what was going to happen to him. He was only eleven years old at the time, he didn''t know anything. So he was afraid that he would be thrown away, that he would simply be used as a... as a source of entertainment. Just like his mother.


    But if there was anything else he dreaded, it was the absence of his mother. Every day, he felt her warmth, her tenderness, and then suddenly... just like that... she was gone.


    It left him with a great sense of emptiness. It took him almost a year to recover. It was only after that year that he was able to find a ''purpose'' for himself, even if it was impossible, and take it upon himself to hold on to life.


    Kael closed his eyes and just waited. He replayed his past memories over and over again, trying to memorize his mother''s truly beautiful face... as he always did.


    But then, his eyes opened again. The faint smile fell from his face.


    For a while, he just stared into space.


    He turned his head, looked at the bed. Apparently, the maid had no intention of getting out of there. It was fine with him. As long as it was quiet, he didn''t really care. She didn''t seem to realize that he was a slave either, so he didn''t have to worry... at least not yet.


    He looked ahead again, this time thinking of the old nobleman on the first floor.


    ''I wonder if he is alive?


    Frankly... he hoped not. He had spent the last three years bowing softly to people like that. He had done it willingly, in a completely emotionless way. But that didn''t mean he was emotionless. He always imagined what he could do to the other person if he didn''t have the restraint around his neck.


    ''Anyway...''


    Should he sleep? It was too dangerous to sleep, but... he was really tired. What would happen if he took a nap after closing the wardrobe door? He doubted the creatures even checked the rooms. Unless they saw someone, they were just wandering around like idiots.


    His eyes began to close on their own, faintly... weakly. He yawned, but it was such a yawn that sleep seemed to multiply in an instant.


    ''What would happen... if I took a nap?''


    Slowly, his eyes began to surrender themselves to the darkness... seconds passed, and he slowly lost consciousness...


    ''Uh... what is that?''


    He paused as he saw something out of the corner of his eye.


    It was something shimmering with a white glow. It had come through the window of the room, floating in the air like a feather. But... it wasn''t a feather.


    It was a flower. A snow-white flower with five petals. Just... like the one he had seen in the greenhouse just before he woke up.


    Kael''s sleepy eyes focused on the flower, watching it float in the air. It was slow, delicate, and... beautiful. He locked all his focus on it. All his sleep had just dissipated, but at the same time... he still felt tired. Even then, he wanted to get up, to go towards the flower. He wanted to... give himself to it.


    Which he was going to do. He got up from where he was sitting in the wardrobe, he was going to get ready to walk towards the flower.


    But... there was someone faster than him. The woman who had been hiding quietly under the bed until now was already on her feet and approaching the flower before he realized it.


    Kael felt himself getting angry. He should have been the one approaching the flower, not that maid! He was so angry that he clenched his fists, he would punch her if necessary.


    He tried to speed up his steps, but... it was too late. The woman opened her hands and took the floating flower in her palms. She looked at it with wide, mesmerized eyes.


    And then... the flower withered and disappeared.


    Her expression became uglier than ever. And Kael''s expression... suddenly changed more than ever. His eyes widened as he looked at the young woman in horror.

 Chapter 12 - 12: Trying Not to Sleep

    There was something Kael had never thought about until this moment.


    All the creatures he had seen were once human, he was sure of that. But... what turned them into creatures? Who becomes a creature and according to what?


    He had never questioned the answer to this question. It was just a small matter that had escaped his attention when he had given everything to survival. Or... not so small, perhaps.


    The moment the flower in the woman''s hands withered, he came to his senses. His thinking was back in his own hands, not controlled by anything. But... it was too late.


    The woman''s face had become ugly not because her expression had changed, no... it had indeed become ugly. Her whole body was trembling, her skin color was fading rapidly.


    "A- Ahr... Aaaghhrr..."


    She tried to scream, but each time, it sounded as if she was blocked at the last moment. It was only with the next thing that Kael really came to his senses this time.


    The woman collapsed to the ground, barely able to stand with the support of her limbs. But her limbs were also changing. They were becoming thinner, as if... they were being forcibly extended. And it was clear from her face, from the sounds she was making, that something painful was happening.


    ''S- She''s turning into a creature!''


    Kael quickly took out his bag and put one of the bowls on the floor. He picked up his knife and plunged it back into the bowl of poison on the floor. He wasn''t sure how long it had been since he had last done this, but he wasn''t taking any chances.


    The seconds filled with the woman''s groans caused sweat to break out on his forehead. It was the first time he had ever seen someone turn into a creature, he wasn''t sure how long the process took or when she would start attacking him. So he tried to be as fast as he could.


    After only a few seconds he was finished. He turned towards her, gripping the knife tightly in his hand.


    Her skin color had become very gray. Her height, previously quite short, was now approaching two meters. And she would reach it if her limbs grew any longer. And because of this, her clothes were beginning to tear slightly.


    Kael ran towards her, closing the distance quickly. When he was right beside her, he stopped. She lifted her head slowly, barely looking at him.


    The whites of her eyes were slowly turning red, and soon, her irises would be red and glowing. But... the owner of this body was still a human being. Her face still showed none of the emotionlessness of those creatures, she was even weeping at the unimaginable pain.


    Kael hesitated for a moment, a brief moment really, but... his hands continued to shake.


    He didn''t enjoy killing people. He didn''t enjoy killing anything. The reason he could be cold-blooded in the greenhouse and in that room on the first floor was because he was used to it, because of the adrenaline, and because he wanted to survive. But that didn''t mean he enjoyed killing anything.


    There was someone in front of him who would do anything to kill him in a few seconds, but the pain was so obvious... that he couldn''t help but feel sorry for her.


    It was at this moment that the maid''s eyes caught sight of the knife clutched tightly in his hand. She didn''t seem to realize that he was trembling, but... her eyes still widened.


    "K- Kill..."


    He couldn''t find the strength to finish, the pain was really intense.


    ''Kill, huh...''


    If he couldn''t hear her tone of voice, if he couldn''t see her, he might have thought that she was afraid of the knife in her hand, that she was telling him to die. But no, the situation was very different.


    The woman was not looking at the knife with fear. Her eyes were widening not because she thought she was going to die. On the contrary, she... wanted to die. She didn''t want to turn into a creature. And Kael... was well aware of that.


    "I... apologize."


    He gripped the knife in both hands, crouched over her. He squinted his eyes. He wanted not to look at her, to close his eyes and do what he was going to do, but... he didn''t. He made direct, unblinking eye contact with her. If he was going to kill someone, he wasn''t going to do it cowardly.


    He raised the knife. There was no hesitation in the woman''s eyes, which were almost completely red. She was practically begging him to continue. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kael brought the knife down quickly.


    The poisonous metal of the blade entered her chest. Her skin was not yet completely hardened, so the knife reached her heart without difficulty.


    Blood oozed from between the woman''s lips, she coughed up blood in a wheezing cough. The terror in her red eyes was replaced by a strange peace as the fear slowly faded.


    Seconds passed, seconds in which the woman coughed incessantly. If he could, Kael would have liked to make it painless, but he had no idea how to kill someone painlessly. So, he chose the surest method to ensure her death. But to listen to her coughing up blood, to see the peace on her face, knowing how much pain she was in as she surrendered herself to death...


    After a short time, the woman stopped completely. She was no longer struggling or coughing. She was just... motionless.


    Kael removed his poisoned knife from her chest. As he slowly got off her, he took a few steps back and looked at her from a distance.


    Her body was now a creature in every sense of the word. Her skin had darkened considerably, her eyes were red, though the glow had faded, and there were claws where her fingernails should have been. Her transformation was complete. But... she was already dead.


    Kael tore his eyes away from her, took a deep breath in and out.


    ''Damn it.''


    He thought nothing as he went back to the wardrobe. When he got into exactly the same position as a few minutes ago... he was silent. But then, he squinted, thinking of the snow-white flower he had seen before he killed her.


    He had seen the same one in the greenhouse. But when he woke up... he had thought it was just a dream. He had never thought that it could be that flower that turned people into creatures.


    He kept thinking.


    He had seen the flower twice now. And both experiences had something in common. He was always either sleeping or almost asleep when the flowers appeared.


    ''So I''m not supposed to sleep. No, I''m not supposed to try to sleep at all.''


    That was... a problem. He was overtired, he was going through things all the time. And mentally, he was not in a very good state. He could continue to resist sleep now, yes... but for how long? That''s what he wasn''t sure about.


    How long did he have to endure? There was no answer to that question, at least not yet.


    "Haaaaaah..."


    And so began the minutes he would spend hiding in this room.


    Kael never stopped thinking. He even scratched himself with one of the knives he hadn''t poisoned to keep himself awake. He didn''t sleep much right now, yes... But he didn''t even want to think about sleeping. His ability to think was clouded when those white flowers appeared, so he constantly did things to keep himself completely awake.


    The minutes passed one after another. Minutes of silence... of nothing happening. Every now and then, he would look at the woman''s lifeless body. There was a tiny pool of blood around it because he had pierced her heart, but that was it. She was truly dead, not a problem for him.


    When he looked back in front of him, he couldn''t help thinking that his luck was changing. Since the greenhouse, he had been consistently unlucky, something was always happening to him. But, after the entrance hall, things had changed. If he was still alive... it was only because he was lucky. If the woman wasn''t faster than him, for example... he was dead.


    ''Although... when I think about it, isn''t it because I was unlucky in the first place?''


    This... was a thought-provoking issue, actually. Was he lucky or unlucky? He continued to think, having found one more topic to dwell on to prevent sleep.


    After a few more comfortable minutes of this... he was suddenly distracted.


    His eyes widened. In the absolute silence, he tried to perceive what was happening. But... there was nothing.


    ''Am I being too paranoid?''


    No matter how long he waited, no matter how much he focused... there was nothing.


    Still, he did not reassure himself. He preferred to remain constantly vigilant, and so he did.


    After a short while... he suddenly realized that he was just sitting where he was. No, not a normal sitting... A ''sitting'' where he was completely detached from the world, without thinking about anything.


    ''Am I... dozing off without realizing it?''


    He grasped the knife in his hand and made another tiny scratch on his right arm. He watched his own blood flow through the scratch, reaching the other scratches. Pain was one of the things that kept him from sleeping, yes... But for some reason, looking at the new scratch... he couldn''t feel anything.


    ''Oh, no... No...''


    He shook his head from side to side. Gritting his teeth, he rubbed his eyes incessantly with his hands, refusing to fall asleep.


    ''Don''t sleep... Don''t sleep... Don''t sleep...''


    He was fine just a few minutes ago, what had happened to make him feel so... sleepy? Was he more tired than he thought?


    ''Resist... You can resist...''


    He paused for a moment.


    ''No, you will resist! You have no choice!''


    But then... in the midst of all this silence and fatigue... he saw something out of the corner of his eye.


    It was a snow-white flower.

 Chapter 13 - 13: The Disturbing Peace

    When Kael saw the flower, he felt many different things inside him.


    The first was surprise. Because... he needed a few seconds to realize what was going on.


    The second was horror. He knew what the flower was doing and why it was in front of him.


    The third was... peace. The most uncomfortable peace he had ever felt in his life, yet... warm and alluring.


    He knew the flower was playing with his mind. Once learned, it was hard to fall for the same trick completely. But... the flower had a powerful attraction. He wanted to get out of the wardrobe, to pick it up and smell it. His whole body literally ached to be near it.


    Kael swallowed as he looked at the flower. For a while, he just stared at it, doing nothing, just... staring. As if he was locked in. He wanted to turn his head, but neither his muscles nor his brain were listening.


    He closed his eyes momentarily to blink, like a normal person would. It was something everyone did without even realizing it, so fast that it happened in split seconds. However, when Kael opened his eyes again... he froze in place.


    He was standing in front of the flower. He was bending down to pick it up.


    ''No!''


    He stepped back, threw himself into the wardrobe, and closed its door as fast as he could. He didn''t even care to make a sound. Because... he was scared. He couldn''t remember ever being so scared in his life.


    ''You''re in control, you''re in control, you''re in control...''


    He had moved to a position where he could no longer see the flower, but... he was afraid to close his eyes. What if he blinked and found the flower in his hands? What if... he turned into a creature?


    ''No, I''m myself. I''m in control. I don''t even see the flower...''


    He swallowed. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his torn and blood-stained clothes. Then... for a while, he just waited.


    Silence...


    Nothingness...


    Darkness...


    He felt dizzy. That disgusting, disturbing peace touched him again as his eyes widened once again.


    He quickly opened the wardrobe and stepped out.


    The flower was still in the same place. It was inviting him, begging him to come to it. Just like... like that woman who begged him to kill her.


    He remembered her transformation, how she had suffered. Then... he looked at the flower again.


    It was beautiful, too beautiful.


    But...


    ...


    ...


    He threw up.


    There wasn''t much in his stomach, but he threw up anyway. He tried his best to get away from the flower, but he couldn''t think straight. He kept imagining himself holding it, and then... turning into a creature.


    He shook his head slightly from side to side. No matter how hard it was, no matter how much he wanted to go to it...


    He turned and ran out of the room.


    He was back in the palace corridors, back in danger. But he didn''t care. He ran along the corridor, not even caring to make a sound. He didn''t care about the bodies and the blood and the filth around him. He just ran. As far away from the flower as he could get. He resisted all his impulses, everything, and he ran.


    He saw a creature. It was crouched over a corpse just a few meters in front of him. As soon as the sound of footsteps reached him, it turned its head towards him. Its crimson eyes stared into his own.


    Kael''s eyes widened. Terror filled him again.


    But... it wasn''t because of the creature in front of him. It was because of something far more beautiful, far more alluring. It was the snow-white flower behind him, floating to the ground as if nothing had happened.


    Kael screamed. He took off his bag and, not thinking straight, threw it at the flower. But in his path was the creature on the corpse.


    The creature tore the bag to pieces with its claws, but spilled all the medicines on itself in doing so. Kael walked past it as if nothing had happened, not even looking back. He heard the sound of the creature hitting the ground, but he didn''t stop.


    He saw stairs leading upwards. They were much smaller than the ones in the entrance hall, probably used by the servants and maids. But he didn''t care and went up to the third floor.


    It was only when he managed to step into the corridors of the upper floor that he realized what he had done. He had run like a madman, his lungs were screaming. He had also lost his medicine bag. All he had was the knife with which the poison had dried, with which he had killed that woman.


    But he didn''t focus on that. Instead, his eyes locked on one place, a little further down the corridor.


    There... for the first time, he saw someone who could fight creatures.


    It was a soldier, his hair disheveled, covered in dust. Some of his armor was missing, the rest was covered with claw marks. His fatigue was evident on his face, his breathing was rapid. He was not much different from Kael in this respect. But... he couldn''t have been more different in every other way.


    In the corridor were the bodies of three creatures, and two of them standing in front of him. This man... had fought five creatures on his own and had managed to kill three of them! But he didn''t seem to be able to kill the other two, yet.


    Just then, the creatures saw Kael, their crimson eyes shifting towards him, if only for a moment. The man realized this, but did not turn around. Instead, he shouted, gripped his sword tightly in his hand, and charged at the creatures.


    The creatures'' eyes shifted to him again. But... there was something different about the man this time. A white-colored aura appeared momentarily around his body. It was not very visible, the color was pale, but... it was there.


    ''This man... is one of the Blessed!''


    The man swung his sword at the chest of one of the creatures, slicing it in two before it knew what was happening. The other creature swung its claw at him, grabbed him by the shoulder, almost tearing his arm off. But the man did not allow it. He stepped back in one swift movement, spun around, and swung his sword at the creature''s throat. The creature''s head separated from its neck and flew to the other side of the corridor, and its body simply collapsed.


    It all happened so suddenly that Kael could not understand what was happening. But... only one thing was running through his mind.


    ''Were these creatures... so weak? Or is this man too strong?''


    He did not know the answer to the question. But... with the man''s next move, all his thoughts were simply gone.


    The man did not stop after killing the last creature. He quickly turned around and swung his sword mercilessly at Kael. The bloody sword that had sliced through two of the creatures a second ago was now in front of his very eyes.


    Kael felt the whole world freeze. He hadn''t even had time to think, he was just going to lose his life like that.


    But... he didn''t.


    Time had indeed frozen, and the sword was right where it had been in front of his eyes.


    At first, he was surprised. But then he saw the hot blood dripping from the sword and his eyes widened. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No, time had not stopped... the man had stopped!


    Kael finally took his eyes off the sword and turned them towards the man''s well-built body. Then... he found a pair of dark eyes staring at him in surprise.


    The man was kind of handsome. He must have been in his thirties, because although he looked old, he had no wrinkles.


    "Ah, a kid?"


    The man drew his sword back. Kael let out all the breath he was holding at the same time and fell on his buttocks. The man sighed slightly as he looked at the young boy in front of him.


    "I''m sorry, I thought you were a creature too."


    His eyes drifted for a moment to his neck, to where the mark of slavery was. His eyebrows rose slightly.


    "You were a slave?"


    Then he looked at his clothes. Although torn and covered in blood, it wasn''t hard to guess what he had looked like before.


    "You don''t seem to be from the palace, did you come from outside?"


    "Y- yes..."


    The man looked back for a moment, checked the corridor. But there was nothing. Then he turned in front of him and there was nothing on the other side either. When he was sure that no one was there, that they were safe even for a moment, he held out his hand to Kael.


    Kael was surprised to see the hand extended to him. Were most of the knights he met in this palace good people... or was it just him?


    Kael took the man''s hand and stood up with his support. Then the man started asking questions again.


    "Were you hiding somewhere, where did you come from?"


    Kael waited for a while before answering. But then he realized he was thinking too much.


    "Yes, I was hiding. Then... I saw one of the white flowers and I ran away."


    The man looked at him blankly.


    "White flowers?"


    ''Oh, he doesn''t know?''


    "Yes, they cause people to turn into creatures. They appear when one is asleep or about to fall asleep, they have an ability to prevent thinking straight. And if anyone touches one..."


    He looked at the creatures on the ground. He quickly caught the man''s attention.


    "The flower withers, and whoever touches it turns into a creature."


    The man''s eyes narrowed quickly, his focus shifting from Kael.


    "That''s... good information. Do you know anything else about the situation?"


    Kael opened his mouth, about to tell the man that what had happened here was because of the man who had entered the palace this morning, but... then he paused. He had done nothing himself. On the contrary, the eyes of the man in front of him were no longer on him. He was looking behind him.


    Kael slowly turned around. But then... he literally froze where he was, speechless.


    There was a creature on his side of the corridor. But... it wasn''t a normal creature. It was one of those furry creatures he had seen in the garden. It was staring at the duo with its emotionless face, huge claws, and crimson eyes.

 Chapter 14 - 14: Two Kind Knights

    The man moved slowly in front of Kael. His sword in his hand, alert. The creature... just stood where it was, not moving. As if... it didn''t want to be the first to attack.


    "Hey, kid... you got a name?"


    The man spoke in a whisper as if not wanting to attract the creature''s attention.


    "K- Kael, sir..."


    "Kael, huh... That''s a nice name. Now, listen to me carefully, Kael."


    Kael paid special attention to what the man had to say. For some reason... he had a bad feeling inside him.


    "You''ve been through a lot to get here, I can tell. You''re doing your best to survive."


    He saw the man gripping his sword even tighter, but he said nothing and continued to listen to him.


    "I''m going to try to hold this friend while you run away. Try to get to the upper floors, hide, run. It doesn''t matter how you do it, try to survive somehow... as you have done so far. If you meet other knights like me, tell them what you learned about that flower. Okay?"


    Kael nodded his head up and down softly. There was nothing he could say.


    "O- okay..."


    "Good, now..."


    He straightened, his eyes narrowed slightly. The creature''s claws, which had remained where they were until now, seemed to sharpen with this movement.


    "Go!"


    The man lunged at the creature. At the same moment, the creature at the end of the corridor roared so loudly that it almost deafened Kael''s ears. But he... just turned and ran away.


    He could hear the sounds of the battle taking place behind him. No matter how far he ran, it echoed in his ears.


    No creatures came his way. Nor did he meet anyone alive. After a short while... the sounds of fighting he could hear stopped. Still, he kept running. He saw several rooms, some with open doors, some with closed.


    He could have gone inside one of them and waited, just like last time. But... that flower would come back. And when it came back, he didn''t know if he could resist sleep this time, if he could fight the desire to do so.


    He had to go upstairs. If most of the knights were really upstairs... then that''s where he had to go.


    Yes, the number of creatures would multiply... Yes, he would be the first one to be discarded or used as bait. Still, if he really wanted to live, he could at least take his chances there. He didn''t want to turn into a creature in a quiet, dark room with no self-control.


    If he was going to die, then at least he wouldn''t be a creature.


    So, after a short while, he found the stairs to the fourth floor. But... as soon as he found these stairs, something else caught his attention, voices. So many voices. The voices of people, the voices of creatures, the sounds of collisions... All coming from upstairs.


    He swallowed. It wasn''t hard for him to realize that something big was happening on the fourth floor. But... the king was supposed to be on the sixth floor. If such noises were coming from the fourth floor, what was happening on the fifth floor? And on the sixth floor?


    He swallowed again.


    ''I must move forward.''


    That was the only thought in his mind. There was no turning back now, he had to move forward. So... he started climbing the stairs one by one. When he could see what was happening in the corridors of the fourth floor, that''s when his steps slowed down.


    It was just as he had predicted. The fourth floor... was really like a battlefield. There were so many creatures and human corpses on the floor. But there were just as many living ones. The knights were killing one creature after another. And not only normal creatures, there were a lot of the furry ones too.


    Kael clenched his fists. What was he going to do now? Wait for the knights to die or kill the creatures, or run for the upper floors? Whether he went to the right or to the left, he could randomly die between someone''s blows.


    He glanced quickly at the fighting soldiers, looking for a gap through which he could slip. It wasn''t long before he paused for a moment. His eyes settled on one particular knight.


    It was a knight with blondish curly hair. And... Kael knew this person. How could he forget the kind knight he had met only yesterday?


    But... Manar didn''t look like a kind man right now. There was a sharpness in his eyes that Kael had never seen before. He was covered in blood, claw, and tooth marks on his armor.


    He was the opposite of ''kind'' as he drew the sword and slashed mercilessly at the creature before him.


    Kael realized he was just staring at the knight, mesmerized. A moment later... Manar looked in his direction and noticed him. He wasn''t too sure, as it happened while he was fighting another creature, but he could have sworn the knight''s eyes widened.


    Manar mowed down another creature, then said something to the other knights fighting beside him and moved quickly in his direction.


    "Hey, what are you doing here? You have to hide somewhere!"


    But Kael quickly shook his head from side to side. When Manar was close enough for him to hear, he spoke quickly.


    "I can''t hide, no one can hide. Otherwise, everyone will turn into a monster, sir."


    Manar raised his eyebrows in confusion. He turned around for a moment, looking quickly to see if anything was attacking them. But the knights were doing a good job of holding off the creatures.


    "Forget sir, let''s have a quick talk. Why?"


    Kael felt uneasy as if one of the creatures was about to pounce on him. Still, he didn''t delay Manar''s answer and stopped being as formal as he wanted to be.


    "There is a snow-white flower that appears to those who are asleep or falling asleep. It can play with people''s ability to think, making them feel peaceful and drawn to it. But anyone who touches it turns into a creature."


    Manar''s expression suddenly fell.


    "That''s why their numbers never dwindle, then... All the civilians we sent into hiding must have turned into creatures."


    He clicked his tongue, uttered a few curses in a low voice that Kael couldn''t quite understand. Then he turned back to Kael once again. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What are you trying to do, then? If you can''t hide somewhere... why are you here?"


    "I''ve been running from the creatures until now."


    Manar looked at Kael''s face in surprise.


    "How many creatures have you escaped so far?"


    "I''m not sure... but more than ten. I killed two. Though... maybe three?"


    He didn''t know what had happened to the creature he had thrown his bag at as he ran away almost madly. All the medicines and poisons he had been carrying with him spilled right on its face, maybe got into its nose and mouth. So... it was probably dead?


    This time the curly-haired knight was truly surprised. The creatures were weak, at least the non-furred ones were... but they were still more than enough to kill a fifteen-year-old boy.


    Manar sighed, gripping his sword tightly, preparing to speak again, but then paused. His eyes turned behind Kael, to the stairs leading down to the third floor, and then narrowed slightly. Kael turned too, looking down. A moment later... the sound of footsteps echoed up to the fourth floor.


    Coming up the steps one by one... was one of the furry creatures. It had a large scar on its chest, and three fingers missing from its left claw.


    Kael recognized the creature instantly. This... was the creature facing the knight who had told him to run.


    And the fact that it was here... meant that the previous knight...


    "Run away. I was going to suggest you stay on the stairs despite the flower you told me about, but... run. Keep surviving like you''ve been doing so far, kid. Go to the left, you can go up to the fifth floor from there, or... you can go into a room, even if it means turning into a creature."


    Kael said nothing as he gritted his teeth.


    This is what he didn''t want. These men... why were they so nice to him? He would have preferred they ignore him, or even throw him to the creatures as bait. At least he wouldn''t have to try so hard to survive anymore, he would have no excuse. But for some reason... both of the two knights he encountered saw him as a real human being, rather than a simple ''tool'' like everyone else.


    He turned to the left, clenching his fist as Manar dashed down the stairs in front of him, and started running again. He passed between two knights, heard them saying something about him, but ignored them.


    Soon, he saw two of the creatures turning towards him. But those two knights, who were right behind him, appeared in front of him and mowed them both down before the creatures could move towards him. They blocked the corridor he had fled down before the other creatures could reach him.


    Kael gritted his teeth even harder. Still, he entered the corpse-filled corridor and kept moving forward.


    The fifth floor... he just needed to get there. He didn''t care about the sixth floor, he was sure from the start that as a slave, he wouldn''t be allowed near the king. But if he could find a hiding place on the fifth floor... if he could hide behind the knights there... then everything would be much easier.


    With these thoughts, with this hope, he kept moving forward. And it wasn''t long before he found the stairs to the fifth floor. He slowed down, stopped. He didn''t move forward, he didn''t walk any further. He just... stopped. Because there was a brand-new but classic problem in front of him.


    There was a creature just in front of the stairs. Its red eyes were on him, getting ready to attack.

 Chapter 15 - 15: Forward and Forward

    Kael gripped the poisonous knife in his left hand as hard as he could as he stared at the creature.


    ''I can''t escape from this, there''s no way.''


    The moment he turned around, the creature would catch him. There was no chance of evading it. He was just a normal fifteen-year-old boy.


    So... he had only one option.


    ''No, I can do it. I may have lost my bag, but my knife is still poisoned. It may have lost some of its potency, but a poison that strong will still work. I just... I just need one move.''


    But he didn''t have time to think anymore. Thinking of nothing else but killing whoever it saw, the creature suddenly lunged at him, its claws seeming to want to tear Kael to pieces.


    Kael... did nothing. The creature was fast, too fast for him really. He knew very well that he could not completely avoid that claw.


    But... he didn''t need to avoid it completely.


    ''Gamble.''


    He almost laughed at the thought that momentarily crossed his mind.


    Today, no... how much was he gambling tonight? He wished it wasn''t all about his life, though...


    Kael held his breath. He threw himself as fast as he could to the left. He saw the creature''s claws pass in front of his eyes, felt them scratch his cheek. But it didn''t stop there. He felt the claws on his cheek and then on his shoulder.


    His right shoulder burned with a terrible pain, but he gritted his teeth and tried to ignore it. He wasn''t very good at it, so he screamed at the top of his lungs... he did his best to keep standing. He held the knife tightly in his left hand and swung it at the creature''s face.


    The creature... dodged the knife quite easily. It did it like child''s play, without any difficulty at all. The only wound it received was a single scratch. Nothing compared to the claws digging into Kael''s shoulder.


    The creature tried to use the claw on Kael''s right shoulder to knock him backwards. And... it did it like child''s play once again. Kael''s small body was thrown back almost three meters and dragged along the ground for about a meter. His scream became a wheezing cry, it was hard not to think of the pain as his whole body was literally on fire.


    The creature suddenly appeared in front of Kael. Kael swung his knife wildly at the creature''s legs.


    A scratch, two scratches, a third scratch...


    But the creature did not even move.


    It realized that the boy in front of it was no threat to it. His weapon and his body were so weak that the best he could do was simply... scratch.


    The creature raised its foot, about to crush Kael''s skull... but as soon as Kael realized that, he crawled backwards.


    Just a few seconds.


    If he had only delayed that long, his skull would have become one with the ground. But at the last moment, he managed to avoid the creature''s foot.


    He kept crawling back, without stopping... no matter how much it hurt. And the creature walked towards him. It didn''t run, it just appeared in front of him. It just... walked. As if it didn''t want to waste energy against its ''prey'', which was no threat.


    Kael kept crawling. It was difficult because of the sharp pain in his shoulder, but he crawled. His brown eyes were full of fear and terror. The creature''s eyes, meanwhile, were just... blank. Red eyes, devoid of emotion.


    Even with its slow steps, the creature was faster than Kael as it crawled. It kept approaching him. Closer, closer, and closer...


    He tried to stomp Kael with its foot again. Kael was completely locked on the foot which might cause his death as he crawled backwards. He didn''t close his eyes, he didn''t accept death. He was waiting, still trying to escape with everything he had.


    The creature brought its foot down as hard, as fast as it could. Maybe not the skull, but at least enough force to bring the knee to the ground. But then... something happened.


    The creature''s foot did not crush Kael''s knee. Instead, it landed right next to it, creating tiny cracks in the floor.


    The creature looked at Kael as if it couldn''t understand what had happened.


    Kael had been waiting for this moment the entire time, for the poison that had entered the creature''s body through the scratches to start working! Even the reason he had been crawling backwards instead of running away until now was to conserve his energy for this moment!


    Kael shouted again. His cry echoed throughout the corridor as he leaped at the creature in front of him. The creature swung its claw at a strange angle as if it couldn''t quite make him out. It was such a strange angle that it was impossible for it to even reach Kael.


    Kael stopped thinking. He just jumped, landing on top of the creature. The creature was already struggling to keep its balance because of its sloppy attack, but with Kael on top of it, it lost it even more. When it landed on its back, Kael was on top of it. He had his poisoned knife in both hands, he was completely mad.


    The creature was going to try to attack the boy on top of it with its claws... but then, it paused. It was having trouble moving its limbs. He wasn''t even sure if Kael was there, even though he was right above him.


    Still, it was a being that didn''t know what it meant to give up. Its only goal was to kill the person it had set as its target. So, even though he couldn''t make out Kael''s image, he opened his mouth wide... and tried to bite the boy on top of him.


    But when his teeth met each other, there was nothing between them. It had caught nothing. The next thing the creature saw... was the sharp point of the knife in front of its left eye.


    *******


    Kael removed his knife from the creature''s left eye, then swung it again.


    He didn''t stop. He drew the knife out again, this time stabbing it into the creature''s right eye. But again, he did not stop. Again, and again... and again.


    It had been almost a minute since the creature had stopped moving.


    He forced himself to his feet. His legs were shaking, his shoulder, pierced by the creature, was burning like crazy. His eyes sometimes blacked out... Still, he got to his feet. His knife slipped from his left hand and fell to the floor, making a sound that echoed down the corridor. But Kael didn''t even bother to pick it up. His eyes were on the stairs leading to the fifth floor.


    ''I can, I can, I can...''


    He had lost his mind. He no longer thought about what he was going to do once he got to the fifth floor. He was just... going up. As far up as he could go, that''s all. If he was going to die, he was going to die by going as far as he could.


    That''s how he got up the first step. For a moment, he felt like he was going to fall, but he managed to stand up, supported by the stair railing, and kept going up.


    He paused for a moment when he seemed to see a white glow on the edge of one of the steps.


    ''Hah... Are you here again?''


    There was that white flower in front of him again. A beautiful and delicate flower that could bring everything to an end.


    ''But... it''s too late now. Do you think I''m capable of caring about you anymore?''


    Actually... he was. There was an unbearable feeling inside him. Just like in that room, he was drawn to it. He wanted to get close to the flower.


    But... he took his eyes off it. He didn''t even look at it. He was so dazzled, so distracted, that he didn''t even care about the flower. He put aside all the sweet things he felt inside, the disturbing peace, the pain... everything.


    ''I will move forward.''


    And... he did.


    *******


    The fifth floor was quite different from the others. When he went up the stairs, what he found was not an extremely wide corridor. On the contrary... it was a huge hall, just like the entrance hall.


    The grand staircase to the sixth floor was right in front of him. But he ignored it. Instead... he first examined this hall, which was even more gigantic than the entrance hall on the first floor.


    It was really huge. There were corridors to the left and right, but he was sure they didn''t go very far. The upper part of the palace was quite small compared to the lower floors, after all. So they were completely insignificant except for a few rooms.


    The rooms and their occupants were not unimportant, of course. But in this moment, they meant nothing to him. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Apart from that... he couldn''t really analyze the design of the hall. Because it was covered in blood and dust. The cracks were also everywhere. On top of that... there was not a single living person in front of him.


    After seeing the fourth floor, he thought it would be much worse here. He thought he would see a hellish scene where everyone was scrambling for their lives... But that was not the case.


    Human corpses were everywhere. From knights to nobles, from servants to slaves, there was blood and corpses everywhere he could step. But... there were also plenty of creature corpses. Whatever had happened here was certainly not pleasant, but it was already over.


    ''Don''t any knights from downstairs come here?''


    Though... did the knights even have time to come here? Most of them were probably dead, and the ones that weren''t were trying to keep themselves alive in the first place.


    The palace... had already fallen. So... he was probably alone here.


    His eyes drifted to the stairs leading to the sixth floor. He just looked there for a while. Then... his lips curled upwards slightly.


    ''My body is a mess. I can faint at any moment. And if I faint... I''ll die. I''m bleeding a lot, I''m hungry, and I can''t resist a flower while I''m sleeping.''


    So... there was only one thing he could do.


    Keep moving forward. Just like he had done so far, he would go on. He would probably die. But... at least he would see a king and his chamber.


    A death like that... wasn''t actually so bad.

 Chapter 16 - 16: King of Arcanoa

    He climbed the stairs to the sixth floor slowly. Each step echoed with a loud sound, it was a strange feeling... but he didn''t stop.


    When he reached the sixth floor, he looked down at the hall.


    There had really been a massacre here. Whatever had happened, he was glad he hadn''t been here when it happened.


    He swallowed, turned around. The sixth floor was now in front of him.


    In front of him stood a corridor, rather grand, but rather short compared to the rest of the palace. There were five rooms in total, two on the right and two on the left. And at the end of the corridor stood the last one, a chamber with a huge door.


    On the floor was the corpse of a creature he had never yet encountered in the palace. It seemed to be almost three meters tall, with a truly huge body. Unlike the black fur of the other creatures, this one''s fur was... white. The same color as those flowers, in fact.


    Obviously... it was hard to say anything because it was dead. But it wasn''t the only corpse. Around the creature''s dead body were the bodies of five knights. And Kael had seen these knights the first day he entered the palace.


    These were the knights the king had specifically chosen to protect himself. If he remembered correctly, there were supposed to be seven of them, and in front of him... there were five of them. So... he was looking at the corpses of perhaps the most powerful people in the kingdom. And in the center of them stood the creature with the white fur.


    Kael looked at the corpses of the creature and the knights for a while. Then... he simply sighed.


    ''The dead are dead, it''s none of my business.''


    He took his eyes off them. He focused in front of him again.


    He guessed that the rooms next door belonged to members of the royal family, like the prince and the princess, but he didn''t bother to check. This close to death, it was not the room of a prince or princess that he wanted to see.


    He wanted to see the king himself. He wanted to see with his own eyes the king he wanted more than anything to kill his brother, even if it was impossible. He was going to look at the ''great'' king he had heard so much about.


    Who knows, maybe he would resemble his brother... If so, he would want to spit in his direction before he died. At least it would give him a false sense of satisfaction before he died.


    He limped towards the huge doors. When he put his hands on them, he felt their coldness, but also... how heavy they were.


    He took a deep breath, braced himself. He then held his breath... and then pushed one of the doors with all his might.


    The door opened slowly, almost noisily. He revealed the room behind him gradually.


    The first thing he noticed was... the light. Unlike the dark corridors of the palace, it was bright, shining directly through the gap and hitting his face. It had a sweet warmth to it, too. But Kael didn''t stop, he pushed the door until it formed an opening through which he could pass... and finally stopped.


    The room beyond the door was... truly enormous. He couldn''t see all of it because he hadn''t gone inside yet, but what he could see were paintings on the wall, paintings that he was sure he couldn''t even imagine how expensive they were. The walls themselves, let alone the paintings, looked as if they had been painstakingly painted.


    Though... none of that mattered much. Because inside this room were the traces of a battle he would never want to witness. The walls were burnt, there was a strong smell of burning coming from inside. There were wide cracks in the floor, even a fallen pillar. And these were only a fraction of the damage done to the room...


    He swallowed. Frankly... it didn''t matter how damaged the room was. After all, he was about to enter the room of a king, a king!


    He took a deep breath, then let it out in the same way. He did his best to calm himself. Finally... through the opening in the door, he entered.


    *******


    Before entering the room, Kael had created several scenarios in his head about what he might encounter.


    The corpse of the king and finding the mysterious man who had entered the palace in front of it was one of them. Then... another scenario in which they were both alive and fighting each other to the death. He imagined so many different things that he didn''t need to describe.


    And what he found in front of him was... very different from each of them.


    First of all, the king''s room was really spacious. Now, especially when he walked in, it was even more obvious. Glass-fronted cabinets that looked like they held fortunes, jeweled weapons hanging on the walls, three fine armchairs surrounding a low table, a large desk with a map of the kingdom, an average-sized bed that looked like it was made for resting but was probably the most comfortable bed he had ever seen, an office desk... so much more. The room was filled with all sorts of things.


    But it was none of these things that caught Kael''s attention. Rather... it was the state of the man who was obviously the king, and the person in front of him.


    The king was on the floor, leaning against the back of the office desk. One of his legs was missing. It was a few meters away from him, on the edge of the table where the map of the kingdom lay. He was not wearing any armor. He was wearing just... a simple tunic. But it had two blood stains as if it had been pierced by something.


    The king did not look very tall. But there was an air of nobility around him that Kael couldn''t quite put his finger on. There were no wrinkles on his face, but he had a face that looked like he was in his late forties. It was a very... strange feeling.


    Apart from that, the king had long, rather pale blond hair. It fell down to his shoulders, covered with blood and dust. His complexion was a little pale, too, as if death was at his doorstep. There was a slight bruise under his eyes. And just above them, just above the bruise, deep blue eyes, like the sky... staring straight at him.


    Kael couldn''t take his eyes off him. But he also glanced at the two corpses not far from him, two of the most striking elements in the room.


    One was the man he had seen in the morning. He remembered the robe he was wearing, the bright blond hair he could see out of the corner of his eye. He was face-down with a huge red mark on his back. It was quite clear that he was dead. Dead by the king''s hands.


    The other corpse was... a creature with white fur, just like the one he had just seen in the hallway. Its torso and waist were separated, split down the middle.


    The king seemed to have fought alone against this creature and this man. He had won... but his situation did not look good. And yet, his eyes were absolutely calm. He looked like he had let his guard down, but this king... He looked as if he could cut him in two like the corpse on the floor in an instant.


    "Who are you?"


    The king''s deep voice echoed through the room. He had a strong voice, just as Kael had imagined. The fact that he was able to keep the tone in his voice despite the situation he was in screamed that he was ''king''.


    Kael swallowed before answering. The scar on his neck burned like never before. It was the king who gave him the ''order'' after all.


    He tried hard to make sure he didn''t stutter before he opened his mouth. Even though he had made it this far, his body was not so different from the king''s. He could collapse at any moment, he was limping and could barely keep his eyes open.


    Still... he managed to speak without stammering as he wanted to.


    "I am... a slave, Your Majesty."


    The look in the king''s sky-blue eyes never changed. But... Kael could have sworn that one of his eyebrows was slightly raised.


    No one spoke between the two. After a brief moment, though, the king''s lips curled slightly upwards.


    "A slave, huh...?"


    But then he paused, his eyes sharpening slightly as they focused on Kael''s image. And then...


    "Ah, I remember you... You are the slave my brother sent for the palace garden."


    Kael was surprised that the king remembered him, or rather ''recognized'' him. He had never met him face to face, after all.


    "But... you were supposed to be staying in the greenhouse. Did you come all the way here from the garden?"


    "Y- yes, your majesty..."


    He saw the surprise on the king''s face grow. He didn''t know why, but... he couldn''t help feeling as if he was amusing him.


    "You''ve outlasted countless creatures, then. Perhaps you even killed a few, amazing... If I had known you had such skills, I would have made you more than a simple botanist."


    "I... I was just lucky, Your Majesty."


    "Luck is also a talent. Sometimes the greatest of talents, even."


    The king paused briefly, then continued.


    "Do you have a name?"


    "Kael, my name is Kael."


    This time, the king smiled for real.


    "You have a beautiful name, even though you are a slave. You must like it a lot."


    He paused as blood trickled from between his lips. He turned to his left and coughed twice. Blood came out of his mouth both times. Still, he turned back to Kael, not caring much.


    "I found it truly amazing that you came all the way here, Kael. But... why are you here? Why didn''t you hide in one of the random rooms in the palace?"


    A smile appeared on Kael''s face. For the first time, for the first time in his life... he smiled without hiding his emotions in front of someone. It was ironic, of course, that this person was the king of the kingdom where he lived.


    But... he felt like he could do it.


    "Your Majesty... I''m not so different from you. I''ll most likely die here... I''m sure I don''t have much time."


    The king nodded his head in agreement, but said nothing.


    And Kael... he didn''t know why, but he felt like he could speak freely, without hesitation, even though the person in front of him was a king. Did he not care because he was going to die? Or... was it because of the king''s attitude?


    He did not know. But... for the first time in his life, it felt good to speak as he wanted without hiding anything, without caring what anyone would think of him. So, he continued.


    "I... I was really trying to survive at first. I really tried, I did everything I could to survive. I ran, I fought, I killed, I threw someone who had nothing to do with me into the claws of a creature with my own hands, I kept running and moving forward. Until a few minutes ago, I still believed I could survive."


    His eyes narrowed. It was hard to believe he was talking to a king, it was like... a dream. Yet he went on. He would be honest, he would not lie or avoid himself.


    "Then... I ended up like this. I realized that it was impossible to survive. And then... I thought... if I''m going to die, why not see the king and his room with my own eyes?"


    Kael was silent, and the king only stared at him with a blank expression on his face.


    "That''s... that''s it?"


    Kael laughed.


    "Yes, Your Majesty. That''s it."


    The king bowed his head, his pale blond hair falling in front of his face. Then... his whole body trembled slightly. And then...


    "Pfft... Hahahahah!"


    He started laughing too. He laughed so hard that he coughed up blood once more, but he didn''t stop and kept on laughing. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kael didn''t say anything. He thought it was funny too. In fact... after a short, even he started laughing with the king. He threw himself on his back, it seemed impossible to stand... but he didn''t stop.


    A slave and a king, in the same room, both on their deathbed... they just laughed.

 Chapter 17 - 17: A Sincere Talk

    First the king stopped laughing, then Kael.


    "You are... very brave. Braver than the men I would call my knights. How old are you?"


    Kael kept his smile on his face.


    He hadn''t really thought he would have such a conversation with the king. He never thought he would be... like this. Still, no matter what, in a strange way, he was enjoying it now.


    "Fifteen, Your Majesty. I will be sixteen in three months."


    He paused, then added.


    "Or rather, I was going to."


    The king made no comment.


    "I see. Well then, Kael... do you know why we are in this situation?"


    "It''s because of the Empire, isn''t it?"


    The smile on the king''s face widened. His eyes shifted to the bodies of the creature and the robed man not far from him.


    "It is, but not quite. The Empire has never tried to attack us before, despite our position. Do you know why?" sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "No, Your Majesty."


    "Because the emperor was born in this kingdom."


    Kael was surprised by this information, but did not react much. The king noticed it too, of course.


    "That''s why he always left this place for last. When there was no kingdom left on the continent that he hadn''t conquered or subdued... then he stepped here."


    ''Oh...''


    This... was not far from his earlier predictions.


    But were there no other kingdoms left on the continent? Or maybe there were, but they had submitted to the Empire... Now, this was not what he had expected.


    "And yet, he didn''t wage a direct war. Instead, he sent one of his men to make it all end quickly."


    Kael looked at the body of the robed man.


    "But... you killed him."


    "I did... but what difference does it make? I''m on my deathbed, the palace is in shambles, the knights are almost all dead, my sons and daughters are all... dead."


    He stuttered at the last sentence. The fact that he had lost his children, that he had not been able to save them, still pained him.


    "The Empire won, Kael. As it always has. And I... I couldn''t do anything. But... you know what I hate even more?"


    Kael''s eyebrows shot up. He was really curious what the king would say.


    "My brother."


    Kael felt as if time had frozen, his eyes suddenly widened. The last words he expected to hear were the words he heard coming out of the king''s mouth.


    "Because that bastard, that dog who would be my brother... He signed a treaty with the Empire. He sold everything, his own brother and his kingdom, to become the ruler of the kingdom''s lands after my death. And... he is probably proud of it."


    The king paused after the last word.


    "Oh, I''m sorry... I got carried away, I lost my temper."


    It was as if he had made a mistake. He was apologizing to a slave, even though he was a king.


    But... Kael didn''t care about any of that. He just took a deep breath, a really deep breath... So deep that even the king noticed.


    "Your Majesty... I... had a mother."


    The king said nothing. Just as he let himself get carried away, he let the little boy in front of him do the same.


    "She was born to a slave in your brother''s manor. She was a beautiful woman, so she was always put to night work. At some point in her life... she became pregnant with me."


    Kael waited a short time to collect his thoughts and body. With each word that came out of his mouth, he seemed to be getting worse.


    "Being the child of a slave, I never received much love in my life. From the day I was old enough to understand things, I was made to work. In the fields, in some building construction, in the sewers, in the stables... everywhere. But my mother... at least she tried to show me love. After exhausting days, she would hold me in her arms and sing me the only lullaby she knew. She loved the sky and tried to make me love it too."


    His eyes seemed to fill up for a moment, but he didn''t stop, he continued.


    "One day... I was punished so much, I was beaten so badly that I wished I was dead. I was kept separated from my mother for days, left without food and water... I think... I was only allowed to see my mother again after two weeks. And when I met her again, the first thing she said was... apologize. For not being able to take my place."


    The king was silent. It wasn''t that he didn''t feel sorry for Kael, he felt sorry for most of the slaves... That''s why most of the slaves working in his palace were relatively well off compared to the others. Still, this was not the first story he had heard. It wasn''t as if there weren''t people who hadn''t experienced what Kael had, he was just a victim like everyone else.


    But he listened, without comment. Because... he felt he had to listen.


    "I asked her why we were alive that day. Why were we trying so hard? Why couldn''t we just... die and get away? There was no point in living, for me."


    His lips curled up slightly.


    "My mother couldn''t give me an answer. She couldn''t say anything. Because... she didn''t know the answer either. And yet, she didn''t get angry with me. She just... held me like she always did and sang me the lullaby she knew. Maybe she couldn''t give me an answer, yes... But even that lullaby was enough for me. I felt her warmth like I had never felt before, because that day was the first time I realized so clearly that I had a mother unlike the others. How many slaves had a mother like mine who could sing them a lullaby and hold them in her arms?"


    When he realized that tears were streaming from his eyes, he tried to use his arm to wipe them away. But then he realized that his arm was hurting too much and let it go.


    "On the night of the same day, she made me promise, ''Whatever happens, at least live for me.'' That''s what she told me. She said that everything I did, everything she did... was just so that I could live."


    He gave a short laugh, and forced himself to continue.


    "I thought it was nonsense. But... I couldn''t say no. I promised her what she wanted. A month later... I couldn''t find her where she was supposed to be. I looked everywhere, but she was nowhere. And then... I found out that your brother had gotten angry with someone for no reason and had called my mother to his room. No one had seen her since then."


    Silence filled the room for a moment. The King opened his mouth to say something, but Kael continued before him.


    "I kept living only because of the promise I made to her, a promise I thought was nonsense, perhaps... But it was all I had left of her. Still, it wasn''t enough, I... I couldn''t. So I set myself a goal, an impossible one in particular. Impossible so that I would die trying to fulfill it, so that I could get away with it, just... use it as an ''excuse'' to live. Do you know what that goal was?"


    The king did not answer. And Kael... even though he knew that what he said next would normally get him killed, he didn''t stop. He was going to die anyway, why bother such things?


    "Your brother. I... I made it my goal to kill him, and for that reason, I kept working under him for years, learning botany in particular, one of the things no one else studied, trying to show my talent so that I could rise, even among the slaves. And I actually succeeded. I managed to get into the palace, after all. So... do you know what I thought when you just told me that it was your brother you hated?"


    He took a deep breath.


    "I... I felt happy. I thought... even the king hates his brother, huh... It sounded strange, but... I felt happy. Because if you had lived a little longer, maybe you would have been the one who killed him. I... I had imagined such a future. Just imagining it made me feel elated."


    His expression fell and fell, his lips straightened.


    "But... it remained a dream, as always. We''ll both die here, and that man... he''ll live. He''ll probably live a life of money. He''ll go on tormenting, killing people just because he''s angry."


    Once again, a deep silence fell over the room.


    "I... apologize, Your Majesty. I spoke too long."


    The king opened his mouth when he realized that Kael had finally given him a chance to speak. But then all that came out was wheezing. Again he leaned to his right side and coughed up blood. But this time not only that, he also vomited a handful of blood.


    It was at this moment that Kael realized that his eyes were beginning to darken slightly. Death was approaching, just as it had approached the king.


    Silence waited. Absolute, deep silence in which they would both die.


    But... the king''s full voice echoed in the room again. This time, it was much more shaky, and it was clear that he was forcing himself to speak.


    "Kael..."


    Kael listened to the king again. He didn''t expect much, but he would listen anyway. But then... he heard the king stand up and his darkening eyes widened.


    He turned his eyes to the king. He saw that he was indeed trying to stand up. He was struggling because he had lost one leg, it looked like he wasn''t going to make it... But he didn''t give up.


    Or he did.


    The king quickly stopped trying to get up. Kael found it strange to see him so weak. To see a king like that, even though he seemed to be dying... was certainly not what he had expected.


    But then what he saw next... literally left him speechless.


    He saw the king crawling. He saw him crawling towards him, using his hands, his nails. He was approaching him. And that''s when he spoke again.


    "The reason you want to die... is that you don''t find life worthwhile, that you have no ''real'' purpose in life... right?"


    Kael could neither answer him nor nod. He was literally frozen.


    "Then... as long as you have a purpose, you have a reason to live, don''t you?"


    The king continued to crawl, until he finally came to a stop. When he reached his destination, he forced himself up.


    Kael could see him gritting his teeth. He wanted to ask why he was doing this... but he kept silent. He watched as the king forced himself into a sitting position, cross-legged. Then... he found his fading blue eyes on him again.


    "Kael... be honest. Do you want to live?"

 Chapter 18 - 18: A Second Chance

    Do you want to live...


    Kael repeated this question in his mind. The first answer he got was... no.


    He didn''t want to try anymore. He didn''t want to suffer, he didn''t want to try things even though he knew he would fail.


    He was... really tired of life.


    "Why... are you asking me this?"


    The King continued with great seriousness, not taking his eyes off him for a single second.


    "Because you still can."


    Kael looked at the man in front of him like a madman. His lips curled upward and he was about to laugh, but he restrained himself.


    "Your Majesty... I may be fifteen, but I''m not an idiot. I''m going to die, maybe after you, yes. But-"


    "No, Kael. You really can keep on living."


    Kael saw the seriousness in the king''s eyes again. And in that moment, he knew. This man... was not lying.


    But... even if he wasn''t lying, was there a point?


    "Even if it is possible for me to survive somehow... I don''t want to try to live anymore."


    The king''s seriousness broke slightly with this sentence. A faint smile appeared on his face.


    "My brother, don''t you want to kill him?"


    Kael smiled too.


    "Even if I survive, I do not believe I have the strength to pursue an impossible dream once more, Your Majesty."


    "If it''s not impossible... you think it''s worth trying?"


    "What exactly are you talking about, Your Majesty?"


    The smile on the king''s face finally widened.


    "Before I die... you will kill me, Kael. It is as simple as that."


    Again, Kael did not understand what he meant. The king continued.


    "This kingdom is finished, Kael. Two of my knights have turned into creatures, the others are dead. My son and daughter are dead. Even if I managed to kill the dog sent by the Empire... it is too late. It''s over."


    Each of his words was full of sadness. Here was a man who had lost everything, and now... he didn''t seem to care about much. Maybe that''s why he kept going.


    "I wasn''t very successful as a king. Making the kingdom richer, trying to solve problems, expanding borders... Seeing slaves like you, I used to wonder why people suffered, but still I did nothing. Now... I''m going to die, there is no chance for me to live. But... for you, there is."


    He did his best to stand up straight. His complexion was beginning to fade, the hollowness under his eyes becoming more pronounced. He didn''t have much time.


    "You will suffer more. You will have to fight for your life all the time, whether you want to or not. But... you can get out of here. Afterwards, if you really want to quit life... you will always have the opportunity to die. You can give up whenever you want to give up. But still... don''t you want to at least take a chance?"


    Kael did not know how to answer this question. He wasn''t sure if what the king was saying was true. He could be deceiving him, but why would he do that? S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He looked at the king. He was collapsing by the second. He didn''t even have a minute left, probably. Death was inevitably upon him.


    He had thought it was the same for him until now. He would probably die a few minutes after the king, but he would die nonetheless.


    And now... was there a way for him not to die?


    He thought about what the king had said. He was not wrong, he really wanted to kill his brother. Even though he had initially only used it as an excuse to live, he had put a lot of work into it. He had worked for it for years, no matter how impossible it was.


    A smile appeared on his face. He had missed something, and now... he remembered.


    "I am... a slave, Your Majesty. Even if I survive, I will always be under others."


    The king smiled in return. It was such a weak smile that it seemed strange. But then... Kael saw a faint, tiny gleam in the king''s blue eyes.


    "I, Markhus V. Arcanoa, by my authority as sole king of the Kingdom of Arcanoa, free you from your slave status."


    Kael felt the mark on his neck burn intensely. But he didn''t even scream, he just stared at the king in front of him, his eyes wide.


    Was he... no longer a slave? Had he heard wrong?


    The king threw himself on his back on the floor, keeping his smile on his face. He spoke in an even lower voice than before.


    "Make your decision quickly, Kael. If you kill me, you will have a chance of survival. I haven''t told you everything because there is no time, but... you will suffer. Believe me, you will. Maybe you''ll curse this moment you chose to survive. But you''ll have another chance. Do you want this chance to continue chasing a dream you think is impossible... or not? The choice is yours. You have to make your choice before death takes me. But... let me tell you this anyway."


    And that''s how he articulated his next sentences, even if he had to force them.


    "Whatever your choice, thank you for coming to this room and spending your last moments with me. Apparently, even someone like me needs someone to talk to, huh... I feel at peace."


    The King said nothing more, and he didn''t seem to have any intention of speaking. He was just... waiting for Kael''s choice and death.


    And Kael... did not know.


    ''What do I... want in a situation like this?''


    He thought back over everything he had done so far. Not only tonight, but also before... from the first memory he could recall until now.


    He kept talking about wanting to die. He may have had his reasons, yes... But, even then, contradicting to himself, he was always doing his best to live.


    Now, when he had a real choice... what should he do?


    ''He said I would suffer, he said I would curse this moment if I chose to stay alive. But... a second chance... Besides, I can give up, I can end my life anytime I want. I am no longer a slave, either.''


    The seconds ticked by. In the silent room, the king could barely keep his eyes open as Kael continued to think. He waited in silence as his vision continued to blur every second.


    But no matter how long he waited, no matter how hard he tried to keep himself alive... he could hear nothing from Kael.


    ''He''s a young kid after all... It''s not an easy choice.''


    He respected him. That he had made it this far, despite his age, despite his weakness, was a great achievement in itself. If he didn''t want to continue living... how could he force him? The only thing he did was to give a chance to the boy who was with him in his last moments.


    Everything else was in his hands.


    His life no longer depended on others. He had the choice to direct his own life.


    In his last moments, he watched the white ceiling. He thought of the last things the dog of the Empire had said.


    Arcanoa... was the last kingdom on the continent that the Empire had not conquered. So it was now the only absolute power on the continent. Even the Church, which was supposed to remain neutral, was on their side.


    The Emperor had a purpose. Taking over the continent was only the beginning, he was sure of that. But... he had no idea what the real goal was.


    After a brief moment, he paused. If he could, he would smile again.


    ''Heh, why do I keep thinking... I''m a goner anyway.''


    He waited for Kael for a while longer. But... the young man never appeared.


    ''So you''ve made your choice, huh...''


    With his breathing becoming more difficult by the second, he finally stopped holding himself back. He didn''t need to try anymore, that was it... it was time to leave this world.


    Actually... He was glad that Kael hadn''t accepted the second chance he was offered. To put such a huge burden in the hands of someone so young, to make his life perhaps a living hell... In that sense, he felt bad, even if he was giving him a chance to live.


    But there was also a disappointment inside him that he couldn''t get rid of no matter what. The eyes he had seen when Kael first entered the room... he rarely saw them. And not only that. Kael''s condition... was even worse than his own. He couldn''t even understand how he had survived until now. He had believed him to be a madman who would do anything to live. Maybe that was the reason for the disappointment he felt.


    ''Whatever... it''s too late anyway.''


    But then... his ears, which could hear almost nothing anymore, caught a sound.


    That uncomfortable, ear-piercing sound of metal being dragged. It was getting closer and closer. Soon, his blurred eyes caught a shadow. A tiny shadow looming over him. And then... Kael''s hoarse voice echoed in his ears.


    "I... thank you, Your Majesty. Although I have no idea what will happen... I will take the chance you have given me."


    The King smiled one last time, even if he could not move his lips.


    ''I knew it. Heh, I knew it from the moment I saw you.''


    Then... he saw something shimmering in Kael''s blurred image. The next second, he felt a momentary pain in his chest.


    It was the cold metal of a sword. His own sword.


    His world went completely black. But... he felt no regret. He only wondered.


    What would this young man, Kael, whom he had given such an opportunity, do? If he could... he would like to see...


    ''Ah, but¡­ It''s too late, huh¡­''

 Chapter 19 - 19: Kings Blessing

    When Kael made his decision, he stood up.


    But as with his first attempt, he was glued to the ground. His legs were weak, his muscles refused to listen to him. Still, he pushed his whole body one last time, step by step approaching the robed man who was responsible for everything.


    He had a sword in his chest. It was a silver sword, almost a meter long. The crossguards were simple, but had a mystical air with strange-looking curves. The hilt seemed to be made of a material he had never seen before in his life.


    Kael spent no more time examining the sword. He grasped the soft, strangely comforting hilt with both hands and pulled it out.


    The sword was heavy. He didn''t think he could lift it, especially with his right shoulder in such bad shape... So, he began to drag it. The sounds the sword made echoed in the room, extremely disturbing... He almost wanted to scratch his ears. But he didn''t stop and came to the king.


    He was still alive, he saw his chest rise and fall. The glow in his eyes had almost gone out, but it was still there.


    So... Kael took a deep breath.


    "I... thank you, Your Majesty. Although I have no idea what will happen... I will take the chance you have given me."


    The king''s expression did not change a bit. However, he didn''t know why, but... he could have sworn he was smiling.


    Kael said no more, nor did he wait for the king to react. He raised the sword in his hand as high as he could, bringing it down on the king''s chest.


    He braced himself, took another deep breath in and out.


    Then... he pushed the sword.


    The sword did not struggle a bit. It sliced through the king''s tunic, then his skin, his flesh... and then his heart.


    Kael didn''t take his hand off the sword. He gripped it tightly, though he couldn''t exert much force... and looked at the king''s face.


    He didn''t look like he was in pain, on the contrary... he looked peaceful. A far cry from the woman he had killed on the second floor.


    Kael thrust the sword once more. It cut deeper into the king''s heart, so much so that he felt the tip of the sword touch the floor. He saw the last glow in the king''s eyes fade completely. Only then did he finally let go of the sword.


    For a moment, he was dizzy, his vision blurred. He just fell over backwards.


    ''Am I... dying?'' sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The fact that he had survived this far was a miracle in itself... he should have been dead a long time ago.


    But death had decided to visit him at this very moment.


    Kael still didn''t give up. He never took his eyes off the king, he waited.


    One second passed, nothing happened.


    Two seconds passed, a tiny pool of blood began to form under the king''s body.


    The third second passed... and Kael frowned. His head was spinning faster, strange things were happening to the world. He felt sick to his stomach. But... he trusted the king.


    Still, he couldn''t help the thought that flashed through his mind.


    ''Nothing... is happening?''


    The fourth, then the fifth second...


    But then, just as Kael was beginning to think that perhaps the king had tricked him... his body suddenly began to tremble.


    He didn''t know if it was because of the closeness of death... But the room felt cold. The world was starting to come apart... Still, he waited.


    And finally... he saw a change in the king''s body. Just below the sword that killed him, just above his heart... there was a glow.


    Kael focused on the glow and saw it take a shape. It was hard to make out anything because of his vision and his darkening world, but... he could at least make out what it looked like.


    On the king, he could see a crown with four long, pointed prongs that curved upwards. It was... like a tattoo. But it was visible even through his clothes, continuing to glow with every passing second. It made the already bright room even brighter.


    Kael wanted to look at the glow more, to examine it, to feel it. But... he suddenly found himself on the floor, staring at the ceiling. He was out of breath, his muscles aside... he could hardly feel his body directly anymore.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the glow getting stronger. He closed his eyes as all his senses faded one by one. He didn''t... care anymore. If he was late, it was his own fault, and if he really survived as the king had told him...


    He didn''t know, he just... wanted to rest. And so he did. He stopped holding himself, surrendered his body to the comfort and the coldness of the room. There was nothing to think about as he slipped into unconsciousness.


    *******


    The crown rose, looming over the king. It shone like a star, so bright that a normal person trying to look at it would have been blinded. As it rose, there were links between it and the king''s body, like chains, but one by one, they were breaking. The crown was separating from the king.


    But... there was no one in the room while this was happening. At least no one who could have witnessed what was happening. And so, without anyone knowing, the chains continued to break. When the last chain broke, the crown just left the king''s body. It slowly floated away from him, towards the body of a young boy.


    When it came over Kael''s unconscious body, it stopped. The chains that had just snapped began to shake excitedly, and then... suddenly, one of them stabbed into Kael''s chest, just to the left of his heart.


    Kael''s eyes widened. He let out an agonized scream, drooling from his mouth.


    But... he was unconscious. His eyes could not focus anywhere, nor did they try to.


    The second chain was driven into a different part of his chest. His screams turned into wheezing, unintelligible sounds. Tears welled up in his eyes and his body began to shake continuously.


    When the third chain entered his body, he lost the ability to scream. He tried to make a sound but he couldn''t, as if his body and the pain wouldn''t let him.


    The fourth chain was attached to him in the same way. Blood began to ooze from his nose, ears, eyes, mouth... everywhere. The whites of his eyes were stained red from the burst veins.


    The fifth chain... went right over his heart.


    His body stopped shaking, his darting eyes calmed down. But the pain didn''t stop. It was just... his body could no longer move even if he wanted to. He was paralyzed.


    The chains slowly began to pull the crown, which was floating above his body at this very moment, towards him. Slowly, gently, in a way that only intensified his pain instead of relieving it.


    After a few seconds, the crown shrank slightly to fit Kael''s body. It landed smoothly over his heart, ignoring his clothing, becoming one with his skin.


    The glow in the room slowly began to fade. The white glow of the crown receded gradually. Kael had passed out again, though he had never woken up... but his eyes were closed again.


    However, just when all the glow of the crown was about to fade... everything suddenly calmed down. A tiny black dot appeared in the glow of the crown... and then, it spread all over the crown.


    The crown, shimmering with white purity, suddenly turned black. Tendrils grew out of it, enveloping Kael''s entire body... as if trying to reject him.


    The crown continued to envelop Kael''s body until his whole body became a dark silhouette. After a short time, everything calmed down again.


    Kael''s body trembled violently, but no sound came out. The darkness that surrounded him rippled, then... emitted a tremendous wave of energy around him. It did the same thing a few more times, like a heartbeat. Then, one by one, the darkness began to recede. Kael''s body became visible again, and the crown reappeared over his heart, retreating.


    As a deep silence fell over the room, the crown slowly disappeared, leaving only the tattoo that would remain on Kael''s chest.


    But for now, it was quiet, it was not yet hungry. And so... no more supernatural events took place in the king''s chamber.


    Time continued to pass. The darkness that had enveloped the palace retreated after a few hours... as if it had achieved its whole purpose. The pale rays of the sun reached the palace again through the gray sky. It illuminated the garden, covered in blood and corpses, and then the corridors, not so different from it.


    The Kingdom of Arcanoa woke up to a new day, with it''s palace fallen. It had lost its king, but had gained a new one. A false king, whose existence no one would ever know.

 Chapter 20 - 20: The Price of Second Chance

    The night of tragedy was over and a new day had dawned. But... there was no one in the palace to celebrate, no one to rejoice. The garden was silent, the corridors were silent, the palace was silent...


    But... in spite of all this silence and stillness, at the very top of the palace, inside the only king''s chamber... one of the fingers of a fifteen-year-old boy who should not have been there twitched.


    Despite everything, he was alive. But... his condition was not so good.


    "Ugh..."


    A groan of pain escaped his mouth. His whole body was in pain, he didn''t feel well at all.


    As his eyes slowly opened, the first thing he saw was a white floor stained red with blood.


    ''Where... where am I?''


    He tried to get up using his arms, even with difficulty. And he succeeded. Even though his whole body felt like it was going to break from the pain... it wasn''t that bad. He was sure it would pass if he rested a little.


    He slowly got up, first on his knees, and then looked around. The first thing he saw... was a body not far away from him. It was lying on its back on the floor. The skin was very pale, obviously dead.


    And... as he saw this person, he remembered everything he had been through, why he was here.


    ''Ah...''


    He just waited for a moment. He didn''t move, he just waited. Then, he raised his hands, stared at his palms.


    ''I... am alive?


    He hadn''t... expected this. He still remembered what the king had said, the decision he had made was clear in his mind.


    And yet... he had thought he would die after all. Not that he would wake up to a new day.


    Kael lowered his hands. He tried to stand up, and he did. He didn''t know how, but... his body was in better shape than he thought. He certainly didn''t feel like he was on the brink of death.


    ''I''m really alive... I''m alive.''


    His hands reflexively went to his neck. He could feel a little of the mark that had done such a good job of reminding him that he was a slave in the past, that part of his neck was always smoother. But... now he couldn''t feel it. The mark was gone.


    He squinted, removed his hands from his neck. He looked again towards the king''s lifeless body, then walked to his side.


    He stared at him for a while. He didn''t know what to do, what to think.


    "I..."


    This one word came out of his mouth, but he couldn''t follow it up. He clenched his fists.


    "I..."


    He felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he held himself back.


    "I... am really thankful. No matter what happens, I won''t forget it, ever. Thank you, Your Majesty... Thank you so much for giving me such a chance..."


    He knew he couldn''t hear, that he had already left this world. Still, he felt the need to say it.


    He sniffled, finally tore his eyes away from the king''s body, and turned them to the bed in the room. The coverlet was still on it.


    He went to the bed. He took the coverlet and folded it in half. Then, he went back to the king and put it over him.


    He couldn''t bury him, he didn''t think he had time to do that. But... he wanted to do the least he could for the man who had given him a second chance.


    "Rest in peace, Your Majesty..."


    Finally, he took a deep breath, looked up at the ceiling for a short while. Then he shook his head from side to side.


    ''First of all... what am I supposed to do?''


    He had accepted the second chance, good. He had survived, that''s good too. He was no longer a slave, he had free will... much more good!


    But what was next?


    Kael... didn''t really know what to do. As a slave, he had always listened to others and often slept where he worked. His life was pretty simple...


    But he had no idea what normal people did.


    ''I... must first get away from this palace.''


    This was the first thing that came to his mind.


    This was a palace, the palace of a kingdom. Sooner or later, someone would come and find out what was going on here. And for him to be in the palace when that happened... it would probably not be pleasant. He was paranoid, yes... But he didn''t want to be in other people''s hands again. He didn''t want to deal with other people.


    He... wanted to see for a while how a normal person lives, what a normal person does. He wanted to be alone. And for that, he needed to get away from the palace as fast as possible.


    But that''s when something caught his eye, something just off to the side of the room... a mirror.


    He had never seen many mirrors in his life. Mirrors were expensive and hard to find. Only the rich or nobility had them. And now... he had one in front of him.


    And Kael wondered how he looked now.


    He approached the mirror curiously, stood in front of it, and... looked at himself.


    The white cloth he was wearing was in tatters. There was blood in his hair, on his face, all over his body. He looked like he had been in a war and... and he was, in a sense. Still, he didn''t mind these things.


    He looked at his face. And then... he paused. He squinted, scrutinized himself. But... no matter what he did, he couldn''t see.


    ''I... I''m sure a creature scratched my cheek. And there should be another scratch just above my ear...''


    Then... he remembered.


    No, not only his cheek... he should not be able to use his right shoulder properly, but there was nothing wrong with it!


    After killing the king, just before he fainted, he remembered the crown-shaped glow. Something must have happened to his body. But... wasn''t it absurd that he had recovered to this extent?


    ''No, it''s totally absurd...''


    He swallowed. He really had no idea what had happened, but... the unknown was frightening.


    Still - at least for now - he didn''t complain. These were things to think about later, things he shouldn''t pay attention to yet. He was healed, why was he questioning it?


    He shook his head up and down. Then, he turned back to the mirror. He looked at himself once more.


    His face was a little small because of his skinny body. His brown eyes were ordinary. His hair was so unkempt and dirty that even though it was black... it looked like a strange brown. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His eyes traveled down, looking at his shoulders and his body structure. And as he did so... his eyes stopped at one point. Was it him, or... was the back of a hole in the chest area of his clothes black?


    His skin was supposed to show, not something black.


    He lifted his clothes up slightly, looking directly at his chest. He saw his skinny body much better that way, but he didn''t care.


    Because...


    ''What... what is this?''


    His eyes twitched as he looked at what was on his chest, questioning whether he was seeing it wrong.


    On his chest... there was a tattoo of a crown... almost twice the size of his fist? And... it was exactly the same as the one he had seen on the king!


    ''Did it pass from his body... to me? Is this tattoo the reason for my recovery?''


    He put his hand to his chest, right over the tattoo. Would it feel like the mark of slavery on his neck, or was it something else? He wanted to find out. Of course, inside his head, he kept thinking.


    Did it mean something that he had this crown tattoo? It seemed important, especially since it was something the king of Arcanoa had owned and passed down to him...


    With these thoughts in mind, the tip of his finger touched the tattoo. It was similar to a mark of slavery but... different. It didn''t feel like he was touching his skin, it was as if... he was touching a piece of clothing that merged with him. The only difference was that this ''tattoo'' could have been the smoothest piece of clothing he had ever seen.


    ''This is... strange.''


    This time, he touched the tattoo with his whole hand, not just his finger. But then... something unexpected happened.


    His whole body suddenly trembled like never before, he lost the strength in his legs and fell to his knees. His breathing suddenly became faster than ever and his head began to spin. He saw the tattoo on his chest glow faintly, followed by a warmth that spread throughout his body... And then... suddenly he began to hear voices and see images.


    Everything happened so fast. The information that appeared in his mind came so fast that he could hardly perceive what was happening. But... it didn''t take long. After a short time, the glow of the tattoo faded and his head stopped spinning. As the warmth he could feel in his body receded, all the images and sounds in his mind began to fade away.


    But... they didn''t disappear completely. They remained in his mind as a memory. And these memories... were important.


    ''Hah, hahah... No way...''


    Kael''s lips curled upward weakly. When he touched the tattoo... what he saw, what he heard... was what actually the tattoo was.


    And what he learned... was not pleasant.


    The king''s words came back to him. He said he would suffer, perhaps even regret it. And Kael had thought that if he got a second chance, he wouldn''t mind so much.


    But this...?


    This... was something else.


    The tattoo on his chest was a blessing. A blessing that only royalty could have. And... unlike most blessings in the world, it was one that could be passed on.


    But there was a problem. And that was... Kael had no ties to the royal family.


    So what happens to this blessing, then?


    Quite simply.


    It becomes... a curse. A very unpleasant curse.

 Chapter 21 - 21: Towards the Beginning

    Kael had heard before that the king, or rather most of the kings who ruled his kingdom, were powerful men. And he knew that this was no simple story. Because the neighboring kingdoms were always afraid of Arcanoa. And the reason for this was the king himself.


    He had always thought that kings were powerful simply because they were kings, and he had never questioned it. There was no need to do so.


    But now... he understood much better. Each of these kings was ''powerful'' for a reason. And that reason was... a blessing. A special blessing that had been in the Arcanoa bloodline for a very long time.


    The blessing gave its user strength for each life taken and a slight healing that took effect instantaneously. The stronger the person or thing slain, the greater the reward.


    In the short term, the effect was too small to notice. But in the long term, after several years of having this blessing... things were very different. As the amount of power accumulated through blessing increased, the gap between other people and the user widened.


    How was the blessing transferred, then? It was quite simple. When the previous user was killed, the blessing was transferred to the murderer. It was as simple as that.


    But... that was not the only special thing about this blessing. It was designed to be used only by descendants of the Royal Family of Arcanoa and worked best on them.


    But what happens when a non-royal, like Kael, gets his hands on it? The blessing lost its healing properties completely, for example. Its ability to strengthen its user was greatly weakened. But that was not all. This blessing... became a curse. A curse that demanded that its user constantly take life, a curse that constantly threatened to stop his heart.


    Kael felt himself sweating as he thought about the tattoo on his chest. It was right over his heart, constantly reminding him of danger. He couldn''t see it now, but... under his skin, he felt like there were dark chains wrapped around his heart. Chains that could squeeze his heart and kill him at any moment if their hunger was not satisfied...


    He swallowed. The king''s words echoed in his mind again and again. Now, he understood much better what he meant. He hadn''t lived yet, but... he was sure it wouldn''t be pleasant when the curse was hungry.


    ''So... even though I''m a normal person, I have to kill someone or something all the time?''


    He wasn''t sure of the scale of things he should kill. He was sure that killing an insect would not satisfy the curse, but what about... a dog or a cat? A wolf, a normal person in their twenties?


    How satisfied was the curse when it killed who or what? He didn''t know the answer.


    ''I get a second chance but... like this?''


    But, then... he paused. After a while of thinking, his lips curled upwards slightly. Now, it would be absurd for him to get a chance without paying any price, wouldn''t it?


    ''I... Whatever.''


    He forced himself to stand up.


    So what if he had such a curse? So what if he has to kill things all the time, if he has to satisfy his curse to make his heart stop beating? S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His job would be much easier if he was one of the Blessed. Although, technically, he was a Cursed now... and the curse he had wasn''t a bad one. The more he killed, the more he would gain a ''power'', even if he didn''t know exactly what kind, and his curse wanted him to kill people all the time. So, the demand of the curse and the power it provided was self-fulfilling, in a kind of a cycle.


    ''I''m going to keep living, I''m going to do my best to keep living at least until I kill that bastard. No more whining, no more giving up, no more wishing I was dead... I''m going to use my second chance as best I can.''


    Kael turned around, nodding decisively. It was time to leave this room. He had to start walking away from the palace. He was wasting every passing second.


    So, he moved towards the door of the room. But then... he paused again. Slowly, he turned around, glanced around the room. He looked towards the body of the robed man. He went over to it, bent down slightly. Next to him, lying on the floor, was a dagger.


    ''Just in case...''


    He picked up the dagger and gripped it tightly in his left hand. Now, he had a proper weapon. He didn''t have to use one of those shabby old knives whose sole purpose was to cut plants. It was certainly a more reliable method of self-defense.


    So... he looked back one last time before leaving the room. He imagined what would happen, what the people who had come here would do when they found out what had happened.


    The Kingdom of Arcanoa would no longer exist.


    He took a deep breath. He was not supposed to think about empty things, he was supposed to worry about his own life. So... he finally walked out of the room. He left the king''s body, his chamber, behind. He went back into the corridor where the rooms of the royal family were. He didn''t pay any attention to the bodies on the floor or anything else, he walked straight to the stairs leading down to the fifth floor.


    The bodies were just beginning to smell. It wasn''t overpowering yet, but... he couldn''t say it was pleasant. Before, it wouldn''t have bothered him so much, but... for some reason, now, he felt extra uncomfortable. So, he covered his nose and continued on his way. He walked towards the stairs to the fourth floor.


    He was cautious, expecting to encounter a creature. His ears were alert enough to detect every sound, his eyes... clearer than ever.


    In fact, all his senses were like that. Who knows, maybe the curse had enhanced his senses... He wasn''t sure, but he was sure he could see and hear better than before. Still, he didn''t complain. Why would he?


    He kept moving forward, encountering no creatures. Finally... he entered the corridor where Manar and the other knights were fighting. He saw the two knights lying on the floor, went to them, and stopped.


    These two... were the two who had blocked the creatures as he ran away.


    "Thank you..."


    He thanked them sincerely. But... he did nothing more. There was nothing he could do anyway.


    He took a few more steps. He found another knight leaning against the wall. One of his arms was missing, it was probably somewhere in the commotion. His skin was pale, his eyes were open and staring at the ceiling. There was a hole in the middle of his armor. He had blondish curly hair.


    He squinted, bent down. He closed Manar''s open eyes.


    "I... thank you. And I apologize."


    He stood up again. He really wished he could do something. But... the dead were dead. He couldn''t resurrect the dead even if he was sorry.


    So... he kept moving forward. And no matter how far he went, he didn''t meet a single creature. It was as if they had all disappeared. Or... they couldn''t exist anymore, even if they wanted to, because the night was over. Although, Kael didn''t think they could ''want'' to. They were incapable of thinking, after all.


    So, he went down to the third floor. Again, he encountered no creatures. So, he was now sure. There was not a single creature living in this palace now. It was impossible that he hadn''t seen one by now. And just as he was thinking this... he paused again.


    His eyes slowly traveled down to the floor, and right in front of his feet... there was a hand, as if trying to reach out to him. A hand as pale as everyone else''s, a hand that had lost its color.


    Kael raised his eyes, looked at the owner of the hand. He was severed from the waist down, it was several meters behind his torso. And the blood between these two body parts showed that this person was crawling painfully... as if trying to get somewhere.


    "Kael, huh... That''s a nice name."


    The knight''s words echoed in his mind, he closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.


    "I''m sorry, rest in peace..."


    And... he started moving forward again.


    Soon, he passed the room where he had killed that maid, but he didn''t go inside. He walked and walked... and reached the entrance hall of the palace. Still, he didn''t stop and kept going.


    After a short while... he came to the room where the old nobleman was. In fact, he was not going to go in, he was going to continue. But... he was curious. So, he opened the door slowly.


    The last time he left the room, there was nothing wrong. But the scene now was... different. He could smell blood from inside. He could smell it everywhere, but... with a little focus, he could recognize it in this room.


    It was coming from the wardrobe.


    A smile appeared on his face. He walked to the front of the wardrobe and opened it, not caring about the creaking sound.


    Before his eyes... there was a creature. It was dead, just like all the other creatures. The glow in its eyes was gone. Its clothes were bloody from the transformation, but the glow in its eyes was gone.


    The old nobleman had touched the flower.


    ''He didn''t come out of the wardrobe... did he transform just before the night was over?''


    If so... it was funny. Even if he didn''t know what he was like, from what he had seen, he could guess. It was a death fit for a nobleman like himself.


    Kael paid no more attention to the nobleman, turned around, and went back into the corridor as if nothing had happened. Finally... he reached the room full of clothes. He entered calmly... and found exactly what he had expected.


    On the floor was the servant whom he had pushed into the clutches of death. He was covered in blood, his eyes wide open as if to emphasize the pain he was suffering. The creature that had killed him... had eaten part of him. It was not a pretty sight.


    "I''m sorry..."


    And, like that, he approached the window, jumped over it without thinking too much, but this time paying attention to the shards of glass, and went outside. The sunlight on his face, the gentle spring breeze... they were relaxing. He even wanted to just stand where he was for a while and enjoy it.


    But... he didn''t have time for that.


    So, he kept moving forward.


    *(A/N: I will upload one chapter daily starting today, two if I''m in a good mood or if you surprise me with anything... you know what I mean :) )*

 Chapter 22 - 22: To A New Life

    When Kael went out into the garden, he wasn''t quite sure where he should go. He knew he had to get away from the palace, yes... But he couldn''t do it through the entrance gate. He was either the only survivor in the palace or one of the very few. So they wouldn''t let him out easily.


    ''It won''t be long before they come...''


    The palace was not connected to any city, the nearest city was a few kilometers away. So... it wasn''t really that far away.


    ''Was there another entrance or exit to the palace?''


    Actually, the palace already had more than one entrance... but he was looking for something else. A more... hidden entrance. Like a hole in the walls, for example. But he had no knowledge of the existence of such a thing.


    The longer he waited, the more he felt like he was wasting his time, so he started walking again. This time... he was heading towards the walls. And it wasn''t long before he reached the nearest one.


    The walls were almost ten meters high. He had no idea how thick they were, but he was sure they were not thin.


    He turned to his left, on the opposite side to the entrance closest to him, and started moving forward.


    Minutes followed minutes, he felt like he was running out of time... though it was a miracle that no one had arrived so far. The palace was the center point of the kingdom after all... there were many people coming here every day.


    He paused, his brow furrowing as he realized something he hadn''t thought about before.


    Yes, indeed, dozens of people came to the palace every day. But... why was it so... deserted now? The state of the palace should have been noticed long ago, in the very first minutes.


    He didn''t know, it was a matter that really puzzled him. But, eventually, he gave up. It suited him anyway, and there was nothing to be gained by continuing to question now. So, he stopped thinking and kept looking for a way out.


    However, no matter how hard he searched... he couldn''t find any exit.


    It wasn''t long before he started to worry about his second chance. He needed to escape, to get away from here, but... it was as if he was trapped inside!


    He quickened his pace, trying his best to be faster. Then, after a short while... something caught his eye. When he squinted and looked ahead, his eyes widened.


    ''Of course!''


    This time, he started running. After a while, though, he paused again. In front of him was a small, one-story building. The peculiarity of this building... was that it supplied the palace with water from the river in front of it. The river ran under the walls and stretched onward!


    With a smile on his face, Kael approached the point where the river met the walls. The river was quite clear, so it was also crystal clear. And so what he saw... he didn''t like.


    For the river to flow continuously, they couldn''t close it, so there had to be a gap... But there was no way they could leave such a vulnerability in the palace! He had seen many soldiers roaming around here before. But now, there was no one here and he counted on that.


    But... it seems that soldiers on constant patrol were not the only security measures taken. Because a perforated barrier had been built under the wall so as not to obstruct the flow of the river! Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Damn it!''


    Kael continued to study the perforated wall under the river, then took it back. Because... the holes were actually not that small.


    Not big, yes... but definitely not small. It made sense... after all, they didn''t want to disturb the flow of water too much. The flow had to be fast and undisturbed. That''s why the size of the holes in the wall had to be carefully calibrated.


    And these holes... were big enough for a child to pass through, even with some difficulty. It was impossible for an adult, no matter how skinny they were... But Kael was not an adult. He was an emaciated fifteen-year-old slave!


    Still, as he examined the holes, he had his doubts.


    Kael could swim. One of the places he had worked before was a river like this one and he had been forced to learn. But the problem was... what if he got stuck trying to get through one of the holes?


    Drowning was one of the last things he wanted to do, he was sure of it.


    So, one by one, he examined all the holes he could see. He crossed to the other side of the river and examined the holes on that side too. Finally, on the other side, he caught a glimpse of one. It was a little more worn than the others, with moss growing around it. It was a hole he could pass through more easily than the others.


    Kael took a deep breath, thought for a moment... but then decided he had no better plan. He readied himself, placed the dagger he had taken from the king''s chamber in his clothes, and took one last look at the hole. Then he jumped into the river.


    The river was not very deep, but not shallow either. It was over Kael''s height, and probably over the height of a few of the adults, but Kael didn''t think about it. As he held his breath under the water, he approached the hole he had spotted and looked inside.


    The walls were... really thick. He would have to crawl almost a meter to get through the hole. And when he realized this, he became even more worried.


    ''No, it''s wide enough for me to get through, although it will be a bit difficult.''


    So, he made up his mind.


    He went up again to catch his breath, inhaled deeply, and... dived into the water again.


    This time, he didn''t hesitate or stop, he didn''t think. He stretched his arms forward, then put his hands and then his head into the hole.


    Just as he had expected, it was a small hole, even for someone like him... But it wasn''t that he couldn''t move. He could move forward, even if he had to force his way through! And so he did.


    His elbows kept bumping against the stones, he even hit his head a few times... But he didn''t stop. Finally, his hands reached the outside of the wall. Kael acted fast. He grabbed the outer parts of the wall with his hands and pulled himself out. First, his head came out, then his chest and waist. And finally... his feet.


    Without waiting, he swam upwards, reached the surface, and swam out of the river. When he was finally out of the river, he took a moment to catch his breath, turned his eyes back, and... looked at the palace walls.


    His body was full of scratches. The inside of the hole was not smooth, it hurt a lot... But he had made it! He had made it out of the palace! Now, he could get away from here!


    He smiled, stood up. He put the palace aside and focused ahead.


    He was in a... forest. The trees were not too close together, but... there were too many of them.


    Now... what was he supposed to do?


    Kael paused for a moment, staring blankly ahead. He had made it out of the palace... what was the next step?


    He closed his eyes, trying to remember what the area around the palace had been like. At that moment, he remembered something, something he had forgotten...


    ''There was a detailed map of the kingdom in the king''s room... Idiot! Why don''t you look at it before you leave!''


    But it was too late, he couldn''t go back. He was left to his own devices. And what he knew... wasn''t much.


    The river he used to get out of the palace ran eastward across the continent, reaching more than one kingdom. Apart from that... the forest he was now in was quite large. And the nearest city, the one where the king''s brother lived, was on the other side of the palace.


    That was all he knew.


    Kael kept thinking.


    The forest couldn''t be too dangerous. After all, it was right next to the palace. But... if it was really big, that would change as he went on. He would encounter wild animals, maybe even creatures.


    Could he survive?


    His eyes squinted, a moment of despair came over him.


    He had to stay out of sight for a while. He knew what would happen to him if someone like him was found somewhere near the palace when the news got out. So... he had to stay alive until the events here were forgotten. But therein lay the problem.


    He pulled from his clothes the dagger he had sto- borrowed.


    So far, he had actually killed only two creatures. One in the greenhouse and the other at the end of the fourth floor. Both times, he had come close to death. In fact... he should have died in the last one. He had survived because of the chance the king had given him.


    Kael didn''t trust himself, nor should he, and he knew it. He was just a scrawny fifteen-year-old boy.


    Nevertheless...


    Despite everything...


    "Haaaaah..."


    He sighed deeply. He gripped his dagger tightly, his eyes fixed on the forest.


    "It doesn''t matter what happens. I... will survive."


    And so, he began to move forward. With his torn, blood-soaked clothes and his scrawny body... With the will to live that pervaded his whole body, even though his dagger was the only weapon he had.


    When he thought of what he had been through so far... what was a simple forest?


    Even as a young boy, he had survived the catastrophe that had ended a kingdom. He had killed two creatures even though he had no power. He had conversed with a king in earnest. He had come back from death itself. And... despite being a slave, he had the blessing... okay, maybe the curse for him... of a king.


    He could and would make it.


    So, he made his way deeper into the forest... leaving behind everything he had experienced in this palace... and took the first steps towards his new life with a determined look on his face.


    But there was something he didn''t know. And that was... that there was actually someone, or rather something, watching him...


    High above, above the trees... No, much higher. Beyond the sky, in the dark void that stretched into infinity... something was looking down at him. And... it was smiling.

 Chapter 23 - 23: Hunger of the Curse

    Rain. In the Kingdom of Arcanoa... no, directly on the Venis continent, it was a very common weather phenomenon. Spring, summer, fall, winter... it rained all over the continent, regardless of the season.


    And today was no different. The dark clouds that had been raining for hours were just beginning to retreat, allowing the already very pale sun to finally show some light. The earth was once again illuminated, allowing its inhabitants to breathe a sigh of relief.


    But... despite all this, there was one place where the sun was not so successful in illuminating. It was in the largest forest in the lands of Arcanoa, where the trees were very dense. And... in this very spot, leaning back against a tree, was a young man who had been resting for about half an hour.


    He was Kael, the only survivor of the tragedy at the palace. His clothes had seen their share of rain, but were still full of dirt and blood. His hair was plastered to his face in places, but he didn''t seem to mind. In his left hand was the dagger he had snatched from the king''s chamber.


    And his eyes... they were focused on a single point. So focused, in fact, that it was only after a few minutes that he realized that the rain had stopped. He finally tore his eyes away and stretched, then stood up.


    It had been thirty hours since he had escaped from the palace, and his condition was... not good.


    ''I slept well, but I''m hungry... too hungry.''


    It had been more than a day and a half since he had last eaten. He was worried that if he kept this up any longer, he would start to hear his own stomach growling.


    Finding food was not really a big problem. After all, Kael was a botanist at his core... a highly skilled, knowledgeable botanist. He knew which plants were edible.


    So starvation shouldn''t have been a problem in the first place.


    But... that was exactly the problem. There was not a single herb in the whole forest, let alone edible ones! There were trees, bushes, and grass everywhere, but... that was it.


    ''The few I saw were useless ones...''


    He had to go deeper, at least that''s what he thought. There was no other logical explanation. But... it was dangerous deep in the forest.


    ''There is also the curse...''


    The crown on his chest was silent, not showing any reaction. He wasn''t complaining, of course... He would have preferred it to continue like this if possible. But he couldn''t help worrying about that too.


    He paused for a moment, waiting silently for a few seconds without moving. His eyes focused on the grass on the ground.


    ''They are not directly edible... but they are useful in the short term.''


    He could survive for a while by eating leaves and grass. He wished he had better options, but... he had to be content with this.


    He sighed, bent down, and grabbed some grass from the ground. After tossing the earthy parts aside, he swallowed and popped it into his mouth.


    It tasted bad. But he''d had to eat worse. So he kept going, filling his belly with grass.


    ''I''d better keep moving forward...''


    *******


    A few hours after he had eaten, Kael noticed that the forest was changing as he continued to move forward.


    The trees and vegetation were changing, becoming more... wild? He wasn''t sure if that was the word, but he didn''t know what else to call it. The colors were slightly darker and they were taller than normal. And... the smells were becoming more intense.


    He didn''t really like it. Change didn''t always bring good things, it was much better to keep things as they were.


    However, just as he was thinking about the reasons for this change... he paused.


    ''This... huh?''


    There was something strange, a feeling of strangeness he had never felt before.


    He narrowed his eyes, looked around. He tried to catch something with his senses, which were much sharper than before, but... there was nothing.


    ''What''s going on?''


    He frowned and looked here and there for a while. After a while, though, he paused again.


    ''Ah, no... It''s not my surroundings that is the problem.''


    The problem was him.


    He raised his hands, looked at his palms. He slowly moved his right hand to his chest, right over his heart. He could feel the pulse. But more importantly...


    ''Is it the curse?''


    He lowered his hands as his expression turned slightly ugly.


    ''This... is definitely not a good sign.''


    *******


    Kael walked for another two hours. The strange feeling he could feel was still in his body, getting worse as time passed. If his prediction was correct from what he was experiencing, it would increase in intensity every hour or so.


    But when it would lead to his death? He didn''t know.


    So, like that, another couple of hours passed.


    Kael began to feel a pain in his chest. It was as if something was squeezing his heart, but only causing him pain rather than killing him.


    It was a feeling he strongly disliked. But it was also important.


    ''I need to find something... something alive...''


    An animal, an insect... anything would do. But the grass was tall and every insect he approached ran away from him. Moreover, he was sure that insects would be insufficient to satisfy the curse... Yet, it was a small hope he wanted to hold on to...


    Another two hours passed. It was slowly getting dark, an hour or so before sunset.


    Kael was... not in a good mood.


    His heart seemed to be beating with difficulty. Whereas it normally beat without any effort on his part, now it felt like it was being forced to beat by him. And it wasn''t just his heart. His movements slowed, his limbs weakened.


    And yet, after all these hours, he had yet to see a single living thing.


    ''Why... Why is there nothing?''


    He was in a forest, a huge forest! Yes, a forest with a connection to the palace, maybe, and Kael hadn''t actually gone very deep, even though he kept moving... and he was always on the outer edges of the forest, changing direction where the trees were getting too dense.


    But it was still ridiculous! All his life he had heard how dangerous it was out there, how people talked as if there were creatures everywhere!


    Now, though, Kael couldn''t see any of them!


    ''Damn it...''


    And... another hour passed just like that.


    It was getting dark, the moon was slowly taking its place in the sky. The whole mood of the forest had changed.


    Kael would normally be up in a tree right now, resting. But he had no such option right now.


    He was dying. And no, not figuratively... literally dying.


    There was excruciating pain in his chest. His heart was begging to stop. And his whole body seemed to be slowly collapsing.


    He had at most two, no... maybe one hour left if he was lucky. He could feel the bloodthirsty chains around his heart.


    That''s why he hadn''t stopped, he wasn''t resting yet. He kept moving, hoping to meet a living creature.


    So much so... that he no longer cared to go deeper into the forest. For the last half hour, he had been leaving the outer part of the forest aside and going deeper into it.


    The change had been relatively rapid. The trees had grown quite dense, their colors... darker. There was an ominous breeze in the air.


    But... Kael still couldn''t find what he was looking for. For half an hour, he walked and walked... and yet...


    ''Am I... going to die?''


    That was the thought that finally crossed his mind. Until now, he had kept it away, tried not to think about it. But now... he just could no longer stop it.


    He put his right hand on his heart, just as he had done hours before. It had slowed down so much that he didn''t need his hand to feel it anymore. However, there was one more thing.


    He could feel the crown on his chest warming, the heat spreading throughout his body.


    Death was cold, that''s what they always said, and he had actually experienced it himself. But... why was it hot now?


    Kael couldn''t help smiling. He didn''t know why, but this contradiction... it amused him.


    ''A warm death, huh...''


    Still, he clenched his fist.


    ''No...''


    So, he kept walking.


    With each step he took, he could feel death approaching him. The chains around his heart grew tighter, the crown grew hotter.


    ''I don''t have even half an hour...'' S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But then... his ears caught a crackling sound in this so far silent and desolate forest.


    Kael suddenly paused. His occasionally darkened eyes slowly turned to his right, where he had heard the crackling.


    That''s how he realized that the bushes were moving.


    ''Ah...''


    And the moment he saw what appeared, the wheels in his head suddenly clicked into place.


    That''s why the forest was so quiet.


    That''s why he had never encountered any creatures or animals.


    Because... he was in the territory of the general hunters in a simple forest. In this kind of forest, especially if one didn''t go too deep, and if there were no powerful creatures or other species superior to them, there was always one species that roamed like predators.


    Wolves.


    When Kael saw the three wolves in front of him, he thought nothing for a while.


    Under normal circumstances, he would have wondered how long these bastards had been after him and cursed his luck.


    But... now was different.


    He gripped the dagger in his left hand tightly. He felt tired from the curse, weak... But he smiled.


    "Finally... Finally, something alive..."


    That was all he could think as he stared at the three wolves, their mouths drooling, their eyes fixed on him.


    "Hahah... Finally!"


    The hunger of the curse had not only weakened him. Now that he was so far on the edge of his limits, it was also playing with his mind a little. With all his determination and desire on top of that... his world, which had slowly started to darken, seemed to light up again.


    "I will live!"


    *(A/N: There will be an another chapter in a few hours.)*

 Chapter 24 - 24: Three Wolves

    The wolves snarled, staring at Kael, and slowly began to surround him.


    Kael, however... at this very moment, slowly began to come to his senses. His upturned lips pulled back slightly and his expression turned ugly. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The curse had played with his body in such a way that, for a moment, it had even affected what he was thinking. But now... looking at the scene in front of him, he was all too aware that things were not so easy.


    ''Three wolves...''


    If there was only one, it wouldn''t have been a problem. After all, wolves were normal animals, not creatures. He could believe he had a chance even if there were two.


    But three? Well, he couldn''t be sure about that...


    ''There may be more hiding, too.''


    He gritted his teeth, shook off the general aching and fatigue in his body, and gripped the dagger in his left hand even tighter.


    He didn''t panic, he didn''t let his focus drift anywhere else. Likewise, he kept his eyes on the wolves. He was ready to react at any moment. He may not have been confident, the circumstances may have been to his disadvantage... but that didn''t mean he was going to be scared and run away.


    He couldn''t run, anyway. If he wanted to survive, he had to fight, whether he wanted to or not. So he stayed where he was.


    But, then, he realized that waiting was not really a good option. One of the wolves was waiting in the center while the other two were moving slowly to either side of him. Soon, they would surround him, encircle him, and use his blind spots to simply kill him.


    The only way to prevent them from doing so was... to act before they did.


    Kael clicked his tongue, took a deep breath, and prepared to strike. The wolves realized this quickly, their growls growing louder as they bared their teeth at Kael. It was as if they were trying to scare him, to make him back down.


    But Kael didn''t fall for it. With keen, determined eyes, he fixed his gaze on the wolf to his left... and then moved as fast as he could.


    The wolves quickly grasped his intentions. The middle one and the right one quickly tried to retreat to the other''s side. But... they hadn''t reached him yet when Kael suddenly ended up next to his target! One, no... if they had only half a second more, everything would have been so simple... But, surprisingly, Kael was faster than them!


    Still, there was not an extreme difference. And even if the others had been as slow as that short time, the target wolf was different, it had time to react... After all, it was the target itself!


    Its jaws full of sharp teeth opened wide, its hind legs planted firmly on the ground as it lunged for the arm of the fifteen-year-old boy who appeared in front of it.


    What should normally happen was simple. Either the arm of the boy in front of him would be caught between its teeth and the forest would be filled with a scream... or he would be forced to retreat.


    But neither of them happened. The scrawny boy, who should have been an easy target, did not flinch in any way from its fangs... nor was he too slow to react. Not a single hesitation crossed his mind as the will to live burned like an unquenchable flame in his eyes. So, the dagger in his hand, perhaps one of the finest daggers in the kingdom, though wielded by someone weak like him, was swung straight into the wide-open jaw.


    The wolf did not have time to retreat. Or even prepared to retreat in the first place. He did not know why, but the wolf had not avoided the dagger, and it paid the price.


    Kael felt his dagger racing against the flesh. Drool dripped from the wolf''s teeth and spilled onto his hand, but blood soon accompanied it. Still, he didn''t stop, he didn''t pull the dagger back or let it go. He pushed even harder, as hard as he could.


    The dagger parted and parted the wolf''s jaws... Finally, it reached its neck, and only then did Kael have to stop. The reason was simple... other wolves!


    Kael stretched, he was in an awkward position, not knowing exactly how to swing the dagger, but he quickly recovered himself. He clenched his right fist and swung it backwards at the wolf to his right. Not content with that, he pulled his dagger out of the jaws of the wolf in front of him and attacked his left.


    As the back of his fist met the head of the second wolf, he felt it being thrown back slightly. But the third wolf, unlike its other two companions, did not fall easily. It managed to dodge Kael''s half-assed swing of the dagger, preparing to sink its fangs into his legs.


    But then... it saw the bare foot that appeared before its eyes. Its world went black in an instant, all four of its limbs lost their strength and it crumpled to the ground.


    Kael did not stop. He turned his focus to the wolf whose jaws he had sliced open, his eyes locked with the coldness of a serial killer. He had attacked it last, so it was the one who should have recovered the most. He wanted to finish it off. But... he paused, realizing something.


    The wolf in front of him... was it shivering, or was it just him?


    His cold brown eyes narrowed. He was seeing right, the wolf in front of him... was trembling.


    "Really?"


    Kael didn''t know what to say. He had seen before how arrogant people, when confronted by those superior to them, would grovel and beg for their lives in a disgusting, slobbering way. But to see something like this in animals...


    ''You were trying to kill me just a few seconds ago...''


    He let out a light, quick sigh. He drew his dagger, and without a second thought, attacked the wolf, who was trembling with fear. The wolf tried to retreat, but failed. The dagger landed between its eyes and sliced its face in two.


    For a moment, Kael felt the feeling of exhaustion that had enveloped his whole body slowly fade away, the chains around his heart loosened. Thus, he was sure that he had killed the wolf in front of him... and yet, he did not stop.


    Even if he had confirmed that it was dead, even if he wanted to observe what was happening now that he had given the curse a life for the first time, he did not wait for the wolf to collapse but turned around. He looked up at the wolf he had punched... and found its white fangs right in front of his face.


    ''Holy-!''


    His body moved on its own. He raised his right elbow and, without thinking, swung at the wolf. The wolf''s teeth sank into his arm, he even felt some of them rattle... But it was such a hasty attack that it lacked the strength to throw the wolf back.


    He saw the wolf close its jaws and watched as some of its teeth dug into his flesh.


    "Fucking dog!"


    He swung his elbow down. At the same time, brought his knee up. He dragged the wolf''s head to his knee with his own arm, using it to hit the wolf''s head violently. But he didn''t stop at once, he hit it twice... then three times. The wolf''s teeth made a few wounds on his arm, but he didn''t care. He struck a fourth time... and, finally, all the strength in the wolf''s teeth disappeared as its body simply collapsed to the ground.


    Kael felt a cozy warmth spread through his body again, he had fed the curse with a life once more... but just like the first time, he didn''t even think about it.


    He turned towards where the third and last wolf was supposed to be, this time ready for everything. He braced himself for any teeth or claws he might find in front of him again... but, this time, there was nothing.


    Instead, there was a wolf moving backwards through the bushes, its whole body trembling and... almost groaning. It was ready to turn and run away at the slightest movement of his.


    ''Ah...''


    Kael''s body relaxed, his eyes softening slightly as he looked at the wolf in front of him.


    However...


    "You shouldn''t have attacked me in the first place..."


    He stretched the hand holding the dagger, and without a second thought, he threw it with all his might towards the wolf. He had no idea how to throw a dagger or a knife. In fact, he was sure he would fail... but he had no other way to kill or attack the wolf in front of him without it escaping.


    The wolf turned and prepared to flee even before the dagger left Kael''s hand... but it reached it anyway. It wasn''t a perfect throw, yes. If it had been any more inaccurate, the hilt would have met flesh instead of the blade and it would have fallen to the ground as if nothing had happened...


    But Kael was lucky. His dagger went right into the wolf''s back, though not fully, causing its whole body to shake violently. It took a step or two as if trying to escape... but then, like its other two friends, it collapsed.


    Kael''s body warmed up again, just as it had with the other two. He could no longer feel any of the chains around his heart.


    With a sigh, he approached the wolf''s corpse, pulled his dagger from its back, and wiped it clean on the wolf''s fur, although not quite successfully. Then... he waited for a while, doing nothing, his eyes fixed on the already darkening sky.


    The forest was silent again. But... the metallic smell of fresh blood now filled his nose.


    Still, Kael didn''t care. His mind was elsewhere, his brow furrowed.


    ''I... I shouldn''t be this strong.''


    Well, he wasn''t really that strong... He was only strong for a scrawny fifteen-year-old boy who knew nothing about combat. Even then, his reflexes were a step up from when he was a slave, as were his speed, muscle strength, and senses. It was as if... he had suddenly grown a few years older.


    He was not complaining, of course. He preferred being strong to being weak, even if the change was minimal... But something was still unsettling him.


    ''Is it because of the curse?''


    The whole point of the curse was to make him stronger constantly, after all. But... the effect was quite minimal, and to get it, he had to take a life, and this was the first time he had taken a life since he got it. So this was not the answer.


    He raised his hands, looked at his palms. He remembered how his body had healed when he woke up in the palace.


    Something had changed in his body. He didn''t know exactly what, but... something had happened after he had killed the king and obtained the curse.


    "Haaaaah..."


    He lowered his hands, closed his eyes briefly, and inhaled as much fresh air as he could into his lungs. Then, decisively, he opened his eyes again.


    ''Well, I have to leave here first... The smell of blood might attract other wolves or creatures.''


    Yes, his life was more important than anything else. He could solve the mysteries about himself later, he had plenty of time. At least... as long as he was alive.


    ''For now, I have succeeded... I have satisfied the curse and somehow survived, and I will continue to do so.''


    And so, he began to walk away from the area. Under the endless darkness of the night and the blanket of silence, he moved forward, just as he had done so far. Yet... his mind was always on something else.

 Chapter 25 - 25: Second Night

    *(A/N: Sorry, I thought I uploaded this chapter hours ago but it seems I didn''t... I will upload two more chapters in a few hours to make up for it, though. So don''t worry.)*


    The forest was dark and quiet. The cool autumn breeze caressed the leaves and gave the forest its usual rustling sound. But nothing more.


    Here, one of the trees whose leaves it caressed was... different from the others. Not because of its color or its height, but because of the youth lying on one of its branches. This youth was, of course, Kael.


    It was half an hour since he had killed the three wolves. He had climbed up a suitable tree and was thinking quietly, his eyes scanning the sky through the leaves.


    ''One wolf satisfied the curse enough to hold it for almost an hour. It''s strange, a bit scary to be honest... but I can feel it. I gained three hours in total by killing them.''


    To survive a single day, he had to kill a total of twenty-four wolves.


    ''Isn''t that... a lot?''


    He knew the curse was cruel. It was designed to be that way, after all. He knew something like this could happen... But he still thought that he would be able to gain at least six or seven hours from a single wolf.


    He didn''t just think about it. He really believed it, for he could feel no chains or difficulty in his heart right now. He had been worse than this in the three hours before he killed the wolves. Now, even though he had the same amount of time, he was much better.


    ''Maybe the process rewinds every time I take a life. I go through the same things again, this time in a shorter period of time, but with the same phases...''


    He couldn''t stop his expression twitching. How the curse worked was much harder to guess and to satisfy than he had thought. It worked so... strange.


    And then there was the other effect of it, of course.


    ''Though I don''t feel like I''m getting stronger.''


    He was supposed to grow stronger with every life he took, even if the effect was weakened after the blessing became a curse. But... minimal differences aside, there seemed to be no difference at all.


    He would have sighed if he wasn''t in a dangerous forest, but he remained silent.


    ''At least I have no problem killing wolves...''


    Only two days ago, these three wolves could have easily taken him in their midst and torn him to pieces. Now... he had slaughtered them so thoroughly that they couldn''t stop shaking with fear. He had suddenly grown stronger, faster, in a way that even he had found strange.


    Now that he was in a safe place again, he could think about it. And so he did.


    ''First... how much do I know about curses and blessings?


    As a slave, he had never needed to learn such things. All he knew was what he had heard around him in his fifteen years of life.


    He knew, for example, that blessings were largely innate. So things like nobility and bloodlines were quite important. But genetics was not the only way to obtain one. He had heard that if someone had potential, they could awaken that potential to obtain a blessing. And last but not least... he remembered something about the gods sometimes granting blessings to people, though they were rare.


    He didn''t know if there was any other way to obtain a blessing other than these three.


    ''Ah, though... the king''s blessing was transferable.''


    He had never heard in his life that blessings could be passed on from person to person. But just because he hadn''t heard of it didn''t mean it was impossible, he was a living example of it himself.


    ''So... blessings can be received in different ways. Not only that, they can be created too.''


    The curse he had, originally a blessing, had not naturally manifested. He was sure of that. Someone or something, he didn''t know who or what, had artificially created it. That''s how the blessing was able to have such unique characteristics. Like... being able to turn into a curse or be transferred to someone else. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''And then there are curses... And they''re quite different from blessings.''


    There was a lot of misinformation about the curses. He didn''t know which ones were true, of course... so it was difficult to comment on them.


    But the most important thing he knew was that some curses, like blessings, could help their bearers. There were curses that had positive effects, no matter how negative they were. And these positive effects were often even stronger than the blessings. At least in most cases... because he was an exception. His curse was weakened instead of being even stronger than the original.


    ''Also... the bearers of blessings or curses are usually much stronger than normal people.''


    He had never seen or heard of a weak blessing or curse bearer in his life. Curse bearers were a bit complicated, though... But that was not the point!


    ''So, does having one of the two directly strengthen the person a little bit?''


    He couldn''t help frowning at the thought. It was the most logical option he could come up with for his situation. But... couldn''t help but feel like he was missing something. Like he was skipping something.


    He continued to think for a while, watching the dark sky. Finally... he didn''t care about hiding anymore and jumped down from the tree. Looking at the dagger in his left hand, he couldn''t help sighing.


    ''Three hours... I can''t sleep with only this much, I will lose my life in my sleep. I need to kill more things before the night is over.''


    Yes, it was dangerous... although he was sure that he was individually stronger than the wolves, he was not certain what would happen to him if he faced a large pack.


    ''Still, there is nothing I can do... it is my best and only option.''


    It was next to impossible to find an animal in the outer reaches of the forest, and going deeper would mean encountering more dangerous creatures.


    So the only ''enemy'' he could afford to take on were the wolves. Even if he had to take risks, he had no choice in the first place.


    So... he started walking. He moved under the cover of night, not caring much about making noise.


    It took him a relatively short time to find what he was looking for. It seemed that the reason he hadn''t found any animals before was that he had indeed wandered into the outer part of the forest... because just a few meters away from the bushes where he was hiding, there were two wolves that seemed to be roaming in the forest.


    ''Good!''


    Two wolves meant two more hours to live! And he was confident that he could defeat them.


    He tensed for a surprise attack, picked out the one on his side of the wolves... and then held his breath. His dagger gripped tightly in his left hand as always, ready to strike.


    And so... he charged. He burst out of the bushes with great speed, like a shadow in the endless darkness of the night, and made it to the wolves.


    However, he had been discovered with this move. The wolves were turning towards him, almost in slow motion, even preparing to retreat... But therein lay their problem. The difference in speed between them and Kael was not excessive, yes... but Kael was still superior to them in this respect.


    So, without a second thought, without hesitation, Kael swung his dagger at the retreating wolf. He felt its flesh tear, and watched with his eyes as his dagger sliced through its torso. But he did not stop there. Without giving the other wolf a chance to escape, he released his grip on his dagger, and charged at the other wolf like a wrestler.


    The wolf struggled and struggled, trying to break free from Kael''s hands... but in vain. With each passing second, the unimaginable force of the hands on its neck darkened its world, making breathing more and more impossible... and then, it bid farewell to the world.


    Kael felt a comforting warmth envelop his body. But before it was over, the same warmth returned once more. The wolf, whose body he had sliced open with his dagger, was also dead.


    Kael stood up, taking a quick glance at the scene he had caused. He had killed two wolves in seconds, almost effortlessly.


    With a smile on his face, he pulled his dagger out of the first wolf''s body, put his hand over his own heart, and shook his head up and down for no reason at all.


    ''With these, I have five... though, four hours now.''


    Was this job... easier than he thought? He wasn''t planning to complain, though!


    ''Ten, I''ll kill ten more wolves tonight, or at least try to, and then I''ll go to sleep.''


    With these thoughts, he started walking again. The night was still young, after all. He was sure he could find more wolves.


    And, as he walked through the forest... the wolves, who had dominated this area for so long, tearing apart everything in sight, were unaware of the disaster that was about to befall them.


    A predator they had never seen before had entered their territory, a predator that was weak but powerful enough for them.


    And the ones to be hunted were... themselves.

 Chapter 26 - 26: Deep in the Forest

    Its legs could barely hold its body up. Blood covered its entire body, and it could feel every grain dripping from its fur. Despite the huge gash in its torso, it took one last glance around and saw the lifeless bodies of its kindred. The fresh, warm blood spattered on the grass was almost highlighted in its eyes.


    But... it felt nothing. It couldn''t feel anything, anyway. It didn''t have the mental capacity for that. Until now, it had relied solely on instinct. It had hunted, torn, killed, and eaten.


    And yet, even though it couldn''t feel anything... it was shivering. Not because of the state of its body, not because of the coldness of death. It was trembling from fear. The instincts that had always told it to attack, to kill, were now telling him to run. But... it was afraid.


    And soon, the voice of the source of that fear filled its ears.


    "Oh, did I miss another one?"


    It felt a sharp pain in the back of its neck, its last connection to the world severed as its body slumped to the ground.


    Its killer was a scrawny fifteen-year-old boy... Kael himself. He was busy wiping his dagger clean on the fur of one of the wolves. He had a broad smile on his face.


    ''With this... I should have almost two days.''


    Two days had passed since the night he first fed the curse. And during those two days, he had killed wolves non-stop. In fact... he had killed too many. So much so that whereas before he could encounter a group of two or three wolves every half hour, now it was up to two hours.


    The number of wolves was decreasing. Even if they weren''t, they were getting really scared of him and hiding.


    This was not a good sign, of course. Fewer wolves meant fewer enemies to kill in order to survive, after all.


    But after the events of the last two days, he had come to a new decision and that was the reason for the smile on his face.


    ''Two days should be enough.''


    His determined eyes turned to his left, looking through the trees.


    The wolves were really easy to kill. They hardly ever challenged him at all. Occasionally, if they were lucky, they could cause only minimal wounds... but that was it.


    ''I can fight stronger animals. Or maybe creatures.''


    He was thinking of moving deeper into the forest. The main goal was to encounter something stronger than these wolves and satisfy the curse in a more appropriate way. Because it was certain that it would not be with wolves.


    ''I''d better be careful, though.''


    He nodded to himself, not letting his guard down as he moved slowly through the forest again, dagger in his left hand. He was not going to get arrogant because he had managed to kill the wolves with ease, he knew that making a mistake could mean death. That was why he had wanted to kill enough wolves to sustain the curse for at least two or three days before moving deeper into the forest.


    And now... there was nothing in his way. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Let''s go!''


    *******


    The outer parts of the forest were usually dominated by shades of green. The trees were normal, the leaves were as they should be... even the air felt fresh and pleasant.


    But when starting to move a little further inwards from the outer parts, this began to change. All the greenery became darker in color, the grass grew taller than normal, and the trees became... strange. Their branches and trunks started to curve.


    And as someone went further and further inside, for example, to where Kael was now... a completely different change took place.


    Instead of the grass on the ground growing taller and wilder, it was becoming... sparse. There were fewer of them. In the same way, the trees, like the grass, became less and less. Most of their leaves had fallen, and those that hadn''t were yellow and would soon fall off. The air he used to enjoy inhaling was now heavy. It was not the smell of trees and plants that came to his nose anymore... but something else.


    He was alert, he couldn''t shake the ominous feeling inside him. It was as if something bad could happen at any moment.


    ''I wonder if coming here... was a mistake?''


    Four hours of walking had brought him here, or at least to the area where the changes had taken place. Only an hour or two ago, he was still in parts of the forest that could still be considered normal.


    After a while, he frowned. As his eyes darted back and forth to avoid a possible attack, he mentally scolded himself.


    ''No! There is no mistake, I have no choice...''


    He resolutely pushed aside the ominous feeling. He didn''t ignore it, of course... he couldn''t. In fact, he didn''t even push it aside, he was just... going to stop focusing on it for a while, so as not to confuse himself.


    But then, something occurred to him.


    ''Now that I think about it... I haven''t seen any creatures yet.''


    As he continued to move through the wolves'' territory, he found animals in abundance. Squirrels, deer, rabbits... all kinds! And of course, he had tried to kill them.


    The squirrels were too agile. It was almost impossible to catch one unless it got close without them realizing it. And yet he succeeded! And what he got... was only about fifteen or twenty minutes. The rabbits gave him the same amount of time. The deer... about half an hour.


    He was beginning to understand how satisfied the curse was with what he killed. It didn''t matter how big or small the animals were. What mattered, at least in his estimation, was their fighting ability. The more deadly an animal was, the more time it bought him.


    ''So... it must be the same for creatures, right?''


    The more dangerous, and therefore powerful, creatures he killed, the more he could satisfy his curse. Probably the ''power'' he gained by killing someone increased accordingly. He still didn''t understand what that power was, though... he didn''t feel empowered at all.


    Just then, he paused, his eyebrows raised slightly as something caught his eye.


    ''Oh, wait... This is useful!''


    He quickened his pace, getting closer to what he saw. When he stopped, there was a... plant in front of him. Or rather, several of them.


    Despite this part of the forest, it had lost very little of its greenery, reaching almost to its knees. It had no flowers, it looked like a completely normal plant... and in fact, it was. Just... a normal herb with a few peculiarities.


    With a smile on his face, he bent down and used his dagger to separate the plants from the soil as carefully and professionally as possible.


    If he had his stuff from the greenhouse with him, he could have made some very useful mixtures from them. But that was the keyword, stuff... Without them, he was limited in what he could do.


    Still, it wasn''t bad!


    Even if he ate it as it was, it would retain some of its potency, and that was the important thing. This plant had the effect of replenishing the energy of the person consuming it and delaying sleep a little. As someone who had been walking for four hours straight, its first effect was certainly not something he would ignore!


    And so, he took the herbs and put them in his mouth without a second thought. It tasted bitter, too bitter even... but he didn''t care. As he continued chewing the herbs, he stood up again and started walking once more, his lips slightly curled upwards.


    After only a few minutes, though, he stopped again.


    But this time it wasn''t because he had seen a plant, nor was there a smile on his face. On the contrary, his eyes twitched. And his expression turned ugly.


    ''This...''


    The view in front of him was... not very pleasant.


    The earth was dyed red, as was the bark of the trees. On the ground... were lifeless bodies. Some were animals, others... things he had never seen or heard of in his life. Some of them were disembodied, others had been mutilated.


    ''Who- No, ''what'' could have done this...?


    Animals were not so important. But... creatures had been killed here too. Creatures whose fangs were sharp, creatures that he could sense with just one glance were more dangerous than wolves.


    ''I''ll... move away from here, I think...''


    He was no longer sure he wanted to go deeper into the forest... It seemed a better option to turn back a bit and go around without getting too far into these parts.


    And so, he turned around.


    Instead of seeing the way he had come, the familiar trees... what he found in front of his eyes was the palm of something with three fingers covering his entire vision.

 Chapter 27 - 27: Will to Live that Trumps Everything

    ''Holy-''


    Kael twisted his body backwards, away from the claw in front of his eyes. Then he pressed his right hand to the ground and, drawing strength from it, threw himself even further back.


    If he made the slightest mistake, he could lose his balance and fall to the ground, making himself an open target... But he didn''t fall, he managed to keep his balance and looked at the creature attacking him. What he found in front of him... was a claw again.


    This time, he was not as unprepared as before. The dagger in his left hand was at the ready, after all. And he pulled himself to the left side as he swung his dagger swiftly in an upward arc.


    He dodged the claw, and not only that, he managed to make a small cut on the creature''s wrist. But it had not yet given up!


    Kael saw another claw coming from the other side. He was in an awkward position! There was no way he could block it!


    He gritted his teeth, pulling the elbow of his left arm down as fast as he could. But it was too late. He felt the creature''s claws on his body. At first, it was a slight pain, then it suddenly intensified...


    For a moment, the pain shot through his whole body, danger signals lit up in his brain. He clenched his teeth even more, all his muscles contracted... he put everything he had into his elbow. And he succeeded. His elbow met the claw at this very moment.


    The first thing he felt... was that the creature''s skin was very hard. But then the hardness suddenly dissipated. With the force of his elbow, the creature was forced to withdraw its claw. And it made no further attack, finally retreating.


    Kael looked at the retreating creature as he quickly pressed his right hand against his wound. He could finally see exactly what it looked like. And... he was surprised.


    The creature in front of him was... ''strange'' in every sense of the word. It had reddish skin and no fur. It resembled a... cat, but on two legs. It was quite short, the height of a child around ten. Its claws looked like it was between a hand and a paw and couldn''t decide what to be. Its facial expression was like that of a cat, but with squinty eyes, it had a very... different air.


    What was in front of his eyes was really... a disgusting creature. A disgusting and strange abomination.


    But it was strong. And that was the important thing.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at the site of the massacre he had seen a few seconds ago, then at the creature''s bloody claws.


    ''It must be responsible for the massacre...''


    From what he had seen so far, he was sure that this... strange creature was not much stronger than him. Yes, it was definitely faster and stronger than him... but the difference was not much.


    ''So, I can win.''


    The only problem... was the wound. Thanks to his quickness, the creature''s claw hadn''t penetrated his body completely, just a little bit... But even that ''little bit'' had caused a wound that kept bleeding and hurting him.


    It was much harder to concentrate than usual.


    ''I can still do it, no... I will!''


    He thought of the hours he could gain by killing this creature. He was sure he would not simply gain an hour or two like the wolves. He would get so much more!


    And with that thought, he gripped his dagger tightly and narrowed his eyes slightly. All his focus was on the hideous creature in front of him. And that''s when it made its move.


    Kael''s eyes widened slightly. A single thought ran through his mind.


    ''Fast!''


    Yet he remained calm. Because...


    ''But not so much that I can''t react!''


    He had a hard time following the creature, he couldn''t even see its body... But it was easy to guess where it was going to attack!


    ''It''s aiming for my right side!''


    His right hand was still on his wound, his dagger in his left hand. He was attacking his weak right side, just as he had expected!


    Kael stopped holding his wound. He clenched his right hand firmly, raised it up, and swung it at the creature. Not only that, he readied his dagger, ready to strike the moment the creature made contact with his right hand! And so it did.


    He felt the creature''s claw on his right arm. But he had been expecting it all along, his dagger suddenly appeared next to the creature''s arm.


    ''I did it!''


    He was sure that his dagger would reach the creature, that he would manage to cut a wound in it!


    But it didn''t.


    ''H- huh?!''


    The creature stepped on Kael''s right arm... In one swift movement, it stood on top of him, placed its feet on his shoulders, and leaped into the air!


    Kael could not withstand the enormous weight on his back. He lost the strength in his legs and fell flat on his face. But the creature didn''t stop there! Before Kael could hit the ground, it simply did a backflip, its claws slicing deep cuts into Kael''s back as it spun in the air!


    "A- Aahrg!"


    Kael couldn''t help but scream. It wasn''t enough that he was pinned to the ground extremely hard, his back was burning with unbelievable pain!


    But he had no time!


    ''I must get up!''


    It didn''t take him a split second to give up on the idea.


    ''No, I must turn!''


    He quickly turned to his left side, on his back. And just as he expected, he found the creature''s claws in front of him. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He didn''t think about what was going to happen, he just pulled his feet as fast as he could towards his belly. It was so sudden that it hurt him, and as a result, the force he could put into his feet was slightly dissipated... But it still saved his life.


    He released his tensed legs only fractions of a second before the creature reached him! His kick passed the claws in front of him and landed directly in the creature''s abdomen. With the force of the kick, the creature was thrown backwards with saliva splattering from its mouth. Then the sound of it crashing into a tree echoed through the forest.


    Kael did not stay where he was. He tried to get up quickly, but then realized the pain in his legs. He had contracted his muscles so suddenly and so hard that he had really hurt himself. Still, he tried not to care. He had to get up, he couldn''t wait on the ground against this creature! So, he forced himself to his feet, even if his legs were shaking, and looked towards where the creature had sprung.


    The creature was already on its feet, drool dripping down its chin. Its squinty eyes were slightly reddened and it was holding its belly with one arm. Like Kael, it was trembling slightly, at the same time, baring its teeth in a hostile manner and growling.


    Kael realized that his vision was slightly blurred as he looked at the creature. He did not let it show in any way, though. He did not want to show any more signs of weakness than he was already showing. But the situation was bad!


    ''It is faster than me, stronger as well, but its defenses are almost non-existent. Its bones and body are weak. I can finish it off if I can land just one decent attack... But the same goes for me too.''


    He clicked his tongue, never taking his eyes off the creature for a single second. The creature waited in the same way.


    Both sides were silent and still, as if... whoever made the first move would lose.


    ''I need to be faster. Power is irrelevant, I just need to be faster... If I can make it lose its balance just once and attack it in succession, I will win!''


    But therein lay the problem.


    Kael couldn''t get any faster. On the contrary, he could now only be slower. His legs could barely hold him up and his back was in excruciating pain. He could feel the blood oozing from his wounds.


    ''Still...''


    He gritted his teeth, his eyes more determined than ever.


    ''Even then!''


    The fingers clenching the dagger trembled, his arm twitched slightly.


    He refused. He didn''t want to lose his second chance at this point, to die against such an... abomination of a creature. So, no matter what condition his body was in... he put everything aside, just as he had done until now.


    The only thing burning inside him was the will to live.


    So what if he was hurting? There wasn''t a day in his fifteen years of life that didn''t hurt!


    What if his eyes were blurred? His target was in front of him, even in the form of a blurry silhouette!


    What if his whole body was shaking and convulsing? At worst, he would be crippled at the end of the day!


    But he would live, he would kill the creature in front of him! He would not lose his second chance here!


    And he poured everything into this one thought. All his desires, his blood and sweat, his pain... everything.


    He felt a warmth in his body, a comforting warmth that spread throughout his whole body... The pain disappeared for a moment, he felt a force he couldn''t make sense of flowing through his body that was constantly shaking.


    He didn''t care what it was, he didn''t even think about the strangeness of what he was experiencing. He was going to take the opportunity. And he did.


    As soon as he felt the pain disappear, he pressed his feet hard into the ground, the muscles in his legs tightened, this time of his own will... and then released!


    Kael jumped out of his place in an instant. He was fast, even faster than he normally was... making full use of the tiny force flowing through his body!


    For a brief moment, the creature didn''t realize what had happened when it saw its prey suddenly speed up. With all the wounds he had received, how could he have sped up instead of slowing down? Its mind, which wasn''t much of a mind to begin with, actually, couldn''t comprehend it!


    But no matter how much Kael sped up, he was not at the point where it could not follow. It could pick out his attack, his body... everything!


    This was going to be easy! It was going to make him pay for holding out so long in spite of his weakness!


    So, it prepared to dodge the attack. It followed the trajectory of the dagger coming at it and saw that this weak human being was aiming for its shoulder. He was aiming to cut it in two, what a fool he was!


    It would duck, simply dodge the dagger, and get underneath him. Then with its two claws, it was going to punch a hole in his stomach!


    And he ducked, he did indeed dodge the dagger. Not only that, thanks to its tiny body, it was able to get underneath its prey in one swift movement. It tensed its claws, at the same time, preparing to thrust straight up...


    It was over!


    But then... suddenly... it froze. Its whole body stiffened. Out of the corner of its squinty eye, it looked back, and saw the face of its prey. And not just the face... it saw the tiny glint, the silvery light in his brown eyes.


    Then... a shadow appeared in front of that face, a hand with five fingers... and everything went black.


    The last thing it felt was its face being gripped tightly, and then its own body being thrown violently.

 Chapter 28 - 28: A New Power

    Kael grabbed the creature by the face, digging his fingers mercilessly into its skin. He gritted his teeth as all his muscles contracted, his vision blurred even more, but he endured. Then... he threw the creature''s body as hard as he could into a random spot.


    The creature was thrown like a lifeless doll, hitting a tree and causing most of its leaves to fall, barely coming to a stop.


    Kael was not finished, though. His dagger was still in his hand, his eyes determined.


    He walked towards the creature''s trembling body, slowly... confidently. He saw the squinty eyes staring back at him, and then they widened. As with the wolves, this creature was now afraid of him. But he did not care.


    He took his dagger in both hands, crouched over the creature... and without a second thought, plunged it into its chest. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The creature''s squinty eyes widened even more, blood oozed from between its lips. But Kael did not stop. He drew the dagger and swung it again. And then again... and again... until the last glimmer of life faded from the creature''s eyes, until he felt the warmth that spread through his body every time he killed a living being.


    And finally, what he waited for happened.


    The dagger slipped from his hands and fell to the ground. The pain of his wounds returned as the strange force that had suddenly appeared in his body receded.


    "Hah..."


    He still didn''t care.


    "Hahahah..."


    And he laughed. He laughed as hard as he could, and at the end, he clenched his fist and shouted.


    "I- I won!"


    But then, suddenly, his voice trailed off. His expression quickly turned ugly as he paused, a wave of pain spreading through his whole body.


    Yes, he had won... but he was not unscathed.


    ''My back is burning, the wound on the left side of my stomach is almost serious, and my legs are numb...''


    There were no fractures or dislocations, so it wasn''t too bad. Once his wounds stopped bleeding, he would be fine.


    He just... needed to rest.


    ''Can I... rest, though?''


    He thought of his curse, how he had to fight all the time to live. He had no time to rest.


    But then, he paused, his eyes widened a little.


    ''How many hours have I gained from this creature?''


    He focused on his heart, on the loose chains that encircled it. But... he couldn''t be too pleased with what he felt.


    It wasn''t much... he had gained about three hours from that creature.


    Only three hours.


    ''Why so little...?''


    He had thought he could have gotten more. The creature was as strong as he was, in fact stronger, after all! Couldn''t it have been at least six hours, or eight?


    But three hours... the creature was only worth three wolves.


    ''Tch, I feel like I''ve worked so hard for nothing...''


    For a moment, there was a deep silence. He thought nothing, spoke nothing... He just waited. Then, with a sigh, he forced himself to stand up.


    His legs were in really bad shape, but he didn''t think there would be a problem if he walked slowly.


    ''I need to get away from here...''


    He would find a tree again, climb on it, and rest. Then, he could keep moving forward. But right now... he had to make sure he would survive.


    He looked back at the corpse of the creature and the carnage it had caused... then, he couldn''t help his lips curling upwards slightly.


    ''I will be back, my work here is not done.''


    He would grow stronger, he would come back here, and... he would start hunting these creatures instead of wolves. That was his new purpose.


    ''I just need a little time...''


    And so, he began to move forward slowly, with a limp.


    *******


    His eyes opened slowly, he felt the hardness of the place where his back rested. The sun was shining on his face and the autumn breeze was a bit harsh today.


    Immediately afterwards, he felt a pain that spread throughout his body.


    Yet he didn''t make a sound. He sighed deeply, then looked at the position of the sun.


    ''I slept for about six hours, huh...''


    It wasn''t bad... but he had expected to sleep more.


    ''I''m a little better, though.''


    His wounds had stopped bleeding a long time ago and his legs didn''t feel as numb as they used to.


    It was strange, actually. In the past, he was sure he would have needed two or three days to recover to this extent. Now... he could recover this much in just six hours.


    ''I am not a normal person...''


    He was stronger, faster, more resilient, and healed faster. He was very different from people his own age.


    He paused for a moment, his brow furrowed. Something had come to mind, something he had experienced while fighting for survival with that freak creature, something he couldn''t care about because of his condition...


    ''I suddenly became faster, stronger... the pain disappeared a lot, too. Why?''


    He remembered the warmth spreading through his body. He became stronger with that warmth.


    There was no way it could have been something normal. He wasn''t going to attribute something like this to something childish, like his body exceeding its limits just because of his lust for life. Such things only happened in fairy tales.


    ''Was it because of the curse?''


    He put his hand to his chest, touched the crown. But then shook his head.


    ''No, the curse doesn''t have an ability like that.''


    So it was something else, something independent of the curse.


    ''How was it triggered?''


    Well... even if he ignored it because it was childish, the only thing he was thinking about at the time was his will to live.


    Was he really strengthened by the desire to live?


    ''No... that''s ridiculous.''


    He waited for a while, thinking and thinking. The minutes ticked by... and, finally, all he could do was sigh.


    ''At that time, I wanted to speed up, I wanted to get stronger... I gave everything to it... So what if I do it again? Can I repeat what happened?''


    He closed his eyes and waited on the tree he had climbed. He wanted to get faster, stronger, more resilient.


    But... nothing happened.


    His brow furrowed, yet he did not open his eyes. He tried harder. He didn''t just want to, this time he imagined it.


    But... again, nothing happened.


    He opened his eyes, looking frustrated.


    ''I''m doing something wrong... or it was really something spontaneous.''


    He looked for a while at the emptiness, at the leaves of the tree. His brow furrowed even more, his face twitched.


    ''No.''


    He stretched, moved his limbs a little. He shook off the numbness in his body for a while, then climbed down from the tree.


    The chances of creatures in this part of the forest were slim. He was back in the wolves'' territory after all. And they were not a threat to him. So he was at ease.


    Still, he took out his dagger, held it between both hands, and took up a fighting stance. He closed his eyes again and let his imagination work to its fullest.


    First, he desired. To get stronger, faster...


    Then, he imagined it. That he was getting stronger, faster.


    He replayed that fight over and over in his mind. Each scene was burned into his mind, into his muscles.


    He remembered the warmth he felt in his body. It had first started in his chest... right by his heart. Then, it spread through his body, giving him strength and speed...


    He imagined this same warmth. The way it arose in his heart, the way it spread through his body.


    And... this time, something actually happened.


    His lips involuntarily curled upwards as he felt a warmth in his heart.


    It was tiny, much smaller than what he had felt during the fight. But... it was there.


    Kael focused on this warmth. He isolated himself from the world, even though he knew it was dangerous. He wanted to continue this experiment, he wanted to see what would happen. So he didn''t stop.


    He imagined the warmth growing, and it did. His chest grew hotter and hotter, but it never reached the same level as during the fight.


    Still, he didn''t care too much about it. At some point, he stopped, thinking that there was no need to go any further for a simple experiment. So, he stopped increasing the warmth, stopped concentrating it... and distributed it throughout his body. Not in random places like during that fight, but literally all over his body.


    The moment he did this, the whole world changed. His constant pain suddenly became meaningless, his ears and nose more sensitive than ever. He could feel the new power coursing through his body.


    He opened his eyes. He hadn''t noticed it in the fight, but even his eyes had become sharper. The difference was really small, but when he focused, it was hard to miss.


    He raised his hands, looked at his palms. He clenched and unclenched his fist a few times.


    ''This is... strange.''


    He had never heard anything like this before. Was it a common trait of the Blessed and Cursed?


    ''It''s not as effective as the first time, but I''m definitely stronger, I can feel it.''


    He jumped slightly where he was.


    He was light, he felt like a bird. He had never been a bird before... but that was what it felt like!


    He wanted to experiment more with his new power, so he spotted a tree and gripped his dagger tightly. He didn''t care if his body was in bad shape now.


    He approached the tree, then took a deep breath. He took his dagger in his left hand, stretched... then attacked the tree with all his might.


    The bark split without feeling hard at all, and it left Kael in shock. It wasn''t with the ease of cutting through plants or cloth, perhaps... but it managed to make a large gash as if the tree didn''t have the durability it should have. One more cut and he could have split the tree in two!


    ''This is... very good!''


    With this, he could hunt the creatures much more easily. If he had known all along that he could do something like this, the previous creature would have given him no trouble at all!


    He wanted to test his limits even more, he bent down to run... But just as he was about to leap, he paused. His smiling face suddenly fell.


    ''Huh?''


    The warmth in his body was receding without him wanting it to.


    ''No!''


    He closed his eyes again as his newfound strength slipped through his hands. He did his best to protect it, but... it was futile. After only a few seconds, both the warmth radiating through his body and all his strength vanished.


    When he was back to normal, he had a disappointed look on his face. He had wanted more, but...


    ''This power... It is limited!''

 Chapter 29 - 29: A New Goal

    Kael was on the tree again, his expression downcast, his eyes narrowed... thoughtful. He was calm now. When he thought rationally, he realized how normal what he had experienced was.


    There was no such thing as unlimited power. Neither the Blessed nor the Cursed could use their powers all the time, that much even he knew. But... for some reason, he had believed that he could do it.


    Now, though, after some thought, he had accepted the facts.


    But...


    It was still annoying!


    He took a deep breath, calmed himself down again.


    So what if his power was not unlimited? Just a few seconds of it could help him survive most difficult situations.


    Besides... he was aware that it was not a simple ability. No, it was more like a feature of his body than an ''ability''. Like... adrenaline, for example. But unlike adrenaline, it was something he could control himself.


    Which also meant that he could master it. It was quite difficult to move that warmth through his body. But if he could get used to it, if he could control it more smoothly... then things would change.


    And not only that.


    ''After I lost my strength, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t get that warmth back.''


    He raised his hand, looked at his palms.


    He closed his eyes, imagining himself growing stronger, just as he had done then. And... his call was answered. He could feel the warmth intensifying in his heart.


    But, then, he opened his eyes again, and the warmth in his chest quickly disappeared.


    ''Now, I can do it again. So... either I have to wait a while to use it again, or it has a fuel that can run out and refill.''


    He thought the second option was the right one. Because he could invoke this power again now if he wanted to. The reason he couldn''t when he was testing his power was simply because he ran out of fuel.


    ''But what is the fuel?''


    That was another question, a question to which, unfortunately, he had not yet found the answer.


    It wasn''t food, he didn''t feel hungry.


    It was also not water.


    For a brief moment, he thought that he was sacrificing the hunger of his curse, but it wasn''t that either, the time he was given was still the same.


    So... he had no idea what that was.


    He wasn''t unhappy, though. He was definitely pleased, even if he was still frustrated. Why should he be unhappy when he had a new power at his disposal?


    He lowered his hands, turned his eyes to the sky. He could only see part of it through the leaves, but... it was gray, as usual. Depressing, but... a gray he actually liked.


    He waited for a while. He watched the sky, the delicate swaying of the leaves. It was peaceful. In spite of all his problems, it was a relief to be in such a quiet, peaceful place. So much so that he slowly detached even from reality, the voice of someone he knew quite well echoed in his mind.


    "If you''re bored, if you''ve been through something bad... look at the sky. Isn''t it beautiful?"


    His lips curled upwards. His mother may have been a sky freak, yes... She was indeed a bit obsessed with it.


    But, somehow, he couldn''t help agreeing with her. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The sky was really beautiful.


    Even when it wasn''t night, when it couldn''t yet show its stars, it was comforting.


    But... no matter how much he wished he could just stay here, not care anymore... he didn''t have time for that.


    His lips, which had curled upwards, flattened, his eyes narrowed.


    Yes, he knew he didn''t have time...


    But he still kept thinking.


    ''Can I... go on like this?''


    He had thrown away his thoughts about suicide, yes. He really had a purpose in life now, he didn''t want to die like he used to anymore.


    But... could he fulfill his purpose if he continued like this?


    Could he really survive against all odds?


    He didn''t know.


    The world was a cruel place. It was full of dangers he could not comprehend. Having spent his whole life as a slave, there was so much he didn''t know... he was no more than a child of three or four years old considering his knowledge.


    He thought about everything he had ever experienced. The tragedy at the palace, the wolves, that abomination of a creature...


    And, then, how little he actually knew about the world.


    Suddenly, everything he had ever experienced seemed small, lost its importance.


    Perhaps he really could have survived going on like this. He could satisfy his curse for many years, he could live his life.


    If he wanted to, if he really tried, maybe he could even lead a normal life.


    But... what about his goal?


    So far, he had thought that as long as he could survive, he could make it work. He hadn''t thought much about the future, his first priority was not to lose the second chance the king had given him.


    But... his goal was not so simple. He wanted to kill the brother of the king of Arcanoa, Musthar V. Arcanoa, and... he was no longer simply ''the king''s brother''.


    He had sold his country in a deal with the Empire. So... he was now under their protection, their patronage.


    Would it be as easy to reach him as before?


    No... he didn''t think so. He was important to the Empire now. So... dealing with him would probably mean dealing with the Empire.


    And the Empire... was something to be feared.


    And not only that. Luck had played a big part in his survival so far. But he would not always continue to be lucky.


    He paused, remembering their conversation when he had first entered the king''s chamber.


    Luck is also a talent, the king had said. Sometimes even the greatest of talents, even...


    He was not wrong. So much could be achieved in life simply by being lucky.


    But just as much could be lost.


    Kael was well aware that luck would not always be on his side. Sooner or later, he would trip over an obstacle.


    His expression became even more serious, his fist clenched.


    He couldn''t rely on luck.


    No, directly... he couldn''t rely on the way he was now, the way he was thinking.


    He had to not only continue to survive, but to become stronger now.


    When he faced an obstacle, he had to think not about whether he could survive, but how he could overcome it with ease.


    He had to get to the point where he could solve his problems with his own strength, rather than relying on luck or whatsoever.


    And... it all led to one thing.


    ''I... I can''t continue like this.''


    He stretched, jumped down from the tree. His wounds were not yet completely healed, yes... but he didn''t care. His brown eyes shifted to the point of the forest from which he had run away.


    This small moment of thinking, remembering again how little he knew about the world...


    Now... he was beginning to understand some things better.


    He wasn''t trying hard enough.


    It wasn''t enough to put his life before everything else. On the contrary, it was something that held him back.


    If all he thought about every obstacle he faced was survival, if he didn''t push himself... he would either stay where he was or his progress would be too slow.


    And he didn''t want that.


    So...


    ''I have made up my mind.''


    As he walked back to where he had fled, his dagger in his hand, his right fist clenched. His nails were digging into his palm, hurting him... but he didn''t care.


    He had to take risks. He had a strong will to live, but he had to put himself in danger rather than hide behind it, cowardly clinging to it, and trying to protect his second chance. He had to constantly test his will to live, to use it as a tool to grow stronger. Even the new strength he had discovered at the very beginning had come in a fight that had pushed him to his limits.


    So... he had to keep doing it.


    He had to keep putting himself in danger without stopping, without giving up.


    Constantly and constantly pushing himself to his limits so that he would learn to overcome them.


    No hiding, no running away.


    He would fight.


    And, so... he walked.


    Just as he had done so far, he kept moving forward.


    But, this time, he had a new motivation. He now saw the world, himself, and his future differently.


    Instead of being a coward who would do anything to survive, he would now be someone who would put his own life on the line to become stronger.


    So, the first thing he decided to do was to change his goal, or at least add to it.


    Not only was he going to kill Musthar V. Arcanoa, no...


    He would kill him in front of everyone.


    He would become so powerful that no one would be able to stop him, he would see the fear in his eyes. Not even the Empire would be able to protect him, even the Emperor himself would fear him.


    That was his new goal.


    He turned his eyes back to the sky, remembering how he was a few years ago.


    Under the pretext of clinging to life, he had set himself an impossible goal that he dreamed of dying trying to achieve.


    He had deceived himself for years.


    Now... he had set himself an impossible goal once again, one far beyond his limits, to become stronger than he could ever imagine.


    But he wasn''t fooling himself this time.


    This time, he was really holding on to it.


    And he would do whatever it took to make it happen.

 Chapter 30 - 30: After One Month

    The sun was slowly approaching its zenith in the gray sky. But... at this very moment, a shadow passed slowly in front of it.


    Dark clouds had begun to gather, signaling that it would soon rain. The few that had managed to get in front of the pale sun had already blocked and would continue to block the light, which was not shining very brightly at the moment.


    Birds were slowly roosting in the trees, squirrels were retreating to their homes. Anyone who looked at the sky could tell that a big rain was coming, including the animals. Who knows, there might even be a storm with not-so-good consequences... and no one wanted to be in the middle of it.


    One of these animals looking for a place to hide was a little bird. It hadn''t been born long, but it had been separated from its family very quickly. Left alone in the wilderness, it could hardly even fly.


    Nevertheless, it flew on, entered a tree, and landed on one of its branches. If it had feelings, it would certainly have been relieved. But... it didn''t have such things. So it continued to look around expressionlessly.


    Then... suddenly, it stopped. Its jet-black eyes had caught something, something big... a young human being with closed eyes, lying a little to the side of the branch on which it had landed.


    People were bad. Sure, there were some good ones... but mostly bad.


    Should it move to another tree, or should it trust that this person was a good one and stay...?


    Just then, the human''s eyes twitched. The bird decided to turn around and jump from the branch to another tree in an instant.


    The human who had just opened his eyes, the one it was afraid of... was of course Kael.


    He stretched as he woke up, then slowly straightened up. He looked around, not seeing any threat. Then he sighed and looked up at the sky.


    He frowned when he realized he couldn''t see where the sun was. There were so many clouds in the sky that the sun, already quite pale, was nowhere to be seen. He couldn''t tell what time of day it was.


    And losing the sense of time... was one of the things Kael hated the most.


    He closed his eyes, focused on his heart. Or rather... the crown just above his heart.


    ''Sixty-three hours... I had sixty-eight before I went to sleep.''


    So he had slept for five hours. He had hunted all night, so he slept when the sun was just rising. That meant... it must have been around noon.


    He sighed deeply, stretched his body a little, and jumped down from the tree to shake off the drowsiness. He noticed that there were no birds chirping or animal tracks and paused. Then he realized how... quiet the forest was. He had a bad feeling.


    ''The sky is quite overcast, no animals are visible... is a bad storm coming?''


    Just as he was thinking this, a gust of wind hit him in the face, hard enough to knock the leaves off the trees.


    Kael clicked his tongue.


    It had been almost a month since he had fled the palace and he had already survived several heavy rains. But a storm that would cause animals to flee like this? He wasn''t sure.


    He thought for a while before moving.


    He had come a long way through the forest. Really, really far. So much so that he was already past the center - he had gone around it, of course... he still didn''t have the guts to go through it - and he was approaching the outer parts of the forest at the other end.


    Hunting was harder than ever. Because... most of the animals and creatures that saw him ran away from him. During this month, he had learned to conceal himself quite well and to approach his target from behind, of course... but it still wasn''t enough.


    Because the number of animals had also dwindled considerably.


    The relatively weak predators of the forest, such as wolves, goblins, creatures that resembled overgrown squirrels... everywhere he went, he was committing a kind of genocide on these species.


    The maximum lifespan the curse had reached was eighty-eight hours, but it had already dropped into the sixties as he found nothing to kill these days.


    He raised his hands, looked at his palms.


    He wasn''t sure if he could find anything out there to kill. But... he couldn''t stay here forever either.


    There was only one reason he had waited until now. And that was... to wait for things to calm down.


    ''But that''s enough, isn''t it?''


    A month... he could come out now, he didn''t think he needed to hide in the forest. Besides, coming out from the other side of the forest, he could present himself as someone completely independent of the palace.


    ''I was traveling with a group of merchants, we were attacked by bandits, but I managed to escape into the forest amidst all the commotion. Then I lost my way, I wandered around for almost a week and finally found a way out of the forest.''


    That was the story in his head. Bandits were quite common, the world was also full of merchants who were not well known. So... it was the most perfect story he could think of.


    He took a deep breath in and out.


    He was strong now. Stronger, at least, than before.


    He was much faster, much stronger than he had been a month ago. Although... his body wasn''t in the best shape as food and water were a bit hard to come by, but he could still feel the difference.


    And then there was this... power, which he had learned to use better. Now, he could use it for longer. And when he learned to control it a bit, he discovered new ways to use it.


    He was pretty wounded, though... his body was full of scratches, cuts, and bruises. It wasn''t easy hunting and trying to kill things all the time.


    But he wasn''t in such a bad shape. As long as he didn''t break any bones, he didn''t mind getting hurt, and he had been successful so far.


    And, now...


    His thoughts were interrupted by a sprinkle of rain falling right in the middle of his forehead.


    ''Ah...''


    He looked up at the clouds. Then, another drop fell on his face.


    ''First... I have to avoid this.''


    *******


    The sound of lightning strikes echoed in his ears, as if they were going to split the sky and the earth where they fell. The winds had picked up speed and were constantly changing direction. The rain was coming down so fast and so abundant that the soil could hardly absorb it, even though he was in a forest.


    It was one of the worst storms he had ever seen.


    Well, it''s not that he hadn''t encountered similar ones... he had even had to work under storms when he was a little boy. But this was... different. Different in so many ways.


    Still, it wasn''t too bad. He had cut down a few trees with some difficulty, dragged and lifted them a little, even though his arms felt like they were going to fall off, and created a quite primitive artificial shelter for himself. He was surrounded by tall trees so he didn''t have to worry about lightnings. Rain and wind weren''t much of a problem either as he was close to the ground and in dense bushes.


    He just had to wait for the storm to pass.


    Still... there was an uneasiness inside him.


    He looked at the three tree barks above him, then reached out his hands. He took a few drops of water that dripped between them in his palms, then drew them to himself.


    He had already taken a few sips of water this way. His purpose this time was... different from drinking.


    ''Somehow... it feels familiar.''


    The water in his palms, the gusts of wind, even the lightning... everything about this storm felt familiar.


    He continued to study it for a while, doing nothing, just looking. He used his senses to the fullest.


    And, finally... something came to him.


    He focused on his heart, creating a warmth there, as he did when he wanted to strengthen himself. Then, he focused on this warmth.


    He was right.


    ''This storm... resembles the warmth that strengthens me.''


    He dispersed the warmth, spread his hands apart, and let the water just spill onto the ground. Many things were going through his mind. Yet it was clear what the foremost was.


    ''It''s not natural, someone or something is causing this.''


    But why? He didn''t know the answer to that question.


    He focused on the other thought inside him.


    He was... a little afraid. Whatever it was that could cause such a storm was definitely not good. To think that such things could exist was... frightening.


    But it was also exciting. Because...


    ''Can I also become that strong?''


    This question was in his mind.


    Well... he was sure he couldn''t cause a storm in his lifetime. The curse he had in the first place was not fit for such a thing. He was only getting stronger as he took more and more lives... just that.


    But that was precisely why he hadn''t thrown away that excitement inside him.


    What if he managed to become overpowered by his curse? He still didn''t know what the curse was strengthening, but he thought it was something physical. And if that was true... even if he couldn''t create a storm, maybe he would have the strength to tear the palaces in two.


    That''s why the only change of expression on his face was the curling up of his lips.


    He dreamed of such a future, a future where no one could stand in his way, a future of absolute power.


    He didn''t care if it was impossible.


    That was his goal. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And he was ready to do anything to accomplish it.

 Chapter 31 - 31: A Strange Kid

    It took several hours for the storm to end. Finally, when the rains slowed and the lightning died down, Kael came out of his small shelter.


    He did not move randomly, as he often did. This time, he was heading towards a specific spot.


    And that was... outside the forest.


    As he walked, he made sure to pay attention to his surroundings. So he was able to sense movement.


    When he first entered the forest, the outermost layer was dominated by wolves. But on this side... things were a little different. Here, there was a more ruthless, more powerful species than the wolves.


    Goblins.


    But... Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Haaa..."


    Kael pulled his dagger out from under his clothes, which was hardly enough to be called a clothing.


    This one month had not been kind to his clothes. But his dagger... it was different. It was really high quality, it didn''t feel dull no matter how much he used it, and it was extremely sturdy.


    After a deep sigh, he used his ''power'', creating a warmth in his chest. But he did not spread it all over his body. Carefully, step by step, he guided it to his legs. Then... he suddenly jumped out of his place.


    The goblins hiding in the bushes, planning to surprise attack him, didn''t even have a chance to react. Kael''s dagger went straight through the skull of the one in their midst. It took its life, and gave Kael another hour and a half to live.


    Kael acted quickly. He pulled his dagger out of the head of the goblin he had killed and swung it to his left, severing the head from the neck of the second goblin, whose eyes widened.


    The third goblin tried to attack him, stooping to tear his legs apart with hands that had only three fingers. Kael, however, stepped back slightly and stepped on the goblin. After pinning it to the ground, he placed his foot on its head, which he smashed without hesitation.


    His face was expressionless as four and a half hours were thus added to his life. He looked at the goblins'' bodies with disgust as the warmth he had sent to his legs disappeared.


    They were like little children. But... they were too savage. So much so that Kael couldn''t help but be disgusted by them.


    He really would have tried to wipe them out if he could. But... the goblins hid really well. They were hard to find, except for those intent on attacking him.


    ''Anyway...''


    He left their bodies and continued on his way.


    Finally, after about forty minutes of walking, he noticed that the trees had become extremely sparse some distance ahead and his eyes widened.


    He quickened his pace, almost ran. He passed one last tree, and then... his eyes widened again. His lips curled upwards as he looked excitedly at the landscape in front of him.


    Everything he had seen for the last month was... trees. There were trees everywhere and he was getting bored.


    And now... for the first time, there was something other than trees in front of him.


    In front of him was a vast plain. He could see the mountains rising far ahead, there was even a long river that caught his eye.


    But, more importantly...


    ''This is...''


    In the distance was a town that didn''t seem to mind the rain at all.


    ''A town!''


    Suddenly, his face lit up. Because... the most perfect scenario had happened.


    Kael didn''t want to go to an extremely small village, there was nothing he could do by going to such a place.


    But... he couldn''t get into one of the big cities in his condition. He was penniless and he was sure that nothing good would happen to him if he went into a place like that. He didn''t think they''d let him into a place like that anyway, at least not with the way he looked now...


    He needed a town that was not too big, but not too small either.


    The town in front of his eyes met his requirements.


    Kael didn''t wait any longer. With quick steps, he made his way towards the town he had seen. It was only a few kilometers away, anyway. Even if he went slowly, it wouldn''t take him long to get there.


    But Kael didn''t care, on the contrary, he sped up even more. He couldn''t shake the excitement, entering a town would be a whole new experience for him and he was... curious. Up to this point in his life, he had always worked, he had never been in a city or town. Even when he went somewhere else, he usually traveled in the dark, on the back of a cart. Now, it was different!


    And so, in the light rain, he went on without stopping.


    *******


    Ahkan was a man who had reached the age of twenty-five without ever leaving the town where he was born. Unlike most people, he had never had big dreams in his life, not even as a child. The only thing he always wanted was... to live an ordinary life. Nothing more, nothing less.


    And... he lived an ordinary life. The only important thing in his life was his child from his marriage.


    And... the job he worked to support his family.


    It was a very simple job. He was a guard of the town where he lived since the day he was born. He had a good body, so he never suffered any hardship. He was given a task every day and he did it.


    And today''s task was... patrolling around the town.


    He sighed softly in the rain.


    It was a boring day, just like every other one. But he wasn''t complaining. He would rather have a boring, uneventful day like this than a tedious one. As long as he finished the day and got paid, he didn''t really care what he did.


    ''I''ve been walking around for almost two hours, it''s time to change shifts.''


    With that thought, he paused, looking away.


    He wanted to check one last time. Because of the storm, creatures and some dangerous animals could come out of the forest and make their way to the town, which was why he was circling a little wider than usual.


    His eyes were scanning the whole area when he suddenly stopped.


    "Huh...?"


    Had he seen it wrong...?


    He turned back to where he was looking only a few seconds ago, narrowing his eyes.


    "Oh..."


    No, he was not mistaken. There was a figure in the distance approaching the spot where he was.


    "A goblin?"


    Ahkan didn''t have very good eyesight, his eyes were a bit bad. Especially with something approaching from so far away.


    He reached for the sword at his waist, unsheathed it, and got ready. With slow steps, he walked towards the figure. He would have had no difficulty taking down a simple goblin. But he was still cautious. He had never taken his job lightly and never would.


    So, he kept his focus, and the figure that approached him became clearer and clearer. And then...


    "A... human?"


    Yes, what approached looked like a person.


    But... he didn''t look like a human being at the same time.


    He could have been a boy of about fourteen. And as he got closer, he could see more clearly that he was not in a good condition. His clothes were in such bad shape that he was better off not wearing them, not even slaves wore something so tattered. His hair was dirty and long as if it had not been cleaned for weeks.


    And yet...


    "Is he smiling?"


    He gripped his sword tighter. He was sure that what was in front of him was a creature that looked human. Why would someone smile in a situation like this? But, then...


    "Heeeey!"


    His eyebrows widened at the boy''s voice, his grip on his sword loosened a little involuntarily. But he recovered quickly. There were only ten meters between him and the boy now, and he had finally slowed down and almost stopped. He was looking directly at him.


    Ahkan did not hesitate to point his sword at him, his eyes were sharp.


    "Who are you?"


    The boy didn''t look scared as he looked at the sword in his hand. But the smile had disappeared from his face. He looked a little more serious now.


    "I am not a creature, my name is Kael. I was with a... merchant group, but we were attacked by bandits!"


    Ahkan raised his eyebrows.


    "Your clothes are simply too worn for someone fleeing from bandits."


    The boy nodded in agreement. His eyes flickered for a moment, perhaps they would have teared up if he forced them to.


    "It''s because I''ve been walking through the forest for a week! I... I have a bad sense of direction."


    Ahkan was surprised. Because... he was sure that such a boy could not survive in the forest. Even if he hadn''t gone too far into the interior parts, it was surprising that he hadn''t been killed by a group of goblins or wolves.


    That is... if he was really telling the truth.


    And Ahkan had good reason not to believe the boy.


    "No one in their right mind would try to come here when the kingdom has just fallen. Rebellions keep breaking out and the cities are not safe."


    No one had time to trade.


    Everyone was in fear for their lives.


    The only reason this small town was relatively quiet was because it was far away from all the turmoil.


    "We were just passing through the kingdom... Arcanoa was not our destination."


    ''Oh, that... actually makes sense...''


    The kingdom''s location was central. So, many trade routes passed through it.


    How had he forgotten that... was he just looking for a reason to doubt the boy in front of him?


    ''Does it make sense for me to be so suspicious of a boy of fourteen?''


    Like everyone else, he must have been trying to survive. Which... he was clearly trying very hard to do.


    "Haaah..."


    Ahkan finally lowered his sword, sheathed it with a sigh. He took one last look at the boy, then turned back to the town.


    "I was just finishing my patrol, ugh..."


    He paused, scratching his chin with one hand, his eyes shifting slightly to his right.


    "Kael."


    "Right, Kael. Follow me, enter the town. But after that, I can''t do anything."


    The boy''s lips curved upwards slightly in gratitude. Only two words came out of his mouth.


    "Thank you."


    Ahkan said nothing else. There was only one thing running through his mind.


    ''What a strange kid...''

 Chapter 32 - 32: The Orphanage’s Offer

    Kael studied the guard as he followed close behind him on patrol.


    He must have been in his mid-twenties. Maybe late twenties. He had black hair cut very short and green eyes. He had a well-built body but... a short body. It was obvious that he was one of the guards, for he was wearing light armor and a small crest.


    But it was none of this that caught Kael''s attention.


    Even though his back was turned, the man''s attention was still on him. As if... as if he was ready to jump or protect himself if he tried something wrong.


    ''He didn''t trust me completely.''


    It would have been absurd for him to trust, frankly... so he didn''t really care. But it had caught his attention.


    He lowered his eyes to the sword hanging at his waist. He remembered again what had happened a few minutes ago.


    When the sword had been pointed at him, a strange feeling had come over him. As if... as if the person in front of him was his enemy. His reflexes had suddenly kicked in, forcing his body to prepare for any attack. He sensed that the man had hostile intentions for him.


    Was it a habit he had picked up in the forest? He was not sure. Though, in the end, he managed to suppress his feelings and himself, and he communicated with the man properly.


    This time, however, another question arose in his mind.


    What if... if they were to fight...?


    The man in front of him was a normal human being. He wasn''t sure how he knew, but he could feel it, he didn''t have any blessings or curses.


    Before, he had thought that no matter how strong he had been in the forest, in his current state, normal adults would be able to defeat him.


    But looking at the man in front of him... he didn''t feel that way. At the very beginning, when he had drawn his sword, the feeling that had grown inside him had told him to fight, not run.


    He sighed deeply, pushing such thoughts out of his mind. He didn''t want to think such things about someone who was not his enemy.


    And...


    "Ahkan?"


    He finally tore his eyes away from the guard walking in front of him and focused them even further forward.


    They were right in front of the entrance to the town now. And... there were two other guards in front of them.


    They were both looking in Kael''s direction.


    "Who is this guy?"


    "He''s a kid who''s been trying to survive in the woods for a week, at least that''s what he said..."


    The two guards let their eyes linger on him for a moment. Then, they looked at each other, and then... back at the man called Ahkan.


    "It''s even more likely that it''s just some kid you spawned out of nothing..."


    Ahkan rolled his eyes.


    "It is, but it couldn''t be more unrelated. Anyway... I won''t bother too much, I''ll probably leave him at the orphanage for a while. Then he can go on his way."


    The guards said no more, stepping out of the way for Ahkan and Kael to enter the town. And so the duo made their way into the town.


    The first thing Kael noticed was... the houses were quite disorganized. Unlike the buildings in the palace, there was no ''order'' here. They had left a few slightly wider roads for the carriages to pass, and these formed the streets. But... the position of the houses was still strange.


    Even the houses themselves were strange! Most of them seemed to be made of wood. Some were a mixture of stone, clay, and mud. There was plenty of variety, but they all had one thing in common. And that was... none of them were of above average quality.


    ''I think it''s normal...''


    This was not a palace, after all. Nor was it an extremely large city. It was just... a town of some size. No more, no less.


    After the buildings, the people were next.


    Kael could see a few people walking along the road, coming out of houses or shops. Just like the houses, the quality of their clothes was generally not that good.


    Oh, and... for some reason, they were looking at him as if he was an animal they were seeing for the first time in their lives.


    It was a very... strange feeling.


    "Stop."


    He stopped in an instant. He turned his eyes to the building they were standing in front of.


    It was made of wood. It looked big compared to the other buildings in the town, even three stories high. On top of that, it even had a small area that could be used as a garden. There was writing on the door, but Kael couldn''t read, so he didn''t focus on it.


    "This is...?"


    "The only orphanage in town. You can try to reach out to your family if they have survived, you can choose to stay here, you can choose to leave and make your own life... or whatever you want to do. It''s up to you from here."


    Kael nodded in understanding. He hadn''t thought he would have so many options. In fact... he had believed that he would probably have to run away. If he could leave on his own, he would gladly accept that.


    But, right now, he needed a clean change of clothes.


    "Follow me, again."


    When Ahkan walked towards the building, he snapped out of his thoughts and started to follow him again. When he opened the door without knocking, he thought he might be someone well-known in the orphanage, but he didn''t think much of it. Instead... he looked at the interior design of the building.


    But, before he could do that, the first thing he noticed was a herd of children looking at them with great curiosity. Most probably... they were playing. Because a few of them were on the ground, and a few others were just staring blankly, as if they had been chasing the others and froze in place when they saw the intruders.


    "Hi, guys."


    At the sound of Ahkan''s voice, the children''s eyes widened. A few of them suddenly started running backwards, out of the building''s rather large entrance hall and into a room. The ones who stayed inside were relatively older than the ones who ran away.


    "Where is Jenne?"


    The question was answered quickly, but not by the children... but by the stairs leading upstairs.


    "I''m here."


    Kael quickly turned his eyes to the stairs. Then, he saw a woman in her forties coming down the stairs. Her face was wrinkled and her brown hair was in a bun. She had a slight, sweet smile on her face.


    As she descended the stairs, her eyes focused first on Ahkan, then on Kael, who was right behind her.


    "Oh, a new child?"


    Ahkan moved out of Kael''s way.


    "He''ll tell you his story, I met him on patrol. You guys can handle it... right?"


    The woman named Jenne nodded in agreement. And Ahkan sighed. He turned away quickly, as if he didn''t want to deal with it any further, though he gave Kael one last glance before leaving.


    He said nothing. Kael didn''t say anything either. Ahkan just walked out, closing the door behind him. His work here was done, he had more work to do.


    "Why don''t you come upstairs with me?"


    She pointed to the stairs and Kael nodded meekly. The smile on her face widened.


    "Follow me."


    She didn''t look at any of the children as she started back up the stairs she had come down. Kael found this strange, but he followed her anyway. Another thing he noticed as they went upstairs together... the orphanage was very quiet.


    He had expected the orphanage to be a little... louder. Had he thought wrong?


    ''Anyway...''


    When they finally reached the second floor, they entered a very large space with many doors. The woman went to the door directly opposite the stairs. She entered a room with only a large table and many cupboards.


    "You can close the door."


    Kael closed the door as he was told as the woman moved to the table. When he turned around, the woman was looking at him with a slight smile, as she had done so far.


    "Don''t stand, you can sit down."


    She gestured to the two chairs in front of the table. Kael gladly accepted. Then, the woman took out something like a piece of paper from under the table.


    "First of all... what is your name? How old are you?"


    "Kael, I am two months away from sixteen."


    The woman nodded, keeping her smile. Still, she looked a little surprised.


    She picked up a pen and scribbled a little on the paper she had taken out. Then, this time, she focused completely on Kael.


    "Now... tell me your story."


    Kael told her exactly what he had told Ahkan. Only this time he gave a little more detail. He had to convince the woman in front of him, after all.


    And... when he finished, he wasn''t sure if he had done that.


    "I more or less understand."


    The woman stopped writing on a piece of paper on the table, put down the pen, and clasped her hands together.


    "You will be considered an adult in two months, Kael. And if you want to stay in the orphanage as an adult, you have to work. But... you can also choose not to stay in the orphanage at all in the first place. If you choose the latter, I can at least give you some clean clothes, but no more than that. What do you want to do?"


    Kael had already decided.


    "I... don''t want to stay in the orphanage."


    The woman did not seem surprised. On the contrary, she nodded in understanding. But, she still tried.


    "You are a calm boy. You managed to survive a week in the forest. You''re always looking around, you don''t seem to make rash decisions. And you''ll be an adult in two months... If you belong to a merchant group, you must know something about the world."


    Actually... no, he didn''t.


    But the woman in front of him didn''t need to know that either.


    So he kept silent.


    "If you want, you can stay here for two months and then leave. I''m not forcing you, but it would be the most sensible option."


    If he was a normal person, if his story was really true, that would have been the most logical option indeed.


    But there was something she didn''t know, even if she meant well.


    Kael was not a normal person.


    He was someone who had to take lives constantly, and if he didn''t, he would lose his own life.


    So... he couldn''t waste time in an orphanage like this.


    His work in this town was different.


    "Thank you for your offer, but I will decline." S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And that was the last thing he said about it.

 Chapter 33 - 33: In a Strange Town

    Kael couldn''t help the smile on his face as he put on his new clothes. Not only that, he had bathed!


    He had been in such a bad state for a month that just two minutes under water and new clothes made him feel like he had stepped into paradise. He was extremely satisfied and happy.


    The clothes he was wearing were a bit too big for him, but he couldn''t complain because he couldn''t find anything more suitable here. It was a brown colored, plain outfit. It was also a bit thick. So, he would be less affected by the cold weather.


    And that was it. He had no further business with the orphanage. It was time to go his own way.


    With a smile on his face, he was about to head towards the stairs leading down when he suddenly paused. His lips flattened and his eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly turned to his right. Then... he looked into one of the rooms, the door of which was already closed.


    Through a very thin crack, he could see a few eyes looking at him.


    He lowered his guard as his eyebrows rose slightly. He had reflexively searched for some animal or creature to attack him as he felt himself being watched, but... it was only a moment before he remembered that he was no longer in the forest.


    Kael sighed again. Ignoring the children who were shying away from him, he made his way to the stairs. He went down in silence. He expected to go out, to go his own way, to pay no attention to anyone.


    But... he paused when he saw the tiny crowd standing in front of the door. Seven children were blocking his way.


    His eyebrows raised even higher as the one who seemed to be the oldest of them took a step towards him. She was a girl with dark green hair and brown eyes, about a year or two younger than him.


    She smiled slightly, then held out her hand towards Kael.


    "I''m Miny, the oldest child in the orphanage. Although... I guess I won''t be anymore."


    Kael looked briefly at the outstretched hand. He shook hands with the girl without saying anything, and then she spoke again.


    "The other children are a bit... shy. Forgive them."


    Kael tilted his head slightly to the side. He didn''t really want to spoil her mood. But... he had no intention of continuing this misunderstanding.


    In any case, the desire to get out outweighed the desire to deal with his peers.


    "Thank you for your concern. But let there be no misunderstanding. I... will not stay here."


    He saw her frown slightly, then look surprised. The other children watching behind her had the same reaction.


    "Oh... you know someone in town?"


    "No."


    "So... your parents are alive and you''re going to go to them?"


    "No."


    "Do you... want to die, then?"


    "No."


    She asked nothing more. With each question, her brow furrowed more and more, and she looked at Kael as if he were an enemy.


    "I will only go my own way."


    And with that one sentence from Kael, she finally paused, as if the pieces in her mind had fallen into place.


    "Oh, then you''ll be back again soon..."


    She spoke so confidently that this time it was Kael who frowned. But before he could respond, she retreated to the side of the road she had blocked. The other children, who had been watching in surprise, were a little delayed in their reaction, but they did the same.


    "See you soon!"


    Kael looked at the smile on the girl''s face, at how confident she was, and for some reason... he felt his nerves breaking down. But he didn''t say anything, didn''t answer. He walked out of the orphanage with quick steps and closed the door without looking back.


    He was coming back, huh...


    No, he had no such plans. Her words weren''t even something he should care about, frankly.


    Still, he couldn''t stop his eyes from twitching slightly. He clenched his fists lightly as he started walking randomly in the still drizzling rain.


    He was absolutely annoyed that she was so sure of herself!


    It was as if... as if... she was sure that he couldn''t survive in this town on his own! And with all this attitude, she had killed Kael''s mood.


    He had managed to get out of a palace that had ended a kingdom, he had talked to a dying king despite being a slave, he had survived for a month despite the constant threat of his heart stopping... and he had many more achievements.


    Would he be afraid of a town like this...? Would a town like this make him go back to the orphanage...?


    ''She doesn''t know anything.''


    And as the thought crossed his mind, he paused, his furrowed brow straightening again as he stared straight ahead in the drizzle.


    Now, just thinking about it... why was he so angry?


    Just as he had said, the girl knew nothing.


    No one knew anything about him.


    It was quite normal for them to believe that a scrawny person like him would have difficulty surviving...


    ''That''s why that old woman was so calm, isn''t it? She''s also sure I''ll come back, just like that girl...''


    He inhaled deeply, then exhaled the same way.


    He was calm now.


    And yet... he couldn''t stop a certain thought from passing through him.


    ''Challenge accepted.''


    He would show the woman and the girl that he could survive without the need for an orphanage. He would knock on their door for the last time before he left this town and thank them for the clothes and the shower. He would appear in front of them in brand new clothes and show them that he had not failed to survive at all.


    His lips curled up slightly as he started walking again. This time, however, instead of moving randomly, he studied his surroundings.


    The reason he was looking for a town in the first place was simple. To earn some money, to be able to provide for himself before moving on to bigger cities.


    And there was one simple thing he could do to do that. Something that would also help him satisfy his curse permanently.


    Becoming a mercenary.


    Even as a slave, there were certain things he knew about the world. For example... merchants often used mercenaries for protection. And mercenaries were not that rare. It was a job.


    Well... it was a job usually taken up by the extremely weak in an effort to survive. People like those with a blessing or a curse would join guilds, become recognized by their country, and become much more important... like real knights. Mercenaries were therefore often made up of people who were used to be put to death.


    However, if they survived, they were still paid.


    And that was Kael''s only option.


    Of course, there was only one big problem with that...


    Kael did not know how to become a mercenary. He couldn''t read what was written on the buildings because he was illiterate.


    That''s why he was observing his surroundings carefully. He wanted to find a building where someone who looked like a mercenary had entered or exited, so that he could continue with his plan.


    And as he kept looking around, he was also learning more and more about the town.


    For example... it seemed to be a bigger town than he thought. It didn''t look like it from the outside, but once inside... he couldn''t help feeling like he couldn''t reach the end.


    And he no longer felt the strange stares. With clean clothes and a cleaner body, he looked like one of the locals. So, he was much more comfortable.


    The only problem was...


    ''This is... strange.''


    As he continued to watch the town, he began to feel really strange. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had never felt anything like this in the mansion of Musthar, the king''s brother, nor in the palace. The people here were... strange.


    ''For some reason, there are very few people who communicate, no... who interact directly with each other.''


    When he thought of the guard named Ahkan talking to the others, of the children in the orphanage, he thought it was the opposite. People were nicer than he thought, there were even some who wanted to help him...


    But was it not like that for everyone, perhaps?


    Was it just coincidence or luck that the people he met were good?


    He kept looking around, paying attention to people.


    But it was still strange. They... almost seemed to ignore each other completely for the most part.


    Still, after a short time of thinking, he didn''t dwell on this strangeness too much. After all... he used to be a slave who knew very little about the world. Well, even if the first part was no longer true, the last part still remained the same. He had no idea how much normal people talked to each other, or how seriously they took each other.


    So, as hard as it was, he tried to immerse himself in this strangeness and kept looking for what he wanted.


    And after a short while... his lips curled upwards.


    A group of three men caught his eye. As he looked at them, wearing light armor and weapons, with obvious wounds on visible parts of their bodies and carrying sacks with a slightly red bottom, Kael could only think of one thing.


    They were mercenaries.


    Kael tagged along behind the group. He walked with them to the other side of the city and then saw them enter a building.


    He focused on the sign on the building. Even if he couldn''t read it, he at least tried to memorize what it looked like. Then, he nodded to himself, took a deep breath, and walked slowly into the building.


    The first thing he encountered when he entered... was the smell of blood and alcohol mixed together. And the eyes of countless people, sitting at countless tables, turning towards him at once.

 Chapter 34 - 34: Three Merceneries

    Kael felt himself tense for a moment.


    His purpose in coming here was simple. He would show that he was capable despite his age because he was sure that he was at least as strong as the adults, then he would become an individual mercenary and perform tasks in exchange for payment.


    It wasn''t that he didn''t expect a problem. There were really many things that could go wrong. For example, no one might accept him because he was still a child, or even worse, they might neutralize him, make him a slave again, and sell him to a random person.


    But he had high faith that he could escape. Because... he was sure that with the ''power'' he could use, he could be more agile than any normal adult. Things would change, of course, if he met someone with a blessing or a curse like him.


    But no one here was like that.


    He didn''t know why, but he could truly feel it.


    Not only here, but no one within a certain distance was like that. Everyone was just... normal people. And that''s why he was confident. He would take his chances, and if he failed... he could always run away into the forest again.


    That''s why he decided to make this almost ''stupid'' move. He was confident in himself, he was sure he could survive even if something unfortunate happened.


    Still... the dozens of eyes on him, the strange smell of blood and alcohol mixed together made him nervous. Of course, he couldn''t show it on the outside.


    A second passed in silence, then two. The eyes focused on him slowly withdrew and people returned their attention to their own tables. Even if a few still looked at him, the building had once again become a space independent of him.


    Kael looked around. At the other end of the room, on the other side of the tables, there was a counter where three people were pouring alcohol into glasses. But Kael''s eyes were not on the glasses. On the contrary... they were on the three people he had seen enter a few minutes earlier. They had left the sacks they were carrying on the counter. One of the employees was checking what was in them.


    Kael approached them quietly. He lined up behind them. Watching and listening to what was happening while no one was aware of his presence.


    "The number of creatures in the forest has dwindled, it was much harder to find goblins for some reason."


    It was the old man at the front who spoke. His words were answered by the woman checking the contents of the sack.


    "Everyone who has been cleaning goblins for the last three days says the same thing. Someone went overboard and killed more than usual, probably."


    Kael didn''t react when he heard what was being said, but he knew he was to blame. After all, he had arrived on this side of the forest exactly four days ago. He had been killing goblins for that long.


    Had he done something wrong...?


    "They reproduce quite fast, so it will be fine. Their numbers will probably multiply in a few days. Don''t worry too much."


    So it wasn''t that bad at all...


    "The count is confirmed."


    The woman sealed the last sack she had checked and put it somewhere behind her. Then, she took something out from under her workbench and put it on the table.


    What she left on the counter was... money. Three coins with an orangish color.


    "Your payment is three bronze cali."


    The man nodded and took the three bronze kali from the counter. Meanwhile, Kael was thinking.


    ''One sack is worth one bronze cali, then... Although what exactly was in the sack? Creature parts...?''


    While he was lost in thought, the group of three in front of him turned around. But before they moved forward and bumped into Kael, they stopped, their gaze shifting slightly downwards.


    Kael looked up to meet their gaze. He did not look away as the three men in front of him stared at him. Then, he slowly stepped aside, giving way to them.


    The three men continued to stare at him. They studied his clothes, his appearance. But, after a short time, they moved on without saying anything.


    It was a strange moment. He didn''t understand why the men were so focused on him, waiting to leave.


    But he didn''t care, he didn''t even turn around and give them a second look. He approached the woman and met her blue eyes looking at him. Her black hair was pulled back behind her head and she was dressed in the clothes of the common people.


    The woman tilted her head slightly to the side. Looking at Kael curiously, she finally spoke.


    "Are you looking for something?"


    Kael shook his head from side to side. He went straight to the point, speaking in a low voice so that no one could hear him.


    "I... want to be a mercenary."


    The woman''s eyebrows rose slightly. Yet her expression was still cold and straight.


    "You will die on the first task you attempt to complete."


    That was what she deduced from Kael''s estimated age, from his frail body. They lived in a dangerous world. It was impossible for a boy who didn''t know what he was doing to survive as a mercenary.


    "I won''t."


    "I''ve seen a lot of kids who talk confidently and then never show up again. They were all like you, kids who didn''t look a day over fifteen with a frail body. Some were chasing impossible dreams, some had no choice, some were bored."


    She looked into Kael''s eyes. Someone''s eyes could tell a lot about themselves. As someone who had worked in a mercenary branch, she had seen this to be true many times.


    The boy in front of him was... determined.


    No, not just determined. He was much more than that. He certainly had admirable eyes.


    The only problem was... his body couldn''t handle that determination and confidence.


    "I have nothing to lose."


    But... she had no intention of stopping him.


    She had tried her chance once, if the boy in front of her was still determined to run to his death... why keep trying?


    "You remember the sacks the guys who just got paid brought, right?"


    Kael nodded in confirmation. Then the woman reached under the counter, pulled out a single sack, and held it out in front of the boy in front of her.


    "Ten goblins, time limit three days. For me to verify that you have killed the goblins, you will cut off their right ear and bring them here. If you manage to kill ten of them within the time limit, I can register you as a recruit."


    This was standard procedure, nothing special for Kael. If he wanted to become at least a recruit level mercenary, he had to kill ten goblins within three days.


    Kael quickly grabbed the sack from the counter, tucking it between his clothes.


    "Is there anything else I should know?"


    The woman shook her head from side to side.


    There was nothing anyone who wasn''t actually a mercenary needed to know yet. To learn more, he had to be a real one first.


    "Thank you."


    And he turned around, as if nothing had happened, preparing to leave the building.


    The woman watched him until he left the building. Her expression did not change even once. There was nothing going through her mind.


    As she had told Kael, she was used to kids like him coming in and never showing up again. Why should she expect anything different from him?


    *******


    Kael was surprised.


    ''Ten goblins... and in three days?''


    The time he needed to kill ten goblins was not even a minute. Well, finding them was going to be a bit of a problem, of course...


    But wasn''t being a mercenary a little too easy?


    ''Did she pity me because I''m still a kid? She also tried to talk me out of it, although she didn''t try very hard...''


    Or maybe that was the general procedure for kids instead of her pitying him.


    ''Well, whatever...''


    He was not going to complain. Even though he was surprised, it suited him.


    ''I''ll complete it in one day.''


    That''s what he thought as he made his way through the forest. He would return to the building with ten goblin ears, register as a mercenary, and then earn money.


    So far... everything was as he wanted. He hadn''t encountered any problems.


    His lips curled up slightly as he looked up at the sky.


    The rain had stopped drizzling, the dark clouds were slowly dissipating. The storm was over.


    But then...


    "Ah!"


    He paused as he bumped into something, taking a few steps back. As he patted his nose with his left hand, he slowly turned his eyes in front of him.


    What he found in front of him were... three men. The men who had spoken to the employee in the building before him. All three had a slight smile on their faces.


    "Hello, kid."


    Kael slowly took his hand away from his nose and looked at the man who had spoken to him.


    Just like in the building, he was the one talking here. Thanks to a few scars and the wrinkles of old age, his face had a stern look. His rather short black hair was graying in places, but other than that, he had no features that could be called ''old''. He was tall, his body was muscular.


    "You want to be a mercenary, don''t you?"


    Kael said nothing, just nodded his head slightly. He didn''t even blink his eyes.


    The smile on the man''s face widened slightly at Kael''s answer.


    "Then... why don''t you come with us? We''re already looking for a fourth for our group..."


    There was a short silence between them. The man just kept looking at Kael, and Kael kept looking at him. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then...


    "Sure."


    He accepted their offer with a cold, straight face.


    The smile on the men''s faces grew wider.

 Chapter 35 - 35: The Worth of Human Life

    Hurka was an old man who had spent his entire life struggling to survive. He had never known his family, he had spent his childhood stealing on the streets, and when he grew up... he became the dog of a random gang. He had spent years as a bandit, and when an unfortunate incident had led to the break-up of the gang, he had ended up as a mercenary.


    His life was still not much better. Even though he was approaching his fifties, he was still struggling to survive. Every day, he had to run after creatures like filthy goblins, putting his life in danger.


    Well... goblins were not that dangerous creatures for him. But still, if he made a mistake, he could be seriously injured and his life could end. So he took his job seriously and hated it as much as he did.


    Every now and then, however, good opportunities came his way and he could get away from goblins and other creatures for a short time.


    He still had a few connections from his time as a bandit, so he could use them when he had materials.


    And one of those materials was... people.


    Or rather, slaves, who were no longer called people. There was a lot more money in human trafficking than in mercenary work.


    The only problem was... it was always difficult to find the right people and get past the security.


    But today was his lucky day! He had found a boy who had no family or had run away from them. He had met a brat with mistaken dreams, a kid who had no idea what the world was like.


    Young people always sold better. It would have been nicer if it had been a girl, of course... But he didn''t really care. Why should he?


    "What''s your name, buddy?"


    He smiled at the boy, or rather his walking money, that he had taken in among his coworkers. He didn''t want to scare him off right away.


    The only problem was...


    "Kael."


    For some reason, this boy didn''t seem shy at all. His eyes were narrowed, sharp. His expression was straight, cold. His voice was monotone, emotionless. Hurka didn''t even remember his eyes blinking, as if all his focus was on him.


    It was a bit scary, to be honest.


    But he was a scrawny kid. Why should he be afraid of him, right?


    "Kael! It''s a beautiful name."


    He was serious about it. He really liked the boy''s name, it sounded good to him.


    "Aren''t we going into the forest?"


    Oh, that''s right. This kid... he was as naive as he was weird.


    "My friends and I just got back from there. So let''s go to our place first, sharpen our weapons. Right?"


    When the boy nodded, he widened his smile without looking in his direction. This kid... he really was an idiot!


    "Come over here, we''ll take a shortcut between those buildings and go to the other street."


    And so, they entered the dark space between the two buildings. This was a famous place. Many thieves and bandits used to do their dirty work between these buildings. Even the smell of blood in the air was ominous.


    But he didn''t care.


    When he was far enough away, Hurka slowed his steps... and then stopped. In the middle of a deep silence, he turned around, his smile widening even more.


    Two of his colleagues were right behind the boy, keeping him from running away. Hurka himself was more than enough to hold the front.


    Hurka didn''t say anything. He just looked at the expression on the face of the boy they had taken between them.


    "Hmm, why did we stop?"


    The boy''s question was really the question of a naive person.


    But... his expression was still emotionless, his eyes cold and sharp.


    As if... as if he really didn''t feel anything, as if he was an emotionless being.


    "I''m sorry, my young friend."


    Hurka slowly unsheathed the sword hanging at his waist. His two friends behind the boy did the same. Then, he pointed his sword at him.


    "Everyone is trying to survive, you know."


    He looked into the boy''s brown eyes. Even with three swords drawn on him, even surrounded by adults, he was still calm.


    But... it wasn''t just that.


    "Hmm..."


    He put his hand to his chin as if there was no threat in front of him, his eyes lost focus for a moment. He was really lost in thought.


    "Thinking about what will happen to you...? It won''t be much, you''ll just be sold as a slave. Nothing serious, right?"


    The boy''s fingers stroking his chin stopped, and his eyes suddenly regained their focus.


    "Hah, I guess you fina-"


    "Ah, no. I knew from the beginning."


    He paused for a moment at the boy''s words. He was too calm. So calm... as if he really knew what was going to happen to him from the very beginning.


    Then why had he naively followed them?


    Was he bluffing...?


    Hurka''s brow furrowed for the first time.


    Something was wrong.


    "It''s just... hearing the word slave struck me more than I thought it would."


    Hurka''s eyes involuntarily squinted and his muscles tensed as he saw the boy''s hand slowly move between his clothes.


    No, the person in front of him was a child... why was he reacting like this?


    But then... he saw what he was pulling out of his clothes.


    It was a dagger, a dagger with a shiny blade. It was between twenty and twenty-five centimeters long, inlaid with gold.


    It was one of the finest daggers Hurka had ever seen.


    No... it was directly the best quality.


    But instead of being frightened, a big smile appeared on his face.


    He had become rich! How could he have known that the boy in front of him could have such a thing? Forget human trafficking, that dagger alone must have been worth a fortune!


    So what if he had a strange demeanor? He was still just a scrawny kid! His weight alone was enough to crush him!


    "Let''s get this over with, kid."


    His mouth was watering. He wanted to get his hands on that dagger, and fast!


    He gripped his sword tightly, ready to strike. He would kill the boy in one fell swoop, take the dagger, and spend the rest of his life in money!


    But...


    "Ah, right..."


    The boy''s words echoed in his ears, then his eyes widened.


    He saw a change in his brown eyes, like... a glow. A tiny glow with a silvery color.


    Then he saw the same glow around his body. It was almost impossible to see it easily, he could only recognize it because he was in a dark alley.


    But... it was too late.


    ''Ah...''


    He felt time slowing down. The sword he swung at the boy felt as if he was underwater, and the eyes of his other two friends widened just as slowly.


    But... there was one person unaffected by all this slowing down.


    It was the boy in front of him.


    Despite everything, this scrawny boy appeared in front of him the next time he blinked his eyes. The dagger in his hand, worth a fortune, slowly approached his throat, and then he felt the warmth on his neck.


    Time suddenly sped up, returned to normal.


    He collapsed, losing the strength in his legs. He could only see the boy''s feet as his vision slowly blurred.


    He saw two of his friends running towards him, shouting. But the boy''s feet moved at a speed that was difficult to follow. It didn''t take a second for him to end up in front of his two friends, and then one of them collapsed as blood splattered on the wall to the left. The other managed to swing his sword successfully, but the boy easily dodged him. He simply plunged his dagger into his chest, right over his heart. Then he kicked him, causing him to fall to the ground too.


    As his world slowly darkened, Hurka finally realized his mistake.


    Why had he never thought that this boy had such a dagger? Why hadn''t he taken it seriously, even though he found the calmness in his tone and expression strange...


    But it was too late.


    So, as the life he loved more than anything else slipped through his hands, he could only hear one thing.


    "Is this really how much a human life is worth?"


    *******


    Kael focused on the chains around his heart, ignoring the three men he had just killed.


    But... all he could do in the face of what he felt was to narrow his eyes and sigh.


    "Is this really how much a human life is worth?"


    Three hours. He had gained three hours from each of the people he had killed. So he could now live nine hours more.


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    ''Three wolves. A human life is worth... only three wolves?''


    He put his hand on his chest, over the crown tattoo.


    ''That freak of a creature I met a month ago... has the same value to you as a human being?''


    But the curse was not sentient. So his question remained unanswered.


    Although... it wasn''t technically unanswered because he could literally feel the answer.


    He sighed deeply, bent down, and rubbed his dagger clean on the old man''s clothes. After making sure that there was no trace of blood on it, he put it back into his own.


    This time, he began to search the men.


    Yes, this had been his plan all along. That''s why he hadn''t refused the men''s offer.


    Both to see how much they could satisfy his curse and... to get some money from them.


    In the end, the total amount of money he could get from the three of them was six bronzes and three iron calis.


    As far as he knew, ten iron calis were worth one bronze cali. So he had a total of sixty-three iron calis.


    ''What was there afterwards? Silver, I think. Then... gold?''


    He had never seen a silver cali in his life and knew literally nothing about the rest.


    When he finished, he stood up, put the ''borrowed'' calis in a small pouch he found, and placed it in his clothes, just like his dagger.


    As he left the alley, he did not even look back at the bodies of the people he had killed.

 Chapter 36 - 36: An Another Test Mission

    "The count is correct, your payment is four bronze cali."


    Parcia said in her usual monotone, almost bored voice. She had been doing this job for years, working reception at the only mercenary branch in town.


    And it was a boring job. All day long, she dealt with the mercenaries who came in, paid them, and... had to endure their disgusting smell.


    After paying another mercenary, she let out a deep sigh. The long line in front of her was finally over. It looked like she wouldn''t have anyone to deal with for a while.


    So she could rest for a short while.


    But, then... she saw a dark figure out of the corner of her eye and paused.


    Her eyes slowly shifted to the short boy across the counter. She was so used to the mercenaries being adults that she didn''t notice him until he came up to the counter.


    "Ye-"


    Her words were interrupted as she focused on the boy in front of her. She remembered this boy. After all, he had come here only yesterday.


    ''Huh... did he fail and come to complain or something?''


    She had been in this situation a few times. Those who had barely escaped with their lives sometimes complained that the tasks were difficult and whined for a more ''fair'' one. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Who would have thought that yesterday''s determined, cold-eyed boy was one of them...?


    She was about to open her mouth and tell the boy to come back from wherever he came from when he used both hands to pick something up off the floor and put it on the counter.


    "Huh?"


    Parcia couldn''t help her eyes widening involuntarily as she looked at the sack in front of her with a confused expression.


    "H- huh...?!"


    With trembling hands, she pulled the sack to her, opened its mouth, and began to check its contents.


    ''Three, seven, twelve...''


    She couldn''t believe what she saw She looked again at the goblin ears and checked them once again, but... they were still there.


    It was no illusion. A scrawny boy who looked not even fourteen had killed twelve goblins... in a single day!


    "Did you really kill them...?"


    The boy raised his right eyebrow.


    "Yes, is there a problem?"


    "N- no... wait a moment please."


    She quickly turned around, left the boy where he was, and went to the door leading to the back of the building. She entered without a second thought and was met by the puzzled looks of other workers looking in her direction.


    But Parcia didn''t even look at them. Her eyes were on the person lying on a patched sofa across this rather large space, a giant of a man who looked to be in his forties. Despite his age, his black hair had never grayed. With a height of almost two meters and a well-built body, he was truly a giant compared to Parcia.


    "S- sir, I apologize for disturbing you..."


    The old man scratched his beard, then spoke curiously.


    "Go on."


    "A boy came in, he looks about fourteen and has a pretty scrawny body. He said he wanted to be a mercenary. I told him to come back after killing ten goblins in three days, but... he came back after killing twelve in a single day. What should we do?"


    Well... it actually wasn''t that big of a deal. Goblins were weak creatures. Like... really weak. Anyone with enough training could kill many more than twelve. At least they could as long as they were able to find them.


    Parcia reacted the way she did because the person who had done this seemed even weaker than the goblins. His small stature, his scrawny body, his age...


    The fact that a boy like him could kill twelve goblins in a monotonous way, without a scratch, made him valuable.


    If they nurtured this boy, he might become someone great. He was probably a talent they shouldn''t miss out on.


    That''s why she was here, in front of this giant of a man, whom she was actually quite afraid of.


    "Fourteen you say, hmm... Is the boy still here?"


    Parcia nodded quickly.


    The man''s lips curled slightly upwards. He got up from his sofa with a stretch. He stood up, all the joints in his body crunching one by one just by moving.


    "Good job, leave the rest to me."


    Parcia nodded softly and stepped aside. Then, the man slowly made his way through the path she had cleared to the counter where she had just been working.


    Finally, when he stepped outside... everyone inside the building who had been drinking and eating had stopped. All eyes were suddenly locked on him.


    And they weren''t the only ones.


    A young boy, who looked exactly as Parcia had described him, was standing right in front of the counter, looking at him like the others.


    "You want to be a mercenary, right?"


    The man quickly got to the point. And when the boy nodded without averting his eyes... his lips curled upwards slightly.


    "What is your name?"


    "Kael."


    "Kael! We have a similar name, I''m Laen. Nice to meet you."


    Kael didn''t say anything again, he simply nodded.


    "Don''t be so nervous, though... you''re joining us after all. At least that''s what you want, isn''t it?"


    The smile on the man''s face widened when he saw how serious the boy in front of him was, careful even though he had come to join them.


    "I have an offer for you. We are going to the forest tomorrow. We have located a goblin village and we plan to wipe them out. Why don''t you come with us on this mission? So that I can see what you''re capable of and you can trust us a little more. What do you think?"


    Kael thought for a short while. After a few seconds, he nodded his head.


    "Sure."


    "Good, come back here tomorrow morning. Then we''ll go into the forest together."


    Thinking he had nothing more to do here, Kael turned around and prepared to leave. But as he did so, the man called to him once again from behind.


    "Oh, by the way... I''ll register your name in a moment since you''ve completed the mission, so... welcome to our midst. You can see tomorrow''s mission as a gift from me so that you can show yourself better, so that you can rise faster. Then, we''ll talk about more important things."


    "Thank you."


    And with that, Kael left the building as if nothing had happened. He left a lot of people looking after him. Everyone had questions. But... there were a few common ones.


    For example...


    This boy... had attracted the attention of this man named Laen, whom everyone in this town feared.


    What would be this ''Kael''s'' fate? Would he meet an unfortunate end like the others who worked with Laen, or had he really caught his attention...?


    No one knew.


    ********


    Kael spent the night in the forest, as he often did. The guards at the entrance to the town now more or less knew him and didn''t care much about his comings and goings. And that suited him, of course. He could enter the town as he pleased.


    But, today, he was much more cautious, all his senses more open than usual.


    He would be with people again, after all. And no matter how trustworthy they seemed from the outside, no matter how trustworthy they made him feel that they had no bad intentions... Kael was a person who believed in what he directly saw rather than what he heard and felt. He would never trust anyone until he saw for himself that the person was trustworthy.


    And so, he arrived in front of the mercenary building. And what he saw... actually surprised him.


    He expected there to be quite a number of people. If they were going to wipe out a village of goblins, he guessed there would be twenty people, or at least ten or fifteen.


    But... there were only four people besides himself.


    He couldn''t be sure as he had never seen or heard of a goblin village in his life, but... maybe it wasn''t such a big deal?


    "Oh, there you are!"


    Kael paused as he saw the giant named Laen approaching him. For a moment, he was torn between accepting the hand extended to him or not. However, in the end... even though he might have angered this man, he made no attempt to shake his hand.


    He did not want to willingly place his thin hands in the huge palm of this man''s palm.


    When the man''s hand remained in the air, a deep silence fell over the space. Finally, after a short while, the man withdrew his hand, his eyes twitching a little, but he did not give Kael a hostile look.


    "Hahaha... you''re a bit shy, understandable... Everything slowly."


    With that, he turned back towards the other three people waiting for them.


    The first was a man in his thirties. He looked strange because he had a big ugly scar on his face, and he was also bald. The second was a fat man with a belly showing through his clothes, he had light brown hair. The last one was... a woman. But she was more... muscular than the delicate, thin, or scrawny women Kael had seen in his life. Her brown hair fell over her shoulders.


    "Everyone''s finally here,. We''re going straight into the forest. Any objections?"


    No one made a sound. Instead, they just stared at the boy who had joined them.


    It was clear that they were not happy about this particular situation.


    "Why are you dragging a child with us?"


    Finally, the bald man decided to open his mouth. Laen was quick to respond.


    "You don''t need to pay any attention to him. If he''s someone who needs your protection, someone who can''t be more than a nuisance... he shouldn''t have accepted my offer in the first place. But I have a feeling he will surprise us. So, as I said, simply ignore him."


    There was some relief after these words. None of them wanted to struggle for the survival of a child. They would rather take care of their own tasks.


    "Then... if everyone''s ready, we are leaving."


    And with that, the team of five checked their preparations for the last time.


    They looked strange, to be honest. A scrawny child in the midst of four adults, all of whom looked to be well past their thirties... it was certainly an attention-grabbing sight. But after Laen''s words, the others didn''t care how they looked.


    So, the team of five finally started to move... three of them with the simple aim of making money, one with the aim of seeing what an interesting boy could do, and the last one with the aim of becoming a somewhat proper of a mercenary.


    Their destination... was the forest itself. More specifically, a hidden goblin village, where they were going to commit a massacre.

 Chapter 37 - 37: The Goblin Village

    Kael was a little hesitant as he entered the forest with the four adults in front of him.


    Not because he was afraid of the goblins or this ''mission'', but precisely because of the adults in front of him.


    ''They... are strong.''


    They were different from the previous trio who thought they had him cornered. The way they walked, the sharpness of their senses, their posture, their bodies, the way they made him feel when he looked at them...


    ''If they try anything, can I really escape?''


    Once he was out of their grasp, he could lose himself in the forest. But that was the problem.


    Could he get out of their grasp?


    Fortunately, none of them had tried anything yet. Moreover... they had ignored many chances that they could have done something if they had wanted to.


    Still, it was hard to get rid of the seeds of doubt inside him.


    "How far to the village?"


    At the muscular woman''s question, Laen, who in many ways acted like the leader of the group, sighed.


    "Ten minutes maximum. We''ll slowly start encountering goblins now. A lot of them."


    The last sentence was one that might have made normal people a little wary. As much of a threat as a bunch of kids with weapons in their hands could be, even to an adult, goblins were even more so.


    It was easy, and quite right, to simply label them as ''weak creatures''. But their sheer numbers were a way of overcoming this, which they could and usually did not hesitate to use.


    But not a single person in this group of five had a single change of expression as they thought of nothing else but slaughtering them.


    It was as if they didn''t care how many goblins they had to face.


    And...


    "Oh, look. There are actually a few over there."


    The group paused, looked in the direction Laen was pointing. And they saw that he was right.


    In the bushes, a few meters away from them, three goblins were staring at them.


    But instead of the bloodthirsty eyes the creatures had, they had trembling ones. They were filled with fear as soon as they realized they had been spotted.


    "Kael, how about you take care of these?"


    Kael nodded quickly, without complaint.


    He certainly wasn''t going to refuse the lives left for him to kill. It would add four and a half hours to his life for free, after all.


    He reached for his clothes as he began to walk slowly towards the goblins.


    But instead of the dagger he had stol- well, borrowed for an indefinite period of time... he now held a different one. A much lower quality, much simpler looking dagger.


    He was not foolish enough to take out a dagger of that quality, with gold inlays, in front of four mercenaries. He had hidden it where no one but himself could find it. That''s why he was using a dagger he had snatched from the trio he had killed earlier.


    He cracked his neck, bending it first to the right, then to the left.


    He created a tiny warmth in his heart and directed it to his legs. Then, just as the goblins were about to flee, he suddenly accelerated his slow steps.


    The fear on the faces of the goblins suddenly turned to terror.


    The first goblin, who had turned to run away, simply collapsed to the ground after the pain it felt in the back of its neck. It didn''t even realize that its head had been separated from its body as its world turned upside down.


    Kael threw his dagger at the third before turning to the second goblin, who fled in the opposite direction. Never looking back, he suddenly ended up next to the third and grabbed it by the shoulder, pulling it back with all his strength.


    When the goblin fell to the ground, the last thing he saw was an overpowering kick that shattered his skull.


    Three goblins were dead in mere seconds.


    Kael walked over to the corpse of the second goblin he had thrown his dagger at and pulled it off his back. Just then, he heard a whistling sound coming from behind him.


    He turned to the four watching him, eyebrows raised. It was Laen who was whistling and clapping lightly for him. The other three looked genuinely surprised.


    They weren''t shocked or anything, though. They just... hadn''t expected this from someone like Kael, a scrawny kid.


    "Good job, you''re better than half the cowards who call themselves mercenaries. But instead of stopping to applaud, let''s keep going, we have a long way to go."


    Laen went on his way, satisfied with the decision he had made. Just as he had shown the others that this interesting boy would not get in their way, he had proved the same for himself.


    Now, he was sure. He wanted to recruit this boy into the Bahnal Mercenary Corps, he was clearly talented and promising.


    He just needed a little polishing. His body movements, the way he wielded his dagger were too awkward, and once these were corrected, his true potential would be unleashed.


    *******


    ''So this is a goblin village...''


    It wasn''t much different from what he expected, actually... except that it was really well hidden.


    And, well... it was bigger.


    He had thought that they were going to a relatively small goblin village because there were only five of them, but that was not the case. On the contrary, he was sure there were at least a hundred and fifty to two hundred goblins here.


    He wasn''t sure if five of them could really do it.


    But he kept quiet. And that''s when Laen spoke.


    "We''ll go in, we''ll kill everyone, and then we''ll leave. Don''t bother gathering their ears. Simply kill any goblins that come your way."


    The other three nodded, except Kael. He found this even more strange. Still, however, he kept quiet.


    "Kael, kill as many goblins as you can and tell me the number when it''s all over. Depending on the situation, you might even get a gift from me."


    He simply nodded. Then... he saw that the others were finally moving.


    First, Laen, with a rather large axe in his hand, walked out into the open, not caring at all if the goblins saw him. Then the muscular woman with a spear and the fat man with a rather heavy-looking war hammer. Finally, the bald man followed them with a rather long sword.


    Kael paused for a moment, looking at the four in front of him and their weapons. Then... he realized what he had missed so far.


    Except for himself, all the members of the team wielded heavy and large weapons. In short... each of them had tons of area damage.


    ''Is that why they were so relaxed...?''


    With weapons like that, they could take out four or even five goblins in one swing. If they paid a little attention to each other, the goblins, who were not much more than small children, didn''t really stand a chance.


    As he walked to the back of the group, Kael looked at the small dagger in his hand.


    He had always used a dagger because he was short and his hands were small. Not to mention that weapons like swords and spears were too heavy for him.


    But... now, he understood the difference between these weapons and the dagger in his hand a little better.


    As a dagger wielder, he relied on his speed. What he did best was to kill targets quickly, one by one. It was impossible for him to slaughter a large group in one go.


    ''Like an... assassin.''


    "Let''s go!"


    Laen''s booming voice jolted him awake. They were right in front of the goblin village now and he could see dozens - no... many, many more eyes looking at him.


    The goblins, confident in their numbers, were not afraid of them. On the contrary, they were running at them like a rampaging horde.


    And just like that, those at the front met Laen''s huge axe.


    As Kael looked at the carnage unfolding before him... he was almost mesmerized. Lifeless bodies splattered savagely around, blood watering the earth.


    ''Wow...''


    It had never crossed his mind that only four people, especially ''normal people'', could cause such a scene. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Goblins were being mowed down or crushed one after another, literally unable to do anything.


    He had underestimated his group. He understood and accepted his mistake.


    Normal humans... could be much stronger than he had thought.


    But he couldn''t just stand by and watch, he knew that too.


    Before his eyes was a goblin farm where he could extend his life for hours, maybe days.


    And he wasn''t planning to waste it.


    So, as always, he created a small warmth in his heart and directed it to his legs. He took a deep breath as he gripped his dagger tightly. Then, he dove into the goblins.


    What if he didn''t have much area damage? What if the dagger in his hand was short in length? What if he didn''t have extremely high strength or full-body muscles?


    If others could kill three goblins in a second with a single attack, he would rely even more on his most trusted skill. He would be much faster, three attacks in one second, killing three, just like others but in a different way.


    And so, he threw himself into the carnage, into the instincts he had honed over a month. He didn''t care about the random wounds he received, he just focused on killing as many goblins as he could, as fast as he could.


    One was beheaded.


    Another''s limbs were torn from its body.


    Another''s heart was pierced before it knew what had happened.


    Kael felt a small burning sensation on his back. One of the goblins had managed to wound him, but he didn''t care and kept going.


    Another fell to the ground, its skull crushed.


    Another''s neck was snapped back with abrupt force.


    Kael blew through the goblins like an unstoppable storm. He instilled fear in their hearts and saturated his curse with their lives.


    This mission... was much easier than he thought. But as rewarding as it was easy.

 Chapter 38 - 38: Investment for the Future

    It didn''t take long for everything to be over. It took only a little more than two minutes to wipe out an entire village of goblins, and only because of the goblins returning to the village from the forest that it took so long.


    It was only five of them who did it.


    Though... it wasn''t that big of a deal, considering that the creatures being slaughtered were goblins. But it was still a remarkable achievement.


    And standing in the middle of all this slaughter, with blood splattered on his body and a large axe that had taken the lives of dozens of goblins, was Laen. In the direction he was facing was a young boy with a dagger in his hand, his chest rising and falling because he was a little tired.


    Laen felt his lips curl even higher as he looked at the boy.


    Everything he had thought about this boy was wrong... In front of him stood someone far more capable, far more powerful. So much so that he was beginning to think he had a curse or a blessing. To think that a normal child could keep up with them... it was almost scary.


    But he was not without doubts about this thought.


    First... if that was really the case, why did Kael bother becoming a mercenary? All he had to do was go to a big city and show what he had to be accepted by a guild and start training. Curse and blessing bearers were not so easily found.


    Second, no matter how strong Kael was, he was out of breath and struggling.


    Laen had seen a few bearers in his lifetime. And he had also heard far more about them than he had seen. Foremost among them was that they were monsters in the truest sense of the word. The stamina and strength of a bearer, even a child, should have been a match for an adult.


    But this was not the case here. Not only had Kael quickly exhausted his stamina, but he had also sustained many wounds. He was not even against strong creatures... but goblins.


    Laen placed his axe on his shoulder and walked slowly towards Kael. Kael paused for a moment, turned his eyes towards the approaching giant, and raised his eyebrows.


    "How many have you killed?"


    His answer came quickly.


    "Thirty-eight."


    The smile on Laen''s face widened even more. This boy... he had actually counted every single goblin he had killed. And he had killed far more than he had thought.


    "Congratulations, then! As I promised, I''ll give you a present when we get back to town. Besides... if you''ve managed to kill this many, it''s unfair to simply remain a recruit. Beginner level would be more appropriate. Though, now that I think about it... I don''t think the people at that level are capable of such a thing. Let''s make you an apprentice straight away."


    Kael had no idea what exactly an apprentice level mercenary could do, what it was like. But he still nodded his head. If he had jumped two ranks at once, what was he going to complain about?


    "But... before we leave here, let me ask you one last thing, just to clear any doubts."


    Laen asked straightforwardly, his expression unchanged.


    "Are you a bearer?"


    The answer to that question was really important.


    And Kael... simply shook his head from side to side.


    "Then... can you give me a little explanation as to how you became so fast and strong? It''s not impossible, I know... but I''m still curious."


    Kael could have chosen not to answer that question. And... that would have been the logical option, considering his future.


    But he didn''t.


    "I''ve been trying to survive in this forest for a week now, and I''ve been in situations like this a few times before, being from a merchant family."


    It was not a very... satisfactory answer, actually.


    But, for Laen, it was enough.


    "I understand."


    That was his answer, and then he turned to the rest of the team.


    And... no. Even if he found Kael''s answer enough, he didn''t fully believe or trust him. After all, there was no way to tell if he was lying.


    But he didn''t really care. Because... he understood one thing. And that was that Kael really needed to be a mercenary. The way he had acted so far, the way he didn''t care if he got hurt, the way he had agreed to go with them without fear, even though he was going into a forest with four adults in this cruel world...


    He didn''t know why, but Kael was really trying hard to become a mercenary.


    And Laen had no intention of letting that effort go to waste. Kael... was someone who could bring a lot to the Bahnar Mercenary Corps, or rather to this small branch, or even more so to himself.


    And with that, the five of them left the town as slowly as they had come.


    *******


    "Here you go, these are my gifts for you."


    Kael looked with great interest at the things placed on the table in front of him.


    There were two daggers, obviously of better quality than the ones he had, a suit of light armor, and two pieces of clothing.


    But it didn''t take long for his eyes to wander from the ''gifts''. He slowly looked towards Laen, who was sitting comfortably in an armchair.


    He had only been back from the goblin village for a few minutes. But... Laen or the others in the group had still never tried anything bad to him.


    And as good as that was, it was just as strange for Kael. It was as if... the fact that nothing bad had happened made him feel that something even worse was about to happen. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So, he asked suspiciously.


    "Why... are you helping me?"


    He didn''t find it logical. In fact... he could have sworn that the man in front of him had a purpose he couldn''t understand. They were now on the second floor of the usual building, in a room that looked like an office, and Kael remembered the looks of the people on the first floor quite clearly.


    This man, Laen, was feared.


    And being feared meant not only that he was powerful, but also that he was not afraid to abuse that power. Why else would people be afraid of him?


    But from the first time he met this person, all he had seen was kindness and help.


    That''s why he was even more confused.


    Laen clasped his hands together and placed them under his chin to his question. Then, instead of answering, he simply spoke.


    "You are asking the wrong question, Kael. You shouldn''t ask why I helped you... You''re smart, I can see it in your eyes."


    Kael was silent for a moment. Then, his eyes narrowed and he spoke fearlessly, despite the size and strength of the man in front of him.


    "What do you want to use me for?"


    "Heh, that''s a good question now."


    Laen turned his eyes towards the glassless window in the wall of the office.


    "This building is just a small branch of the Bahnar Mercenary Corps. And I work as the manager of this small branch, but... this is a small town. And it''s not easy to find such talented people. You, though, are different."


    He tore his eyes away from the window and pointed a finger at Kael.


    "You''re talented, I don''t know if you realize it, but... you have a really big potential for a normal person. And I want to exploit that potential. It''s as simple as that, really."


    This time, he pointed to the ''gifts'' he had left on the table a few minutes ago.


    "I''m going to give you gifts, I''m going to teach you a few things to make you stronger, I''m going to send you on missions to make you more powerful. I''m going to turn you into someone I can trust, someone I can use on missions that I can''t go on because of lack of manpower, or that are difficult. Do you understand better now?"


    So... basically, there were very few talented people in this town. So Laen couldn''t go on missions that would bring him more money. And he wanted to turn Kael into someone who could go on these missions and help him.


    "Will I get my share?"


    Laen nodded his head in confirmation.


    "Of course. There is no such thing as free work in this world, Kael. If you manage to become someone I can really use, you''ll get even more, like the gifts I''m giving you now. I am a generous man, after all. But..."


    His eyes narrowed, his expression turning serious for a moment.


    "If you go behind my back, if you ignore your potential and disappoint me... I will take back all the gifts I have given you. I am generous as well as vindictive. What I''m doing with you is simply an investment for the future."


    Kael nodded, feeling that he had finally figured the man out a little.


    He had no problem with anything he said. Because he was going to use him the way he was going to use him.


    No, he would do more than use him.


    Because he was not someone who would end up as a simple ''mercenary''. His goals were much bigger.


    And when that time came... he would be strong enough to leave Laen behind.


    He picked up the daggers on the table and strapped them to his waist. He put on the leather armor without a second thought. Finally, when he looked back at the man in front of him, he saw him smiling.


    "You made the right decision, you can be sure of that. Now..."


    He stood up and went to his desk, where he should have been sitting, and took out a piece of paper. Then, using the pen on the desk, he began to scribble something on the paper.


    "With this, you are now an apprentice level mercenary. Levels primarily determine what missions you can accept. You have novice, intermediate, veteran, and master levels ahead of you. But these are not things you need to think about too much... because I will choose the missions you go on, as I want to make you especially strong. Also..."


    After making one last dot on the paper, he pulled it aside. He looked back at Kael, not bothering to hide the smile on his face.


    "I can''t help you much as you are a dagger user, but I will at least teach you the basics so that you can fight properly. The days ahead of you will be... tiring, at least. But I''m guessing you shouldn''t have any problems."


    Kael nodded in agreement.


    "Good! There''s a spare room next to my office, you can stay there from now on. Of course, if there''s somewhere else in town you can stay, you can go there too. Where you stay is up to you, frankly. But... I want you to come here every day within an hour after sunrise for training."


    Kael nodded again. He didn''t seem to object to anything, on the contrary... he seemed determined. He was obedient. And that made Laen like him even more.


    "Now... go and rest if you want. It will do you good to rest after the goblin village. But, from tomorrow, we will start everything I said."


    And that was the last conversation between them for today, with Kael indeed going to rest.

 Chapter 39 - 39: First Serious Mission

    Perhaps what surprised Kael the most... was that Laen asked him to use two daggers.


    He didn''t understand why at first. Because... it was difficult to keep both hands busy with daggers. Leaving one hand free was much easier in terms of balance and ease of movement. For a while, he even thought that Laen didn''t know anything about daggers, that he might have asked him to do so with the mentality that two is better than one.


    However, as time passed, he slowly began to change his mind.


    Using two daggers had its advantages and disadvantages, yes. Using a single dagger made more sense in many ways. And when he thought about these things...


    A big part of the disadvantages of using a double dagger was the difficulty of mastering it. The difficulty of controlling two daggers at the same time, the lack of a free hand to keep your balance, the errors in coordination, and so on...


    But as he slowly began to master these skills, things began to change.


    No, Kael did not suddenly become a master dagger wielder. But he slowly began to grasp how to move both hands at the same time in different ways. He slowly got used to and began to overcome his coordination problem. He learned how to keep his balance in new ways. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And once he became aware of these things, he noticed a noticeable improvement in himself.


    The advantages of using double daggers were much greater than he had thought.


    He could switch between offensive and defensive forms much more easily, for example. The flexibility and variety of his attacks had also increased dramatically. His offensive skills were almost doubled.


    Not only that, the more he forced himself to deal with the disadvantages of wielding two daggers, the more he was able to improve in scenarios where he was left with one dagger in case he lost one of them.


    His empty hand became more useful, for example, as he had more ways to keep his balance. He was still able to apply some of the flexibility and versatility he had gained from using dual daggers.


    In short, while at first he thought Laen was being absurd, the last month had changed his mind considerably.


    Laen knew what he was doing.


    However...


    "Huh...?"


    Kael paused for a moment. He went over what he had heard again in his mind, repeated it. Then, with his eyebrows slightly raised, he gave a puzzled look to the giant man sitting comfortably at his desk in front of him.


    "I didn''t understand...?"


    And Laen, the giant man who was the cause of his puzzlement, couldn''t help a big smile when he saw Kael''s confusion.


    "It''s what you heard, Kael. This time, your mission will be a little different from the others. And serious."


    Over the course of a month, he had completed many missions. Most of them were to go into the forest and hunt creatures. Sometimes he had to run errands around town, though. There was quite a variety of them.


    But a mission like the one he was on now... it was quite different.


    "Assassination... really?"


    Laen nodded his head in agreement.


    "And... to a merchant group that we were originally supposed to protect on their journey?"


    Laen nodded again.


    "Because someone else paid more than them?"


    And again.


    "Exactly! You understood everything about the mission, why are you so surprised?"


    With the smile on his face and the look in his dark brown eyes, it was clear he was amused.


    "What, you can''t do it?"


    Kael paused for a moment. His widened eyes narrowed slowly as he lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the floor.


    He did not enjoy taking lives. All the lives he had ever taken had been a necessity, a necessity with no other way to survive. He felt the same way even about the creatures and animals he killed as a mercenary in the forest. He took their lives because he needed to satisfy his curse and he needed to get stronger to survive.


    But this time, it was different.


    This time, he would not take a life for survival or for strength.


    He had to take an innocent life for someone else just because they paid more money. No, not even one life... many lives.


    But...


    But since when was the world an innocent place? Didn''t he know it himself, that this world was rotten to the core.


    How far could he go with such a mentality?


    His eyes narrowed even more. This time, he clenched his fist. His expression darkened with each passing second.


    The world was full of people who had no reason to kill and yet were murderers. And now... he had to be one himself. A murderer who was going to betray someone who trusted him to be protected... just to get paid, just for the sake of completing a mission.


    But...


    ''Why am I still hesitating?''


    He lifted his hand, placed it over his heart. He felt the pulse, then the chains that were determined to extinguish it.


    ''I need to change more.''


    The world was a cruel place. And it had no intention of changing for him.


    Even if he wanted to keep his ideals, he had to change. He had to be ruthless, cruel, like the world itself.


    No one should have any real importance in his eyes, except himself... so that he could take lives without hesitation.


    He had to think of them not as human beings, but simply as overgrown pieces of meat, so that he could fit into this world.


    He raised his head slowly, his eyes on Laen, who smiled as if nothing was wrong. His hand still on his heart, he sighed deeply as he felt his pulse calm.


    He lowered his hand, nodding decisively.


    "I will do it."


    This mission... would be a stepping stone for him. A stepping stone that would allow him to let go of his ideals and changing them, a stepping stone that would allow him to fit more and more into this world.


    "Good! I knew you wouldn''t let me down."


    And before his eyes, Laen pulled the first piece of paper on the table towards himself and began to scribble something on it.


    Under normal circumstances, Kael''s name would have been put on the list of people to guard the Blue Birds Merchant Group on a four-day trip to another town some sixty kilometers away.


    But... that didn''t happen.


    Instead, he was assigned to another mission, one in which the same merchant group was to be wiped out.


    Kael was still a mercenary in training. He was to join the merchant group as a trainee at no extra cost to the merchant group. In other words, he would not be mentioned in the official records held by the merchant group. In short... he would not be branded as the sole survivor when the merchant group was wiped out.


    Of course, not being named in the assassination mission too would have been the best option. But in the Mercenary Corps, it was a requirement that every mission was recorded. Of course, due to the nature of assassination missions, his name would not be on the copy of this record that would be given to the other side. At least that would be a good thing.


    And when Laen put the final dot on the paper, Kael was officially assigned to his first assassination mission.


    *******


    Under the November winds, a harbinger of the coming winter, Kael moved with slow steps towards the meeting point. He was dressed in clean clothes, leather armor that did not restrict his movements too much, and his daggers hung at his waist.


    The town was as usual. People kept as far away from each other as possible, avoiding interaction. Kael was already used to it. He had already understood the reason why.


    The world was not a safe place. That''s why everyone tried to avoid human contact as much as possible. No one trusted anyone, even if they lived in the same town.


    Though there were still some exceptions. For example, the man whose name he remembered as Ahkan and the other guards seemed to be friends. There were those who sat at the same table in the building where the mercenaries gathered, laughing and pouring alcohol down their throats. And then... there were the children at the orphanage.


    "Hmm...?"


    Kael paused for a moment. He saw a pair of brown eyes staring at him from the crowd.


    Normally, he didn''t mind people staring at him. But these eyes this time... they were looking at him in a widened way. And they belonged to a familiar girl''s face.


    Kael sighed. He ignored her and kept walking. But just as he was about to pass her, she suddenly stopped in front of him, causing him to pause again.


    "Are you... still alive?"


    Kael''s brow furrowed. He felt uncomfortable looking at the girl, whose name he recalled was Miny.


    "Why wouldn''t I be alive?"


    He tried to step aside, but Miny stepped in front of him again. She examined his armor, the daggers, some of which were visible at his waist. Then, her eyes widened.


    "When you didn''t return to the orphanage, I thought you were dead... but you survived! Do you hunt for money?"


    Kael rolled his eyes this time, trying to walk past her again, and answered simply.


    "No, I''m a mercenary."


    Her eyes widened even more. She was looking at him like he couldn''t possibly exist.


    And... not to lie, but Kael actually liked it.


    He still remembered the challenge he had accepted against himself in that orphanage, in his own mind. When the day came for him to leave this town, he would stop by the orphanage and show them they were wrong about him. He would say nothing, just thank them for the clothes, and then would leave.


    And one of the people who annoyed him the most was this girl.


    "And now, I''m going on a mission, so... I''d appreciate it if you didn''t bother me."


    As he walked past her, he tapped her on the shoulder twice, as if to confirm that he was not a dream. Then, without looking back, he started moving forward again.


    His lips curled slightly upwards. He actually felt satisfied, seeing her expressions change.

 Chapter 40 - 40: Four Merchants and Four Mercenaries

    The meeting point was outside the town. It was quite simple for Kael to see the people he was supposed to ''protect''.


    Two carriages were waiting for him. And even from the outside, he could see that they were full.


    There were seven people around the carriages. Three of them were completely normal people, and it was clear from the clothes they were wearing that these were the merchants who would be traveling. There was also a teenager, who looked only a little older than Kael.


    The other three were people who had been assigned as ''guards'' apart from Kael. They were all mercenaries. All three were part of the Bahnar Mercenary Corps, of which Kael was also a member.


    From the outside, it was supposed to be an easy mission. Not the guard mission, but Kael''s real mission¡­


    But the details were quite different.


    Kael was the only one who knew the real purpose of this mission. And... these three mercenaries were also among the ones who would die. According to Laen, they had done more harm than good to the guild. And together with the merchant group, they were the perfect extras to be eliminated.


    One was a woman who looked to be in her late twenties, with black hair, yellow eyes, and a bow on her back. She was not very pretty, but she had a strange smile. So strange... that Kael wasn''t sure what to think when he looked at her.


    The second was a thin man, even shorter than the woman. Like Kael, he had two daggers at his waist. His left eye was covered. He had brown hair and a single right eye of the same color. His mouth could not be seen because of a strange mask he wore, but the emotions he felt when he looked into his one right eye were... again, strange.


    The last one was a tall man with a spear on his back. He was an old man with graying black hair. But his body was well built, his muscles were visible. Despite his age, he was in good shape. His blue eyes were sharp. The other two looked like people who could be genuinely problematic, but this man looked very serious.


    As Kael approached, everyone''s eyes slowly turned towards him. Then a smile appeared on the faces of the merchants. The one standing in front, an ordinary-looking forty-year-old man, spoke.


    "Everyone is finally here!"


    It was as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. And the other members of the group were no different.


    They wanted to get moving, to get to their destination quickly.


    "Do you have any other business in this town?"


    One of the mercenaries, the old man with the spear, asked in a voice as serious as his face.


    As Kael looked at the man, he couldn''t really understand how he could be ''problematic''. However, he did not question it too much. Laen had no reason to lie to him about such a thing, after all.


    The man who seemed to be the leader of the merchant group shook his head from side to side.


    "No, we can move immediately!"


    The old mercenary nodded, then turned to the others. His eyes swept over the woman with the bow, then the short man with the dagger. Then he looked at Kael.


    "The journey will take four days. We will rest several times each day and camp at night. All of you must stay alert all the time. I don''t think anything will happen on the first day, but from the second day onwards, we are more likely to encounter creatures or bandits."


    His eyes lingered on Kael for a moment.


    "I hear you''re here to gain experience, but... don''t expect anyone to protect you."


    Kael nodded his head, but said nothing more.


    It was at this moment that the merchants got into their carriages. The mercenaries also took their places. They were going to move quickly to finish the first day quickly. Although they were not going to ride in the carriage, they planned to let the horses run a little.


    The group of eight started their journey in this way. Kael watched the town fading from his sight with each passing second. He let out a deep sigh as the carriages quickly made their way along the predetermined path.


    ''Here we go.''


    ******* sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The group followed a path that went around the forest without going into it. The forest was dangerous and largely devoid of roads suitable for carriages.


    Only once on their entire journey would they have to pass through an area full of trees. And that would be on the second day. At least if everything went right.


    Kael sat cross-legged on top of the carriage going in the back, watching the back of the road. This was his assigned task... to sit and watch what was happening behind them, and if he saw anything, to report it.


    It was clear that the three experienced mercenaries were not going to give him any serious work. But Kael was not bothered.


    What was on his mind was... how to complete his own mission.


    ''This... won''t be easy.''


    If all he had to kill were three adults and a teenager, he would have no problem. But three mercenaries would definitely make things difficult.


    The old mercenary posed the biggest problem. Kael was sure that man was strong, though not as strong as Laen. He was definitely not a normal person. He didn''t think the woman with the bow would be much of a problem, but it would be best not to underestimate her.


    And the short guy who wielded a dagger like him...


    Kael took his eyes off the road behind them for a moment and turned them to the person standing on the side of the carriage in front.


    This man was silent. He had not yet seen a single word come out of his mouth. But... there was a strange air around him.


    ''I won''t underestimate him either.''


    And with that, he turned around again.


    His first thought was to kill the old man before he realized what had happened and then deal with the other two.


    But he quickly discarded that. He didn''t know how strong the other two were, and if the old man survived, everything would go wrong.


    What if he waited for a bandit or creature to attack? He was sure the other three would not let him do anything. But... what if after an attack they got a bit tired, he just hid, and when it was all over he came out and became the new ''enemy'' for the trio to face?


    Sighing, he shook his head from side to side. It was a plan that depended entirely on luck. Perhaps there was even a chance that they would not be attacked at all.


    So he began to think further ahead.


    What if he did something at night, when they were resting to sleep? The old mercenary had mentioned that they were going to camp. The merchants would probably all be asleep, and there was no chance that the mercenaries would all be up at the same time.


    They would probably take shifts. Given that there were four of them, the most logical option would be to take shifts in pairs.


    If that happened, Kael could quickly kill the one standing guard next to him without making a sound, and kill everyone else while they slept. Even if the others somehow woke up, he could finish them off before they recovered from their stupor.


    He thought for a while, his eyes narrowing as he thought of a few more plans. Finally, he closed his eyes and thought more deeply. The idea of attacking while camping was the most appealing to him, so he decided on that as plan A. He thought of a plan B and even a plan C that he could use if the circumstances were suitable.


    Finally, when he opened his eyes again, everything was ready.


    The planning phase was over.


    *******


    The group had set off in the morning, only an hour after sunrise. Given that it was November, the days were shorter where they were. So they had at least nine or ten hours until evening.


    And during all this time, nothing happened. They were not attacked by any creatures, they did not meet any bandits. They had an uneventful journey for the first day.


    Shortly after sunset, everyone slowed down and then stopped.


    They had taken small breaks several times during the day to let the horses rest. But this time, it was a different situation.


    The old mercenary walked forward as the carriages came to a halt. He looked at the man in charge of the merchants.


    "There is a place on the left where the trees are a bit dense, it would be the best place to camp. I''m not sure if we''ll find a better place, but it would be good to take a long break here."


    The merchants looked at each other, then nodded without making much noise. The idea of a rest stop seemed to make sense.


    The carriages left their path, heading towards the place indicated by the old mercenary. The horses were tied up so they would not run away, then the woman with the bow built a campfire. By the time all the preparations were made, night had fallen and the world was enveloped in darkness. The moon and stars shone brightly in the sky.


    First, food was eaten. Eight people filled their bellies with meat cooked on the campfire. No one slept for a while. The merchants chatted amongst themselves and the mercenaries were positioned to surround the group, not compromising their duties.


    The only problem was... Kael was literally not taken seriously.


    In a group of four guards, a square formation would have been the best choice. But the three mercenaries completely ignored him and formed a triangle.


    Kael didn''t much care, though. He favored the other three getting tired while he rested. He would have preferred to spend the whole time until they fell asleep quietly, without having to deal with anyone.


    However...


    "H- hello..."


    His eyes slowly turned in the direction of the voice. As his eyebrows rose slightly, what he saw was... the boy among the merchants.

 Chapter 41 - 41: Hesitation and Determination

    Kael didn''t feel or think much as he looked at the young man standing in front of him. He was a teenager with blondish hair and eyes as yellow as his hair. He must have been sixteen or seventeen. But... it was clear at a glance that he had a timid demeanor. His small stature didn''t seem to help him much in this regard either.


    "Yes?"


    Kael asked politely. His position as a mercenary was clear. He was technically his ''employer'' and respect was the best option.


    "Um... am I disturbing you?"


    Yes, indeed he was...


    "No."


    But Kael was not going to say that.


    "May I sit down, then?"


    Kael nodded his head. The teenager''s lips curled up slightly, then he crouched down.


    "I''m a little... scared, to be honest. The other mercenaries look scary, my father is not very helpful either... But you look different. You''re even younger than me!"


    Kael tried hard not to roll his eyes. But he resisted, he couldn''t make a wrong move.


    "You don''t need to be scared."


    How ironic it was that it was he who said that...


    "You don''t act like your age. Again, if I don''t bother you... why did you become a mercenary?"


    ''But you are, you''re actually bothering me! Just go away!''


    "There was not another thing I could do."


    "Oh..."


    The blond-haired teenager paused after Kael''s answer. It was as if... he realized he had made a mistake.


    But he didn''t apologize or do anything. He just...


    "I see."


    Kael paused for a moment, his eyes shifting to the teenager sitting next to him. He could see that his expression had turned serious. He didn''t look pitying, he didn''t look sad, even if he knew he had made a mistake.


    He was just... looking at the sky.


    ''Huh...''


    The teenager tore his eyes away from the moon and stars. Then looked back at Kael. With that, he saw the surprise on his face. His lips curled upwards again, but this time... his previous timidity seemed to have disappeared a little.


    "What? Did you expect me to apologize, to be sorry?"


    Kael nodded honestly. Meanwhile, the teenager smiled.


    "But... if I apologized, it would only make you angrier, wouldn''t it? If I pretended to be sorry, you''d think I felt pity for you, maybe even that I was a hypocrite."


    Kael was really surprised this time. He really didn''t think this guy... would be like this.


    "Everyone has different things going on in their lives, I know that. And... I think I made you a little uncomfortable, I know that too. It''s just... I was really feeling bored with all these adults, and I thought it would be nice to have someone to talk to. That''s why I came to you."


    He paused for a moment, covering his mouth as he yawned deeply.


    "But... now I feel really sleepy."


    He stood up. Then, he looked at Kael and smiled one last time before going to the other merchants, his father.


    "Thank you for protecting us, even if it''s just because you''re getting paid. And... for not kicking me out of your side. And... I hope you can fulfill your purpose as a mercenary, even if I don''t know your reasons."


    He said nothing more, turned, and walked back to his group sitting in the center of the campfire. Kael stared after him with a blank expression.


    After a short moment, he swallowed hard. He watched the campfire and the four sitting around it.


    The old merchant, obviously the teenager''s father, seemed angry with him. Probably because he had gone to Kael. But after a short while, they returned to themselves as if this had been forgotten. They told each other things, watched the fire and the sky, laughing all the while.


    And Kael... watched everything.


    He shouldn''t have watched, but he did.


    He watched how happy the people he was going to kill were.


    He watched how the people whose futures he was going to destroy were making plans for that very future.


    Finally, when everyone went to sleep and the campfire was extinguished, he regained consciousness. He had come out of a hypnosis that had taken over everything. And... his eyes gradually widened as he realized this.


    ''No...''


    He felt himself trembling as he shook his head slightly from side to side.


    He didn''t want this.


    He didn''t want to kill these people, to take away their dreams.


    But... he had to. It was his mission. Wasn''t this... a stepping stone for his future, a stepping stone that he would step on mercilessly?


    But he didn''t want to do it.


    "We will stand guard for the night."


    He paused at the voice of the old mercenary, his eyes slowly shifting to the trio standing not far from him.


    "We''ll take shifts in twos. Alya and Ishnar will take the first watch, and Kael and I will take the second. Any objections?"


    No one made a sound.


    So, everything was decided.


    *******


    Kael did not sleep even though he knew he should while others, Alya and Ishnar, stood guard.


    He was thinking as he watched the star-filled sky. He was doing a lot of thinking, really.


    He was terribly hesitant about his mission. And... he was a little bit scared. After talking to that boy, after watching them communicate with each other... all his resolve was shattered.


    But he knew he couldn''t stop.


    His eyes squinted slightly as he remembered what he had thought before accepting this mission.


    He had accepted that he should not care about anyone else, that this was the only way he could take a life. But... he had made a mistake in thinking that way. It wasn''t just about caring for others.


    One by one, he thought about everything he had ever experienced. Starting from his childhood to this moment, he replayed everything in his mind.


    In the end... he only squinted his eyes even more.


    He raised his left hand, pointing it towards the sky. He buried himself in silence, in darkness. And then...


    ''I have to, right?''


    Yes, he had to do it.


    ''Didn''t I say that I had to change even more?'' S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yes, he did.


    ''Didn''t I accept that no matter how bad I felt... I had to become a murderer?''


    Yes, he did.


    ''Then why do I hesitate?''


    ...


    ...


    He looked at his hand pointed at the sky. He closed his fingers one by one, clenching his fist.


    ''I... will do it.''


    He was going to be someone disgusting. He was going to be someone who took away people''s dreams. He was going to be ruthless. Not someone who didn''t care about anyone but himself, but someone who didn''t even think about anyone except himself.


    It didn''t matter how he felt afterwards.


    Just as he had said before, this... would be a stepping stone for him.


    And with that thought, he put his hand down again. He closed his eyes, but did not sleep. He was silent for minutes, hours. He waited and waited until it was his turn to be on watch... not making a sound, preparing himself non-stop.


    And... finally, the time came.


    "Kael, wake up."


    It was the old man''s voice, right beside him.


    Instead of opening his eyes immediately, Kael blinked slightly, then yawned as naturally as he could. He looked up at the old mercenary standing over him with half-open eyes and a puzzled expression on his face.


    "It''s our turn to watch."


    "Ah..."


    He wiped his eyes with his hands, then yawned once more. Nevertheless, he straightened up from where he was lying, then stood up.


    "Here, drink some water."


    He took the waterskin handed to him and poured it down his throat. Finally, feeling a little ''awake'', he handed it back to the old man.


    His eyes turned to Alya and Ishnar, who had finished their watch. He watched them slip smoothly into their sleeping bags. Then the old guard called out to him again.


    "Stay close to the group, I''ll be circling around us the whole time."


    Ah, he was not to be trusted again...


    He wasn''t complaining, though.


    It didn''t matter.


    And so, the minutes ticked by. Alya was the first to fall asleep. But it was hard to tell if Ishnar was asleep or not. He was really strange... his body didn''t move at all as if he wasn''t even breathing.


    The old mercenary was more alert than ever too. It was clear that the slightest movement in his surroundings would alert him.


    Kael waited even longer. He wanted Alya and Ishnar to fall into a deep sleep. He also wanted the old man to get a little tired from moving around all the time. And so, he kept waiting.


    At the end of the first hour... he took a deep breath. The old man had stopped walking, leaning against a tree and resting a little. Soon, he would start walking again.


    Kael stood up as the old man suddenly turned to him.


    "What? Did something happen?"


    Kael shook his head from side to side.


    "Nothing. It''s just... I''m tired of sitting, so I''m going to walk around a bit."


    "Stay close to the camp, never out of sight."


    He nodded his head, then started walking slowly.


    He checked one last time that everyone was asleep. Then, he looked at the old mercenary.


    After taking a deep breath, he reached for his daggers. Only one thought ran through his mind.


    ''I will do it.''

 Chapter 42 - 42: One Bearer and Three Humans

    The old man''s back was turned and everyone else was asleep.


    Kael gripped the daggers tightly in his hand. Again and again, he filled himself with determination. He would not stop, even if it felt bad, disgusting even. Maybe it would haunt his dreams, give him nightmares... but he would do it.


    And so, he began to create a warmth in his heart.


    But, this time, he held nothing back. He didn''t keep the heat below a certain level, he didn''t simply spread it to his limbs. He increased it as much as he could, spreading it throughout his body to the fullest extent he could.


    Under the dark night, a glow began to envelop his body that even the light of the stars and the moon failed to hide. It was quite pale, not easy to recognize... but he could see it because it surrounded his own body.


    Still, he didn''t care. He turned his eyes towards the old man, squinted... and dashed to him.


    It had been a long time since he had been able to use everything he had. And over the last month, he had really fed his curse a lot.


    In short, he had improved, even if he didn''t realize it. So much so that... he had a hard time keeping up with his own speed for a moment. He almost tripped over himself, but quickly regained his balance and pushed his mind to the limit to overcome the problem.


    He saw the old man stop abruptly, then watched as he turned his body back. He had been noticed, or the man had realized that something was wrong... But it didn''t matter.


    Kael swung his dagger at the man''s neck. He expected his head to be severed instantly, dead before the man realized what was happening...


    But it didn''t work out the way he wanted.


    With only a few seconds between his dagger and the old man''s neck, he met his blue eyes. Immediately, he realized something was wrong.


    Where was the man''s spear?


    ''Oh...''


    Kael tilted his body to the right. He saw the spear that would have pierced his abdomen if he had been only a few moments longer.


    Under normal circumstances, the old man would not have been able to react to his speed, and in this scenario, he actually hadn''t. But by simply directing his spear behind his back, he had managed to set a dangerous trap for Kael.


    And it was enough to slow down the enemy, Kael, who wanted to take his life.


    ''Holy-!''


    Kael saw the old man moving quickly. His spear jerked back, the veins in his arms bulging, his eyes even sharper than they already were. With a hard thrust, he brought the spear full circle around his body and swung it at Kael''s right arm.


    Using his flexibility and relatively small body, Kael used his two daggers to meet the spear in one swift motion. As the spear and the blades of the daggers made contact, his whole body trembled under the enormous strain.


    But he gritted his teeth and resisted. Yes, it was difficult... the force exerted by the old man was really too much, even if he had strengthened himself with that ''warmth''... but it was not impossible.


    As soon as the old man realized that his strength was not enough, he tried to step back to open the distance between him and Kael. Meanwhile, his blue eyes were on those sleeping behind him.


    ''No!''


    Kael didn''t give the man a single moment to breathe. He couldn''t let him wake the others, at least not before he died, or his whole plan would go down the drain! And so, he moved towards the old man again, not even taking care to keep his balance.


    The old man was surprised by Kael''s speed. He couldn''t keep up, it really wasn''t possible... It was basically impossible to follow his small and too-fast body.


    But he did not panic over this, he remained calm. He accepted that the boy in front of him was faster than him.


    So, he left everything to his instincts. He tried to guess the attack pattern and direction of the silhouette he could only barely see. He swung his spear in front of him at a diagonal angle... and bingo!


    Kael could see the spear coming at him, and the only thing on his mind was that...


    ''It''s dangerous!''


    But... he did not run back. He did not even try to dodge the man''s attack.


    Because, even if the attack was dangerous, he had to face it directly. Even a few more seconds of this fight could have been the end of him. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So, he twisted his body slightly to regain some of his balance, which he had not taken care to maintain in the first place. With the last step towards the old man, he spun his body slightly to the right. The spear made a scratch on his cheek, but slipped over his shoulder before it could continue.


    Kael threw one of his daggers directly at the man, gripping the spear hard on his shoulder with his free hand.


    He combined the momentum of his spinning, all the strength of his body, and the old man''s own force. He pushed the spear further in the direction of the attack, freeing it from the old man''s grasp.


    The old man moved to defend himself from the dagger that was about to enter his eye. But that left him vulnerable to Kael, who was about to fly past him.


    Kael grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him with himself in the direction he was flying. The man lost his balance and fell on his back with Kael on top of him.


    The sound of the man hitting the ground echoed through the area, but Kael didn''t allow any more. With the old man''s blue eyes wide with shock, he raised the hand that still held the dagger and, without giving him a second to react, swung it directly at his throat.


    The dagger met no difficulty. It sliced through the man''s throat as easily as if it were cutting a piece of paper, causing the man''s blood to spurt instantly onto Kael.


    But Kael did not stop, he swung the dagger once more. This time, he aimed not at the man''s throat, but directly at his skull. He plunged the dagger above the man''s right ear and pierced his brain.


    The last glimmer of life in the man''s eyes faded very quickly. His blood continued to water Kael''s clothes.


    Kael didn''t even think about him. He turned around as fast as he could, only to find... a woman named Alya pointing her bow at him.


    ''Knew it!''


    The sound of the man hitting the ground was loud enough to wake up experienced mercenaries. And so it was!


    The woman''s arrow left the bow. It didn''t even need a second to pierce Kael''s forehead, it was that fast!


    But Kael''s reflexes were superior. Once he had witnessed the draw of the bow, it was not difficult for him to predict its course. And so it was. All he did was tilt his head slightly to the left, and the arrow stabbed into the bark of the tree two meters behind him, caressing his hair with a gust of wind.


    Kael moved quickly. He would not give her another opportunity to use another arrow, he would finish her off as quickly as possible!


    But just then, he caught sight of a shadow in front of him, then the reflection of metal he could catch out of the corner of his eye.


    ''Ishnar!''


    Kael raised his dagger high, blocking Ishnar''s dagger as it almost took his life. But just as he was about to retreat, he noticed the arrow next to the man.


    ''Fuck!''


    He drew back the dagger he had used to block Ishnar and swung it at the arrow. But in doing so, he was deprived of the one thing that was supposed to block Ishnar.


    Still, Kael did not lose his composure. As soon as he felt the incoming arrow touch his dagger and its direction changed, he swung his free hand in front of Ishnar. He felt the dagger pierce his palm, a sharp pain spread through his whole body, but he didn''t stop. He gritted his teeth, swallowed the pain, and closed his trembling fingers to trap the dagger as it pierced his hand.


    He dropped the dagger in his other hand, clenched his fist, and swung it at Ishnar''s stomach.


    The man tried to step back to avoid the attack. But he was delayed only a few seconds as Kael trapped his dagger in his own palm. And that was enough time for Kael''s fist to reach him.


    Kael saw Ishnar''s right eye widen, the mask covering his mouth wet with his saliva. But he did not care. He pulled the man in front of him to use him as a shield for the next arrow that came at him.


    As the arrow lodged in his back, he threw him aside without further care, then stretched his legs and lunged at Alya, ignoring the dagger still lodged in his palm.


    He saw the panic in her eyes. She had stopped drawing her bow and was pulling a dagger from her waist.


    But there was only one mistake she made.


    And that was to panic.


    It took two seconds or less for Kael to appear in front of her. He drew the dagger still in his palm when he saw the one that was swung awkwardly at him. He dodged her attack with a simple move. Then slashed her throat with Ishnar''s dagger.


    He saw her eyes widen, she was trying to say something. But he did not stop, he clenched his fist and drove it hard into her face. And as she fell on her back... it was still not over.


    Slowly, he turned around. He saw Ishnar break the arrow in his back, then turn one slightly teary eye on him.


    The only obstacle in his way now was the strange man, a dagger wielder like himself.


    But... he did not look panicked at all. On the contrary, he was quite calm. Very calm...

 Chapter 43 - 43: A Rotten Human

    Kael''s eyebrows furrowed. First, without taking his eyes off Ishnar, he turned to the merchants. They seemed to be just waking up. The man who seemed to be the leader of the group was at least awake, looking at him and Ishnar with widened eyes.


    Kael clicked his tongue. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong. But... he wasn''t in such a bad situation.


    All he had to do was finish Ishnar off before he let the merchants escape. Which he was sure wouldn''t take long between the two of them.


    So, he turned his focus back to the man in front of him.


    Ishnar, from whom he had never heard a word until now, spoke in a hoarse, wheezing voice.


    "You are a bearer."


    Kael did not answer. Then, Ishnar sighed.


    "I understand more or less what your purpose is, and... you are faster than me, stronger too. It''s clear you''re going to beat me. So... you can be sure I won''t interfere. How about letting me go?"


    Again, Kael did not answer. He simply gripped the dagger that belonged to Ishnar tightly and narrowed his eyes. He took his stance.


    "Tch."


    Even though he could not see Ishnar''s face, he could guess what he was thinking from the change in his only eye. He was not at all happy with the situation.


    "We''re eliminating witnesses, huh..."


    Kael scanned the man. He didn''t seem to have any extra weapons, but he wasn''t sure if there was anything hiding under his clothes.


    Ishnar''s eye twitched even more when he realized that Kael had no intention of opening his mouth. This kind of distraction was not going to work. The boy in front of him... was more professional than he thought.


    But he decided to take one last chance. He opened his mouth, then immediately noticed the change in Kael''s figure.


    He quickly drew his spare dagger from beneath his clothing and swung it in the direction he had anticipated the attack would come from, all the while preparing to flee backwards.


    He felt a momentary force on his dagger, then heard the sound of metal on metal. He had managed to anticipate the attack!


    But nothing was over yet.


    He stepped back with ease, thanks to his preparation, but instead of stopping there, he tensed his foot and swung a hard kick at Kael''s tiny figure.


    And he managed to hit him!


    At least... that''s what it felt like.


    "Huh?"


    He expected the boy he kicked to writhe in pain, but it was the opposite. The silvery glint in his brown eyes was cold, there was no sign of surprise on his face. And... he had not collapsed.


    On the contrary, he caught the kick in mid-air and held it between his body and his right arm.


    "Ah..."


    Kael raised his left elbow, then brought it down hard on Ishnar''s leg.


    Ishnar let out a groan of pain, but Kael did not stop. Using the leg he had broken, he pulled the man towards himself, this time grabbing him by the chin and pinning him to the ground.


    He felt the man''s jaw dislocate, but he didn''t care. Once he managed to pin the man to the ground, he simply plunged his dagger into his back.


    Once, twice... thrice...


    Ishnar''s body trembled with each thrust, but eventually, his body stilled as his groans faded into silence.


    Kael took a deep breath and exhaled, slowly rising to his feet.


    He had succeeded. He had defeated all three mercenaries. And... he hadn''t suffered any extremely serious wounds.


    He paused for a moment, the sharp pain in his right palm reminding him that he wasn''t right. But Kael didn''t give it much thought.


    His cold eyes slowly left Ishnar''s lifeless body and turned towards the merchants.


    They were looking at him as if he were a creature. No... it was much worse.


    Kael''s eyes twitched for a moment. But he clenched his fist anyway, reminding himself of the same thing over and over again.


    ''Stepping stone, this is a stepping stone...''


    And so, he took a single step towards the four. The silence in the area was suddenly filled with a sudden startled sound.


    "S- stop!"


    But Kael did not stop.


    "W- why are you doing this?"


    The man paused for a moment, his eyes widening.


    "Money, because of money... right? Whatever they offered, I''ll give you more! I promise!"


    If Laen had been here instead of Kael, maybe the man''s effort might have worked... But Kael did not know how much money the person who had assigned this mission had paid. So there was no guarantee that the man would give him more.


    Also...


    This was a stepping stone for him.


    Kael''s gaze darkened, his grip on his dagger tightened. His expression was even colder than usual, and the silvery gleam in his eyes... intensified with every step he took.


    He would kill the four in front of him.


    This time... he was really determined.


    There was not an iota of hesitation.


    "D- don''t come!"


    The man started crawling backwards. And with him, the other three also started to step back.


    They were afraid of Kael, afraid of the ''bearer'' in front of them.


    How could they not be?


    "Why...?"


    Kael''s eyes shifted to the questioner, the boy just behind the man at the front.


    He had had a sweet conversation with him a few hours ago. He had thought Kael would be... someone who would protect him. He had even seen him as a friend who would keep him from getting bored on this journey.


    But it had all been a deception.


    And Kael... continued walking towards them without saying anything.


    He listened to the insults, the curses. He memorized everything. Because... he would hear much more in the future.


    Finally... when the merchants turned their backs and ran away... he only glanced briefly at the sky.


    A single sentence left his lips.


    "I apologize."


    And then...


    His dagger was covered in blood once more.


    *******


    Kael looked at the sky for a while. Thinking nothing, saying nothing, caring nothing.


    ''I did it.''


    He had killed four innocent people. Ruined dreams, happy futures. Just... for money. And because he was asked to do so.


    But, strangely... for some reason, he didn''t feel much.


    He thought it wouldn''t be like this. He had hesitated beforehand in such a huge way that he thought he would be overwhelmed, maybe throw up a few times.


    But he was fine.


    Not completely fine, of course.


    He knew that he had become a terrible person, that he was now a murderer... that he had the blood of innocents on his hands.


    But emotionally, when he should have felt a burden... there was only emptiness. A strange, unfamiliar emptiness.


    ''Did I do the right thing?''


    Honestly... he wasn''t sure.


    Maybe he could have let them escape. Maybe he could have released them to form a new merchant group in another country. That way, he could have avoided taking an unnecessary life.


    But... he didn''t. By saying that this was a stepping stone for him, he had indeed taken lives. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But... was that really the case?


    Was this really an important stepping stone for him?


    Kael turned on his side on the grass, tearing his eyes away from the sky. Clearing himself of his thoughts, he closed his eyes slowly.


    He didn''t care that he was out in the open, he didn''t even care about the dangers that might be drawn to him by the smell of blood. He doubted anyone would come here.


    ''For now... I think I should rest.''


    Right now... that was all he wanted.


    Some rest.


    *******


    Kael awoke to the gentle glow of the sun and the cold winds of autumn.


    He had not had a dream or a nightmare. It had been a sound sleep, in fact.


    He stood up slowly, then stretched. He paused for a moment, his eyes squinting as he remembered what he had done. And then... he sighed.


    ''There is no going back now.''


    He accepted it.


    ''No more hesitation, I''ve already got blood on my hands, I''m... no longer a human.''


    And he made a promise to himself.


    ''So... I will fulfill my purpose no matter what.''


    Even if it means taking more innocent lives, even if it means violating morals and ethics.


    ''From now on, I will live only for myself.''


    *******


    When he came back to the town, no one looked at him in an extremely strange way, although some people looked directly at him.


    He often came back to town covered in blood. After all, he had been out hunting creatures many times. Only... this time things must have gone a bit wrong. At least that''s what people thought.


    So, without any problems, he made it to the mercenary building. He went inside without a care in the world.


    The noisy atmosphere inside the building, as usual, was momentarily disturbed by his entry. Kael was not an unknown person. What had happened with Laen a month ago and the fact that he was now working directly under his care was enough to start rumors about him.


    And the fact that he had appeared now, covered in blood, was even more intriguing.


    But no one said a word. Not a single person spoke about him behind his back. In fact, after a short time, the usual noise once again dominated the building. Alcohol was raised high, laughter resumed.


    In the midst of it all, Kael made his way to the top floor of the building. He arrived at Laen''s office and walked straight in without knocking.


    Laen was at his desk. Something must have happened to annoy him as his face was a bit sullen while looking at the few papers in front of him. But when he saw the person who had come in, a big smile suddenly appeared on his face.


    "Congratulations, Kael."


    He put his hand under his chin, his eyes narrowed as the smile widened. Not a single thought crossed his mind that Kael had failed.


    He was clearly amused by the situation.


    "You too are now a rotten human of this rotten world."


    *(A/N:


    I will start updating on a schedule from this chapter onwards. The release time will be 00.00 for UTC+8. I will probably upload two chapters per day for a while, but that may change as I''m still not so sure.)*

 Chapter 44 - 44: Change Approaching Town

    After he killed those four merchants, Kael''s life... became monotonous.


    He kept taking quests and completing them. He kept killing the living, over and over again, to keep himself alive. He was in front of the mercenary building every morning before sunrise for Laen''s training.


    And... that was it.


    Three weeks had passed before he realized what was happening. He was more known to the townspeople now, and everyone was aware that he was a mercenary.


    A skilled one, no less.


    But Kael didn''t take anyone seriously. He ignored all the stares directed at him and focused on one thing.


    Getting stronger.


    And now... as usual, he was returning from one of the missions Laen had given him. But unlike most of the time, there was no blood on him this time. He only had small stains.


    But for him, no matter how small these stains were, they were important.


    Because... they were not the blood of a creature or an animal, but of human beings.


    At least not the blood of the innocent, but of the truly problematic. It was... something he often used because it was a mentality that kept him from feeling bad, at least a little bit.


    The mentality that the people he killed were bad people anyway, they weren''t that important.


    In silence, Kael finally entered the building of the mercenary corps. Ignoring the noise around him as usual, he went upstairs and entered Laen''s room.


    This time, the giant of a man was not at his desk but on his couch... sleeping soundly.


    Kael approached the giant on the couch with a straight expression. Then he nudged him lightly, his eyebrows raised.


    Laen suddenly jumped up. It was so sudden that anyone in Kael''s place would have jumped too. But... he just stood there expressionlessly. Then Laen slowly turned his head and saw Kael standing right next to him.


    "Oh, there you are. You finished pretty fast this time, huh?"


    Kael shrugged his shoulders.


    "It wasn''t hard to kill a couple of slavers who didn''t even know how to fight."


    The smile on Laen''s face suddenly widened. Kael didn''t know why, but... Laen was always like that about these things.


    "It was a good idea to have you clean up the waste that came into town."


    After that merchant mission, the ones where he had to kill ''people'' were all about people who came to town with bad intentions. He knew that almost all of them were bad people and that was why he kept quiet. He could fulfill his mission without feeling much guilty.


    Moreover, these missions were also assassination exercises for him. He also improved himself with the creatures in the forest and learned how to move more silently, how to camouflage himself more easily, how to approach his target without being noticed, and so on.


    "And now?"


    Laen paused for a moment when he saw his eyebrows rise. His eyes went to the ceiling for a moment, thinking. And then... he sighed.


    "I don''t have anything suitable for you. At least not for today. So... you''re free?"


    Kael sighed after him.


    "Then I''ll go back to the forest. You don''t mind if I kill a few extra, do you?"


    Laen shook his head from side to side. And there was nothing more to say between them.


    Kael started to move, as he did in most of his free time, to go deeper into the forest. But then he paused abruptly as Laen shouted after him.


    "Ah, but watch out! I hear the Imperial dogs are getting pretty close these days, try to keep a low profile."


    Kael raised his eyebrows and turned around. This time, his eyes narrowed slightly as he saw a serious expression on Laen''s face. He asked in a calm tone, a little curious.


    "They have been quiet since the fall of the kingdom. Why now?"


    Laen straightened up slightly, as he always did when he spoke seriously.


    "I''ve heard that they''ve taken down most of the rebellions in the big cities. They''ve been putting relatively small towns like ours on the sidelines until now. But now, it''s time for them to take control of them, probably."


    "I see..."


    It was... a bit of a big deal, actually. Because Kael was a little afraid of the Empire. And with good reason.


    He had witnessed with his own eyes the massacre that one man was capable of. On top of that, he had the blessing of Arcanoa, even if it had become a curse for him. What if they were looking for it and there was a way to detect it...?


    "I''ll be careful."


    Kael left the room thoughtfully. He went down to the first floor with the same expression, his eyes on the floor and thinking. When he came out, his eyes narrowed.


    ''I think... maybe I should lay low for a while?


    If the Imperial soldiers were hanging around, they were bound to come to town sooner or later. In that case... wouldn''t it be more convenient for him to be in the forest?


    It was something he wanted to think about thoroughly.


    But... he had the small problem of not having much time.


    After a short while...


    ''Staying in the forest is the best option.''


    He decided on this. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''The faster the better.''


    He quickened his pace. His eyes kept darting here and there. He was looking for a soldier he was sure he had never seen in the town before, a different uniform, or something. It was his greatest wish not to find one.


    So he managed to reach a certain point without any trouble. Then, for a moment, his steps slowed down as his eyes focused on a single point.


    ''The orphanage...''


    Then to a spot in the garden.


    ''Oh, that girl...''


    What was her name? Oh, Miny!


    She was playing with the children in the garden, who were clearly younger than her, with a big smile on her face. But then she paused, her eyes slowly shifting to the spot where Kael was.


    When she saw him, her expression seemed to change for a moment. She looked surprised. But then she quickly recovered, put a smile back on her face, and waved slightly in Kael''s direction.


    ''Huh?''


    Kael looked blankly at the girl waving at him. Before he realized what was happening, his own hand reflexively went up and he waved back.


    Immediately, the children Miny was playing with also noticed him. Even though they didn''t recognize him, when they saw their older sister smiling as she played with them, they too smiled and started waving.


    But Kael hadn''t stopped walking altogether, he had just slowed down. And so, the orphanage was soon out of sight and behind him.


    Kael paused for a moment, then looked down at his hand, still held in the air. His expression changed several times in quick succession, his brow frowning as he slowly lowered his hand.


    ''Why did I wave?''


    It was just a reflex. But... for some reason, it felt strange to see someone waving at him, even smiling.


    Laen was always smiling at him, though. But to be truthful, the only thing he could feel against his smile was disgust.


    What was different now?


    Was it because they were children like him?


    Or... was it because their smiles were more genuine?


    His brow furrowed even more, a puzzled expression appeared on his face.


    ''Strange...''


    And so he began to imagine a lot of children, accompanied by emotions he could not quite perceive. A warm smile on each of their faces, hands waving at him... as if wishing him a good journey.


    Strangely... it felt good, imagining something like that.


    But then he paused again. His eyes widened slightly and his expression suddenly turned ugly.


    ''No.''


    He shook his head quickly from side to side. Laen''s words echoed in his mind, one by one... with an echo.


    "You too are now a rotten human of this rotten world."


    And he repeated.


    ''I will fulfill my purpose, that''s it... nothing more. It''s good to dream, but... I need to get back to reality.''


    With these thoughts, he finally left the town. He had largely put the matter out of his mind and was back to dealing with his current problems.


    So, he managed to enter the forest without any problems, without encountering any Imperial soldiers.


    And as he always did, he started looking for creatures to hunt. This time, though, he paid as much attention outside the forest as inside... to see if he could catch any changes.


    And... he did.

 Chapter 45 - 45: Trouble in the Forest

    It had been about five hours since Kael had entered the forest. It was two hours before nightfall, but he still had no intention of going back. He wanted to keep hunting.


    Occasionally, however, he would venture out of the forest to check what was going on in the town. Even though it was quite far away, it wouldn''t be hard for him to spot a small group on the move.


    And... he didn''t.


    He was making his way out of the forest for the third time to check on the situation in the town when something caught his eye, causing him to pause quickly and crouch down to the ground.


    ''What... was that?''


    He squinted, moved further ahead, and finally peered through the bushes towards the town to make sure he hadn''t seen it wrong.


    But... he wasn''t seeing it wrong.


    ''Wow...''


    He was... shocked by what he saw.


    ''I thought I might notice a small group...''


    But what he was facing was not a ''small'' group. On the contrary, it was a huge group marching towards the town.


    He was as confused as he was surprised.


    ''Why are there so many of them?''


    Was it really necessary to send a group of almost two hundred people to simply come to check on a town?


    Kael''s eyes narrowed, his expression slightly serious.


    Unless... they had something important to do.


    Like looking for someone or something important.


    ''Did they really come for me?''


    He was not going to be surprised that they had come, or that they had information about the blessing. If Musthar V. Arcanoa had really made a deal with the Empire, as the king said, then he must have told them what he knew about the blessing, after all.


    But... he couldn''t be sure.


    ''I''d better watch.''


    First, he would watch what the soldiers would do. It would have been better to decide what to do later.


    But then...


    ''Huh...?''


    He realized that the soldiers had suddenly paused. The problem was... they hadn''t entered the town yet.


    Kael narrowed his eyes, completely focused on the soldiers. They were so far away that it was hard to make out anything. But he tried anyway, his eyes slowly moved to the front of the crowd and he noticed a figure not even as big as his fingernail.


    He felt the air around him suddenly grow cold. He felt goosebumps all over his body. Then a tingling sensation spread across his skin. After what felt like dozens of needles being stuck into his skin... the whole world went black.


    No, it didn''t go black. It just... blurred. As if he couldn''t focus on anything.


    And in the midst of all this blur, Kael saw a couple of things. A pair of eyes looking back at him, clear and... cold, despite everything.


    They were green, they looked like they belonged to an old man. But... they were sharp, cold. They looked like they belonged to a human, but Kael could have sworn they belonged to a creature.


    A very powerful creature.


    A monster he should never look at, no matter what.


    ''Ah...''


    Kael felt all his muscles losing strength. And yet it was not this, but a conscious thought that made him put himself down.


    Because he understood.


    ''There...''


    The owner of the eyes that looked at him... he was among the soldiers.


    And he knew Kael was looking at him.


    Just like those creatures in the palace.


    ''Calm down... Calm down...''


    He tried to calm his heartbeat, slowed his breathing.


    ''I have to hide...''


    He paused.


    ''No, I have to run away.''


    He couldn''t stay in this town any longer.


    Because... whatever it was that had noticed him would surely be looking for him. He was as sure of that as he was of his own name.


    He had hoped to stay in this town longer... but he couldn''t waste time.


    So he turned around, prepared to run in the opposite direction of the town, and took a few steps.


    But then... he slowed his steps as quickly as he had quickened them and came to a quick stop.


    His eyes twitching, he slowly focused on the figures emerging from the bushes.


    "Hey, who are you?"


    He heard the foremost of the figures speak. But... as soon as he saw the Imperial crest on the armor they wore, everything else lost its significance.


    ''They''re both normal people.''


    Kael wasted no time watching what the soldiers did next, listening to what they said. As he reached for the daggers at his waist, a silvery glint appeared in his eyes.


    The soldiers'' eyes widened. They both tried to grab their own weapons, but Kael was much faster than them, for they were normal human beings.


    Kael slashed the first man''s throat before he realized what was happening. At the last moment, he realized that the other man had abandoned his weapon and swung his fist at him.


    Kael twisted his body slightly to dodge and catch it.


    He then pulled the man''s body towards him and plunged his dagger into his skull.


    In mere seconds, it was all over.


    Kael took a deep breath as the silvery gleam in his eyes faded to its old brown color.


    Actually... not killing the soldiers might have been a better option.


    Who knows, maybe it wasn''t him they were after and they were here for the reasons Laen had told him.


    Or he could simply say he was a mercenary hunting in the forest, which was not a lie.


    But he wasn''t going to risk anything.


    He didn''t want to leave anything about his life and his future to a choice whose outcome depended on the odds. At least not as long as he had another option.


    So, the best option was to run away from the Empire and everything connected to it until he reached a certain level of power. At least he thought that was his best option.


    And so, he turned his back and started running again. But this time, it was not a random route. Soldiers coming up behind him meant that this whole forest could be full of them, after all. And so... Kael made a mental note of every single detail in his field of vision.


    In fact, it was only a minute or so into his movement that he noticed an abnormal bending of a branch a few meters to his right diagonal. As his daggers met his fingers, his feet turned towards the point where the branch bent.


    As the Imperial soldier pulled aside the tree branches in front of him, he suddenly saw the metallic glow in front of his eyes. And then... his world suddenly went black.


    "What happe-"


    His friend soon reached the same end.


    But unlike the previous group, this time, there was one more person in the group. And he, as the one at the very back, could see quite clearly what had happened to his two friends.


    He meticulously drew the sword from his waist and swung it with all his might to his right diagonal.


    When his sword met the metal blade of the dagger that had killed his two friends, he waited to crush it. After all, a dagger could not withstand the weight of a sword.


    But that did not happen.


    On the contrary... the sword in his hand was knocked backwards, losing the contest of strength.


    The last thing that crossed the soldier''s mind was how this was possible. But then he saw that his killer''s eyes had a pale, silvery glint.


    The person before him was... a bearer.


    He never had a chance in the first place.


    *******


    "General Loukan has sent a message that there may be a troublesome person wandering in the forest."


    A figure standing on one of the trees in the forest, his whole body covered in black, raised his eyebrows curiously.


    "Not the main target, but someone else?"


    The other figure, the one who had delivered the message, nodded. The man in black could only be even more surprised.


    "That''s... strange. He wasn''t supposed to have any associates."


    They had no such information. And he was the last person to doubt the scout team.


    The only reason they had come to this town was to catch one man. And he had no one. It was highly unlikely that he was getting help from anybody.


    The only reason there were so many people in the forest was in case this man tried to escape, nothing else.


    Still, the world was full of absurd things. Something like this was... not overly unexpected.


    "How troublesome is this person?"


    "We''ve already lost nine people. They were all normal soldiers, but they disappeared quietly. Only the bodies of four of them have been found."


    His brow furrowed even more at this information. But he was not panicked, he was still quite calm.


    "Interesting..."


    "The General wants us to take him alive if possible."


    The man in black tore his eyes away from the figure delivering the message and turned them towards the forest.


    His lips curled up slightly as he muttered quietly.


    "Another one to hunt, huh..."


    Then... a reddish glow appeared in his eyes, which were a very dark shade of black.


    "Let''s make this quick. We don''t want to disrupt the main plan." Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *(A/N: Sorry for the late update, I will try to make up for it. I was... really busy yesterday. I didn''t even go home.)*

 Chapter 46 - 46: Return of the Abnormal Storm

    After twenty minutes had passed, Kael realized a few things.


    First, the forest was indeed full of soldiers. All over the place.


    Second, they were now prepared for him. They had learned of his presence.


    And thirdly... he was being trapped.


    ''This... is not good.''


    Each of the last soldiers he encountered appeared at a certain point, positioned in such a way as to direct him to a certain place.


    This was largely because he was trying to avoid groups of more than four soldiers.


    But... there was nothing he could do.


    ''Maybe I can try to hunt them down one by one.''


    The soldiers he had encountered so far were all normal people. Yes, there were some really strong ones among them... some he could have sworn were even stronger than Laen.


    But being ''normal'' was still a disadvantage for them. A big one, even. Because Kael was not normal. He was much faster than they were, and despite his tiny size compared to adults, he could win in a battle of strength with most of them.


    But when they traveled in groups, the risk was too great.


    And they must have realized it too, because every group he had encountered in the last three minutes had consisted of at least three, on average four.


    ''So... I have to be more careful.''


    And so, Kael kept running, hiding, and killing whoever he could.


    What if there were too many of them? If they were scattered everywhere?


    He knew this part of the forest almost by heart. He had been wandering around for more than two months here, killing creatures and animals.


    He could tell where he was wherever he looked, he could accurately predict what he would encounter. On top of that, weeks of practicing silence and stealth were paying off.


    All of this made him a very difficult target to find, to detect.


    And indeed it was.


    Yet, he was making a big mistake.


    Kael was a novice, and he was up against... real professionals. No matter how skilled he was, his training was inadequate. Even if he realized that his movements were being manipulated, there was nothing he could do to counter it.


    He was simply inexperienced, very inexperienced. And although this was not apparent in the first few minutes, it became more and more obvious as time passed.


    With each passing minute, he was becoming more and more trapped. He couldn''t help feeling like he was facing more and more soldiers.


    And after only a few more minutes... he finally stopped moving, running away. He paused as his steps gradually shortened. His head, often bowed, straightened and his eyes became even sharper than usual.


    In the end, he only sighed lightly. His lips parted, and his voice was cold despite what he said.


    "I am aware."


    At first, nothing happened. The abnormal silence of the forest lasted for a few seconds. But at the end of those few seconds... an abnormality other than silence made itself known.


    A figure jumped down from the trees, a few meters away. He was dressed in black, looking like a real assassin. His face was obscured by the mask he wore up to his nose, but he had black eyes.


    "How long, then?"


    He answered the question calmly.


    "Since the third or fourth group."


    "Oho?"


    He could see that the man before him was surprised, but he didn''t care. He continued, keeping the same tone of voice.


    "And... I''ll die if I take three more steps."


    The man before him raised his eyebrows even higher. But... it was not only that. His lips curled slightly upwards, visible even under his mask.


    "No, you''re not going to die."


    "I don''t feel that way because of those who are hiding."


    The man in black shrugged his shoulders.


    "It''s up to you whether you believe it or not. You can do what you want. But... if you''re aware of the situation you''re in, I think you realize what you have to do to live."


    Kael did not answer, he remained silent.


    Even though he had stopped moving, he was still searching for ways to escape.


    And... he couldn''t find any.


    Because he was surrounded. In every two or three trees in his field of vision, someone was hiding. He couldn''t see it, but he could almost feel it. Their gaze was on him, filled with a deep killing intent.


    But that was not the only reason why he hesitated to act. He was confident that no matter how many people were hiding, he would be able to slip through the forest and lose them. After all, he knew exactly where he was right now.


    But... he couldn''t try anything.


    And the reason was the man in front of him.


    "First... let''s answer a few questions, shall we?"


    This man in black... was a bearer, just like himself.


    And he was strong, much stronger than he was.


    "Why are you in this forest?"


    "I''m a mercenary working in the town not far from here, I was wandering in the forest to hunt creatures." S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Why did you attack the soldiers for no reason?"


    This time, instead of telling the whole truth, he squeezed in a sweet lie.


    "Because you attacked me first and I got scared. I thought you might be looking for me because..."


    "You are a bearer."


    The two were silent for a short while.


    "Then... let me ask you one more question, my young friend. Do you know a man named Tharon?"


    Kael''s brow furrowed as he looked at the man with a blank expression.


    Tharon?


    "Who is he?"


    It was obvious from the expression on his face that he had no connection to the name.


    The man in black sighed deeply.


    "Well, it seems you don''t have much to do with us. But... you killed almost fifteen of us. And you''re a bearer. So... you need to come with us."


    Kael''s sharp eyes narrowed even more, his expression hardening, ready to reach for his daggers at any moment.


    This did not go unnoticed by the man in front of him.


    "Calm down, my orders are not to kill you. So I have no intention of harming you. But I will not hesitate to hurt you if you give me any trouble."


    He wasn''t sure if he should trust the man''s words.


    What choice did he have, though? He had a pretty clear guess about the answer to that question.


    "Don''t give me a hard tim-"


    But he paused before he could finish his words. His eyes suddenly shifted upwards, towards the sky. Following him, Kael also slowly looked upwards.


    Immediately afterwards... a drop fell in the center of his forehead.


    At first, he couldn''t understand what it was. But then a second drop fell on his cheek, then a third...


    Unexpectedly, the rain began to fall quite rapidly.


    But the most surprising thing was not so much the rain itself... but the change in where it came from.


    "Oh..."


    The man''s voice echoed in Kael''s ears, but he had difficulty focusing on it. Because... he didn''t know how to react to what he saw.


    The dark clouds that caused the rain... were gathering together much faster than normal.


    So fast that it was almost impossible for it to be something natural.


    "Oh, shit."


    He heard the man cursing, then swearing in a low voice.


    Soon the man''s eyes left the sky and refocused on him.


    "You are coming with me, my young friend. And... I''m sorry, but you have no choice."


    This time, the meaning behind his words was much clearer, he wasn''t trying to be polite.


    He didn''t want Kael to run away. But he also knew that if he left, his men would not be able to hold him where he was.


    So he would drag him after him.


    ''There is really no escape from this...''


    No matter how much he wanted otherwise, Kael was aware of the facts. The man in front of him was much stronger than him. He wasn''t sure how he could do it, but he could feel it. Looking at this man, he felt almost paralyzed, as if... he would be unable to do anything if he tried to do anything.


    He had tried to escape, but he had failed. Now, he had to obey this man.


    The only thing he didn''t understand was why this change in his attitude had happened.


    Well... it was clear that the rain had triggered this change. But what was this man''s connection to this abnormal natural phenomenon?


    Kael paused for a moment, his eyes widening slightly as a sudden thought occurred to him.


    "Follow me and don''t try anything unpleasant. At least not if you value your life."


    With those words, the man in black started moving without a second glance behind him. But Kael knew that he would die the moment he tried to escape, so he had no intention of trying anything.


    There was only... one thing on his mind.


    And that was the phenomenon he had witnessed about two months ago, just before he found this town. The storm that didn''t feel natural, just like the warmth he could create in his heart.


    And now... that storm and this rain, which was getting faster and faster every second, had exactly the same feeling.


    ''What the fuck... is going on here?''


    He was pretty sure that it wasn''t anything good.


    *(A/N: The end of the free chapters is near... and there will be more chapters tomorrow. As I said, I will make up for the day I took off.)*

 Chapter 47 - 47: Destruction in the Town

    Kael had to follow the man in black out of the forest.


    And if there was one thing he noticed, it was that this man had slowed down when he could have gone faster, just to keep the distance between them.


    ''He''s really careful.''


    He couldn''t see a single gap to escape through.


    ''What now?''


    Truth be told, he didn''t think he would fail. He had thought that the forest was his territory, that he could always escape as long as he was here, but... he was wrong.


    He had underestimated his opponents.


    And now, he had been caught as punishment.


    The question was... what now?


    ''I''m sure they don''t know that I have the blessing of Arcanoa.''


    No, their purpose in coming to this town was quite different. They were trying to catch a man named Tharon, and he was a variable that came up as a bonus.


    But just because they hadn''t yet found out he had the blessing didn''t mean they never would.


    Kael understood one thing. The senses of the carriers were far superior to those of normal humans, and at the same time... different. They could sense each other, how strong they were, simply by reflex.


    With so many people around who could sense this, there was no guarantee that they would not be able to understand what his blessing... or rather his curse was.


    ''Though, what would have happened if this hadn''t happened?''


    That was another matter.


    What did a bearer like him mean to the Empire? Was he important? Would they want to train and use him as Laen did?


    Or would he be seen as a threat and killed for killing their men?


    The questions were many, but the answers were few.


    ''For now-''


    But Kael''s thought was interrupted. As his eyes widened, he suddenly felt his whole body freeze. He just remained frozen in place as raindrops fell on him one after another.


    They were finally out of the forest for real, heading towards the town.


    But... Kael didn''t care about the town anymore.


    ''W- what the...?''


    He remembered the green eyes he had seen an hour ago, the way he had felt.


    Now... he felt so much more.


    No, there was no one looking at him. Not even anyone with hostile intentions towards him.


    He could only feel... two presences. Two beings facing each other, right in the middle of town... and the pressure he could feel, even though he was not their target.


    "Oh, right..."


    The man in black paused when he noticed Kael had paused.


    But instead of thinking of it as a plan to escape, he simply approached him and gave him a quick flick on the forehead.


    "Get a hold of yourself. This kind of pressure is a bit much for the likes of you, I know. But it won''t take you long to get used to it."


    Kael couldn''t help blinking his eyes a few times at the flick.


    He did indeed feel a little better. But... those pressures were still there. He still felt like they were crushing his whole being.


    He couldn''t help swallowing. He wasn''t sure he wanted to go any closer to the town anymore. But...


    "Try to endure, but don''t leave my side."


    He had no other choice when he was around this man.


    ''Damn it... just let me go!''


    Kael had no idea why they had gone into town.


    This man was strong, yes... but he was nothing against those two monsters in town! He knew that for sure.


    So why was he trying to get so close to the town? What was his purpose?! Why was he dragging himself along with him...?


    "Hey, I''m not really trying to escape, but... should we really get any closer?"


    His answer was very short.


    "Don''t worry, you won''t die. At least if you''re careful..."


    But he was just as unreliable!


    ''What do you mean if I''m at least careful? So I could literally die!''


    Nevertheless, they kept approaching the town.


    *******


    As Kael approached one of the entrances to the town, he realized that soldiers were everywhere. They were all holding weapons of various kinds, their eyes squinted as they stared into the center of the town.


    He could see some of them trembling with fear. As if... they were being held here by force.


    He was not so different from them, really.


    But that was not what caught his attention. On the contrary...


    ''How many... bearers are there here?''


    He couldn''t be sure of the exact number, but... for every nine or ten people he saw, one was a bearer.


    ''All this... to catch this Tharon guy?''


    "What''s the situation?"


    He paused for a moment as he saw the man in black approach another one, a bearer like himself, then focused on what was being said.


    "They''re talking, neither has attacked the other yet."


    The man''s eyes shifted to Kael for a moment. His brow furrowed as if he was trying to figure out who he was and failing.


    The man in black noticed it, of course.


    "Keep an eye on him, this is the guy the general said could be a ''problem'' in the jungle. I brought him with me so he wouldn''t escape."


    "Oh, he doesn''t look like a problem to me..."


    "Believe me, he is. Just-"


    But before he could continue, though, his eyes widened. Not only his eyes, but the eyes of almost everyone in the area widened.


    The torrential rain suddenly slowed down, the raindrops paused as if time had slowed down. But... time had not stopped.


    ''W- what''s happening?''


    Kael watched the raindrops move slowly towards the center of the town. He couldn''t move a millimeter. His body didn''t seem to listen to him. He could only... watch.


    The others were no different.


    And so... they watched as thousands of tiny, tiny raindrops rapidly coalesced into one big... thing... stretching across the sky.


    First, the body formed, a really long body... a body that resembled a snake. Then, small limbs that couldn''t belong to a snake... and a figure that none of them had ever wanted to see in their lives.


    It... was a dragon. A dragon made of raindrops.


    Kael swallowed.


    There were really so many emotions he could feel as he looked up at the dragon made of raindrops above the town. But the most prominent one... was definitely fear. Even if the dragon wasn''t looking at him, he was frightened. He was terrified even though he was just standing where he was.


    But it was nothing.


    Because after only a few seconds, the dragon made of raindrops opened its mouth, turned its face to the sky... and roared.


    Its ear-splittingly loud voice echoed in the distance, lightning suddenly flashed above the dark clouds... and then the dragon was on the move.


    First, it flew upwards. Then, it twisted its tens of meters long body into an inverted ''U'' in the sky and... landed directly in the center of the town.


    "W- watch out!"


    That was the last thing Kael could hear before the flood that raged through the streets of the town piled up on hundreds of soldiers.


    *******


    When the flood first hit him, Kael was knocked off his feet.


    He had nothing to hold on to, so he could not stop his body from being swept away. He just... drifted with the flood.


    But he had no intention of being swept away.


    He tried to find his way upwards as the warmth in his heart spread through his body as usual. Then, trying to turn his body in the water, he turned his feet to the ground and tried to regain his balance.


    But, then... he suddenly hit something hard. His back slammed into something so suddenly that the breath he had been holding was knocked out of him. His lungs burned from the water coming in through his mouth, which reflexively opened, and he felt as if he was going to faint.


    Soon, the flood waters dissipated and the relentless current receded. As the water level dropped rapidly, Kael could breathe again. But he couldn''t even pay attention to it.


    As he fell to his knees, he coughed as hard as he could, expelling the water from his lungs. His eyes were watery, but he didn''t care, he pounded his fist against his chest and kept coughing. When he finally came to his senses, he first looked behind him to see what he had hit.


    There was a tree leaning at an abnormal angle.


    ''D- damn it... fuck my luck...''


    He took his eyes off the tree, this time in front of him.


    He had been dragged almost twenty meters. It was much the same for the rest of the soldiers. There was no trace of the orderly scene of only a few seconds ago. The man in black and the other bearer he had spoken to were nowhere to be seen.


    But when Kael moved his eyes just a little more, he suddenly froze.


    ''Ah...''


    His eyes gradually widened, his mouth fell open. And... he could only stare at the scene before him.


    There were dragons circling over the town.


    Yes, not a dragon... but dragons.


    They were all made of raindrops. Maybe not as big as the first one, but they had their own splendor. The rain kept falling in torrents, nourishing them, and they danced around, descending to a certain point in the town and attacking someone.


    But some of them, just as they were about to attack... were strangely cut.


    Literally, all of a sudden, cuts appeared on their bodies made of water. Really big cuts. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And the thing that caused these cuts was so powerful that it not only cut the dragons, but also caused ear-splitting sounds of explosions that almost reached the sky.


    Lightning flashed every second, the rain sped up and slowed down, and new waves came, rising up to Kael''s stomach.


    ''This...''


    This was a battle of two powerful, truly powerful bearers.


    And... it was spectacular.


    Kael swallowed. Slowly rising to his feet, he stared, almost hypnotized, at the destruction unfolding before him.


    ''Wow...''


    He moved cautiously, passed through the entrance of the town and entered its streets.


    Dragons being cut down one after another, constantly regenerating, dancing, fighting...


    It was a piece of art. For the view in front of him... he couldn''t think of anything else.


    And he wanted to see more of it.


    There was a strange flame burning inside him. He wanted to see the two men who were causing all this, who were playing with nature as if they were mocking the world.


    He didn''t care about anything else.


    He just¡­ walked.

 Chapter 48 - 48: The Dance of Sword and Rain

    If Kael wanted to describe the state of the town in one word, it would be... chaos.


    People were shivering inside their homes. There were bodies of some people who had been caught in the flood. Some houses made of wood seemed to have been completely destroyed.


    But Kael didn''t care about any of that. He just walked.


    He didn''t know why, but no soldiers tried to stop him. He had expected the man in black to grab him by the neck and throw him back, but that didn''t happen. And... he kept walking.


    Finally, when he came to one of the clearings that could be called the center of the town, his steps slowed down.


    He saw a man. The raindrops seemed to be especially concentrated around him. His eyes sparkled with a light blue glow. His gray hair was wet and disheveled, but he was not extremely old. He must have been in his thirties. His body moved and danced as if it were a liquid. With each movement, the speed of the rain changed and the dragons moved in different ways.


    He didn''t know, but the dragons didn''t seem abnormal for some reason. He couldn''t feel as if they were unnatural when he looked at them. It was as if... they were a natural part of the storm from which they were created. They were constantly fed and strengthened by the incessant rain. They were accompanied by each of the lightning bolts that came down from the dark clouds.


    Harmony, perhaps that was the word he was looking for. Dragons and storms... he had never seen them so in harmony with each other.


    And at the center of it all was one man, the man who caused it all... the man who controlled it all.


    He was the man named Tharon, the one all these soldiers... the Empire were looking for.


    But... in the midst of it all, a large cut suddenly appeared on the raindrops that surrounded him. The thin barrier standing in front of him, as if it were a shield, split. Not only that, but a cut appeared on the shoulder of his clothes. The blood slowly soaked over it.


    And the person who caused it was at the other end of the opening.


    Dragons, large and small, were constantly circling around him, but he was slaying each one with the long sword in his hand. If Tharon''s body resembled a liquid, this man''s body was... simply a sharp blade.


    His black hair, graying in places, was wet, sticking to his face. His face was wrinkled, he was old. There were serious-looking bruises on certain parts of his body, but he didn''t seem to care about them. His sharp eyes, shimmering with a green glow, were focused on one thing, his opponent... Tharon.


    Maybe he didn''t change the entire weather like Tharon, maybe he didn''t cause storms or big things like Tharon...


    But he alone was enough to be a ''change''. The air he gave off, his stance, his attacks... everything about him was like an elegant yet devastating sword. Just standing where he was alone was a natural disaster, he didn''t need a visual change.


    Kael paused for a moment.


    ''Ah, the green eyes...''


    Kael remembered those eyes. It was the man who had first spotted him in the forest when he first noticed the Imperial soldiers, despite the distance between them.


    A dragon momentarily came between Kael and the man. But then... it was sliced right down the middle, his body of water disintegrating, unable to maintain its integrity. And not only that.


    Kael felt a force graze the sleeve of his clothes, followed by a gust of wind that scattered all the raindrops on his side. It was as if... the man had cut not at the dragon, but directly where Kael had been.


    In the midst of all the scattered raindrops, the wind blowing his hair, Kael and the man''s eyes met for a tiny, fleeting moment.


    The man did not react. His sword, which had sliced the dragon in two, twisted in his hands. Then he twisted it slightly to the left and swung it at a wide angle to the right.


    The world stopped once more. The winds, the raindrops, the image... everything followed the man''s sword. And they were all cut. Another dragon, which would have ridden him with tremendous force if he had been a moment later, was also cut in half, as was everything else.


    But the man still did not stop. His sword twisted again, changed direction at an abnormal angle, and cut down another dragon. A shockwave so powerful that it was hard for Kael to stand spread around.


    But... he still held himself, he kept watching.


    Kael''s eyes focused on the sword for a moment. And when he did... his eyes widened again.


    The sword was long. It was sharp only on one side and had a very slight curve. But what surprised Kael was something else.


    No, not because the sword was so beautiful... but because it was so terrible.


    It was full of cracks as if it would turn to dust if he touched it. The leather on the hilt was peeling off in places in a way that was quite disturbing. Kael would rather use his fists than a sword like this.


    But... this man could not only wield this sword, he could swing it as if nothing was wrong with it. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Oh, no...''


    This man... did not swing his sword in a normal way at all.


    It was as if... each movement was meticulously precise, smooth, no matter how fast and sudden it seemed.


    It was mesmerizing, spectacular. Kael... felt almost ecstatic looking at the way the man wielded his sword.


    But after a short time, he realized something.


    The man... was moving, even if slowly. Sometimes, parts of the dragons hit his body, creating the bruises he could see. Some of the smaller ones, like a snake, would slip through and bite his limbs, causing bleeding wounds.


    But with every dragon he slayed, with every slash of his sword, the man was closing in on Tharon, step by step.


    With difficulty, Kael tore his eyes away from the swordsman and turned them toward Tharon. He didn''t know why, but the man was doing nothing but standing still. He wasn''t completely still, since he controlled the dragons, the rain... But he wasn''t moving from where he was.


    He must have realized that his opponent was approaching him, but he still made no attempt to run away or move away from him.


    Why, then?


    ''Ah, he will lose control if he moves...''


    And the moment he lost control was the perfect moment for his opponent to attack.


    So, the only thing he could do was to keep doing what he was doing and hope to stop his opponent. He had no choice.


    And... they kept going.


    Kael watched with a fascination he couldn''t help but admire as the town was destroyed with every passing second, a mesmerizing canvas of the collision of two beings whose powers he could hardly imagine the limits of.


    He came close to death several times due to the effects of the two clashing. But, still, he kept watching.


    And... as he watched them, he realized something else.


    The raindrops that brought the dragons together, the impacts of the swordsman''s attacks... Every change in the battle of these two had a trace of something. A trace that felt all too familiar, a feeling he had himself.


    A feeling of warmth that he could build up in his heart, that he could use to strengthen himself.


    ''Huh...''


    As Kael looked at the men, their attacks, their bodies, he saw something he hadn''t noticed.


    There was something like that warmth he could generate in his heart, coursing through their bodies too. It was not only in their bodies, in their attacks... in their clothes... in everything.


    It wasn''t just on them, it was affecting their surroundings. It even affected them more than they affected themselves.


    ''Why...?''


    Kael couldn''t understand. But... he wanted to know.


    So he focused even more. He gave everything he had towards this duo, fighting each other to the death. He watched their every move, how they controlled that ''warmth'' they had, just like him.


    But then... he finally realized that what had seemed inevitable all along was happening.


    The rain suddenly became faster than it had ever been, the lightning struck one after the other, ear-splittingly.


    The man with the sword was in front of Tharon. He was readying his sword for a final strike, and Tharon was... still unmoving. But there was no panic in his light blue glowing eyes. He was still calm, there was no hesitation or hitch in his movements.


    But then his dance to control the rain, to control his dragons, came to an abrupt halt. He took a deep breath as his eyes squinted slightly, his palms facing each other as he stepped back on his left foot. He rotated his hands in front of each other as the sword that would take his life descended in slow motion. He shifted his palms fluidly and twisted his body. He bent the fingers of his left hand inward and pushed forward as if drawing something from his right palm.


    Just as it had happened just before their fight began, all the raindrops suddenly paused. Then... they began to gather with tremendous speed in the direction of his left hand. Lightning bolts descended from the dark clouds, leaping from raindrop to raindrop, heading towards the duo. It passed through Tharon''s body and joined the current that was heading towards the man with the sword.


    As Tharon and his opponent''s final attack met each other, the world lit up with a brilliant glow, all sound replaced by a resounding clang that seemed to burst the eardrums of everyone in the area.


    And Kael watched everything. Every movement of the men, how they channeled that power in their bodies... everything.


    Even as a tremendous wave of heat and shock washed over him, sweeping him off his feet, his thoughts were of their movements.


    And... how he could use what he saw for himself.

 Chapter 49 - 49: The False King

    Kael blinked slowly at first. He saw the dark clouds dissipating from the gray sky, then the pale silhouette of the sun struggling to bring its light to the ground.


    "Ugh..."


    First, he turned over, then he tried to get up with the support of his arms. While thinking about what had happened, he looked around.


    He was in the center of town. The clothes he was wearing looked somehow... burnt. But they were also wet. Not only his clothes, but the whole town was wet when he looked at it now. It was as if it had rained for hours, hard and heavy, faster than he had ever seen in his life.


    But that was not all. Some houses had collapsed, some were literally... smoothly cut. There were a few bodies around, either drowned or killed with the same smoothness as the buildings.


    His eyebrows furrowed, his eyes squinted for a moment. And then... he froze.


    ''Ah...''


    Everything before he fainted rushed into his mind. His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, looking for two familiar figures. And he found one rather quickly.


    Tharon was standing where he had been, right in the center of the clearing. He was panting, the light blue glow in his eyes gone, replaced by his original color of yellow. His left arm was missing, cut off as smoothly as everything else around him. There was also a slash across his chest, running diagonally from his shoulder to his waist.


    Kael swallowed. This time, his eyes searched for the man with the sword, Tharon''s opponent. But... he was nowhere to be seen. Who knows, maybe he had blown away somewhere far away.


    He turned completely around, looking for Imperial soldiers or someone else. But he could see no one around. There were a few townspeople looking at the spot where he was, behind the windows of their houses, staring at the area with widened eyes. But... there was no one else.


    ''Only for now, though...''


    Soldiers and other bearers probably surrounded the town, waiting for Tharon to die or come out. They must have been afraid to approach him.


    ''They might even be watching me. I''d better be-''


    He paused at the sound echoing in his ears. His eyes slowly turned in the direction of the sound, and then he heard the same sound again.


    The splashing sound of stepping in a puddle, followed by the sound of the thing caused it... footsteps.


    When he finally saw the figure moving towards him... he just froze in place.


    Tharon was staring at him with his yellow eyes. He was coming towards him, limping slightly, but without losing any of his dangerous presence.


    ''H- huh?''


    Kael didn''t know what to do, but he forced himself to his feet. There was a slight soreness that wrapped around his whole body, but it was nothing important. He would probably be fine in half an hour.


    But he didn''t care about the pain. As soon as he stood up, he stepped back. But in the time it took him to take one step, Tharon took three.


    His whole body was shaking. He wanted to run, but he couldn''t move. Every movement he made was slow.


    "S- stop..."


    But Tharon did not. Eventually, there were only two meters between them.


    Kael didn''t know what to do, what to feel.


    But he knew that right now, he was scared to the bone.


    He had seen what the man in front of him could do. He could create literal storms... and make dragons out of raindrops.


    And now, he was right in front of him. He was looking at him, blood oozing from his lips, his eyes calm and still.


    And Kael was... completely frozen. He couldn''t look away from the man''s eyes, he felt like he was going to... die the moment he did.


    But, then, he noticed a detail. A tiny detail that he could see out of the corner of his eye.


    His eyes widened even more. He swallowed the words he was preparing to say, even though he was sure he couldn''t, and looked at Tharon with a blank expression.


    "N- ne?"


    His eyes had now shifted elsewhere, to the man''s neck.


    There was something very familiar to him. Something that reminded him of his past, of the status he used to have.


    A mark.


    A mark of slavery.


    "Why?"


    But... he was not the one asking that question.


    When he heard the words coming out of Tharon''s mouth, he froze in place.


    And with his next words, he literally felt shivers run down his spine.


    "Why do you have the royal blessing?"


    Silence, a deep silence.


    Tharon continued to look at him without saying anything else. Kael, on the other hand, with dilated eyes and an expression that was literally drained of blood.


    And then... more blood oozed from between Tharon''s lips, slowly trickling down to his chin... dripping onto the floor.


    It was clear that he was in pretty bad shape.


    But Tharon continued to stand in front of Kael as if he was fine.


    And... he smiled slightly.


    "It seems don''t have much time left. Can I... ask for something?"


    ''W- what?''


    Kael didn''t understand anything. With every minute he continued to live today, he found himself in an even more absurd situation.


    His life, which had been quite monotonous for almost two months, had been shaken by a really sudden change. He had been captured by Imperial soldiers, he had witnessed a clash between two people who might be the most powerful people he would ever meet, he had survived, and now... one of these people was standing in front of him, asking for something from him in the last seconds before he would die.


    If his situation had been different, maybe he would have laughed. Because... it was strangely ironic as it was absurd. First the man the Empire sent to the palace, then the king, now Tharon.


    For some reason, all the truly ''powerful'' people he met were either on their deathbeds or already dead.


    But he was in no condition to think about that right now. Because Tharon had not finished speaking.


    "I was a slave to the father of Markhus V. Arcanoa, the previous king, but... I''m tired. I''m tired of following a dead man''s last command non-stop, I''m tired of feeling as if every fiber of my soul is being held in chains. Will you at least... free me from my chains before I die?"


    His eyes seemed to sparkle. His skin color was fading with each passing second. He was trembling, feeling the coldness of death.


    But... he was also excited. As if... the freedom he had been looking for all his life was right in front of him.


    "Will you let me at least once in my long and meaningless life... taste true freedom?"


    Kael didn''t know what to say. He stared blankly at the man who was slowly letting himself die in front of him.


    What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to respond?


    He looked into the man''s eyes. He saw the excitement, the anticipation. Then... the emptiness, the coldness that slowly replaced it.


    Death.


    He looked at the mark on his neck, the mark of slavery, which he himself also possessed not so long ago... and he swallowed.


    He didn''t know why, but he felt a little calmer now. Was it because the man in front of him was a slave, just as he had been? Was it because, despite the power he had, he was asking for something kindly? Was it because he was so close to death that he couldn''t help but sympathize with him...?


    He didn''t know.


    He didn''t know anything, really.


    But... he wanted to answer the man.


    He wanted to fulfill his last wish.


    He really wanted to free him from his chains.


    Yet he didn''t act purely on emotion. He could... use this situation.


    "On... one condition."


    He saw Tharon raise his eyebrows. But he ignored it and continued.


    "Your death will be by my hand."


    As if he understood what he was talking about, Tharon said nothing. Not even surprised, he answered Kael in silence.


    And so, Kael took a deep breath. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He bowed his head, closed his eyes.


    His mind went back months, to that moment in the palace... to the seconds he was in the king''s chambers.


    The words he heard then replayed in his mind, then how the mark on his neck had disappeared.


    And... he murmured in a voice so low that almost no one but himself could hear him.


    "I, Kael, by my authority as sole king of the Kingdom of Arcanoa, free you from your slave status."


    He repeated exactly the words of the previous king.


    But... nothing happened.


    And Kael realized the mistake he had made.


    ''Heh...''


    As his lips curled upwards, only one thing crossed his mind.


    ''I''m... not a real king, right?


    What was in his chest, just above his heart, was not even a blessing.


    It was a curse because he was not royalty, because it rejected him.


    But... he was not entirely wrong.


    After all, he had something that only the kings of Arcanoa should have.


    He raised his head, looked into Tharon''s pale eyes again. And... correcting himself, he repeated.


    "I, Kael, by my authority as the false king of the Kingdom of Arcanoa, free you from your slave status."


    A pale, yellowish light surrounded Tharon after his words. The mark of slavery on his neck turned crimson, as if it were on fire, just as it had been on his own a few months before. And then... it vanished into ashes.


    Tharon fell to his knees. Tears appeared in his eyes as his whole body gradually lost what strength it had.


    "False king, huh..."


    He bowed his head, mumbling only two words as his hair fell in front of his face.


    "I... thank you..."


    He had dreamed of this moment all his life. Every time he fought, every time he grew stronger, every time he came back from the dead, it was so that he could taste this feeling.


    The absence of the chains around every fiber of his body... made him feel as if he could breathe freely for the first time.


    Now, he could die.


    Now... he could leave this world in peace.


    But as he waited to breathe his last in silence, he heard the voice echoing loud and clear in his ears, the voice of the ''false king'' before him.


    "And I... apologize."


    ''Ah...''


    He felt a momentary pain. Not what his body already had, but a different kind of pain.


    His world suddenly turned upside down. And then once more. He even saw his own body a few times, how strange it was...


    But he didn''t care.


    In his last moments, he thought of only one thing.


    ''Was the price of freedom... death?''


    Still... it wasn''t a bad feeling, freedom...


    It was worth dying for.


    *(A/N: This chapter might have been a bit confusing. Because everything happened a bit too fast. But don''t worry, you will understand everything much more clearly in the following chapters. Who Tharon really is, why he was a slave, Kael''s situation, and much more. For now, thanks for reading as always.)*

 Chapter 50 - 50: Start of a New Plan

    Tharon''s head separated from his body and fell to the ground, then rolled slightly. As his body slowly collapsed, it made a resounding sound that echoed throughout the area.


    Kael suddenly felt an extremely intense heat enveloping his entire body. It was so sudden and intense that he even felt as if he might lose his balance for a moment. But he held himself together.


    He took deep breaths, closed his eyes, and waited. As his focus shifted to the chains around his heart, he tried to process what he had gained.


    And... he was surprised.


    No, not simply surprised.


    He was literally shocked.


    ''This...''


    It was nothing compared to simple goblins, wolves, or creatures. Even humans were the same.


    ''Did I gain a week... almost a week, just by killing one person?''


    It seemed a little longer than a week, he couldn''t be sure. But... whatever it was, it was a mind-blowing amount.


    So far, he had only been dealing with hours, after all. One hour, three hours... that sort of thing.


    And now suddenly many times more than that?


    And not only that...


    ''I can feel... this time, I really got stronger, even if only a little bit.''


    Before, when he killed anything, he couldn''t feel that he was getting stronger at all. The difference between before and after was so small that it was almost as if he didn''t gain anything.


    But this time, it was different.


    It wasn''t like he suddenly became several times stronger, of course. But... there was a strange feeling as if he had gained what little he could have gained if he trained for two or three weeks in one go.


    ''Strange, too strange...''


    It was good, though.


    Much better than he expected.


    This was one of the reasons he wanted to be the one to kill Tharon. To satisfy his curse like never before and to grow stronger.


    And he had achieved that goal.


    He clenched his fist. He paused for a moment, his expression gradually returning to what it had been before. Then, he looked around.


    The town... it was really a mess. He wasn''t sure how much time it would need to recover, or if it could recover at all.


    The fight between Tharon and the man with the sword had been devastating.


    That wasn''t the only problem, though.


    The real problem... were the Imperial soldiers he was sure were around the town.


    His eyes drifted to the ground, to Tharon''s disembodied head. Slowly, he approached it and then stopped.


    He took a deep breath in and out.


    Now... he would swim in dangerous waters.


    He was not sure how Tharon had been able to recognize the royal blessing. But the fact that it had happened once meant that he should also expect it from others.


    ''That man in the black clothes couldn''t feel it, now that I think about it.''


    Maybe Tharon could feel it because he was too strong, who knows?


    But that meant that the man with the sword could feel it too.


    And there was the problem. The town was surrounded and this man had given the order once to capture him. So he was going to face him no matter what. And when he did, his identity, at least for him, would be revealed.


    What was he supposed to do then? Accept his fate and wait for death...?


    No.


    That was another reason why he wanted to kill Tharon with his own hands.


    To create a way out, a chance for himself.


    "I... apologize again."


    He bent down, grabbed the obviously dead man''s head by the hair, and lifted it off the ground.


    It was disrespectful... but he kept his expression as straight as possible.


    Even if he knew nothing about Tharon, he could tell that he was a good man in the short time he had spoken to him. And... even though he was a rotten human being, he had never really had a problem with good people. On the contrary, he preferred to stay as far away from them as possible. Mostly because he didn''t want to hurt them.


    Things were a little more complicated with Tharon, though. There was really a lot he didn''t know about the man... and he was strong. And also important. The fact that he had been a slave to King Markhus'' father, that he had knowledge about the royal blessing, that the Empire was after him... there were so many mysteries he didn''t know about the man. Yet he had seemed like a good man. He was almost certain that he did not deserve such treatment.


    But now... he had to do this.


    He had to continue to be ruthless, at least to try something new for his future.


    And so, grasping Tharon''s head by the hair, he started to move forward. Occasionally, he could see the eyes looking back at him. The townsfolk who had survived were looking at him with many mixed emotions. But Kael ignored every one of them.


    After a while, he came across a few Imperial soldiers. They too looked at him with a puzzled expression, but... things changed when they saw the head he was holding.


    No, they did not attack him. They had no hostile intent whatsoever.


    They just... cleared the way for him without saying anything. As if they wanted him to go on.


    ''They''re showing the way to their superiors, huh...''


    Kael kept moving forward, keeping a cold and straight face. He made it to the entrance of the town without any problems. Not a single person had crossed his path or tried to stop him.


    Now... there were dozens of soldiers standing side by side right in front of him. Their cold eyes were on him as if they were ready to pounce on him if he made one wrong move.


    The man in black, who had disappeared when the fight between Tharon and the man with the sword started, was standing on the front lines. He was not in very good shape, to be honest. Like the others, he had suffered his share of the impacts of the big fight. All his clothes were wet, and his skin could be seen through the tears in some spots.


    Yet he was not the one who caught Kael''s attention. It was the old man who stood in front of him, his keen eyes scanning him. He was the one who stood against Tharon, fighting against him.


    The top part of his clothes was completely torn. His muscular body, full of dozens of wounds, was exposed, showing bruises with new wounds and the teeth marks of dragons. His long sword was at his waist, already sheathed.


    When Kael couldn''t see him, he thought that he must have been thrown somewhere, and he was probably right. Because the man was covered in dust and dirt. There were a few tree branches and leaves clinging to his body. He looked like he had just come out of the forest.


    Yet it was not his appearance that mattered, but the air he exuded around him.


    Kael swallowed hard. The man''s presence felt really heavy. Just being in the same area as him made him want to hold his breath involuntarily.


    ''It wasn''t like this with Tharon...''


    Maybe he was holding back, maybe the man in front of him was deliberately trying to make him feel that way... who knows?


    But Kael didn''t care. He tightened his fingers in Tharon''s hair. Without a word, without a reaction, he threw it in front of the man.


    Tharon''s head rolled all the way in front of the old man. Finally, it stopped just in front of his feet.


    The man looked down at the head under his feet, then up at the boy who had thrown it at him.


    It was at this moment that Kael... as if he could finally sense that the man was truly giving him his full focus, spoke.


    "I killed him."


    It wasn''t a lie, he had indeed killed him.


    He was going to hide the fact that he would have died on his own if he had waited a little longer, of course. No one needed to know that.


    "And?"


    When the old man''s deep, gruff voice echoed through the space, Kael momentarily forgot the words that had been running through his mind. But he quickly pulled himself together, made sure no sign of weakness escaped him, and... confidently continued.


    "You ordered your men to bring me to you without killing me. Why?"


    He had a pretty clear guess as to why. But... he had to ask, to keep the conversation going in the direction he wanted.


    And the man with the sword gave him the answer he wanted.


    "Because you are a bearer, why else?"


    Kael''s eyes narrowed. No matter how scared he was, no matter how much he wanted to run away... he remained calm and cold. And he continued in the same way.


    "So, here I am... I have killed your main target with my own hands."


    The old man paused for a moment. His head tilted slightly to the side as his eyebrows rose. His expression changed in an instant.


    "Oh, so... what are you trying to say?"


    "You''re going to drag me along, aren''t you? You''re probably going to take me to the Empire..."


    The old man did not evade the question, he nodded honestly.


    What else were they going to do? A bearer, at least in parts of the continent like this one, was not a common occurrence. And bearers left on their own at random, especially if they had just become one, was quite dangerous in places like this.


    So there was a general law that ''new'' bearers who were seen, whose presence was detected, had to be brought immediately to the Empire.


    Every bearer had an identification in the Empire and this identification was a necessity for them.


    It was the only way they could be kept under some control.


    And Kael was in no way an exception to this law. Especially now that he was on Imperial territory.


    He didn''t know any of this, of course.


    "I''ll go with you." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The old man''s eyebrows rose even higher and his face became even more puzzled. He was almost certain that Kael was going to ask for his release, given the way this conversation was going.


    But... he heard the opposite.


    "I will come with you to the Empire."


    And... that was exactly the card Kael played.


    "But I have a simple request. As the person who killed the man you''ve been looking for so long... don''t I deserve a simple reward, at least?"


    The last thing Kael saw before he continued with his next words... was the lips of the man in front of him curving upwards.


    "I... want to get stronger, that''s why I want to come with you... to be a soldier... if need be."


    He was not going to run away from the Empire. He couldn''t... After seeing the end of someone like Tharon, he was sure he could do nothing when he was not even as strong as one of his fingernails.


    If the Empire came after him just once... he was finished. He had no chance of running or surviving.


    So instead of running from it, he would try to use it.


    That was the gamble he was taking this time. But... nothing had even started yet. This was only the beginning of the gamble he planned to take, the plan that was forming in his head slowly.

 Chapter 51 - 51: Speech to the Townspeople

    ''Can he feel it?''


    This question was on Kael''s mind as he looked at the old man standing before him.


    If, like Tharon, he could feel exactly what his blessing was, he was going to have a difficult time.


    If not, everything was fine. But the alternative... It was something he didn''t want to deal with.


    "A reward... you say?"


    The old man''s words echoed in his ears. And then the next.


    "Do you want to become a dog of the Empire to gain power?"


    Kael waited a moment, his eyes narrowed.


    What was his purpose? What did he want to get stronger for?


    The answer was simple. To kill the man who killed his mother. To crush him... To make him suffer in front of everyone. And making sure that nothing could stop him while doing so.


    But this man was now under the Empire. So... if he really joined the Empire, he would be part of perhaps the greatest power in the world, which also protected the man he wanted to kill.


    Was that still a problem?


    Actually... no, it wasn''t.


    All he had to do was achieve absolute power. After that, it didn''t matter if he lived or died. He just needed the power to fulfill his wish.


    So... the answer was obvious.


    "Yes, if necessary... I will be the dog."


    He saw the old man''s lips curl even higher in response to his answer.


    And then... the world suddenly blurred.


    He simply blinked his eyes, nothing more. But the next second... the old man was right in front of him. Not even half a meter between them.


    In a normal moment, Kael would have jumped. But he had prepared himself for everything from the very beginning... so, doing his best to remain unresponsive, he raised his head coldly upwards, towards the man''s eyes.


    He looked into the man''s dark green eyes without compromising himself.


    And he asked with the same expression.


    "Can''t I?"


    The old man narrowed his eyes. A tiny glint seemed to dance in his dark green irises.


    "No one said you can''t. On the contrary..."


    He put his hand on Kael''s shoulder.


    Kael waited for a pressure, for his world to blur again. But... nothing happened. The old man across from him just patted his shoulders softly, maintaining his smile.


    "I''m just... surprised, it''s not every day I come across bearers like you."


    And that was that.


    The old man removed his hand from his shoulder and turned away as if nothing had happened, his previous sternness completely gone.


    He looked down at Tharon''s head on the ground before disappearing back into the soldiers. As if... something didn''t sit well with him.


    "Take care of the boy, he''s coming with us to the capital. And also deal with the town."


    The man in black, standing at the man''s beck and call, spoke in a booming voice.


    Honestly... things went a bit differently than Kael expected.


    After the old man disappeared, the soldiers quickly got to work. Since the threat was gone, they first entered the town, took Tharon''s body, and carried it out of the town. Then they gathered the survivors in the town and formed a team to help the wounded.


    And this was exactly the point that surprised Kael. He had expected the soldiers to completely ignore the town. Not... to help.


    But they were doing quite well, contrary to his exceptions.


    It took forty minutes to collect all the wounded, dead bodies, and survivors in the town. Securing the buildings from collapsing, on the other hand, took about an hour.


    Of course, Kael didn''t just sit idle during this whole process. Despite the constant eyes watching what he was doing, he too tried to help the town a bit.


    While doing this, he even discovered that Laen hadn''t died. Despite having a whole roof fall on him and being just a normal person, he actually had survived.


    Still, Kael didn''t pay much attention to him. He wasn''t sure what he should do with him.


    The man had been training him for almost two months, teaching him to fight and about the world. And the purpose of this was to use him in the future. However... if Kael could achieve what was in his mind smoothly, this purpose of Laen''s would completely disappear.


    No matter how much what he taught Kael was useful, he wouldn''t have anything left to himself. In short... while he tried to use Kael, instead, he would end up being used himself.


    ''Although... I don''t really need to care.''


    That''s what Kael eventually thought.


    Yes. Laen was... insignificant. This town and everyone in it were insignificant. They were just paving the way for the steps he took for the future, nothing more.


    So, even though he helped them, his focus wasn''t really on the town. Instead... after a short while, he turned back to the man in black who was following him like a vulture waiting for him to die.


    "I wonder..."


    The man raised his eyebrows and turned to him. Kael continued.


    "What exactly is the Empire like?"


    "Oh..."


    The man paused for a moment. His eyes briefly drifted to the sky, and after a short pause... he simply answered.


    "If you meant what you said in front of the general, it''s exactly the kind of place you''re looking for."


    Kael''s brow furrowed. But not seeing this reaction, the man continued quickly, as if he had already been expecting it.


    "The Empire is a place where power speaks. It''s a country that values power more than anything else. If you were a normal human, you wouldn''t be so lucky, but you are a bearer. That''s why you''re so much more important than a normal soldier. So... the Empire will want to raise you, even if you do nothing. In short, it will try to make you strong."


    He paused for a moment. His eyes narrowed slightly and this time, he added a serious tone to his words.


    "At least, as long as it makes sure you don''t stand against it."


    ''Interesting... but understandable.''


    Raising his enemy with his own hands would be something he wouldn''t want to do, of course. It should have been the same for the Empire.


    Kael didn''t feel the need to ask any more questions. But he also realized that the man in black still hadn''t left his side.


    Stranger still... he seemed to be willing to answer any question he asked, rather than trying to brush him off.


    ''He''s strange...''


    Still, he wasn''t bad, apparently.


    Well... from what he had seen so far, he could easily say that he was a better person than Laen. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''At least if he has nothing to hide...''


    *******


    After the business in the town was settled, the soldiers gathered the survivors in an open field.


    Kael had seen almost everyone in the crowd at least once. So many faces were familiar. So he could also more or less recognize the people he couldn''t see.


    For example... the woman he had met the first day he entered the mercenary building was nowhere to be seen. But most of the children from the orphanage must be alive because he could see that they were together.


    Still, he didn''t put much effort into it. Instead he watched as the man in black, whom he was pretty sure was a subordinate rather than a soldier under the man everyone referred to as the general, made his way to the front of the crowd and coughed to clear his throat.


    He really wondered what they were going to say to the townspeople.


    "Greetings, Greenveil Town and its people! I am Hakon, commander in chief of General Loukan''s private unit!"


    Kael paused for a moment when he heard this. He had noticed a detail he had never paid attention to until now. And it was not the man''s name or rank. On the contrary...


    ''This town... had a name?''


    "First of all, the Empire apologizes for your unfortunate accident. We were here to apprehend a notorious criminal and prevent a much greater loss and destruction, and we have accomplished our mission!"


    ''A notorious criminal, huh...''


    He knew nothing about Tharon, but would there really have been greater loss and destruction if they had not come after him?


    He was... not sure.


    It made more sense to think that they were trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the townspeople.


    "But don''t worry! After the fall of the Kingdom of Arcanoa, as the new owner of these lands, the Empire, will make up for all these losses. We will send someone to build new homes, and we will send aid to the families of all those who have unfortunately lost their lives!"


    They sounded like angels of goodness if they actually did what they said in that speech...


    But Kael was not one to fall for it.


    And... the speech went on like that.


    Hakon didn''t just apologize for the state of the town. Since no one had come to the town since the fall of the kingdom, and now that they were here, he talked about some of the changes that were coming.


    These were largely about trade, taxation, quality of life, and more.


    But perhaps the most important thing was... the thing called ''school''.


    When Kael first heard what the man said about a ''school'', he wondered if something was wrong with his ears. But... he had heard everything correctly.


    For all children over a certain age, the Empire allowed and even provided aid for their parents to pay a certain amount of money each year to send their children to a nearby large city to attend a school for their education.


    This ''school'' was advertised as a place where they could learn to read and write, gain knowledge about life, and more. In short, it was a place where children could actually learn useful things about life.


    It sounded too good to be true... in fact, Kael preferred not to believe it.


    But why would Hakon lie about it?


    "That''s all we have to say, thank you for listening to us! And we apologize again for the loss and destruction we have caused!"


    And this was the end of the speech.

 Chapter 52 - 52: Two Quick Visits

    When the speech was over, a deep silence fell over the area.


    Kael wasn''t sure if it was an effective speech or not. It was as if the townspeople were not sure what to say or how to react.


    The soldiers and Hakon didn''t push them too hard. After the speech was over, they turned around and walked out of town, not caring much about the silence.


    And that''s when Kael realized something else. All the soldiers who had no business in the town were always waiting outside.


    ''So as not to scare the people?''


    That was the most logical option he could come up with.


    But... it only made him more confused.


    The Empire... it was not supposed to be this good.


    From his experiences at the palace, from what he had heard all his life, he had always thought that the Empire would be something more like a cruel dictatorship. So... tyrannical and evil.


    But they were too nice to the townspeople. Or at least they tried to look like that.


    ''Or... maybe I''m just a little bit wrong?


    Not completely, of course. He was not so naive as to fall for what he had seen in only a short time. But... maybe he could be a little bit wrong?


    ''I''ll wait to see and find out, I guess...''


    *******


    Things went much faster than Kael had anticipated.


    So much so that it was time for the Imperial soldiers to return before Kael realized what was happening. Only those who would later build buildings and explain in more detail what had changed and would change in the governance of the Empire were to arrive.


    In short... It was time for Kael to leave too. They were going to leave for the capital of the Empire, at least if he hadn''t misunderstood or misheard anything.


    But he did not want to leave immediately.


    Instead, he asked for ten to twenty minutes before leaving. There were two places he wanted to go. And since things like preparing the soldiers would take a little more time, he received the time he asked for.


    And the first place he wanted to go... was one of the few buildings in the town that hadn''t been demolished, the building of the mercenary branch where he spent most of his time in the town.


    It wasn''t completely demolished, though. The second and third floors had collapsed, leaving only the first floor. And that was it.


    Kael sighed slightly. He ignored the eyes behind him watching his every move to make sure he didn''t run away and entered the building.


    Unlike usual, he was not greeted by the noise of adults and the smell of alcohol that permeated the entire building. Instead... a deep silence dominated the building.


    This did not mean that it was completely empty. A few mercenaries were still here, half as many as usual. They were quiet, but they were here. And... they were all looking in Kael''s direction.


    Kael felt the difference in their gaze quite easily. They were looking at him with different eyes than at previous times. And, well, it wasn''t that hard to guess what they were thinking.


    But Kael ignored them. He walked towards the reception counter and no one tried to stop him.


    Eventually he passed through the door leading to the back of the first floor.


    And he found the person he was looking for lying comfortably on a long couch.


    Laen was right in front of him. His head and right arm were covered with bandages. He didn''t look in very good shape, to be honest. But despite that, he hadn''t lost any of his aura.


    His closed eyes opened when he heard Kael enter. His straight lips curled up slightly. His eyes narrowed as he slowly straightened up from where he was lying. Looking at Kael with a serious expression, he spoke in a slightly mocking tone.


    "Well, well, well! Look who''s here... The new dog of the Empire, huh?"


    Kael remained silent at Laen''s words. And Laen grinned in contrast to his lack of reaction.


    "You tricked me good, Kael. You said you weren''t a bearer. You said you wouldn''t go behind my back, but..."


    Kael was silent again. It was as if he had no intention of speaking... as if he would listen to everything Laen said without doing anything.


    "What did I say that day? Oh, I''m generous as well as vindictive, right?"


    Laen''s smile widened.


    "I also said I would use you, but... in the end, I was the one who was used. Ironic, isn''t it?"


    And that was when Kael finally opened his mouth.


    "I-"


    "Pft, ahahahah!"


    Laen''s sudden burst of laughter stopped him in his tracks. A puzzled expression appeared on his face as he looked at the giant of a man in front of him.


    "What are you looking at? Did you think I was going to attack or set a trap for you?"


    Laen shook his head from side to side after recovering his laughter and continued.


    "No, my head is still clear. I''m not going to try anything stupid, especially when it involves a bearer and the Empire. I have no thirst for my life."


    He sighed slightly. Leaning back in his couch, he looked directly into Kael''s eyes.


    "Just... congratulations, I guess."


    Kael''s expression became even more confused.


    "Huh?"


    "What ''huh''? In case you haven''t heard me clearly, let me say it again... congratulations. You fooled me, you found a much bigger supporter to back you up and make you stronger. And you succeeded. You won, and I... lost. I''m not someone who can''t accept defeat, so... congratulations. I have nothing more to say."


    Kael just stared at him for a while. He said nothing, he didn''t move a muscle. In the end... he could only sigh deeply.


    "I... thank you. For giving me shelter for two months, for teaching me a little about fighting and..."


    His eyes narrowed involuntarily.


    "For preparing me to be part of this world."


    And... that was it.


    "I hope you can achieve your goals."


    Nothing was free, of course. Laen... had done everything for his own future plans.


    Still, that didn''t change the fact that Kael was grateful to him.


    He turned away, preparing to leave.


    But he paused one last time. Turning his head slightly and looking into Laen''s eyes, he asked... curiously but also seriously.


    "If things were different, if the stakes were much lower... would you chase me? To kill me, I mean. To... take revenge."


    The answer he received... was only a broadening smile.


    A smile that reminded him so many times what the world was like.


    "I see..."


    He turned back to the front.


    He was not surprised, in fact... it was exactly the answer he had expected.


    Still, he couldn''t feel angry with Laen. That''s why he ignored it.


    And that''s how he left the mercenary building, leaving Laen and the building where he lived for two months as a mercenary completely behind him.


    And heading towards the last place he would stop before leaving this town.


    *******


    When Kael arrived in front of his target, he paused.


    The building he was looking at was split in two in a perfectly diagonal way. One of the general''s attacks must have hit exactly here. It had therefore collapsed.


    But the upper floors had already been cleared of debris, just like the mercenaries'' building. So the first floor was usable again, although it no longer had a roof.


    He remembered the first day he came to town. Now that he looked at everything, how much had changed in just two months...


    He sighed deeply. With slow steps, he entered the town''s only orphanage.


    The sight that greeted him... was the sight of children sitting in the hall right in front of the door. Just behind them stood an old woman who looked as if she had lost a leg.


    They all looked at him in surprise.


    A clumsy smile appeared on Kael''s face. His eyes lingered on a girl with green hair. He recalled the challenge he had made to himself, even if it had been a childish one. And he opened his closed mouth.


    "I... will leave this town."


    He bowed his head slightly, not allowing anyone to react.


    "The first day I came here, you gave me clean clothes and let me take a shower. For... nothing."


    He bowed his head even more, to show his gratitude.


    Before, he had wanted to do this sarcastically for the challenge. But... he didn''t want that right now.


    So he went with his heart.


    "So... I wanted to thank you one last time before I leave."


    He waited for a while with his head bowed. In the deep silence that descended on the orphanage, he stood still, doing nothing. After a short while, though, he finally raised his head.


    He saw two people smiling, even though most of the children had confused expressions on their faces.


    One was the old woman and the other was Miny.


    "Take good care of yourselves."


    And with that, he prepared to leave without doing anything more.


    But, just then, the old woman raised her hand and waved it gently as if to say goodbye.


    "You''re welcome."


    And that was all she said.


    Miny also did not remain silent.


    "I hope you accomplish your goal."


    The smile on Kael''s face widened. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He turned around, murmuring softly before walking out.


    "I also hope I will..."


    And so, he left the orphanage behind.


    When he stepped outside, he saw a man in black, Hakon, standing in the doorway.


    "We''re leaving."


    You don''t have much more time, he said simply.


    "I know."


    And Kael was very much aware of that. That was why he had kept his ''visits'' so short and made everything rather quick without wasting unnecessary time.


    He took a deep breath and looked up at the gray sky.


    It had happened much faster than he had thought. And he was going somewhere he never thought he would go.


    Still, he was finally leaving the town.


    He had already made his choice, even if he was still not sure if it was good or bad.


    Now... all he had to do was keep moving forward. As he always did. Only then could he see the results, find the answers to the questions he didn''t know yet.

 Chapter 53 - 53: Start of the Journey

    *(A/N: There will be an another chapter in a few hours. And then another. Sorry for the late update.)*


    Twenty-three.


    That was the number of people among the Imperial soldiers that Kael had so far been certain was a bearer.


    And if he was not mistaken, this whole unit sent to capture Tharon consisted of a total of two hundred and fifty men.


    Kael had honestly thought that traveling with a group of two hundred and fifty people would be quite troublesome. But... it wasn''t. The soldiers were very disciplined and knew exactly what to do.


    Resting places were carefully and precisely chosen. The path was predetermined and it was almost impossible to be attacked. What idiot bandit would try to attack a group of two hundred and fifty soldiers...? Especially with the flag of the Empire waving over the carriages.


    Although... Kael wasn''t sure if they could even see the flag.


    Because there was a squad constantly patrolling around the advancing group, diving into the forests ahead of everyone else, scouting for possible danger. A team of... assassins, probably, led by Hakon. Or something like that.


    In short, this journey to the capital of the Empire was perfect, devoid of all flaws. They were on the second day of their journey and still nothing had gone wrong.


    Everything was going as it should.


    However, still... Kael had a problem.


    And that was his curse.


    ''Eight days. I only have eight days.''


    And their journey was scheduled to last another three weeks. And therein lay the problem.


    ''I haven''t killed anything in two days!''


    They were not encountering any creatures. Because no danger was allowed anywhere near the group! And even if they did, Kael was pretty sure that the other soldiers would be faster than him.


    So Kael had to think of a solution.


    And so, he moved, causing the eyes that were constantly on him to be suddenly alerted.


    The group was moving quite fast, really... they were covering many kilometers a day. Nevertheless, Kael quickly approached the very edge of the group.


    There was someone he had his eye on. An old man he had last spoken to two days ago, carrying a long and thin sword at his waist.


    But as soon as his eyes locked on him, he had to pause. His brow furrowed slightly as he looked at the man who suddenly appeared in front of him.


    ''A bearer.''


    He did not recognize the man, but he was probably one of those who kept his eyes on him at all times.


    "What do you want?"


    "I wanted to speak to the General..."


    "The General is not someone you can talk to as you please."


    It made sense, actually...


    "But... I want something."


    The man''s brow furrowed like his own.


    "What is it?"


    "Can I... wander in the forest too...? With the scouts, I mean."


    The man in front of him had his face covered. He wore a mask that reached above his nose and covered his neck and mouth, and his clothes were rather dark colored.


    So it was difficult to see his full expression. Despite this, however, Kael was able to make out exactly what the man''s expression was like.


    He was surprised. And also...


    "No, no."


    He looked like he was definitely going to refuse.


    And he did.


    "Why not? The scouts are about twenty people, and only three of them are bearers. They are slower than me, weaker. Yes, maybe they are more experienced than me and they would beat me easily if we fought. But my physical abilities are, probably, better than theirs. If not, then better than most adults. And I have spent almost three months in these forests, believe me. So I know what to do."


    "That''s exactly the problem, kid."


    "Ah..."


    Kael now understood the problem.


    They didn''t trust him, logically. And even if they could capture him again, they might lose a few of their regular soldiers because they were dealing with a bearer. Just like the first time.


    They didn''t want to send him into the ''forest'' where he could cause trouble right in front of their eyes.


    "I always have a few people following me, watching my every move... The only thing that will change is that the ones who will come after me will be in the forest, not in the moving group..."


    The man opposite still shook his head from side to side. He didn''t look like he was going to let Kael in any way. And he also didn''t look like he was going to deal with him any further. So, he turned away without further effort. He was about to disappear again before Kael could say anything to him.


    "You want to join the scouts... is that it?"


    Kael felt goosebumps all over him for no reason. He had a calm tone, even though his voice was deep and heavy.


    First the man who had been dealing with Kael slowly turned towards where the voice had come from, then Kael. Standing in front of them was... the old man with the sword at his waist.


    Ah, though... the General.


    "G- General!"


    The man immediately stood at attention as if waiting for orders. But the old man did not focus on him even for a moment.


    His lips were straight, his eyes sharp. His expression was a little strange, though... It was as if he was having a little fun, albeit with a cold expression.


    Kael paused. For a moment, he felt like swallowing hard, but he held himself back. He had to keep behaving the way he had in front of this man. So he forced himself as hard as he could, squinted his eyes slightly, and put on a serious expression.


    "Yes."


    "Hmm..."


    The general paused for a moment, just like Kael. His eyes roamed over him for a moment, studying him. His posture, his expression... everything.


    "Why do you want it?"


    "Just walking, doing anything... it''s not really my thing."


    The General''s lips curved upwards slightly at his answer.


    "I see."


    General looked around. The movement of the group had stopped with him. Everyone was looking in his direction.


    But he ignored them. He turned around and walked back to the front of the group with slow steps.


    "You can go, I give you permission."


    A momentary look of surprise appeared on Kael''s face. But he quickly recovered at the General''s next words.


    "We''re moving again, come on! No stopping!"


    And not only him, but everyone else too.


    Slowly, the group began to move forward once again. But Kael and the man next to him remained where they were.


    Kael turned his eyes to the man who was still standing at attention. Then... his lips curled upwards slightly.


    He quickly realized the mistake he had made, but he didn''t hold back. He had made this mistake once, there was no going back. So he kept his expression.


    "Tch."


    The man next to him clicked his tongue, then turned around.


    "Follow me. And... don''t try anything. You won''t get as much mercy this time as before. I''m always after you."


    "I never had any intention of running away..."


    *******


    The man was a man of his word. He was really following Kael all the time. He was nowhere to be seen, but Kael could feel his presence... his gaze.


    But then, he noticed something different. Not long after he entered the forest, only a minute or so, he felt the presence of something or someone else watching him. So, he paused.


    Only a second later, the air in front of him fluctuated. As if... as if someone was coming out of camouflage. So much so that the ripples resembled leaves.


    And then a person slowly emerged from the nothingness, dressed completely in black... a familiar person with a familiar face.


    Kael opened his mouth to say something, but Hakon spoke faster.


    "Ah, no... you don''t need to explain. I know everything."


    "Oh..." sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hakon looked at him for a while, sighing. Like the other man, he clicked his tongue. But he knew there was nothing he could do, so he did nothing.


    "Look, my little friend... What was your name again? Kael?"


    Kael nodded his head.


    "Okay, Kael... Now, I''m going to think good things. I''m going to think that you won''t try to escape, that you''ll really do what you''ve been told... Because that''s what I want to think, and also for the general. So listen to me carefully."


    Kael nodded again. He didn''t care that there were rules he had to follow. All he wanted was to kill a few creatures. No more, no less.


    "Good. Now... the scouts have simple rules. We keep a circle around the group at all times, keeping a certain distance between us. Taking turns and resting, of course. If we see a creature and it''s something we have no trouble killing, we take care of it ourselves. But if we see something troublesome, we go back quickly and report it. Then..."


    And so on and so forth, he told Kael a lot of things.


    Actually, it was really all simple things. Even though Hakon explained everything at length, most things were basic and easy to remember.


    "Do you understand? I''m not going to start from the beginning because..."


    "I understand everything."


    "Oh, very good then! You can start right now... let''s go!"


    And there were ripples around his body, just like when he first appeared. He was surrounded by what looked like leaves, but Kael couldn''t quite make out what they were. And after a while, Hakon disappeared.


    Kael had really understood what he had to do. It would take a little more experimentation and trial and error, but he thought he would do a good job with the rules and not cause too much trouble for the main scouts.


    Still, for a few seconds, he just stood there, staring in the direction where Hakon had disappeared. But... he didn''t just stare.


    ''Same thing, the same thing again... these abilities, they are strange. It''s like they are connected to that warmth that makes me feel stronger...''


    Each one was different in one way. Or many ways, probably. But... they were also the same.


    He narrowed his eyes, three things running through his mind as he moved slowly. The first was what the general used in battle. The second was Tharon''s strange yet amazing dance as he controlled the rain and the dragons. And the last was the way Hakon felt when he disappeared.


    And so, thoughtfully, he dived into the undergrowth of the forest.


    With eyes on him, of course.

 Chapter 54 - 54: Being a Part of the Scout Team

    Kael didn''t really cause any trouble. He took the position he was told. He started to make a circle on the route he was told, making sure that he didn''t fall behind the main group that was moving forward.


    A few times, at first, he realized that he had made a mistake, that he was lagging behind the group, and corrected himself. A few times, he had to be corrected by one of the men who was constantly watching him.


    But with every mistake he made, he got more into the role. He adapted quite quickly.


    But he was still not happy. He was far from happy, in fact.


    Because he had not encountered a single creature or wild animal for two hours... Not a single one!


    ''Do the other scouts move faster than me and clean everything or am I just unlucky...''


    He couldn''t be sure. But... frankly, he gave the second possibility more chance. That he was unlucky.


    And, with that, another hour passed... Another hour without encountering a single living being.


    And when he reached the end of this hour, the man who appeared at his feet every time he made a mistake appeared in front of him again.


    Kael''s eyes narrowed. His face took on a serious expression.


    "What did I do wrong?"


    It was like this every time. He was taking this job, the scouting, really seriously. He could immediately reduce the mistakes he had made before to the point where he either didn''t make them again or made very few of them.


    "You didn''t make a mistake."


    He paused for a moment at the man''s words. Why had he come to him if he hadn''t made a mistake...?


    Only when he thought about it for a moment did he find the answer and spoke before the man.


    "Ah... is it time for me to rest?"


    When the man nodded, Kael couldn''t help his expression twitching slightly.


    According to the scouts'' rules, after three hours of scouting, he was to join the main group and wait there to rest. After resting for about an hour and a half, he was to start scouting again.


    Although the night watch was a bit different, this was how the day watch was organized.


    The scouts were divided into three groups in total and there were two groups actively scouting. Each group worked for three hours and rested for one and a half hours. The intervals between resting and starting scouting again were arranged so that each group could rest for one and a half hours. In this way, if there was an emergency in the forest, those who were resting could understand the signs and quickly communicate the situation to the main group.


    It was quite good, actually. To Kael, it was an efficient way of working.


    But that didn''t change the fact that he couldn''t find anything to kill!


    "Understood..."


    Still, he did not object. Resting was also part of the work and all the scouts had a certain order. There was no need to break this order.


    So, without giving anyone any difficulty, he returned to the main group and jumped onto a carriage. He watched the scouts who had switched places with him dive into the forest. Then, he sighed.


    ''I hope I don''t die before the journey is over...''


    *******


    Kael was really unlucky.


    It had been three days since he had been part of the scout team and the number of creatures he had encountered was really small. So few that he was at a disadvantage in terms of lifespan. The total time he had gained in the last three days was only one and a half days!


    ''This is not going to work...''


    But he had no other choice.


    He was deliberately hiding his curse and he wanted to continue doing so. Yes, maybe he wasn''t the smartest guy in the world, but he wasn''t too stupid to realize that his curse could be used against him. Especially not when he was in a position where he could easily fall into the clutches of the Empire.


    So he had to keep it secret. And, well... he should have had a bit of luck so that he would have encountered a lot of creatures.


    But... that didn''t happen.


    On the fourth day, he was at a loss in terms of time. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And the fifth day too.


    On the sixth day, he managed to recover a little because he came across a wolf pack''s den. But overall, he was still at a loss from the beginning of the journey.


    So the seventh day passed.


    One more day and the journey would be half over. He would have ten days left, in short.


    And Kael had only six days and fourteen hours to live.


    ''If I hadn''t killed Tharon, I would be dead by now...''


    The time he had gained by killing him was a little over a week, and Kael had already fallen below that.


    But, just then, he froze in place with another thought.


    ''What about... after we enter the capital?''


    The capital, of course, was not a place where he could just go around killing things. There would be no animals or creatures like goblins or wolves. Only humans.


    What was he going to do there when he was having problems even now? His curse would leave him in a much worse situation, most likely...


    ''It''s... a problem... a very big problem...''


    "Hey, kid!"


    He snapped out of his thoughts. He saw the man yelling at him.


    "It''s our turn!"


    He nodded his head immediately. He jumped down from the carriage he was sitting on. While half of the scouts in the forest joined the main group, he and the others went in the opposite direction.


    He was still a beginner in many ways, but he could do scouting well enough not to cause trouble for the others. In this way, his relationship with the other scouts had shifted from nothing to slightly neutral. He had learned a few of their names, and his name had been learned by them.


    Yet he didn''t think about any of this, didn''t care.


    The only thing on his mind was how to satisfy his curse. Basically, how he could survive.


    *******


    And so, the days went on, one after the other.


    Kael was more aggressive, faster than ever. This way, he was only at a loss for a few hours most days, or he was able to pull ahead a little bit.


    Still, he was far from the performance he wanted. If he could, he would have liked to enter the capital of the Empire with a month. Then he would have had much more time to think, to formulate a proper plan.


    But he couldn''t. And if he was not miscalculating, he would enter the capital with only four days left to live.


    "Tch."


    He clicked his tongue, using his daggers to kill a strange creature belonging to a strange species of creature that resembled overgrown frogs. Yet his expression did not change.


    ''I have to be faster.''


    So he could find more creatures.


    ''I must be more careful.''


    So he wouldn''t miss the creatures that were hiding.


    Therefore, he sped up even more, scanning his surroundings even more carefully, and keeping his senses open at all times.


    If he had time, he would have liked to think about what he had seen from the general, Tharon, and Hakon. He wanted to ponder them, to see if there was something he could apply to himself.


    But with his life at stake, he didn''t have time for that. So... he made it his first priority to kill as many things as he could.


    And while he was out in the forest looking for things to kill... at the front of the main group, two people were having a conversation about him.


    One of them was Hakon. He was dressed in black as usual, his eyes and expression very serious. The person walking opposite him, with his back turned, was an old man with a sword at his waist... General Loukan.


    "How is the kid?"


    Hakon was one of General Loukan''s most trusted subordinates. He was also one of the most talented.


    Yet there was only one task the general had given him during this whole journey, apart from the basic things like keeping the group safe. And that was to keep an eye on Kael, the fifteen-year-old boy who had just joined their group, and report back every day.


    "Kael is... good. Much better than I thought, in fact. The job of a scout is hard. The beginners really make a lot of mistakes. But he''s... a bit strange."


    Most beginners didn''t know how to use their senses well enough, so they missed a lot of details about their surroundings. If they didn''t disguise themselves well, their presence would be discovered and they could ruin everything for the group they were scouting for.


    The number of mistakes that could be made was really enormous.


    And Kael was no exception. He made mistakes, he wasn''t perfect.


    But, as Hakon said, he was strange.


    "Hmm, go on."


    "Instead of getting embarrassed or angry when his mistakes are pointed out to him, he stays calm and listens. He tries to correct them, unlike his age. He adapts fast, really... I''ve rarely seen anyone learn as fast as he does, but that''s not the only thing that''s strange about him."


    General Loukan''s brow furrowed slightly.


    "For example? What else is strange?"


    "Lately... he''s been more aggressive and careful than usual. It''s like he''s looking for danger rather than scouting and staying alert for it. It''s like... he''s especially looking for creatures, wild animals... just living beings. And when he finds them, he kills them without a second thought. Regardless of whether it''s wild, dangerous, or not."


    The general was silent for a while as if he was thinking about something.


    "And how is he with eon? At what level? Does he have a Path he follows, have you been able to determine what his blessing or curse is? What you noticed might have something to do with that."


    "Kael seems to have figured out how to use eon on his own. It''s clear that he hasn''t had any professional training, so the way he uses eon is quite bad and he doesn''t overuse it. So it''s hard for me to comment. But he''s not a follower, I''m certain that he''s just a bearer."


    "I see. Good job Hakon, keep it up. You can go."


    Hakon bowed his head and put his left arm over his chest.


    "Understood, general."


    Then, his figure disappeared, as if the place where he had been was covered with transparent leaves.


    General Loukan remained silent and expressionless, watching the road they were moving through.


    He didn''t know why, but... this boy named Kael intrigued him. As if... he wasn''t just a random person, but someone very important.


    ''We will wait and see, I suppose...''

 Chapter 55 - 55: First Teleportation

    Kael was actually quite surprised when he first heard that they could get to the capital in only three weeks.


    Three weeks was a short time. No matter how fast they moved, they should only be able to get a short distance out of the kingdom in three weeks.


    So he found this situation strange. Had the Empire placed its capital so close to the borders...? That... seemed... a bit ridiculous, to be honest. A capital close to the borders meant a capital close to enemies.


    Still, he did not question it in any way. He remained silent until the last day of their journey. He continued to kill the creatures and animals he saw, doing his duty as a novice scout.


    Fortunately, he had been lucky lately and had been able to add a few extra days to his lifespan. He would enter the city with almost thirteen days left to live. He had done this by killing everything he saw, literally everything, except his so-called ''allies''. Wolves, goblins, a few weak creatures he had trouble identifying, harmless animals like squirrels or deer, and more... just to name a few of the things he had killed.


    And so, the night before the last day of their journey, for the first time, they were able to see the ''city'' that was their destination. Or rather... its walls.


    ''Woah...''


    Not only were the walls long, and they were really long, but they covered a huge area too.


    Even though the mansion of the king''s brother, Musthar V. Arcanoa, was in a place like this, Kael had never been out of the places where he worked. When he did, he usually spent the whole journey in the luggage part of a carriage, unable to look out.


    So he didn''t really know what a big city looked like.


    And now, seeing one with his own eyes from far... it almost blew his mind.


    And not only that.


    As they got closer to the city walls, they started to see people from different groups than their own. Even though it was moving quite smoothly, there was even a small traffic at the entrance gate of the city walls. There were people everywhere.


    Merchants, mercenaries, adventurers, soldiers... they could see all kinds of people.


    But the strange thing was...


    ''Bearers... are there more of them than I thought?''


    Bearers were always a rarity throughout his life. They were not people he could see everywhere...


    But now, as he was examining each and every one of the people in the dense traffic he was in... he could catch a glimpse of some bearers. All it took was a little focus and a particular search, and he could definitely find one.


    ''Interesting...''


    But he did not dwell on this too much. Soon, he began to study other details, to learn new things.


    And the first thing he learned... was not only that the Empire''s soldiers were systematic and organized, but that everything about it was.


    The traffic at the entrance to the walls was carefully directed by officials dressed like soldiers, preventing accidents and controlling the speed of the carriages. Even stranger, Kael saw an official get angry with someone and give him something like a penalty!


    Well... he wasn''t sure if it was a penalty or not. He thought it was because he heard the man say ''I''m issuing you a ticket''. It was still strange though!


    Though... he had never been in cities before or seen how they worked. Not just the Empire, but all cities like this, maybe...?


    ''I have a lot to learn...''


    And that''s how it finally came to their group. Kael was not very close to the front of the group, so he could not see exactly what was being done and the procedures. But out of the corner of his eye, he caught Hakon picking up a piece of paper and writing something with a pen.


    After that, all the carriages and soldiers, including himself, were examined pretty quickly. Soon after that, the huge gates of the city walls were opened for them.


    And when Kael saw the city... he felt fascinated all over again.


    The city was big. Really big compared to the town he had spent two months in. He could hardly see the walls on the other side of the city. And not only that, the buildings were large and varied. Almost all of them seemed to be made of concrete, let alone wood, clay, or stone. Each one looked elaborate and of high quality.


    And the people were like that too.


    Well, not all of them, of course... but most of them seemed clean and well-dressed.


    Kael''s mind was blown.


    "Surprised?"


    He paused momentarily as a familiar voice entered his ears. His eyes slowly darted to his right, so that he could make out another figure looming over the carriage he was sitting on. Hakon...


    "It''s like you''re entering a city for the first time."


    "Because it''s actually my first time..."


    In the time that passed, he had become a little closer to Hakon. He called him by his name, Kael, now, for example, instead of his usual ''my little friend''. And he seemed a little more... relaxed around him.


    Still, the closeness didn''t go any further than that. Hakon didn''t completely trust Kael as part of his mission. He was still suspicious of him, which was what he had to do. In a world where nothing was certain, to trust someone completely without knowing them inside out was just... nonsense. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So Kael respected the man''s attitude. He didn''t try to get too close to him, but he didn''t stay too far away either.


    "First time, huh..."


    Kael paused when he realized that the man had learned something about him and he had given it to him with his own mouth. But then, with a sigh, he decided to forget about it. It wasn''t even such an extremely important thing.


    "You don''t think this is the capital then, do you?"


    And yet he couldn''t help frowning at these words, a bewildered expression appearing on his face.


    "What do you mean...? Isn''t this the capital?"


    "Oh, so you really didn''t know..."


    He saw Hakon smiling from behind his mask. Then, Hakon tore his eyes away from the front of the group and turned towards him.


    "This is one of the metropolises of the Empire. It is much more important and centralized than normal cities. And it''s just as important even if not as important as the capital itself. You''ve probably thought about it before, the Empire rules almost the entire continent, but... how is communication handled? What about transportation? With such a large and vast territory under its sway, don''t the Empire have any problems?"


    Yes, Kael had thought about this before. But... he couldn''t find an answer, so he didn''t pursue it further.


    Now all his focus was on Hakon. He was really curious about the rest of his words.


    "Well, metropolises make things like this easier. Each metropolis has a large teleportation field and you can move from one metropolis to another. At the same time, since metropolises are sort of commercial centers, they also control the region they are in and the surrounding areas and also collect taxes. You''ll learn more about this later, but that''s basically it. You can think of metropolises as mini-countries in their own right."


    ''Teleportation sites, mini-countries...''


    This was... important information. So he digested everything in his mind as much as he could. After a short time, he paused.


    "So... we are now heading towards a teleportation field to get to the capital?"


    "Exactly."


    Hakon tore his eyes away from Kael and turned them towards a spot off to their right. Kael looked there with him.


    For now, he couldn''t see anything there. The buildings were blocking his view, but... the teleportation field had to be that way.


    "I see..."


    And so it was.


    After about ten minutes, after traveling through several streets, they finally arrived at a very large area with no buildings in it.


    The area was made up of many different wide, wide squares of ground. Each square had sides of about fifteen meters and were not contiguous. There were gaps between them for carriages to pass through. And soldiers or people, of course. And... each square was constantly used for teleportation.


    ''This...''


    It was too mesmerizing. That''s exactly what was going through Kael''s mind.


    Each of those to be teleported would be positioned on one of these squares. Then they waited for the soldiers who would take care of their teleportation to go through the procedures, they would sign a paper, and then the teleportation would begin.


    First, countless strange letters would flash on the square, then they would start to emit light, which would envelop everything that stood on them. And then... the light disappeared in an instant and dissipated as if a balloon had been popped.


    In this way, the process of teleportation was completed.


    Another area was used for those who were coming from here rather than going elsewhere. There the process was reversed, but it was still the same.


    And... it was mesmerizing.


    So mesmerizing that by the time Kael realized it was his turn, the carriage he was sitting on had already been placed on a square and signatures were being signed.


    Everything took a very short time to complete. After only two minutes or so, the soldier in front of the square he was in was starting the teleportation process.


    And Kael was excited. He was really excited. He was wondering what was going to happen.


    So... lights started to appear on the square he was standing on, just like the others.


    Kael swallowed, held his breath, and focused all his senses on his surroundings.


    As the lights surrounded him, he first felt his connection to the world break. Then... a cold sensation suddenly covered his entire skin. For a brief moment, his whole body felt as if it was tingling. But all this was short-lived.


    First, the tingling sensation went away, then the cold. Warm air hit his face as the glaring light that prevented him from using his eyes slowly disappeared. Then he saw the fragments of light that surrounded them dissipate.


    When he opened his eyes again... he was in a completely different place.


    He had finally stepped into the capital of the Empire.

 Chapter 56 - 56: First Step into the Capital

    The capital was... big.


    Kael couldn''t even compare it to the metropolis before he teleported, let alone the town. The walls on the other side of the huge city were so far away that they looked like... a pale mountain.


    And not only that. The area allocated to the teleportation field was also much larger than where he had stood only a few seconds before. There were many more big square floors, and the area was much more crowded.


    So crowded and noisy at the same time that it was almost overwhelming...


    But despite all this, there was one place Kael couldn''t take his eyes off. Not far from the teleportation field, a structure whose top seemed to touch the grey sky.


    ''Is this... a palace...?''


    It was big... too big. So much so that Arcanoa''s palace was nothing compared to it. And at the same time, it was mesmerizing. It was so clearly a magnificent palace, belonging to a great ruler, that Kael... felt small looking at it.


    Not just ''small'' in size... but in everything.


    He swallowed involuntarily. Barely tearing his eyes away from the palace in the distance, he turned them in the direction of Hakon and General Loukan.


    He saw the two of them side by side, talking about something. But it was probably nothing overly serious as they didn''t look like anything like that.


    Not Hakon, at least. The general named Loukan... he always looked serious. Even though Kael had seen his smiling face, his normal expression was so stern that he couldn''t help but doubt his memory of it.


    Nevertheless, their conversation was short. Neither of them said anything for a short while, then looked exactly in his direction and Kael suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.


    ''H- huh? Were they talking about me?''


    Why else would they both be looking in his direction for no reason at the same time?


    ''No, it must be about their mission. I''m not that important of a person...''


    But despite his words, he had to hold back a gasp when Hakon''s image flashed before him.


    "Our main mission was to catch a criminal, you know. And we did, even if he''s dead. So we''ll go to the palace to report back, and the other soldiers will disperse to their barracks. And you... will come with me."


    "I''m going with you to report the mission...?"


    Hakon shook his head from side to side.


    "Of course not. That''s for the lower ranks. Am I the commander of a whole unit for nothing? What am I supposed to report and do?"


    Kael paused. Slightly agitated, but without a trace of it in his tone, he spoke slowly.


    "Then... where are we going?"


    "To decide what to do with you, of course."


    "And shouldn''t it also be the lower ranks who do that...?"


    "Not if I feel like it. Now... follow me."


    And... that was the end of their conversation. As much as Kael wanted to ask, he kept the question of where they were going to go to himself, deciding not to bother Hakon as he would soon find out where they were going anyway.


    And so, the two began to walk out of the teleportation field, leaving their group of two hundred and fifty soldiers behind.


    Kael was not idle in the meantime. He continued to imprint everything he saw in his mind. He tried to learn more about the capital.


    And, well... it wasn''t much different from the previous city to be honest.


    The only thing about the capital was that it was much bigger and more crowded.


    But that was it. Nothing more or less.


    *******


    They easily passed the guards who, thanks to Hakon''s authority through his rank, checked everyone who entered and left the teleportation field. Then they went out into the street. And the place they were heading for was...


    ''Palace, huh...''


    Yes, they were heading towards the palace.


    He didn''t know why, but Kael had thought at first that they were going to a secret place that would be like a base for assassins. But that was not the case.


    Why hadn''t he thought simple?


    Sighing lightly, Kael noticed another difference this time as they continued to approach the palace step by step.


    ''Huh...''


    Although the palace... was quite far away, the street ahead of them was devoid of buildings and opened out wide. This was because... there was another large and wide wall blocking their way.


    They lined up in front of the gate on this wall as Kael studied everything he saw with interest. Again, thanks to Hakon''s rank, they moved forward smoothly and got behind this wall as well.


    And so Kael was amazed again.


    The gardens of the palaces were naturally large. Even the garden of the palace in Arcanoa was large enough to be filled with buildings where people with many different tasks worked and stayed.


    But not as big as this one.


    ''This...''


    The palace in the capital of the Empire was like... a city in its own right.


    Kael could tell at a glance that none of the people he saw were normal folk. Each one was a palace servant, a soldier, a healer, a gardener... and so much more. It had much wider roads and was more spacious than the city streets. But it was certainly nothing less than a city!


    So much so that there must have been almost two kilometers between the main building of the palace and the entrance gate they had just passed! So from one end of the palace walls to the other must have been four kilometers apart...


    "Pretty big, isn''t it?" sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    All he could do in response to Hakon''s words was to simply nod his head. Hakon smirked simply at his reaction, but said nothing more. So they kept moving forward.


    After walking for about five minutes, Hakon finally paused at the corner of a path that led to a building and turned towards it. Kael also gave his full focus to this building.


    A few meters away from the building, there was probably a sign telling what it was. But Kael could not read or write, so he did not focus on it.


    The building was three stories high and, like the whole capital, quite big. Too big, even. The walls were made of concrete with different colored patterns on them, and it looked very high quality. Just like all the other buildings in the capital.


    "This place..."


    "It doesn''t really have a specific purpose, it''s more of a general building. But the most common use is for some kind of entertainment."


    "Entertainment?"


    Hakon nodded his head.


    "Exactly.


    It''s where they used to have duels between people, plays, and stuff like that. It''s not used for anything today. So it''s empty."


    Kael asked curiously as he followed Hakon, who slowly walked into the building.


    "If it''s empty... why are we here?"


    "Exactly because it''s empty. So we won''t be disturbed."


    ''We won''t be disturbed...?''


    He thought about Hakon''s words for a while. A few things started to come to mind, but... he couldn''t help frowning when he realized that none of them were good things.


    ''Does he want us to be alone? But why?''


    He continued to follow Hakon, for there was nothing he could do.


    But... for some reason, he had a bad feeling.


    *******


    "And... here we are!"


    Hakon pushed open a double door on the first floor of the building. Kael quickly looked into the room.


    And what he saw was...


    "Is this an... arena?"


    In front of him was a rather huge space with chairs that gradually descended. After a few meters down, instead of descending further, the floor became flat, creating a large space.


    "Sort of, but it''s empty as you can see. This is where the duels are held. Follow me."


    With a smile beneath his mask, Hakon began to descend, passing through the myriad of chairs. Kael followed him, slightly uneasy.


    The moment Hakon set foot on the flat floor at the bottom, Kael heard the door behind them slam shut, but he didn''t turn around. Instead, his eyes were fixed entirely on Hakon, who was walking on the flat floor.


    "Now... what do we do?"


    "What we do now is quite simple."


    Hakon paused and turned around, leaving about five meters between him and Kael.


    The smile under his mask was still there. But his eyes... his eyes were sharp this time, completely on Kael.


    "We''re going to find out how strong you are and exactly who you are. In short... what you can do, how valuable you are. You will show me a few things I want you to show me. And of course, you will answer the questions I ask."


    Hakon placed one of his hands on his waist, his expression serious.


    "Without telling a single lie."


    Kael''s eyes narrowed at the threatening tone. He never looked away as his expression became serious too.


    "I see..."


    It seemed that he was going to spend some time here. No wonder he had a bad feeling back then¡­

 Chapter 57 - 57: The Arena and Questions

    "Now... let''s start with a few questions first, Kael. How long have you been a bearer? And how much do you know about being one?"


    Kael... wasn''t quite sure what to do, to be honest.


    He was literally being interrogated right now, that was not hard to understand. And depending on his answers, his future could be shaped. That was also for sure.


    So, after a small pause, he took a deep breath. And... decided to be truthful about this.


    "I think it''s been about four months. And... I don''t know anything about bearers."


    He saw Hakon''s eyebrows raise slightly.


    "Nothing?"


    "Well... I know that they''re powerful people and stuff, and that they have blessings or curses. And that these allow them to use different powers."


    "What were you before, Kael? An orphan living in that town?"


    Kael waited a brief moment before answering. This... was definitely a trick question. They could have asked the townspeople about him. So they also might know that he had only arrived there a short time ago.


    They might not know too, of course...


    But Kael was not willing to risk it.


    "I was... a slave to a merchant group."


    Though he still decided to mix some lies into the truth.


    "Oh?"


    "We were traveling somewhere, I don''t know exactly where, but we were attacked. I was freed from my mark of slavery, then I escaped. Then I got into that town. I became a bearer while trying to survive in the forest."


    Hakon looked even more surprised this time.


    "So it''s not genetic. It''s rare to awaken your potential and gain a blessing. Or from the gods... whatever. But I''m surprised you managed to do it... You must have had a really hard time in the forest."


    Kael didn''t say anything. Hakon removed his hand from his waist and took a single step towards Kael. His hands were now free.


    "Now, let''s do an experiment. Attack me, Kael."


    "Attack you?"


    Hakon nodded.


    "Yes. But do something for me... and don''t hold back. Use everything you''ve got. Your blessing, your curse... whatever you have."


    Kael looked Hakon up and down.


    He had no doubt that the man was strong. Maybe not as strong as Tharon or the general, but certainly much stronger than he was. Still... the way he stood so completely at ease...?


    He was not going to underestimate him. But... he felt underestimated. No matter who the other man was, no matter how strong he was, it was uncomfortable for him to stand in front of him like that.


    ''He''s strong, don''t ever forget.''


    "Haaaah..."


    He took a deep breath. Then, he reached for the daggers hanging at his waist.


    He was going to do what Hakon said. He was really going to use everything. He would hold nothing back.


    So he took his stance, created a warmth in his heart, as usual, and spread it throughout his body. But he did not limit himself to a small amount. He built and built... he did not stop. He fed his body with as much warmth, as much power as he could.


    He saw Hakon''s lips curl slightly upwards. But he did not care.


    When he was swept off his feet, he found himself faster than he thought. The last time he had used everything was a month and a half ago, maybe a little more... the night he killed that merchant group.


    He had taken a lot of lives since then. And of course, he had been pushing his body to his limits every day. So he had gotten stronger, even if a little bit.


    In the long run, it was a tiny bit of strength. Certainly not a huge amount. But he liked it.


    "Oho?"


    But... it was different for Hakon.


    He simply stepped to the side, as if Kael were a snail. If he wanted to, he could have taken Kael''s daggers out of his hands in an instant, he could have broken his neck, he had plenty of openings to make him suffer.


    Yet he did none of that. He just avoided. And Kael quickly attacked again, without stopping, even if his first attempt had failed.


    He swung his daggers at Hakon one after the other while he easily dodged all his attacks.


    Meanwhile... he was talking.


    "You are fast. Your attacks are a bit random, but at least you have the basics. You''re not bad with daggers, but you''re not average either, to be honest. Other than that... is this the ability you have? Simply empowering yourself?"


    Kael didn''t answer. With each passing second, he grew faster and faster. His attacks became more reckless. He had one target in his sights... and that was Hakon.


    But he just wouldn''t shut up.


    "It could also be something passive, though... I''m not sure. But I want to know the answer to something, Kael."


    And... for the first time... he did something other than dodge.


    He pushed aside the dagger that had moved to gouge out one of his eyes, just by pressing a finger into its side. Then, he gave Kael a fairly straight trip, causing him to fall. Without even letting him get up, he suddenly appeared in front of him, bent down, and fixed his eyes on Kael''s.


    There was a silvery glint in Kael''s brown eyes, pale but definitely distinct.


    "Why are you so interested in killing? Don''t think I haven''t noticed, you''ve been looking for something to kill literally every day for the entire three-week journey. That''s why you even joined the Scouts. As if... it was an obligation for you. Why is that? Is it because of your blessing? Though... something like that can only be a curse, not a blessing. Is it? Or... are you simply a psychopath who enjoys killing?"


    Kael took deep breaths, calming himself. The silvery glint in his eyes receded quickly, the power faded just as fast, and his body returned to its original state. Finally... he could only sigh.


    "It''s the curse."


    He couldn''t lie. When he looked into Hakon''s eyes... he was sure of it. No matter how much he tried to hide it, sooner or later, he would run into a barrier, and that barrier would allow his curse to take his life.


    It wasn''t every day he found creatures to kill. At least not in the capital.


    It simply wasn''t possible.


    So... even if it could be used against him, he now believed he had no choice.


    As long as he wasn''t a slave, he was okay to be used. Just like in the case of Laen. That was the decision he made.


    "Oh, so it''s a curse..."


    Hakon looked thoughtful for a moment.


    "What kind of curse? If you tell me in detail, we can help you. I''m serious about this."


    "I... need to take life. On a regular basis..."


    "Or else?"


    "I''m dying."


    A deep silence fell over the arena. Hakon stood up, not thinking about anything... just making a ''hmm'' sound that said he was thinking.


    Kael followed him, slowly rising from the floor.


    "And did you gain anything? Curses often provide abilities that are more useful than blessings."


    "I''ve gotten stronger. That''s... basically it. I just got stronger and faster." Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It wasn''t a lie. He had indeed gotten stronger... he was just hiding the fact that he was getting stronger ''all the time''.


    Just because he had chosen to trust the Empire didn''t mean he would really tell everything about himself.


    "You''re wrong though. You didn''t just get stronger and faster."


    Kael frowned.


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "I''ll show you."


    Hakon simply stood where he was. The next second... Kael suddenly felt an abnormal coldness crawling across his skin. A shiver gradually ran down his spine. It was as if... as if there was a danger lurking behind him, as if someone stronger than him was staring at him.


    As if... as if he were a helpless prey in front of a hunter.


    He was trying to process what was happening when suddenly his eyes locked on Hakon. Then... he saw a red glow begin to appear in the man''s black eyes.


    His eyes widened slightly as he froze in his tracks.


    "Curses and blessings... these are not for free, Kael. Just as your body needs energy to move, food to eat... so do your abilities."


    He raised his hand. The same red glow that appeared in his eyes appeared in his fingers, and then they changed shape. They began to swirl around him like dancing... leaves.


    "We call it eon. Essence of Nature, that''s how it stands. It''s in every human being, every living being... even those who can''t be bearers or normal animals. And this is the essence that your abilities as a bearer need.


    He suddenly clenched his fingers, balled his hand into a fist, and the transparent things around him, like leaves, dispersed.


    He looked up at Kael as his eyes returned to their original color.


    "Each living being has a certain eon reserve. It can increase, or decrease accordingly. Simply... it can change. And it not only fuels your abilities, it allows you to do other things. Like make yourself stronger, faster, more resilient. And your eon reserves... from what I''ve seen, it''s a lot more than someone who''s only been a bearer for a few months should have. Much, like really much more. So there are two possibilities..."


    Suddenly, there was a look in Kael''s eyes that showed he was beginning to understand what was happening. His expression changed gradually while Hakon continued.


    "Either you''re lying about how long you''ve been a bearer... or your curse has not only made you stronger, it has multiplied your eon reserves. Which can happen... it''s not that rare for curses or blessings to do that."


    Kael felt himself tense. But the moment Hakon noticed his expression, a smile appeared on his face. And then... he burst into laughter, as if to break the serious mood of the arena.


    Kael looked at the man in front of him in confusion, unable to understand what was happening. But Hakon was quicker than him and kept his laughter short.


    "Don''t get that nervous... I know you''re not lying, you won''t die yet, don''t worry."


    The expression on Kael''s face didn''t change a bit. It only became... even more puzzled. But inside... something very different was happening.


    ''You won''t die yet... What the hell does that mean? Does he say I''m going to die eventually?!''


    "Ahh, that was a good laugh. You have such funny reactions. But we''re not done yet, so let''s continue."


    Hakon straightened up again, keeping his smile on his face. This time, he didn''t look as serious as before. As if... relieved.


    "I''ll be honest, you''re not going to die. I haven''t detected any lies, so you''re fine. You can work for the Empire... be its dog, as you call it. You just have to choose which department you''re going to work in, get your rank determined, swear your allegiance, and all that... at least after you''ve been through training. Because... as you are now, you''re not much use, even as a bearer."

 Chapter 58 - 58: More Than Just a Bearer

    Kael did not dispute Hakon''s words. On the contrary, he agreed with him. He admitted that he was far from being enough.


    That''s why he wanted more. Much more. And that''s what he was striving for. That was why he was here.


    He opened his mouth to say something, but Hakon cut him off and continued.


    "But you can do more than simply work for the Empire, Kael."


    "Excuse me?"


    "Why be a dog of the Empire when you can be its wolf, perhaps an even more powerful beast, Kael? I''m telling you that you have potential, real potential. Believe it or not, using eon is not easy. No one can learn to use eon on their own, no matter how your curse helps you."


    His irises turned blood red again, and Kael felt the room grow cold once more. But that was not all. This time... the red energy that had surrounded Hakon suddenly leaped at him. And it was only then that Kael realized how warm it actually was. This time it wasn''t as intense and negative as before, it was much more... open. Positive, even.


    Hakon continued.


    "No one can feel it like you can. These are things that require intensive training. But you can do it all, even if a little wrong, and you have learned it all on your own. That''s why you have potential. And that''s why... we want to make you even more."


    Kael, who until now had been listening to Hakon in confusion, paused and his eyes narrowed as he realized something.


    "Did you say... we?"


    "That''s right."


    Kael suddenly stiffened at the sound of his voice. It wasn''t Hakon speaking, it was someone else.


    Slowly, he turned around and looked for the first time towards the door through which they had come. And there, sitting in one of the chairs, he saw an old man. A familiar face with graying hair and a sword at his waist...


    General Loukan.


    "We, want to. Or rather... I do."


    The general stood up from his chair, ignoring the shock on Kael''s face. Step by step, slowly, he began to descend.


    "I''ve been watching you since the town, Kael. I''ve had men around you for the entire three-week journey, constantly, even while you slept peacefully. And... do you know what my conclusion was?"


    The general''s dark green eyes narrowed slightly.


    "You... the Empire or the town, me or anyone else... you don''t care about anything. You''re just trying to survive. But not only that."


    His gaze was hard, as always. His expression... it was almost frightening. He had a cold calm.


    "You watched my fight with Tharon, you observed how we used eon. You always kept an eye on all the bearers in our group and watched what they did. Whenever Hakon used his camouflage ability, your eyes locked on him instantly. When you were scouting in the forest, maybe you took a life to satisfy your curse, but you followed the rules and embraced them... you made a great effort not to make your mistakes again."


    Finally, he got to the bottom, he put his foot on the flat ground. But he did not stop. He kept walking and talking at the same time.


    "You''re doing everything you can to get stronger. In fact... you are as desperate to get stronger as you are to survive. Am I right, Kael?"


    When he was right in front of Kael, he stopped. His eyes remained the same cold, his lips the same straight. But his next words... they caused Kael not only to freeze in place, but much more.


    "Or should I say... the new king of Arcanoa? Ah, though... false king, wasn''t it?"


    Kael reflexively reached for his daggers, only to find nothing. Immediately, he heard a collision echoing behind him and looked out of the corner of his eye to where it was coming from.


    It was Hakon. He had his daggers in his hand, and he was clashing them together as if they were no more than two sticks.


    The surprise on Kael''s face gradually faded. With each passing second, his expression was replaced by a cold calm... just like General Loukan.


    "What... do you want?"


    He had prepared himself for something like this. His identity being revealed... it was perhaps one of the worst situations, but he was aware of the risk.


    And yet it was a risk he had to take. Because... there was simply no other choice.


    And now... what he had feared would happen had come true.


    And yet, he didn''t panic.


    Well, maybe he was shocked at first... but he quickly realized what not to do.


    These two people in front of him, Hakon and General Loukan... they wanted something from him. Why else had they brought him here, where no one else was, when they could have brought him before the Emperor? Why had they told him he had ''potential'' and that he could be more than just a dog?


    Kael was not an idiot.


    "You are intelligent, a good trait. You are also quick to recover and keep your composure. Even better..."


    General Loukan fixed his eyes directly on his. They were so overwhelming that Kael felt like he was going to be crushed under them, like he was going to be turned to a pulp... but he did his best to resist. Loukan continued.


    "You are at the top of the Empire''s wanted list, Kael. Not for who you are, but as an unknown person with the lost blessing of Arcanoa royalty. And do you know what that means?"


    "As soon as the blessing - or curse - I have is discovered, I will be captured, imprisoned... and killed by Musthar V. Arcanoa so that the blessing can be passed on to him."


    The general nodded calmly. Kael could only heave a deep sigh.


    "But... you will do something else. You want to use me for something, or you have some other use for me... don''t you? Why... are you having this conversation with me... for what?"


    "To make you not a loyal dog of the Empire, but a rabid hound with sharp fangs to tear it apart."


    A deep silence fell over the arena.


    Kael repeated the general''s words several times in his mind. Gradually, as his eyes widened, he realized again what he had heard, that it was real. Yet no one spoke. Everyone was silent... so silent... Kael was beginning to feel suffocated.


    To tear the Empire apart... These two people in front of him, they... They were planning to betray the Empire!


    "You have potential, Kael. And let me explain to you why."


    Loukan''s eyes suddenly lit up with a light green glow. But Kael didn''t feel the chill in the air, the goosebumps, as he had a few minutes earlier when Hakon had done the same thing with him.


    Instead... it felt like needles pricking his skin.


    No, not prickles... it wasn''t something like that.


    It was like... being cut.


    Every part of his skin, everything around him... was being cut. By a sword, or something invisible like that...


    And the source of all this feeling was the man right in front of him.


    "Eon exists in everyone, as Hakon explained. But... for everyone, the eon they had when they were first born is the same. Pure, clean... white. As a person grows, the eon inside them grows with them. As they change, it also changes. Everything they experience, every decision they make, even every step they take, shapes their eon... and future."


    The whole room was illuminated with a green light. It was as if a gas centered on the general''s body was spreading everywhere... but this was very different.


    It wasn''t a gas, it was the general''s ''eon''. Compared to Hakon''s leaves, it was much... different. As if... sharp.


    "But eon often doesn''t reach the level where it can fulfill its potential. Most people die before they can become a bearer, so the amount of eon remains quite small. But bearers? They are different."


    The general''s eyes quickly returned to their original color, and the green eon that had spread throughout the room faded away. Now, everything was back to normal again... as if nothing had happened.


    But it was already seared into Kael''s mind, how could he possibly forget...?


    "Curses and blessings are not the only ''abilities'' of bearers. Every bearer changes when they unleash the potential of their eon. They become a ''follower'' in our terms. The things they follow are called... Paths. Remember what I just showed you. My eon, it felt sharp, didn''t it, like a sword?"


    Kael nodded reflexively.


    "Paths give bearers amazing abilities. And they form the basis of their powers. It''s quite simple, actually. Tharon, for example... he was a follower of the Path of Rain. He was a Follower of Rain, in short."


    He pointed to himself with his right thumb. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Me, Follower of Sword."


    Then behind Kael.


    "Hakon behind you, Follower of Hunt."


    Then... his finger slowly stopped in front of Kael.


    "And you..."


    Kael felt as if he was locked in the finger pointing at him, and he swallowed with difficulty. Did he have a whole new power without knowing it...?


    Every second the general spent in silence made him nervous! So, he especially paid attention to his next words. And then, the general finally spoke.


    "You''re not following any Path. But your eon is denser than most followers. So... you will soon be one. And... a talented one, even if I don''t know exactly what it will be. I have no doubt."


    Kael tore his gaze from the general''s finger and fixed it on his green eyes. Hearing that he didn''t have - or follow, whatever it was - a Path... made him feel a little disappointed.


    But he had much more important problems now.


    "Why... take a gamble with me, then...?"


    The general''s finger slowly reached upwards, towards the ceiling. But Kael was sure the man was not pointing at the ceiling, but beyond it...


    "Because our potential is limited, insufficient... to stand up to the top. Meanwhile, yours is uncertain. And on top of that, you''re young. You''re the perfect candidate to be trained. Why miss the opportunity when I can take it?"


    "So... you want to use me because I have a better chance than you?"


    "Yes, Kael. That''s exactly what I want to do."


    "And if I agree to this... you''ll help me to get stronger...?"


    "Of course."


    Kael was silent for a while. After a deep breath, he squinted, looking directly into the general''s eyes.


    "What if... I refuse?"


    "Why ask a question you know the answer to, Kael?"


    Kael remained silent. He didn''t even sigh, he just waited... and thought. After a short time, though, his lips curled upwards.


    ''Why do I think...?''


    He took his eyes off the floor, clenching his fist, and this time... he didn''t look nervous or scared.


    On the contrary... this time, he was determined. More than ever, even.


    Like most situations he had ever been in, he could use this one... he could turn it to his advantage. To a far greater advantage than on previous occasions.


    All he had to do was avoid being turned into a slave again, that was all.


    So...


    "Fine."


    He accepted.


    --Volume I: The Birth of a False King--


    --The End--

 Chapter 59 - 59: Eon Training

    --Volume II: Awakening of Ruin--


    The darkness of the sky was, as usual, over the central continent, which had just left December. Cold, a little chilling... but at the same time adorned with stars, beautiful... alluring. Mesmerizing, even.


    The sky frightened many people, but it also gave peace to many others, especially the dark but stunning sight of the star-studded night. And it was still the same now.


    But it was in its last moments... at least for this particular moment. Because the moon, accompanying the stars of the night, was slowly setting. Slowly rising from the east, another tiny, pale star, as bright as it was pale, appeared among the gray that replaced the darkness.


    The central continent was waking up to a new day. And so did every other city... and so did the capital of the Empire.


    The dawning of the new day slowly woke people from their slumber as the sun began to rise.


    "Ugh..."


    And among all these people was a young man of small stature who had recently turned sixteen. He was in a building in the garden of a huge palace in the very heart of the huge capital. His eyes were narrowed by the sunlight shining on his face through the window glass, causing him to make an expression of discomfort.


    Slowly, the young man''s eyes opened. His brown eyes, which looked quite ordinary in the midst of his black hair, which had grown considerably longer than normal, slowly fixed on the ceiling.


    He waited for a while, just watching the ceiling. Then, with a slight movement, his eyes shifted to the window, to the sky. With a few quick calculations, he tried to figure out what time of the morning it was, and he did.


    "Haaaah..."


    He slowly got up from the bed. Though, what he was lying on now could hardly be called... a bed. After all, it was simply a rock, which was hard as a rock and smooth as a concrete slab.


    ''It''s part of the training, you say... I''m sure it is... fuck, it still hurts.''


    As usual, he stretched his body, trying to relieve the numbness, while complaining in his mind. Then he got out of his ''bed''.


    He put back on all the clothes he had taken off to get some sleep, which was actually a light armor, and then tied his hair behind his head with a short cloth thread.


    ''I should cut my hair sometime...''


    He had chosen to grow his hair long himself, for a change. But... he was not very satisfied with it.


    Sighing slightly, he placed his daggers at his waist in their usual place. After washing his face with a small amount of water in the corner of the room, he approached his window and took one last look at himself.


    When he left the room, he headed for a place he had been visiting regularly for the last few weeks... a place whose route he had long since memorized. Without really looking where he was going, he walked down about two floors and stopped in front of the door to a large room under the ground.


    He knocked softly, but entered without waiting for an answer.


    ''Did I do it this time?''


    His eyes quickly scanned every corner of the huge room. It was only when he noticed the black figure leaning against a wall that he couldn''t help a grimace.


    ''I have to come even before the sun rises.''


    The figure, whose eyes were as black as the clothes he wore, slowly lifted his head while Kael was in the middle of these thoughts. Under his mask, his lips curled upwards slightly.


    "You will never make it, Kael."


    "Don''t you ever sleep, though?"


    "Who knows? But, like I said, you will never make it."


    Kael clicked his tongue as he approached the man, Hakon.


    This was what he had been trying to do for the last few days, to get to this room before Hakon. But... no matter how early he got up, he couldn''t do it. Hakon was always here before him, leaning against the wall as if he had been waiting for hours.


    For a short time he thought about what had happened after he arrived in the capital.


    After his ''deal'' with General Loukan, everything had gone smoothly, he was now working for the Empire... but before he could actually start working, he had to be trained, and Hakon had been personally assigned by the general to do exactly that.


    Normally, their training began an hour or so after sunrise. But since Kael had been coming here earlier and earlier every day, they had been starting early for the last few days.


    The only problem... was that the time when their training ended did not change. So no matter how early he came to the room, the time he spent training did not decrease, but increased.


    He wasn''t complaining too much, though.


    It was just... hard to understand how Hakon could walk around anytime at every time as if he never slept throughout the day.


    "What are we going to do today?"


    Kael had been here for almost three weeks. He was now at the beginning of the fourth week.


    During the first week, Hakon had made him train entirely on how to move his body, told him that he needed to improve his body, and then gave him a training program to follow every day.


    The second week, he had shown him how to use the daggers more easily and efficiently, and also added that on top of the previous one... doubling the time he spent on training.


    The third week, he taught nothing new, just watched him improve his body and his use of the daggers.


    Was there going to be something new this week too, or was he just going to watch him repeat what he had done before like the third week?


    "Today... we''re going to talk a little about eon."


    Kael couldn''t help raising his eyebrows slightly at his words.


    Eon was something that really intrigued him, he wondered what actually it was and how it was supposed to be used. But... he had always thought of it as the final stages of training.


    Had he trained his body enough? Had he learned to use his daggers like a professional?


    Frankly... he didn''t think so. Hence his confusion.


    "I can see exactly what you''re thinking from your face."


    Hakon widened his smile and finally detached himself from the wall he was leaning against. Slowly, he began to approach Kael.


    "And you''re not wrong in what you think. But don''t worry, we know what we''re doing. Now... first of all, sit down, cross-legged or whatever you are comfortable with."


    Kael quickly crouched down. Hakon put two meters between them and did the same.


    "What do you do when you strengthen yourself using eon? Tell me in detail."


    "I can create a warmth in my heart, wherever I direct it in my body, it gets stronger. The more warmth, the more power."


    "In your heart... I see, so how do you channel your eon through your body? Just by thinking? Or some other way?"


    Kael was silent for a while, thinking. Hakon quickly realized what was wrong.


    "You don''t know... I get it, you don''t have to force yourself."


    Kael couldn''t help feeling a little... defeated. Still, he kept his focus completely on Hakon.


    "Let''s start from the beginning. The biggest mistake in using Eon, Kael, is using it like... adrenaline. It''s absolutely wonderful that you learned it on your own, but it''s also quite wrong. Why is that? Can you think of anything?"


    "No."


    Kael answered honestly. He knew almost nothing about eon to be able to answer such a question.


    "Because you use it, you focus it on one part of your body, and then you throw it away. Eon strengthens your muscles, it makes you faster... but you leave it where you send it and it leaks out of your body after a while because it can''t stay still. In short, you''re wasting a lot of it. This leaves you unable to use it for more than short bursts of power."


    Kael continued to think as he narrowed his eyes slightly.


    Hakon... wasn''t wrong.


    Everything he had experienced in that town a month and a half ago was fresh in his mind. He remembered how Tharon and General Loukan had used their eon. He may have had a hard time feeling it, observing it... but there was one thing he remembered.


    And that was that their eons never stood still, never ran out... it was as if they were on an endless loop.


    "Everyone uses their eon differently, Kael. It''s creative to fire them in short bursts to gain sudden bursts of power and speed. So even if I say that the way you use your eon is wrong, it''s not a technique that is never used. It''s just, as I said, inefficient."


    "I have to keep my eon in my body at all times, right? Not in a fixed point, but... in motion. Keeping it inside, not letting it escape outside my body."


    Hakon was actually going to continue, but he paused at Kael''s words and nodded.


    "My eon... I was starting to accumulate it in my heart first. I don''t know if it''s right or wrong, maybe it''s different for others... but can''t I use it this way?"


    When he saw Hakon''s smile widen, he knew he was on the right track and continued.


    "So... instead of forcing it into my body of my own volition, why don''t I just let it flow? It generates and accumulates in my heart... and my heart is constantly pumping blood through my body. The blood is constantly circulating through my body, using my veins as a pathway. Can I mix the eon... into the flow of this blood?"


    Hakon looked at him in silence for a while, as if... fascinated. Then he nodded his head slightly.


    "You have the right idea. What you''re talking about is one of the techniques for using eon under ''body enhancement''. And an effective one nonetheless."


    Kael paused at what he heard.


    "Are there other methods?"


    "Of course there are. Remember what I told you, eon has no singular use for anything. It is diverse, more diverse than you can imagine. And each technique has its own advantages, disadvantages, strengths and weaknesses."


    Hakon was about to continue when he saw Kael''s thoughtful expression and paused.


    "So... can the method I learned to use on my own also be used as a ''fine'' technique? If it could be developed and found out how to use it more effectively, for example..."


    Maybe he was doing too much, yes... but Hakon couldn''t help a smile returning to his face.


    "Body enhancement techniques are many and varied. Also, each one takes a long time to master. That''s why most bearers or followers learn only one, rarely two, or extremely rarely three different techniques in their lifetime. But you are not wrong. What you say is very doable."


    And with those words, he watched Kael fall back into thought. He was fascinated again and again as he thought about what kind of ideas were running through his mind.


    ''The general was right.''


    At the very beginning... he was not very enthusiastic about training Kael. He had only agreed because the general had asked him to, because he trusted him more than perhaps anything else in his life.


    So what if he had potential and was a little smarter than normal people? He had seen hundreds of people much smarter than him, and even if he was smart, it wasn''t mind-bogglingly so. He was just a little above average, that''s all.


    And his potential? There was no way they could be sure of that. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    General Loukan had quite literally gambled by taking this boy named Kael under his wing.


    But after a short time, Hakon understood that he was wrong. Really wrong.


    ''Kael is not just a bright boy with potential.''


    He was so much more. He was perhaps the most talented kid he had ever seen. The way he was like a genius with a dagger, the techniques he used to train every day to improve his body, the speed with which he learned new things and practiced them correctly... and so much more.


    Kael didn''t realize it because he didn''t know much about other people... He probably thought everyone was like him. He didn''t think he was a genius, so he was striving too hard.


    But he wasn''t just a genius.


    No, he was more than that.


    He was a monster, in every sense of the word.


    ''We hit the jackpot.''


    This was what Hakon now thought about Kael. And he was sure that he would continue to surprise him, everyone.

 Chapter 60 - 60: Two Months of Training

    *(A/N: For non-privileged: A few days ago I had to spend a few days in the hospital because of an illness. Then I was discharged, I spent one day well... and then it seems that they couldn''t cure the illness because I had to spend almost five days in the hospital last week. Then I spent two days resting. And now, hopefully, I''m back... I have nothing more to say, I apologize.)*


    "We will not continue training after today."


    Kael paused at Hakon''s words, looking at him with a puzzled expression.


    "Instead of training, you will gain experience. I will send you on a mission."


    And now, he couldn''t help frowning.


    "Isn''t it too early? I don''t think I have completed my training."


    It was his second month in the capital. Hakon had really taught him a lot... how to fight, how to use eon, and how to be a good scout.


    Not only that, he had taught him a lot about the world. Most importantly, how to read and write.


    Yet Kael did not feel ready.


    No, he wasn''t scared. He just... had a feeling that he would be insufficient and too inexperienced. Working for the Empire was very different from simply being a mercenary.


    "Even if you have not completed your training, there is nothing more I can teach you, Kael. All you can do now, at least under me, is to keep practicing what I have taught you. You will not stop training, you will continue to improve. Do you understand?"


    This... was not what he expected, truth be told.


    There was nothing more for him to learn, huh?


    He looked at Hakon, glancing him up and down. He focused on the smile beneath his mask.


    ''He''s lying.''


    There was still so much he could learn from him. He was sure of that. About eon, about dagger techniques... about so much more.


    ''So... there must be a reason, right?''


    If there was one thing he had learned in these two months... it was that Hakon was actually a pretty good guy. Not just good, but someone who really wanted the best for him.


    Whether it was for future purposes, or because he was his student, or because he cared about him... it didn''t matter. Hakon had trained him for two months, had done everything he could to make him stronger. There was no way he could change overnight.


    In short... there had to be another reason why they weren''t going to continue training. A reason Kael didn''t fully understand, but one that was probably more for his own good than for his harm...


    "I see."


    He was silent for a short while, then narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Hakon with a serious expression.


    "What do I do, then?"


    Hakon crossed his arms, and Kael saw the man''s smile widen.


    "It''s not much. There''s a group leaving tomorrow morning, not a big one. You will join this group as a scout, helping with their missions if you are asked. Then you will come back."


    "Is that it...?"


    Did it... really make sense for him to stop his training and go on such a simple mission... just to gain experience?


    "Oh, you thought the mission would be simple?"


    For some reason, Kael felt himself tense for a moment at Hakon''s words.


    ''Did I think wrong?''


    "A baron. Within the barony he rules, people are going insane for no reason. First, he reaches out to adventurers and mercenaries, but they either come back empty-handed or join the ranks of the insane. Finally, he contacts the Empire. That''s the mission in a nutshell."


    "So... I''m going to do more than scouting. I''m going to play a role in this mission too?"


    Hakon shrugged his shoulders.


    "It''s up to the mission leader. If he wants, he can even leave you at a random inn in the barony and try to figure it all out himself."


    Kael nodded thoughtfully.


    "So... why this particular mission? I''m sure there are many more. Did you just... randomly pick this one for me? Or specifically?"


    Hakon drew a single dagger of his own from his belt, then looked Kael straight in the eye.


    "You''ll find out when you leave for your mission, Kael."


    "Tch."


    Kael rolled his eyes as he clicked his tongue. Then he pulled out his own daggers and took a stance. Hakon spoke sarcastically as he simply began twirling his dagger between his fingers.


    "Come on, let''s duel one last time before you go. Let''s see how good you are!"


    And... so did Kael.


    He did not compromise himself at all as he pounced on Hakon without hesitation.


    But... as always, he lost. Not even a single blow, just... minutes of moving and finally getting tired.


    And, as always, when his time was up, he received a sound beating...


    *******


    "Damn it, damn it!'' Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kael cursed and cursed as he gently rubbed the right side of his stomach. Hakon, of course, was the cause of all these curses.


    Kael had attacked him for a few minutes today, as he regularly did every day, trying to at least scratch him. But again, as always, he had failed. When the time was up, Hakon had beaten the shit out of him!


    This happened so often that some evenings he couldn''t sleep well because of the bruises.


    ''At least I''ll get away for a few days...''


    Kael paused as he thought of his mission. He stopped rubbing the bruise on his stomach and squinted.


    His memory flashed back to his first mission in the mercenary branch. The one where he went in as a bodyguard and came out as... an assassin. A mission in which he had admitted he was a rotten human being.


    Now, he had another mission. But this time... he had no secret purpose. He was actually going to do his assigned task.


    ''Scout, huh...''


    Frankly... he was glad he was not an assassin. Even though he didn''t feel much about killing people anymore, he still didn''t like it. Though there was no problem with simply being a scout.


    He sighed deeply as he started walking again.


    ''Why this mission, I wonder...''


    There were things Hakon hadn''t told him. He thought he had gotten to know him a little over the past two months. He was almost certain that he was hiding something.


    The question was... what was he hiding?


    With these thoughts in mind, he went out into the palace garden, and without even looking in front of him, he started walking towards a certain place, as he had done every day for the two months he had been here.


    A few of the people working in the palace stopped when they saw him, whispering softly if someone was with him. Hakon, a well-known and skilled commander, had trained him himself, so there were a few rumors going around. He was used to the whispers. So he ignored them.


    He finally paused when he came to the front of a rather large building that... stank to his nostrils. His eyes fell on the sign right next to the entrance.


    ''The Animal and Creature Den.''


    He had only recently learned to read and write. So he was trying hard to read most of what he saw, to get used to it.


    He took his eyes off the sign and entered the huge building with slow steps. And the first thing that greeted him was... a rather huge, open space. Oh, and a version of the stench that was several times heavier...


    Still, without even bothering to cover his nose, Kael made his way through the large space and down the corridor on the left to the lower floors. He entered what looked like a cellar, but no guards tried to stop him.


    And after a few minutes, Kael reached his destination.


    ''As usual, disgusting...''


    He sighed slightly as blood, feces, and many other foul odors filled his nose. And... it wasn''t just the smell that disturbed his senses anymore.


    "Kiek! Kha kharada!"


    His ears were also filled with hideous, incomprehensible sounds.


    Kael pulled out his daggers, tried to ignore the sounds as he rolled his eyes, and approached a huge pit that looked as if it had been deliberately carved. It was almost twenty meters from one end of the pit to the other. It was barred off, and inside... there was a mini village of hobgoblins looking at him like hungry dogs.


    "Have they... reproduced again?"


    Kael couldn''t help but be surprised to see that there were more hobgoblins than usual.


    A guard next to him, looking at the hobgoblins with a disgusted expression, shook his head.


    "Yes. Will you enter as usual?"


    Hobgoblins were a type of creature that looked a lot like goblins, but in fact had little to do with them. The places they lived, the way they fought, the little culture they had... everything separated them quite clearly. The only thing they had in common was their appearance.


    And the biggest difference between them was... their strength.


    "Yes, but... it seems strange that there are so many of them."


    Kael paused immediately after uttering these words.


    "Ah..."


    Because he was going on a mission? Did they want to feed his curse more...?


    ''Why didn''t I think of this before...''


    "Whatever."


    Clutching his daggers tightly, he opened the tiny hatch between the bars above the pit. Then... he fearlessly jumped into the pit.


    An awkward silence fell over the area as the hobgoblins, kept in the pit like livestock, all turned towards him at once.


    Seeing the red eyes focused on him, Kael remembered the first time he had entered this place. He had almost trembled with fear. The hobgoblins were all... too strong.


    Much stronger than the goblins.


    But now?


    One of the hobgoblins finally moved like a lunatic, instead of standing quietly where it was. Saliva spattered from between its fangs, its red eyes seeing nothing but the sweet human flesh in front of it.


    The other hobgoblins moved after it. They were locked on their target.


    But when their target suddenly disappeared before they could reach him, they paused, not realizing what was happening.


    "Khirka! Kauk!"


    And then a red mark appeared on the neck of the first hobgoblin to move.


    As its head separated from its body and fell to the ground, its expression made it clear that it still did not understand what had happened.


    Immediately after it, its fellows suffered the same fate as it. The last thing they saw was the dagger washed in their own blood and the person holding it... looking at them with a blank expression.

 Chapter 61 - 61: A Strange Group of Five

    Kael woke up very early on the morning of the next day.


    Having done the same thing every day for two months, he reflexively prepared to go to Hakon without thinking about it. He was just leaving the room when he realized what he was doing.


    "Haaah..."


    He couldn''t help getting angry with himself as he headed towards the palace garden.


    ''How could I have forgotten?''


    There was no training today. On the contrary, there was a mission. A scouting mission with a group that Hakon had probably picked out especially for him.


    When he finally stepped out into the garden, Kael breathed in deeply. Hakon had told him what to do beforehand. He was to go to the north gate of the palace and meet a group of four people there.


    Yes, there were only five people on the mission including himself. They would travel in a single carriage and the journey would take six days.


    But apart from that, Kael had no other information about the mission or the other four people. Hakon had kept everything else secret from him.


    ''Let''s see, let''s see...''


    As he approached the north gate, he found himself surrounded by carriages and groups of people. His eyes traveled quickly over everyone, searching for his own group.


    Soon, a carriage caught his eye. It didn''t look like it was carrying any goods, it was completely prepared for the journey... empty, in short. In front of it stood three people.


    The first was a thin-looking man in his twenties. He looked more like a scholar than a soldier, wore glasses and a robe instead of armor.


    The second was a blond man with a slight smile on his face, a bow on his back and a short sword at his waist. Like the scholar, he looked to be in his twenties, but his goatee gave him a slightly... strange air.


    The last one was a beautiful woman in her thirties. The sword at her waist and the light armor she wore belonged to the Imperial army. She had her auburn hair in a ponytail and was looking around as if she was looking for someone.


    Kael approached the group with slow steps, and shortly afterwards, the auburn-haired woman''s eyes fixed on him.


    When he came up to them, he said only two words in a low tone.


    "Barony of Halve?"


    The woman looked at him with a surprised expression, then nodded slightly. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Are you... the scout who is coming with us?"


    Kael nodded at the question.


    He hadn''t missed her surprise and the way she was studying him. And, well, it was probably because he was sixteen.


    Before, thanks to his small body, he never really showed his age. But months of constant fighting, training, and building up his body had finally gotten him in better shape.


    He was still short for his age, though. Such was his body structure... but at least people around him could guess his age more accurately.


    Still, he was still young in people''s eyes. Even though he had more control over most things now that he was considered an adult, he was still four years shy of twenty. This made people think of him as quite young and find it hard to trust him in serious matters.


    The guards at the creature farm, for example... They took bets on how soon he would die on the first day.


    It was up to him, as always, to change the minds of such people.


    "Yes, it''s me."


    The woman''s eyebrows furrowed at Kael''s words. Her brown eyes slowly turned towards the blond man, who still had a smile on his face. He looked back at her with his green eyes. The man must have quickly realized what the gaze meant, because he quickly spoke.


    "Kael has been trained directly by Commander Hakon, you need not doubt his abilities. Although he is here to gain experience, he is also a bearer."


    The woman seemed to relax a little at these words.


    "I see."


    Kael glanced briefly at the blond man after the conversation which had taken place as if he were not here. But that was not important. Because... he hadn''t expected to be recognized. Or maybe this blond man had been briefed by Hakon?


    ''Could they all be like that?''


    The possibility suddenly occurred to him. What if the woman''s behavior was a deception and the whole thing was a test of how she would react in such situations, a real test of how trustworthy he was?


    With this thought in mind, he began to examine the group again. Meanwhile, he realized again what had caught his attention when he had approached the group at the very beginning. So he asked in a calm voice.


    "Where is the fifth member?"


    With these words, the woman''s eyes began to roam over the dozens of people around her again.


    "We don''t know..."


    ''They were never informed about the other members of the mission... or pretend they haven''t. They seem to be really handpicked by Hakon... Even if they''re not, it''s best to assume that they are.''


    And so his eyes began to wander through the crowd. He would be careful, just in case. As he always was. If this was a test, and he was pretty sure it was, he would get a perfect score. No... he was going to get a lot more than that.


    "Oh?"


    He noticed a figure approaching them from the crowd. He was studying the members of the group in particular, just as Kael had been a few seconds before.


    He moved closer and closer to the group, finally catching the attention of the other members. The auburn-haired woman''s expression fell with each step he took, and when he reached the front of the group, he paused.


    "To the Barony of Halve, right?"


    And just as Kael had thought, this was the fifth member of the group.


    The only problem was...


    "Yes..."


    This person was quite young, just like Kael. Not as young as him, maybe, but... he must have been seventeen or eighteen. So he was not yet twenty.


    Despite his young looks, he was a tall guy. He was definitely over a hundred and eighty centimeters tall. He had long hair that was a very dark shade of navy blue. And his eyes... they were almost azure blue. He was quite attractive with a handsome face. He didn''t have any weapons on him, but his armor was some of the best quality light armor Kael had ever seen.


    The fifth member, after receiving the woman''s approval, began to run his eyes over the entire group again. Finally, he came to Kael and paused. The two looked at each other for a brief moment... and many thoughts ran through both of their minds at the same time.


    ''He''s a bearer too.''


    That''s what was going through Kael''s mind, that the person in front of him was also a bearer. But... that was not the only problem.


    ''No, a follower?''


    The most obvious distinction between bearers and followers was the difference in the amount of eon in their bodies. And Kael was extremely gifted at sensing eon in a way that most people are not.


    And the amount of eon he could sense from this ''fifth member'' was quite a lot. Even more than he had himself. Who, at least according to Hakon, was quite an anomaly in this regard.


    ''Then this person must be even more of an anomaly than me.''


    Still, he kept his thoughts to himself. Because the auburn-haired woman did not intend to remain silent for long.


    "Are you a bearer too?"


    The fifth member finally tore his sky-blue eyes away from Kael, and turned them slowly towards the woman as he gave her a gentle smile.


    "That''s right, Ms. Pecera."


    "Are you here to gain ''experience'' too?"


    "You got it right again."


    "Haaaah..."


    She couldn''t help sighing deeply. It was quite clear what she was thinking. Bearer or not, she didn''t want to deal with young people.


    Kael could understand why she thought that, so he kept quiet. But... another issue was bothering him this time.


    ''The Empire is a very disciplined, organized country. Why did they create such a... random group? It can''t simply be to test me...''


    The fact that the fifth member was not at all normal had changed his mind. Either this was not a test, but a really sloppy group... or it was indeed a test, but not for him.


    Something told him that it was this newcomer who was actually being tested, and he was just a secondary.


    "Anyway, since we''re all gathered..."


    Despite Kael and this fifth member, the auburn-haired woman remained professional and calm. Her expression turned slightly serious as she glanced around at all the members of the group and continued to speak in the serious tone expected of her.


    "I''m Pecera. I have been appointed as the leader of this group. The members of the group were quickly assembled without my knowledge, as the situation was said to be urgent. That is why I do not know anything about you. Please introduce yourself."


    Her eyes quickly turned to the only person in the group not wearing any armor, the man who looked like a scholar.


    "My name is Scher, and I am a normal person. I was told that my help would be needed on the mission, but I don''t know anything more."


    The blond man spoke after him.


    "Baroch, I will serve as the main scout of the group, I am also a normal human."


    "Kael, I am a bearer. I will serve as a scout."


    And the eyes slowly shifted to the last member. The target of all those stares, however, kept a smile on his face and gently introduced himself.


    "Matthew Treanor, I am a bearer like Kael. But I have no specific duties... I can do anything that is asked of me. My first choice, however, would be to fight when necessary, if possible."


    *(A/N: There will be two chapters after this one or more probably tomorrow, and then another.)*

 Chapter 62 - 62: Towards the Barony

    *(A/N: For privileged: A few days ago I had to spend a few days in the hospital because of an illness. Then I was discharged, I spent one day well... and then it seems that they couldn''t cure the illness because I had to spend almost five days in the hospital last week. Then I spent two days resting. And now, hopefully, I''m back... I have nothing more to say, I apologize.)*


    *******


    The group of five started their journey shortly after introducing themselves.


    Although they didn''t know each other very well, they did their best to maintain their professionalism. So it was Scher, Pecera, and Matthew who settled into the carriage. Baroch and Kael were constantly on the move, as they should have been, for the safety of their journey.


    Baroch, though a normal human being, was skilled. His movements, his stealth, his observations... everything gave Kael the feeling that he could be trusted.


    And Kael was... good. He was practicing what he had learned from Hakon, and in this way, he was training constantly while doing his job.


    About stealth, for example.


    It was almost impossible for him to be as quiet, as hidden as Baroch. The difference in experience between them was too great... but Kael made up for it with something else.


    Baroch was human, but he was not. He was a bearer who could use eon. And the uses of eon, even when not for a blessing, a curse, or a path, were extremely wide.


    So wide that it could solve the problem of secrecy, even if only a little bit, to a certain extent.


    Eon circulated very slowly through Kael''s blood vessels, seeping gently outwards at the same time at his will. The density of the eon that seeped out was quite low, so it couldn''t travel far, but by controlling this small amount of eon, he could suppress the sounds he made.


    There was no way to disguise his appearance in this way... but he was almost completely silent and that was enough for him. So the only thing he had to be careful about was not to be seen, rather than not to be heard.


    And that way, he could move much more easily in the forest, while at the same time improving his technique and his use of eon.


    With Kael and Baroch as scouts, the group completed the first day quickly and smoothly. They had left the capital in the morning and by now, the sun had already set and the sky was slowly giving way to the darkness of night.


    That''s why they had set up a camp. Not a big camp, but quite enough.


    They had left the cooking to the scholar, Scher, since he claimed to know how to cook. The rest of the group was... resting for the moment. Baroch was with the group as they were standing in a fixed place, while Kael was walking around the perimeter of the group.


    He had told the four that his intention was to go around, to take out animals and creatures if he could find them. And... that''s what he was actually doing. He was looking for creatures for his curse, he was scouting the area for possible dangers.


    But... that''s not all he was doing. It wasn''t just the dangers, the creatures that he was watching. On the contrary... he was also watching the group itself.


    And it was quite clear who he was mostly looking at. A person called Matthew, who claimed to be a bearer, just like him.


    ''Bearer, huh...''


    No, there was no way he was a bearer.


    The more he observed him, the more Kael was certain that this person was a follower. The reason he was certain of this was because he had studied Matthew''s eon.


    Everyone''s eon had a certain shape, feel, color, more... But in bearers, these characteristics seemed to be rather pale. No matter how powerful they were, eon made itself evident only when a person had unleashed their full potential.


    But when he looked at Matthew''s, it didn''t have pale qualities.


    ''Sharp, like the general''s. But... different too.''


    It was hard to say exactly. But... the fact that he could feel it even when Matthew wasn''t actively using eon explained a lot.


    ''Either he''s a really powerful bearer or he lied.''


    Well... there was no problem with him lying, actually. So what if he hid the fact that he was a follower? He might not want to reveal his power, after all... It was perfectly understandable.


    Still, Kael wanted to keep an eye on Matthew. Something about him made him feel uncomfortable.


    *******


    On the third day of the journey, the calm before the storm was finally broken... and Kael found something.


    "Bandit tracks."


    "How big?"


    The leader of the group, Pecera, asked seriously, though her expression didn''t waver much. Kael replied calmly.


    "It''s hard to be sure, but there must have been at least seven or eight of them.


    They seemed to be heading in our path."


    Pecera thought for a moment, staring at the ground.


    "They must have been novices if they left a trail behind them..."


    Her eyebrows raised slightly, she looked at Kael with a suggestive expression.


    Kael sighed slightly.


    "I can go ahead and handle it. If there''s anything I can''t handle, I''ll come back. Is that okay?"


    Pecera nodded in agreement. And with that, Kael turned and disappeared into the trees without a word.


    The bandits he had tracked down were not difficult to locate.


    There were a little more than he had expected, nine of them. But they didn''t seem to be waiting for the group heading for the Barony of Halve in particular; they seemed to be waiting for some random passer-by.


    Kael watched the men secretly, silently. He made sure none of them were bearers. He decided they were no threat to him after a short while... and finally acted.


    He withdrew the eon that blocked the sound he made, then walked with slow steps through the bushes in an exposed way.


    He quickly attracted the attention of the bandits. The four on his side of the road quickly turned towards him and asked with a very serious expression.


    "I''m only going to ask you once. Are you bandits or not?"


    Maybe it was unnecessary to ask the question... but it wouldn''t hurt to be sure.


    Maybe they were innocent people waiting on the road...?


    "Huh? What the fuck are you saying, brat?"


    The man talking to him paused, turned around, and looked at his three friends. Then a smile appeared on all of their faces.


    "Seriously... what are you doing here? These are dangerous roads for children... I wonder, are you traveling with a group or something?"


    Kael couldn''t help rolling his eyes.


    For a moment, just a moment, he wanted to think good things.


    Without giving him any answer, he pulled out his daggers.


    "Are those daggers? Those are dangerous things for you-"


    The man''s words were cut short. His eyes widened, staring blankly into the center of his forehead.


    As his body slowly fell to the ground, the last thing he saw was the hilt of the dagger piercing his skull.


    "H- huh?"


    The other bandits looked at the body of their friend, not understanding what had happened. Then, all of their eyes slowly turned towards Kael.


    What they saw was that the eyes they were sure were brown a few seconds ago now had a silvery glow.


    As Kael spread his eon throughout his body along the blood vessels, he sprang into action.


    He instantly took the second man''s head, grabbed the third man by the hair, slammed him to the ground, and kneed him hard enough to crack his skull. The last man he tripped and threw his dagger through his heart.


    It all took two seconds, no longer, no shorter.


    And that was enough time for it all to end.


    "Tch."


    He didn''t even need to use eon... had he overestimated them?


    He stopped his eon circulation, then walked towards the last of the five. He didn''t ask them any questions. He simply walked at them with his daggers, making his intentions clear from the start.


    But this time, he did not kill them instantly. He gave them a chance, deliberately creating openings in his stance. And he realized that they were not so weak.


    They were stronger than the trio he had killed in the street when he first entered Greenveil Town, for example.


    He killed the remaining five bandits in this way without using a drop of eon, without breaking a sweat. In the end, when he looked at the five corpses around him, he took a deep breath.


    ''I''ve gotten stronger, I suppose.''


    In his previous state in the town, he would not have been able to kill these men without using eon.


    But as he was now, it was as if... he was crushing ants with his foot.


    ''Is it my training with Hakon? Or is it the curse that has strengthened me with my kills over the last two months?''


    He hung his daggers at his waist, turned, and moved to rejoin his group. All the while, he kept thinking. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Or both...''


    It was... satisfying to be able to see his progress in such a clear way. He couldn''t lie.

 Chapter 63 - 63: Barony of Halve

    Nobility within the empire was quite simple. At the top was the emperor, then dukes, counts, and finally barons.


    Each metropolis was controlled by a duke and was their territory. What was considered the territory of the metropolises was divided into counties. And these counties in turn were divided into baronies.


    Such a simple hierarchy prevailed in the imperial lands.


    The lands that belonged to the Kingdom of Arcanoa, for example, now had the same hierarchy, with the king''s brother Musthar V. Arcanoa at the top.


    Most metropolises were different from each other in many ways, as they had previously belonged to different kingdoms. And another way they differed was in easily recognizable factors such as vegetation, atmosphere, and climate.


    And the Barony of Halve... it was the greenest region Kael had ever seen.


    No, not simply green... a strikingly bright green.


    ''Woah.''


    Flowers, trees, bushes... everything. Everything was too green.


    And that''s why it was strange.


    Because most of the world had moody colors. Gray skies, pale colors... dark tones caused by blood, mud, and more.


    Here, though, it was different.


    Hardly able to resist the beauty of the vegetation, Kael quickened his pace, moving slightly ahead of the cart, which was moving quietly. Then, he found the tallest tree he could find around and climbed up it, stood up, and looked around, not caring how exposed he was.


    He could now see the town they were heading for. It was a town with walls, but they didn''t reach up to the sky like in a metropolis. More like... they were simply there for protection.


    In contrast, the town covered a much, much larger area than Greenveil Town. Compared to this, it was even funny to call Greenveil a town...


    But that was not the main thing that caught Kael''s attention. It was... the greenery that surrounded the town, once again.


    No, not surrounding it... a greenery that seemed to literally become one with it. The walls were covered with vines, he could see the few tall buildings of the town and they were green too.


    It was as if the town was home not to people but to the greenery itself.


    ''Barony of Halve, Plentar Town...''


    His lips involuntarily curled upwards as he gazed mesmerized at the distant view of the town.


    Their journey was finally over.


    Now, they would deal with their main mission.


    *******


    Baroch and Kael joined the group after they had gotten some distance from the town. Their journey lasted six days, just as planned. And during those six days, Kael learned a lot about his group.


    Scher, for example, was here to be very much the brains of the group. The guy was really smart, he certainly had the makings of a scholar. He was even knowledgeable about things that Kael thought were a bit out of the ordinary. They even had a little chat about plants at one point.


    He couldn''t say he didn''t like the guy.


    Pecera, the leader of the group, meanwhile, was a woman devoted to her duty. Even though she wasn''t a bearer, she seemed strong. So much so that Kael wasn''t sure if he could win when he faced her. She also now had a better view of Kael and Matthew. She had recognized their abilities to a certain extent.


    Baroch was... what he was, a talented scout. Kael thought he could learn a few things just by observing him. He was also friendly, even if he was a bit awkward and sometimes seemed strange because he was always smiling.


    And finally... Matthew.


    Kael lowered his eyes slightly as he sat cross-legged on the carriage. Matthew was holding the horses'' reins. His lips were straight, his eyes focused on the road. He had driven the horses on most of their journeys and was still doing so.


    Kael had seen nothing problematic about him during these six days. He was almost ordinary... but Kael had not yet discarded his instincts. He didn''t like something about him when he looked at him... he had an uneasy feeling. That''s why he kept an eye on him.


    Eventually, he took his eyes off Matthew, just as the carriage began to slow down. When he looked ahead... he realized that they were right in front of the gate to the town.


    "Stop!"


    The guards guarding the gate quickly approached the stalled carriage. Pecera stepped out of the carriage at that very moment.


    "I am Pecera Panen, and also the leader of the team sent to solve the problem as a result of the letter of assistance sent by the baron to the Empire. This is our mission statement."


    She handed a scroll to the guards, which she had been holding in her hand since she got out of the carriage, and then the checks were carried out.


    While all the checks were being done, Kael turned his eyes to the vines that surrounded the walls. He looked at them for a moment, then squinted slightly.


    ''Huh...''


    He studied the vines even more carefully, his senses detached from his surroundings and focused only on the ramparts.


    Had he seen wrong... or had one of the vines moved?


    Slowly, he turned off his senses. Seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling... everything. Then, he focused on one sense in particular... carefully. And he saw exactly what he expected.


    His senses came back to him as his eyebrows rose slightly. Only one thing was going through his mind...


    ''Strange... and interesting.''


    Just then, the carriage he was sitting on started moving again and his eyes left the vines. The gates of the town opened wide and he was greeted by a sight just as he had expected.


    Greenery and buildings intertwined at the same time. The sides of the roads were lined with bushes and beautiful flowers, the houses were covered with vines that wrapped around the walls... and even the large mansion in the center of the town, presumably where the baron was staying, had its share of the green.


    And yet, no one in the town seemed to be disturbed. They were all quite normal, going about their daily business and talking like normal people.


    In this town... it was as if there were no problems at all.


    And so, the group continued calmly and slowly through the streets towards the baron''s mansion.


    *******


    The baron''s mansion was rather plainer than most mansions Kael had seen in his life. Not only the mansion itself, but there also seemed to be fewer servants or knights for some reason... hence the feeling of simplicity.


    ''Maybe that''s the way the baron likes it...''


    That was the first thought that crossed Kael''s mind. After all, this was the baron''s mansion... it wouldn''t be surprising if he had staffed it and designed it according to his preferences.


    And with these thoughts in mind, the group of five finally arrived at the baron''s room. They passed through the door opened by the servants, with Pecera and Scher at the front, Matthew just behind them, and Baroch and Kael at the back.


    "Welcome."


    Kael liked to briefly glance at the design when he first entered a place, but not this time. He didn''t think there would be much to see anyway... it had to be simple, like the whole mansion.


    So he turned his full focus on the man in his forties sitting at a table across the room.


    Baron Holm Halve was a man who showed his age quite distinctly... perhaps even a little too much. Most of his brown hair was gray, and his body was slightly fat, but he did not look overweight. His brown eyes, like his hair, were a little... strange, as if they had trouble focusing. All this and the wrinkles on his face were enough to make him think he was in his late fifties if he didn''t know his real age... but he had done his research.


    The group walked inside, right in front of the baron. The door to the room closed behind them. So, the only people left inside were them, two servants, and a knight who was obviously the baron''s personal bodyguard.


    "I am relieved to see the Empire responding to my calls for help... but I would like to ask, how much do you know about the situation?"


    Pecera took a quick step forward, quickly followed by Scher, but he deliberately stayed a little further behind Pecera.


    "We know that there are people in the city who suddenly became insane for no reason. And that the adventurers or mercenaries can''t solve the situation no matter what, and that they themselves have become insane."


    Pecera paused for a moment, straightening her posture slightly, but not in a disrespectful way. She just looked more... confident.


    "From the outside, our group may seem a bit... awkward and inappropriate for the situation, but don''t worry. On behalf of myself and the other four members of my group, I assure you that I believe we can provide you with everything you need."


    Baron Holm could only nod slightly. Then he let out a deep, really deep sigh and looked up at his knight, who was standing right next to his desk.


    It was a little difficult to see his face because of his helmet, but Kael could see his dark red eyes quite clearly. His black hair was slightly visible through his helmet. He was a well-built man, It would have been obvious that he was a knight even if the armor wasn''t there... that''s exactly what he gave off.


    But there was another detail about this man that caught Kael''s attention.


    And that was... that this man was a bearer.


    No, a follower. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He could feel the man''s eon even more clearly than Matthew''s.


    "Let me introduce my official personal knight... Amar Slord, who will tell you the important details of the situation and listen to your requests."


    After these words, the baron''s eyes narrowed as he stared at the table. Then... he continued, his tone calm until now, but this time with a tremor he could not hide.


    "Just... please, help us. Forget the letter I sent to the Empire... If you can save this town and people... I am ready to give you anything you ask."

 Chapter 64 - 64: Insane of the Halve

    Kael was not quite sure what to think as he looked at the scene in front of him. Not only him, but also Pecera, Scher, and Baroch were looking at it with expressions that were difficult to understand.


    Matthew was the only one whose expression did not change significantly.


    "We keep everyone who becomes insane here."


    This was the dungeon. A very large dungeon underneath the mansion.


    It was a little... different from the dungeons Kael knew. It was not overly dirty, it had been cleaned and kept more hygienic for the people inside.


    But even that seemed a bit insufficient because of what was inside.


    "Huhuhu... hahahaha..."


    In one corner stood a man with one of the most crooked smiles Kael had ever seen, laughing incessantly in a low voice.


    In another cell was another man, completely naked. He must have ripped his clothes off himself because they were still on the floor of his cell. He was giggling all the time.


    And a woman in another cell was staring at the ceiling with a blank expression, drooling. Her lips were curled upwards too, but she seemed calmer than the others.


    Or was it because she was worse?


    "Why... are they here?"


    Scher was the one who asked this question. And with his question, Amar, the baron''s knight, approached one of the cells without turning his face towards him.


    It was the cell of the man who was in his corner, drowning in silent laughter.


    But when the door of the cell was thrown wide open, the man''s laughter came to an abrupt halt. His eyes, which seemed to be unable to focus properly, suddenly became clear and shifted instantly towards the open door.


    He stared at it for a while as if to check if he was seeing things wrong. Amar stepped aside to help him, pointing to the open door.


    The man jumped to his feet at that very moment. He headed for the door with a speed that was hard to believe belonged to a human being. But no matter how fast, Kael, being a bearer, could see the curl of the man''s lips.


    That crooked smile was an indication of what he could do once he was out of his cell.


    But before the dream of the owner of this smile could come true, the door to freedom was suddenly blocked by a large shadow.


    Amar stepped in front of the man and gently grabbed him by the arms. Then he tripped him with his foot, causing him to fall to the ground. But without letting his body hit the ground, he turned him slightly and gave him a gentle push backwards.


    The man suddenly found himself on the floor... in front of the cell wall. But he reacted quickly. He quickly turned back to the door and prepared to run once again. This time, though, there was a certain hostility in his eyes, a certain bloodlust. As soon as he saw Amar, he was going to pounce on him.


    But instead, he saw the cell door close again. And the click of the lock echoed in his ears.


    The man approached the door with slow steps, trying to push it a few times, but in vain. Then, he started to use force. And it was not a normal force at all... not only the door, but directly his cell itself seemed to tremble slightly.


    After a short time, the man gave up. He retreated back into his corner, ignoring all the eyes watching him, and collapsed there. And then... he started laughing quietly again.


    Amar looked at Scher out of the corner of his eye.


    "That''s why they''re here."


    But Scher didn''t focus on him. His eyes moved over the man towards the cell as if he wanted to see him more closely.


    "You kept reports, right? Notes for each patient, what happened to them in stages and so on."


    Amar nodded his head.


    "Yes."


    "Good... I want to see them all."


    He seemed genuinely intrigued by this.


    Well, of course he was...


    After all, Scher was a scholar, knowledgeable about many things, but his expertise was more in diseases, poisons, and their cures.


    He was not only the brains of the group... he was also the main person who would examine these insane people and try to make a diagnosis.


    *******


    The first thing the group did was quite simple.


    There were now a total of sixty-two people in the town who had become insane. Twenty-one of those had happened in just two weeks, so the problem was getting serious.


    As soon as Scher heard this, he took all the reports with him and started reading them one by one.


    And he soon realized why the baron was so desperate.


    "His wife... She is among those who became insane."


    "Oh..."


    Pecera couldn''t help but be surprised when he heard what Scher said.


    "When?" Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Two days before the baron sent the request for help."


    In short... the baron only asked for help because his wife had become one of the victims.


    "Hmm..."


    Pecera was lost in thought for a moment. After a while, it was Baroch who spoke.


    "Do they have anything in common? The crazy ones, I mean."


    Scher shook his head from side to side.


    "I''ve read almost all of the reports. But I don''t see any similarities. In fact... it''s as if they went insane especially randomly. But the symptoms are a bit different."


    As he said this, he took out his notebook with an ink pen which he had hidden in his clothes until now. Then he started scribbling something on it. After a short while, he read what he had written.


    "Laughter is a common symptom when they have nothing to do. As soon as they realize they can break free, they strive for it. And... strangely, they have much more advanced physical abilities than a normal person. It''s as if whatever drove them mad also made them stronger."


    Kael raised his eyebrows slightly, not moving from where he had been leaning until now.


    "There''s a lot of greenery here... everywhere, actually. A parasitic plant, perhaps? First, it attached itself to the vegetation of the town and tried to grow. Lately, though, it completed its development and that''s why the number of cases has jumped. It''s a bit rare... but a schloremeia mutated by overexposure to eon, perhaps?"


    Scher paused for a moment.


    "Maybe."


    Then he scribbled something new in his notebook and glanced briefly in Kael''s direction.


    "Then... how about a tour of the town? Schloremeia or some other parasitic plant... it doesn''t matter. You can look for traces of it. You already know what''s what."


    Kael nodded softly. This was obviously what he wanted to do... so he wasn''t going to object.


    Just after them, Pecera entered the conversation.


    "Baroch and Matthew, why don''t you walk around the town with Kael? Watch the people, and if you see anyone going mad or about to do so, take quick action."


    Baroch and Matthew nodded, just like Kael.


    And so their plans were set, at least for the first day.


    *******


    After the talk with the group, Kael was doing what was expected of him as he walked the streets of the town. He was observing all the plants in the town, looking for one that would catch his attention.


    And he actually saw a few. There were so many different types of plants in the town that it was hard not to find something that could cause trouble. But... none of them were plants that could be the source of the trouble the town faces. And the townspeople would have been aware of these plants, as these plants were usually few in number, and not many people passed by or dealt with them.


    So there was nothing remarkable. Nevertheless, Kael made a mental note of the plants he saw and kept going. Finally, when he came to a certain place... that''s when he stopped.


    Well, Kael''s purpose was not exactly with these plants.


    Yes, he was aware of his task, but he was actually wandering the streets of this town for something else.


    His eyes slowly drifted towards the walls, towards the vines that wrapped around them.


    He looked at them for a while. Then he squinted slightly and focused on one of his senses that normal people don''t have.


    After a short time... he could feel it again. Just as he had felt it when he first entered the town, it was the same now.


    ''These vines... why do they have such an intense eon?''

 Chapter 65 - 65: Vines of the Town

    *******


    Kael looked at the vines with great interest. Closer and closer to the wall, he stared at a part of it that passed right in front of him.


    He slowly raised his hand and touched it.


    But nothing happened.


    He closed his eyes this time, leaving behind only the sense that allowed him to feel eon.


    And...


    ''Woah...''


    He was shocked by what he discovered.


    ''Is it possible that this... could have happened naturally?''


    The vines... on the walls, on some of the buildings, directly across the whole town... they were all connected to each other.


    ''Ah, no...''


    Yes, they were all connected, but not because they were in contact with each other.


    All these vines were the same. They all had the same origin, root... whatever it was. They were all... actually part of the same plant.


    Kael took his hand off the vine, opened his eyes.


    Now... there was only one question on his mind.


    What was the deal with these vines? Could it be the cause of the madness in the town, was it causing a completely different problem... or was it completely harmless?


    ''I suppose I should tell the baron and his knight about this...''


    After this quick thought, though, he paused for a moment, his brow furrowing.


    ''Though... Amar is a follower. He must already be aware of the vines. Then... the baron must know too. Why didn''t they tell us?''


    Even if the vines were harmless, they should have told them so that they could avoid speculation about them.


    He turned around, about to turn back to the baron''s mansion... but then he paused.


    When he saw the figure standing only a few meters away from him, he couldn''t help but feel a little nervous and surprised.


    "Is something wrong?"


    The figure in his path, Matthew, with his eyes fixed on the wall, did not react to the question. On the contrary...


    "I think you noticed it too."


    Kael could see where Matthew was looking. With that, his nervousness faded a little, and he sighed lightly.


    "Yes. The vines aren''t separate creatures, they''re all part of one plant. And they have a lot of eon..."


    Matthew nodded his head, not taking his eyes off the wall.


    "Do you think it has anything to do with the insane?"


    Kael shook his head from side to side.


    "Amar is supposed to know. He''s a follower after all. They would have figured it out by now. So... no."


    Matthew was silent for a while. Kael continued to stare at him.


    After a short while, he focused fully on Matthew''s azure blue eyes. And... he asked in a calm tone.


    "You''re not a bearer, are you?"


    Matthew''s eyes quickly traveled down the walls and fixed on Kael. His lips curled upward slightly.


    "On what basis do you draw that conclusion?"


    "From your eon."


    "So your senses are that sharp... even though you''re just a bearer?"


    Kael shrugged.


    "I''m good at sensing, let''s say."


    "Ahahah... then I''m a bit good with my eon, what do you think?"


    Kael couldn''t help squinting. He was not satisfied and opened his mouth again. But then...


    "H- huh?"


    Both Kael and Matthew''s eyes quickly turned toward a point on the street.


    There, they saw a man leaning against the wall of a building. Another man was standing next to him, staring at him with dilated eyes. He was the one making the noise.


    "H- hey? Are you okay?"


    The man leaned slightly towards the other, who was probably someone he knew. He also didn''t seem to understand what was happening.


    But it was different for Kael and Matthew.


    The two moved quickly to the man''s side, drawing attention to themselves in the process... but they didn''t care much about being out in the open.


    "Get away from him."


    It was Kael who said this. His words quickly caused the crowd to frown. But before they could, Matthew continued.


    "We were sent by the Empire, and the person you see is... going insane."


    And indeed he was.


    Immediately after Matthew had finished his words, the man leaning against the wall began to tremble, and slowly, as he slowly removed his arms from the wall, he straightened up and stared at the sky with glazed eyes. The corners of his lips curled up slightly as drool dribbled from between them. And then...


    "Hah... Hahahahaha..."


    He started to laugh.


    But before he could continue laughing, two figures suddenly appeared on either side of him. Without the man being able to lower his eyes from the sky and look at the figures on either side of him, Matthew slammed his hand down hard on the back of his neck.


    The man''s eyes slid back and closed as his body slumped to the ground.


    *******


    Whatever was driving the town mad, after its new victim had been placed in an empty cell in the dungeon, Kael and Matthew were standing in front of Scher.


    Scher was looking at them with sparkling eyes. But his expression remained serious.


    "What did you see? Tell me from beginning to end."


    And it was Kael who answered his question.


    "The man''s body suddenly started to draw eon from his surroundings. If I understand correctly, all the eon entered his brain, and then he started laughing."


    As usual, Scher scribbled in his notebook with every word Kael said. Then his eyes turned to Matthew.


    "And you? Did you see anything remarkable?"


    Matthew shook his head from side to side.


    "Nothing different from what he said."


    Scher looked down at his notebook, changed a few pages and read them. Then he started muttering to himself.


    Neither Kael nor Matthew could understand exactly what he was saying. But they didn''t try to. Scher was smart, he knew what he was doing.


    "Did you see anything else, then? Anything that might be relevant to the situation?"


    Kael and Matthew looked at each other briefly, then turned towards Scher at the same time. But it was Kael who spoke.


    "The vines... the ones all over town." sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Scher tore his eyes away from his notebook and looked at Kael with raised eyebrows.


    "They are not separate from each other. It''s all one giant part of a single plant, and it wraps around the whole town. It also has quite a large reserve of eon. I don''t know if it''s relevant to the situation, but we weren''t informed about it..."


    "A single organism covering the whole town, huh..."


    Scher closed the notebook.


    "I''m not sure if it''s related to the situation, but... it might be connected to something else, maybe. Let''s ask the baron about it."


    Then he turned and walked out of the room. He was heading straight for the baron''s office... Kael and Matthew followed him.


    *******


    "So you were... aware of this?"


    The baron nodded at Scher''s question.


    "Of course. Those vines are the reason why the town, this whole area, is so green. Do you think it might be connected to the situation?"


    "Yes..."


    Scher sighed slightly after his answer.


    "But apparently, they are not doing any harm."


    He wasn''t simply relying on what the baron had said. He had a book in front of him that explained exactly what vines were. And notes, of course.


    When Kael learned what the vines were all about, he couldn''t help but be surprised.


    These vines had been alive for centuries. There was a large part of it under the town that acted like its brain, and it was maintained directly by the town. And according to the people, it did more good than harm. It actively cleaned the air and purified the eon in the town, for example. There were many other good things like that...


    ''Interesting...''


    "Have you found anything so far?"


    The Baron''s voice was a little shaky with that sentence. His eyes seemed to sparkle with anticipation. He seemed to really want something to be found.


    "No."


    But Scher''s answer caused his eyes to go back to the way they were before, and for a brief moment, the hope he had had disappeared.


    "I see..."


    He took a deep breath in and out. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.


    "You may go, then."


    Kael, Scher, and Matthew walked slowly out of the baron''s office. They had heard everything they wanted to hear, and the baron... didn''t look well. So the three of them didn''t say anything.


    After closing the door to the office, though, they looked at each other and stood where they were for a short while. Scher narrowed his eyes slightly.


    "Those vines... investigate them yourself."


    Kael and Matthew nodded quickly.


    Scher didn''t seem to believe that the vines were completely harmless. Kael and Matthew, too...


    Before they went their separate ways, Scher turned towards Kael.


    "You can even try to infiltrate the place under the town. The townspeople seem to take the vine seriously, they may have even deified it. So let''s tread carefully."


    "Understood."


    And so, they finally went their separate ways.


    But Kael paused and turned slightly after walking along the corridors of the mansion for some time.


    "What do you want... Matthew?"

 Chapter 66 - 66: Several Problems with the Guardian

    Matthew had his usual smile on his face. He looked relaxed, and it was an expression that Kael didn''t like.


    "I''m just... curious... why exactly are you on this mission, Kael?"


    Kael did not change his posture or expression. He only sighed slightly. Looking into Matthew''s eyes, he said a single sentence.


    "Same reason as you, maybe? How do you like my answer?"


    Matthew waited in silence for a while, his expression the same... unchanging. Only then did he slowly take a single step towards Kael. The sound of his footsteps echoed down the corridor, and he even looked a little intimidating in his upright posture.


    But Kael didn''t move.


    When Matthew was right in front of him, he inevitably felt a little nervous. But he was good at keeping it all under control.


    "Are you really sure you know why I''m on this mission?"


    And at Matthew''s words, Kael paused. His expression finally showed a hint of change.


    Now that he actually thought about it... he had thought from the beginning that Matthew was on this mission to gain experience, just like him. But... why? Just because they were close in age?


    Matthew could have been on this mission for a completely different reason.


    He... had made a mistake.


    "Why... are you on this mission, then?"


    Matthew widened his smile, and Kael tensed, sweat beading on his forehead. He used to just be nervous up until now, but after this...


    "It''s simple, actually. Not that complicated..."


    Kael held his breath. He didn''t know why, but he had a bad feeling. Maybe... maybe he should have reached for his daggers.


    "I''m gaining experience."


    "H- huh...?"


    Kael felt stupid for a moment. He just stared at Matthew. And he continued to smile as if nothing had happened.


    "Oh, it seems you''re really here for the experience, too. Very well, then."


    Matthew turned away... but before he left, he said one last thing in a low voice.


    "Anyway, I feel like there''s a lot more going on here than meets the eye, so you''d better watch out."


    And then, he moved along the corridor and disappeared after a short time. And Kael... just stood where he was.


    ''What did that mean...?''


    He hadn''t trusted Matthew much before... And, to be honest, he didn''t even trust him anymore. What kind of conversation was this?


    He thought about everything Matthew had said over and over again. What stuck in his mind, though, was one sentence.


    ''There''s a lot more going on here than meets the eye...''


    Matthew... could he know something?


    Kael began to move with slow steps. But his brow was furrowed and his eyes narrowed.


    ''First... let me do what I have to do. Then, I will think about this too.''


    *******


    It didn''t take Kael long to find the ''central point of the plant''. When he put his hand on one of the vines and followed the streams of eon, he could easily feel them stretching under the town. So... he knew exactly where he needed to go.


    All he had to do was sneak in. And after a little research, he learned that getting in here was going to be harder than he thought. Impossible, maybe, even.


    Security was top-notch. People took the maintenance and security of the central plant really seriously. Those who were allowed to enter were either those who had permission slips directly from the baron or those who would be maintaining the plant.


    ''The entrance is under the mansion. It''s through tunnels that go underground and then it leads to a large area.''


    Inside this large area was an object that was collecting massive amounts of eon. An object that connects to all the eon streams around it... the brain, the center... whatever it was called.


    ''How can I sneak in, though?''


    If he had been a bit taller, maybe he could have disguised himself as one of the maintenance staff.


    Although...


    ''Hmm...''


    He paused as a sudden idea came to him. He remembered something from before, a name he had seen when Scher was studying people who had gone insane.


    ''Actually... Do I really need to sneak in?''


    *******


    Towards noon of the same day, a woman was making her way slowly through one of the tunnels that ran underneath the mansion.


    She had finished the daily maintenance of their town''s Guardian and now, she was going home to rest.


    As she moved forward, her eyes fell on the vines on the sides of the tunnels. He thought of one of her colleagues who had gone insane a few weeks ago. Who was also... their teacher.


    ''There are two of us left now...''


    Normally there were three people who looked after their Guardian, at least on a daily basis. How unfortunate that one of them, and actually the most important of them, fell victim to the disgusting disease that infested the town.


    ''Work got heavier.''


    To be honest, she had no complaints. She was happy to take care of the Guardian. But... she couldn''t help being afraid.


    What if something happened to her or the other maintenance worker? Then things could get a bit messy.


    ''No... I mustn''t think bad things.''


    Sighing, she tried to push these thoughts out of her mind. She was doing nothing but invoking the bad.


    Like that, she finally came out of the tunnels. She entered the room that connected to the inside of the mansion. And as she entered, one of the guards approached her.


    She spoke quickly.


    "I have finished the daily maintenance."


    The guard nodded and handed her a piece of paper and a pen. She signed her name, Fesila, on the paper. Then the guard thanked her and returned to his post. She thanked him in the same way.


    Fesila continued to walk through the mansion. She talked and laughed with the servants and employees she saw in the corridors. But she eventually left the mansion and stepped out into the town. With the pale rays of the sun, she began to walk home, feeling relieved.


    Everything was normal. The town, the people... the weather.


    But when she entered the street where her house was, she saw something out of the corner of her eye and paused. In one of the alleyways for some reason... had she seen one of the vines moving?


    ''Huh... strange.''


    The vines usually stayed still. There were rare occasions when they moved, but these little things usually signaled that something was wrong.


    Fesila approached the vine with slow steps, moving towards the alleyway.


    Just as she locked onto the vine... she noticed a young man standing right next to it. He was looking at the vine, just like her.


    When he heard Fesila''s footsteps, he took his eyes off the vine, turned around, and looked at the woman approaching him. His brown eyes were quite ordinary, at least that was what she felt looking at them.


    He didn''t look like someone important.


    "Oh, hi."


    "Hello... have you seen a problem, I wonder?"


    The youth waited a moment for the question. Then he nodded his head slightly.


    "The vines were moving. And... it doesn''t look good, to be honest."


    The woman paused at the words she heard.


    "It doesn''t look good...?"


    The youth nodded again.


    "Yes. The vines absorb eon from their surroundings and give it back, purifying the air in the same way, and all the time consuming sunlight. But there seems to be a problem with the flow of eon... the level of air purification has also decreased, and the sun is even paler than usual at the moment, so it''s not getting enough nourishment either."


    Fesila replayed everything she had heard over and over in her mind. Then, her brows furrowed.


    "May I ask how you draw these conclusions...?"


    The youth didn''t question the question at all. In fact, he answered as if he was expecting it.


    "Because I am a bearer and I can sense eon. As for the air problem, I can give the color of the vines as an example. The green color has darkened on some spots and even yellowed. Brown and white spots can also be seen here and there. The problem of sunlight is obviously the same."


    Fesila... was actually not overly skilled in botany. Yes, she knew some things... but her only job was to take care of the Guardian daily. So what she knew about plants was limited to the Guardian.


    And... she could see everything the young man said. The darkened places, the brown spots... maybe she couldn''t feel eon, she was just an ordinary person after all... but did the young man have a reason to lie?


    "Are you... a botanist, by any chance?"


    The youth paused, then smiled slightly.


    "Yes. I am also a member of the team sent by the empire to solve the problem in the town. My name is Kael." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "O- oh..."


    Fesila thought for a while, her mind going back and forth.


    If what the young man in front of her, Kael, was saying was true, then... there was a problem.


    But the problem didn''t stop there.


    Because the person who really knew something about the Guardian and plants was now insane! He and the other maintenance worker had not yet learned what to do in such a situation! Their training was incomplete!


    "I... understand. Thank you for telling me."


    Fesila glanced briefly in the direction of her house. Then, she took a deep breath and turned back the way she had come. With quick steps, she started moving towards the baron''s mansion again.


    Kael only looked after her. He had a slight smile on his face.


    ''Well... this was easier than I thought.''


    *******


    *(A/N: I will upload two chapters in a row next time. But I have a thing to do today, so they may come a little too late. Sorry for it, but it''s important.)*

 Chapter 67 - 67: Knights Warning

    Nothing remarkable happened on the first night. Scher and Pecera continued their work, and Kael, Baroch, and Matthew wandered around the town.


    The townspeople were restless, but knowing there was nothing they could do, they went to bed, hoping not to go insane like others.


    This late that night, the lights were still on in the baron''s room. There were two people inside.


    The baron himself and... Fesila.


    Fesila was standing nervously in front of the baron''s desk. The Baron was looking at the report she had given him just before he left for work, and thinking at the same time.


    After a brief moment, he lowered the report and looked directly into Fesila''s eyes. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Your report says that everything was in order again today, Fesila. When I look at what you say, I think it''s true too, that there is indeed a problem with the Guardian. But... what made you come to this realization so quickly and suddenly?"


    For a moment, Fesila was torn between answering or not. Honestly... she was angry at herself for not recognizing such things as someone who took care of the Guardian, and at the same time embarrassed to explain her own incompetence.


    Still, she made her decision quickly.


    "A member of the team sent by the Empire... a guy who knows a lot about botany. I saw him studying the vines on my way home, and he told me about them during our brief conversation and suggested that there might be a problem with the Guardian."


    The Baron became thoughtful while Fesila waited in silence.


    ''The head maintainer is among the insane... the other two have not learned their duties properly.''


    When he looked at it that way... they were really in trouble. It worried him to think that the Guardian might be in trouble. So much so... that he even put the problem facing the town on the back burner.


    But then he paused. Could it be... that the Guardian was in this situation because of the problem the town was facing? Could it be that the Guardian had its own share of the thing that drove people insane, or... was suppressing it?


    "This person you mentioned... who was he?"


    "He said his name was Kael."


    The Baron involuntarily narrowed his eyes slightly. Searching his memory, he remembered that the person Fesila had mentioned was the scout who looked quite young. And as he remembered this, his expression fell a little.


    What would someone as young as him know about botany...? Maybe he could identify a problem, yes... but could he really solve it?


    "Well done, Fesila. I appreciate you keeping me informed about the situation. You can go home and rest... but before you go, could you ask this Kael to pay me a visit?"


    Fesila quickly nodded her head up and down. Then she left the baron''s room. When she closed the door, though, she took a deep breath.


    Frankly... she was scared. That she might lose her job, for example... that she couldn''t see how their Guardian was in trouble.


    But there was no problem. She was safe, she didn''t have to worry. So... the only thing she had to worry about now was the Guardian.


    And with that thought, she started moving again.


    *******


    Kael was surprised to learn that the baron had asked to see him quite late at night. He had not expected it to be so... early. He had thought he would make progress the next day.


    Apparently, he had underestimated the town''s sensitivities about this ''Guardian''...


    Because he could see that the baron was looking at him skeptically, but he could also see that he was serious.


    "You saw that the Guardian, I mean... the vines in town were troublesome."


    Kael nodded in agreement.


    "Yes, I only went by what I saw, and I may be wrong, but that''s what I think. Was there a problem, baron...?"


    The Baron let his eyes roam over Kael. Instead of answering his question, he asked him another.


    "How skilled are you in botany, Kael?"


    Without holding back, Kael curled his lips upwards and smiled.


    "The Kingdom of Arcanoa... I used to live there. And I was directly in charge of maintaining the palace garden and greenhouse. I''ve been interested in plants since I was quite young."


    "Oh?"


    The Baron could not hide his surprise. But what he couldn''t hide was also suspicion.


    He remembered what they were talking about the Guardian earlier.


    And... even if they didn''t show it, he was aware that the group sent by the Empire had a strange interest in the Guardian. They even thought it might be the cause of the madness in the town.


    Well, they hadn''t said it, but it wasn''t hard to understand.


    Now, out of nowhere, something like this had appeared?


    He thought about what Fesila had said. Then what Kael had said, and the visible signs on the vines.


    He was silent for a while and kept thinking. And then... he sighed slightly.


    "Kael... can I ask you a favor?"


    The young scout''s lips curved upwards slightly. But it was not a sly smile, it was sincere and respectful. He even bowed his head slightly.


    "Sure, go ahead."


    The Baron pulled a piece of paper in front of him. He scribbled something on it, took the small stamp on the edge of the table, and pressed it on the paper. Then he pushed the paper across the table towards Kael and looked him in the eye again.


    "I want you to use your knowledge of plants for us. If you see a problem with the Guardian... can you take the other two maintenance staff with you and check its condition?"


    Kael nodded happily.


    "Sure, I will."


    And he picked up the paper on the table and studied it briefly. It was permission to enter the place where the maintenance staff had entered.


    "Then please take care of it tomorrow morning."


    Again, Kael bowed his head respectfully. This time he didn''t answer... but he didn''t need to.


    He had a big smile on his face as he walked out of the baron''s office, permission letter in hand.


    Getting what he wanted had been... easier than he had thought. He had thought that the Baron would take a little more time to be convinced, maybe even ignore the situation. But... it had worked.


    So he headed to his room to get some sleep.


    At least that''s what he wanted...


    But he did not.


    Or rather, he couldn''t.


    When he saw the figure waiting for him a little further down the corridor, leaning against the wall, he paused, feeling himself tense involuntarily.


    No, it was not Matthew. It was Amar, the Baron''s private knight. His dark red eyes were fixed on the wall in front of him, and his black hair was exposed because the helmet that always rested on his head was missing this time.


    As Kael''s footsteps paused, Amar''s eyes slowly left the wall opposite him and turned towards him. Then, he looked at the paper in his hand.


    They both remained silent for a while. But since Amar didn''t seem to have any intention of speaking or moving, Kael held his breath and started moving again with slow steps.


    Each one of his steps left a heavy thud that echoed through the corridor. He didn''t know why, but it was much clearer than before... and it was also the only thing he could hear for some reason.


    Amar''s eyes never left him as he moved. The distance between them was decreasing by the second and Kael could hardly keep himself from sweating.


    ''Why am I so nervous?''


    He couldn''t find a logical answer to his question. Just as Amar passed in front of him, he quickened his pace a little. All his senses were working to their fullest, his whole body was ready for action like he had never felt in his life.


    And then... he stopped dead in his tracks all of a sudden.


    His eyes widened slightly as each of his senses slowly shut down, except for one... one he was using quite often these days.


    ''Eon... wait, eon?''


    He swallowed, turning his head only slightly back and looking towards where Amar had been standing earlier. He saw the man''s dark red eyes glowing, looking at him as if he were his enemy... and slowly filling the entire corridor with his eon, which had a brownish color.


    Amar''s eon was... strange. It suddenly filled Kael with a sense of spaciousness. Like... like the freshness of the wind blowing in the face in a desolate forest.


    The smell of leaves, earth, and trees filled his nose. He saw the vines forming inside the brown-colored eon, each one slowly approaching him.


    His reaction was very fast. His own eon quickly enveloped his body, and his body instantly became many times stronger. He threw himself back as fast as he could. He dodged the vines coming at him, but when he suddenly found Amar in front of him, he realized there was nothing he could do.


    Amar grabbed him by the neck, gripped him so tightly that he gasped for breath, and swept him off his feet. Kael tried desperately to kick him, but the vines he didn''t know where they came from tied his feet together and prevented him from kicking.


    Amar tensed the arm holding him by the neck, then slammed it hard against the wall of the hallway. Kael felt his bones breaking as cracks appeared in the wall, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.


    And just then Amar narrowed his dark red eyes slightly.


    "I know what you''re trying to do."


    His voice was cold. With each word, Kael found it harder and harder to breathe. Yet he didn''t give up, he didn''t want to. He tried everything he had to survive. He increased the amount of eon coursing through his veins as much as he could, constantly looking for a tiny opening he could open for himself...


    But he couldn''t find it.


    On the contrary, Amar tightened his grip even more.


    "What do you want from the Guardian? What is your purpose? Who-"


    He paused for a moment.


    "No... what exactly are you?"


    As the grip on his throat loosened, Kael felt he could breathe again. Then Amar let go of him completely and he fell to the floor. Coughing up blood, he tried to clear his lungs, to get his body moving again. But Amar was right in front of him, his dark red eyes fixed sharply on him.


    It was not possible for him to escape.


    Straight away, it was impossible.


    "Cough, cough... Haaah..."


    He waited a while longer for the pain in his throat to subside. Then he slowly raised his head and focused on Amar''s cold eyes.


    "I- I don''t mean any ha- cough...! Ugh..."


    He took a deep breath, feeling a little more relaxed this time. But he was aware that the other man''s patience was not infinite.


    "I don''t mean any harm... I really don''t. Everything I said about the vines was true, I just exaggerated a bit to get permission. What I really want is to see how your Guardian is doing and see if I can find out anything about the town''s problem."


    He hadn''t told a single lie. He didn''t dare, frankly... Amar was really frightening right now.


    But that wasn''t all he had to say. As he thought about the questions Amar had asked him, one thing stuck in his mind.


    "But... what do you mean ''what you are''...? I''m not hiding my identity or something like that... Do I look like I''m not human?"


    Amar narrowed his eyes even more at the answer he received, taking his focus away from Kael for a brief moment, stepping back and making room for him.


    Kael got up slowly. Amar had no intention of attacking himself again. Because... he couldn''t feel that sense of danger, that killing intent that he had felt before.


    Still, he understood that he was dangerous. Amar... was definitely not someone to be trifled with.


    "You are human, don''t worry."


    Kael''s brow furrowed at the words that finally came out of his mouth.


    "Huh?"


    Amar sighed lightly and closed his eyes. When his eyelids opened again after a brief moment, his dark red eyes were no longer glowing, he had withdrawn his eon.


    "I will believe you... for now. But be aware that you are being watched, Kael."


    With those words, the corridor suddenly glowed with a brown light, Kael heard scuffling sounds, as if vines were crawling all around him... and when the light disappeared, Amar was no longer in the corridor.


    Kael took a deep, really deep breath. Slowly, he looked back at the wall Amar had pinned him against. He was sure there were a few cracks in the wall... but there was nothing there. He was also pretty sure that his bones were broken, but he felt pretty good now.


    Like... Like nothing had actually happened.


    *(A/N: I was going to post these chapters after two more days, actually. Because I will finally go home after two days. But I wrote these chapters from my phone and thought that it would be fine to post them. So... that''s it. I will come back in two days, fully so with no issues. Trust me this time. I even stacked some chapters.)*

 Chapter 68 - 68: Heart of the Guardian

    *(A/N: There will be another chapter in a few hours. And I wrote a bunch of chapters while I was gone even though I couldn''t publish any of them. So I have like 20 chapters ready. I scheduled everything. I''m prepared this time.)*


    *******


    After his encounter with Amar, Kael went to his room and threw himself on his bed.


    All sleep was gone.


    Amar... had really left a big effect on him.


    ''Scary...''


    He would not be honest if he claimed otherwise. The knight named Amar was now a far different person in his eyes.


    ''And he''s connected to this ''Guardian'', somehow...''


    What was this connection? He couldn''t stop wondering.


    One thing he was sure of, though... Amar didn''t like him very much.


    ''I''ll have to be more careful tomorrow.''


    At least he was now aware that he was being watched. He could act accordingly.


    He put his hands on his pillow, behind his head, and began to watch the ceiling.


    Even though his mind was full of different thoughts, one kept coming to the fore.


    And that was... whatever the town''s problem was, whether it was with the Guardian or not, there was definitely something going on here that the Empire was not aware of.


    *******


    On the morning of the next day, just as planned, Kael, along with two other maintenance workers, prepared to go to the Heart of the Guardian.


    And it wasn''t long before the preparations were finished.


    "Are you ready?"


    The first of the maintenance workers, Fesila, nodded. The other, a young, ordinary boy who looked to be in his twenties, responded in kind.


    "Good... let''s go then, to the Heart of the Guardian."


    That''s what their destination was called, the Heart of the Guardian.


    And Kael liked it, he thought it was a fitting name for where they were going.


    "Yes."


    And so they left. They made their way to the lower levels of the mansion, entering one of the entrances Kael had identified earlier.


    The checks were done quickly. Kael got strange looks from most of the people around him, but he didn''t worry too much about it. All his focus was on the road ahead.


    As he had sensed before, underneath the mansion was practically an anthill. Tunnels ran everywhere, connecting to each other and getting more and more complex. What all these tunnels had in common was the abundance of vines in each of them.


    Just like the roots of a tree.


    Roots full of eon, or rather vines.


    ''Strange... and intriguing...''


    Plants had always intrigued him, dangerous or not. Even though he hadn''t put his botanical knowledge to proper use recently, it hadn''t dampened his interest in them.


    So, whatever his previous thoughts, he had a strange feeling when he thought about this plant called ''Guardian'' by the townspeople, its connection to eon, and the fact that it had grown to such a large size.


    Still, Kael put his mission first, just as he had done since he first stepped foot in the Empire. And he preferred to focus on what was in front of him.


    Finally, after traveling for some time, he noticed that the tunnel they were traveling through began to widen slightly. Not only that, the number of vines was increasing and growing in size. But the most obvious thing was definitely... the amount of eon.


    ''This is... almost dizzying.''


    The fact that so much eon was crammed into such a small space... was enough to overwhelm his senses as he was experiencing it for the first time. He tried to keep his posture and expression neutral, but if no one was around, he would have just let himself fall to the ground to recover.


    ''How do those two stand it...? Are they used to it?''


    Or were they less affected because they were normal people?


    ''Calm down, focus...''


    He regulated his breathing, tensed his muscles, and moved his own eon more fluidly through his body. He felt a little more relaxed. And right after he did that...


    "Here we are."


    Fesila, the one at the front of the group, said, halting her steps.


    Kael paused. He had only stopped paying attention to his surroundings for a brief moment to focus, but even though it was a brief moment, he hadn''t realized where he had come to.


    The tunnel widened as it went on and led to what looked like a big cave. A very large cave.


    But... was it even right to call it a cave?


    Kael could not see a single rock or stone. Not even soil or dirt, let alone rocks and stones.


    Everything was... only vines. Vines that covered everything with their dark green color, in some places thicker than his own body.


    And all these vines were moving towards a single point. The center of the cave. And there they were merging, growing, becoming a whole.


    ''Ah...''


    Kael stiffened with the pure eon he felt as he stared at what was in front of him. But the eon was not the only reason why he was frozen in place. Although it was worse than in the tunnel, it was still bearable.


    It wasn''t the eon... it was what he saw.


    ''So that''s why they call it a heart...''


    The Heart of the Guardian... was beating like a real heart.


    The vines, forming an egg-like structure almost four meters in size, were constantly moving. It was beating as a heart beats. It was carrying something as a heart carries blood throughout the body.


    ''It carries eon... all over its body...''


    He could not help swallowing. This time, he had to try harder to calm himself and keep his focus. But he did it anyway.


    Slowly, he began to approach the ''heart''. His steps were slow, his senses were getting stranger with each step he took. Yet he did not stop and kept going.


    ''How does it get the necessary water and sunlight? Can something so big... really circulate enough nutrients and energy?''


    Maybe... eon was helping it?


    Maybe the reason why this heart-shaped structure was created in the first place was to send eon to all the vines to support the water and sunlight as energy.


    ''Ah... that''s why it had eon... or why it was able to grow so big because it had eon in the first place...''


    His eyes widened slightly as many different theories flooded his mind.


    ''The discoloration in some areas, the problems with what appears to be a lack of nutrients... these are all things that occur naturally in this plant... That''s why they didn''t take it seriously until now...''


    Everything made more sense now. This plant... even if it was successful in trying to keep itself alive, it was never completely healthy.


    Kael paused for a moment. His brow furrowed as something occurred to him.


    ''So... why did they agree with me that the color was different from normal?''


    If the color of the plant was always like this, they wouldn''t see it as a problem now. He could tell that there were similar conclusions for other problems of the plant.


    He kept thinking.


    He thought, thought, and thought...


    ''Eon... There was also a problem with the eon flow...''


    Finally, just in front of the heart, he paused again. Swallowing involuntarily, he squinted slightly. Then, he slowly raised his hand, trying to reach out to it.


    But he failed.


    "What do you think you''re doing?"


    He could do nothing against the tremendous force that suddenly grabbed his arm. His eyes quickly left the heart and turned to the man standing right next to him... Amar.


    He... was looking at him much more hostile than he had been yesterday.


    "I''m going to look at the eon flow of it."


    "Well, sorry then. You can''t touch it."


    "I can''t solve the problem if there''s one unless I touch it."


    "Then you don''t have to solve it."


    Amar gave Kael''s hand a hard shove, causing him to step back. The hostile look in his eyes grew worse by the second as he continued his words harshly.


    "It was ridiculous to even let you come here. Get out of here right now."


    But Kael... wasn''t going to give up. He had no intention of it.


    "I know you don''t trust me... but all I really want to do is study the eon flow. Just like I did in town."


    "Go back to doing it in town, then." Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kael narrowed his eyes. He met Amar''s cold eyes with the same coldness.


    "Don''t get me wrong, I really have no intention of harming your Guardian, but... I don''t understand why you guys care so much about it."


    He took his eyes away from Amar for a brief moment and turned them towards the heart.


    "It''s a truly colossal plant that possesses eon... and it has many benefits for you as well as for nature, yes. But... not to the point of almost worshipping it, of naming it ''Guardian''."


    He turned to Amar again. This time, his words were much more confident, much calmer.


    "It does more, right?"


    He saw a brown glint in Amar''s eyes. The man''s crimson eyes started to change color as if to emphasize the amount of eon in his body, making Kael feel something much heavier than ''hostility''.


    "First and foremost, you... there''s something about you. You... can communicate with the ''Guardian'', right? And the Guardian does so much more than a simple plant can do. Like... literally protecting the town from outside threats, for example."


    Everything he said was speculation. It was all based on his guesses.


    But as it turned out, it was right on target.


    "It doesn''t change anything."


    Just like last night, brown colored eon spread out from Amar''s body and vines grew out of nothingness.


    They were all pointing at Kael.


    "Because if you won''t leave despite my warning... I will kill you right here."

 Chapter 69 - 69: Words of the Guardian

    "No... No, the fact that I know these things makes a lot of difference. You won''t kill me, for example."


    Despite all the vines staring at him, controlled by Amar, Kael was not afraid.


    Or rather, he made sure he wasn''t afraid.


    "I couldn''t be sure before, but now I am certain. Your guardian is... dying, Amar. And I mean that in the most serious way possible."


    He raised both hands in the air as the vines closed in on him step by step, taking a position completely open to attack. Yet his expression did not change one iota.


    "It is constantly growing, constantly expanding. Yes, it benefits its environment. Yes, it protects the place from creatures. But it is also slowly killing itself."


    One of the vines was right in front of his forehead at this moment. And... for some reason, even though it was a plant, it looked as sharp as a sword.


    "Because the more it grows, the more energy and resources it needs. And our world doesn''t have that. So it tries to get the energy it needs from eon. But even that''s not enough, so there are differences that shouldn''t be there in its color, in its eon flow, even in its respiration."


    He felt the tip of the vine on his skin, just in place to pierce his brain.


    But... it didn''t go any further.


    When he realized that the vine had stopped, Kael was relieved, but he continued, careful not to let it show.


    "If it can really communicate with you... it must have some consciousness. You can warn him not to grow any bigger, Amar. We can try to help him. Together, even. Do you really... want to see the ''guardian'' you care so much about dying more and more every day? Are you really sure you won''t regret it when that day comes, when you find out that everything I said was true?"


    "Tch."


    Kael was so focused that he hadn''t blinked since Amar had first appeared. But there was a limit, and he finally blinked as fast as he could reflexively.


    When he opened his eyes again...


    The vine in front of his forehead had disappeared. Amar''s eyes were their original color again.


    "Well... fine. I''ll trust you, because what you said makes sense."


    He folded his arms across his chest. He looked at Kael with an expression that told him he still didn''t like him, even if the hostility in his eyes had faded a little.


    "Still... I''m still keeping an eye on you. I''ll take your life the moment I see the slightest sign of wrongdoing."


    Kael relaxed so much at these words that he felt as light as a feather. Although he hid it, he was deeply affected by the bloodlust and eon... so much so that if Amar had continued any longer, he would have been unable to breathe.


    But he got away with it.


    For now.


    "All right."


    He glanced in the direction of Fesila and the other worker. They were both on the floor, both unconscious. Amar must have knocked them out before they approached him in the first place.


    ''He didn''t kill them... right?


    He felt relieved when he saw Fesila''s chest move slightly, indicating that she was breathing. Then he turned in front of him, taking one last look at Amar.


    Neither of them said anything, but that look said a lot. He had asked for his permission to continue. And Amar had given that permission in that short moment.


    So, he turned his gaze to the heart that had been beating in the same rhythm throughout this whole process.


    He took a deep breath, raised his hand again... and this time, he touched the heart without a hitch.


    At first... nothing happened.


    It felt like touching a soft wall that was simply moving. It was no different from touching the vines in town.


    But then he turned off all his senses and put everything into feeling the eon. He infiltrated the Guardian''s eon with his own. And the moment he did...


    Everything went dark.


    He didn''t see eon lines stretching for who knows how far. He didn''t find himself in countless streams of eon.


    Just... darkness.


    Nothing.


    ''H- huh...?''


    He pulled his hand back. Or rather he imagined he did... but he couldn''t feel his hand.


    ''What''s going on?''


    Amar... had he done something? Could he have tricked him?


    ''Did he... kill me?''


    If he quickly tore his body into several pieces, he would probably be dead before he realized what had happened.


    ''But... I can think.''


    Even more confused, he forced himself to calm down. He closed his non-existent eyes, then checked the eon in his body.


    And... he managed to feel something this time.


    ''I can feel my eon and the way it flows matches my body. So I am actually alive...''


    He could even feel the hand he was holding out because of the eon passing through it. So he was still where he was, not dead.


    ''Then... what happened?''


    He kept thinking. He didn''t stop even though he couldn''t find any conclusion.


    Then he paused.


    He focused again on the eon in his body. He extended it along his arm that touched the Guardian''s Heart, then tried to repeat what he had done before he found himself in this darkness...


    But then he paused once more.


    ''What... what is this?''


    He realized that a thought was starting to form in his mind.


    Well... it was normal. Everyone thought every time, after all. He himself was usually someone who did most things in his mind, who didn''t say much. So there was nothing as normal as thinking.


    The only problem was...


    It was that the thought was not his own.


    ''Uh... this is... too weird...''


    Illness.


    Madness.


    Death.


    "Ugh... Agh, aagghh..."


    His mind was hurting. He felt the pain in his head with each word that appeared before his eyes.


    Deception...


    Enemy...


    Outside...


    Each thought was a simple word. But they were so heavy, so painful...


    "AAAGGHHHH!"


    Eon...


    Dungeon...


    Dense...


    Finally, he couldn''t stand it.


    ''Ah...''


    The pain suddenly stopped. The darkness in his mind was gone in an instant, and he found himself in front of the heart again. He felt the tears falling from his eyes on his cheeks. The beating of the heart made his fingers and body shake.


    His eyes watered even more. He collapsed weakly as the strength in his arms and legs disappeared.


    He didn''t even have the strength to think.


    *******


    Amar... wasn''t thinking much as he watched Kael.


    There was only one thing on his mind. And that was... to kill Kael as soon as he caught him making one mistake.


    That''s why all his focus was on him. His eyes were sharp and he was watching all the eon flow through Kael''s body.


    But as he did so, he was faced with what was bothering him all over again.


    ''And he calls himself a bearer...''


    It was simply not possible. He had never seen a bearer with so many eon in their body before in his life. If his blessing or curse had something to do with it, maybe... but even that was absurd. Someone with so much eon should have already started on a Path, should have become a follower.


    He was most probably lying.


    ''Look at this...''


    Amar confirmed his thought again and again as he watched Kael''s eon condense along his body and move towards his arm.


    But when Kael''s eon made contact with the Guardian''s heart... all his thoughts vanished in an instant.


    His eyes widened. His arms crossed over his chest involuntarily released.


    "What?"


    The Guardian''s way of communicating with Amar was quite simple.


    Whenever Amar touched one of his vines, he could hear the voice of the Guardian''s primitive consciousness in his mind in the form of words. This allowed him to anticipate the threats the town would face. And that''s how he became strong enough to be where he is today.


    Because the Guardian was not only communicating with him, but also empowering him.


    But the Guardian had never said a word to him about the threat to the town. He simply refused to tell him about it.


    And now...


    "It''s... talking to him?"


    Amar quickly knelt down, placed his right hand on one of the vines on the floor, and closed his eyes. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He waited for seconds. An answer, any words that would pop into his mind, any reaction.


    But nothing came.


    When Amar opened his eyes again... he stared blankly ahead of him. He didn''t even know what to think.


    ''There must be a reason...''


    His eyes narrowed again, turning cold. He looked at Kael''s body, which had collapsed at that very moment.


    ''It has something to do with that boy.''


    He approached Kael with slow steps. He nudged him with his foot and made sure he was unconscious when he didn''t react.


    "Tch..."


    He still didn''t like Kael. There was always something about him that bothered him. And Amar usually trusted his guts.


    He turned his eyes to the Guardian''s heart.


    "Do you trust him, really?"


    The heart continued to beat without any change in rhythm. As if it had not heard Amar''s question. Amar only let out a deep sigh.


    "So be it... all right."


    But... he made a mistake.


    Because he had no idea what actually the Guardian was thinking with its primitive consciousness at that moment.

 Chapter 70 - 70: A Strange Cave

    As Kael slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was that he was on a bed. Then he saw the ceiling above him and paused.


    ''Ah...''


    His eyes narrowed as he remembered what had happened in the Heart of the Guardian. He got out of bed as fast as he could and checked his room.


    It was a normal one. It wasn''t like he was in a dungeon or anything... so Amar had really trusted him.


    ''They even left clothes, huh...''


    He picked up the clothes next to his bed and changed first. His body felt strangely good. The pain in his mind was gone.


    But the Guardian''s words were still in his mind. And he had to tell the others quickly.


    With these thoughts in mind, he quickly finished his work and went out of his room.


    What he found was not an empty corridor and the fresh air of the town.


    On the contrary... it was someone quite familiar.


    "Oh, you''re awake."


    Scher, the mastermind of their group, and Matthew, who was nothing but a mystery in his eyes at this point.


    "I''m awake... but you guys don''t look so good."


    Scher and Matthew looked at each other after Kael''s words. Then they both sighed slightly.


    "You didn''t sleep much. Only about six hours. But a lot happened in those hours..." S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kael couldn''t help frowning. Whatever had happened... it certainly hadn''t been pleasant.


    "Like what, for example?"


    "The townspeople... are going mad much faster. The dungeon is almost full at this point."


    *******


    After Kael woke up, it didn''t take long for the team to assemble. Pecera, Baroch, Scher, Matthew, Kael, and finally Amar.


    Yes. Amar became part of the group. He had asked for it himself, to be more helpful to the group.


    "Briefly... The plant, seen as the guardian of the town, told you the words illness, madness, death, deception, enemy, outside, eon, and dungeon..."


    Kael nodded with Scher''s words. And Scher then fell into thought.


    "I think the words deception, enemy, and outside tell us a lot."


    Pecera suddenly jumped in, arms crossed over her chest and a serious expression on her face.


    "It''s like it''s trying to tell us that the situation in the town is a deception and that the real enemy is out there."


    Matthew gave her a very quick reply.


    "Maybe, but we shouldn''t ignore other words. Death, for example. We''ve never yet encountered a situation where the insane have died, and the dungeon might have something important to do with eon."


    The Guardian had actually used quite clear words.


    But still, confusing things prevented them from acting immediately.


    "I think we should send someone to investigate outside."


    Amar was usually a quiet man, but when he voiced his opinion, the whole group instantly focused on him.


    "If the guard emphasized the outside, then at least two people can go out to scan the town to investigate the situation. Let''s assign one person to search the dungeon. Another stays in the mansion to keep the situation under control, while the last two neutralize the insane in the town and send them to the dungeon."


    And... it made a lot of sense. At least the group offered no arguments against the idea and decided to go ahead with it.


    Baroch and Matthew were the two to go out. Scher was the one who was going to stay in the mansion as he was not very capable of fighting. Pecera and Amar would roam around the town, keeping the insane under control. Lastly, Kael would stay in the dungeon.


    "The situation is getting worse. And it''s likely to keep worsening rather than improving. So let''s hurry. Meet back here in four hours."


    And then, they were gone.


    *******


    The dungeon was as usual. The insane people usually laughed rhythmically where they stood, never taking Kael seriously.


    And this was also to Kael''s advantage. He could observe them more easily. That''s why he didn''t complain.


    ''I can''t see any trace, though...''


    Kael replayed the Guardian''s words in his mind. It had formed the word eon before the dungeon. So... what he should have been looking for in the dungeon was definitely eon-related.


    ''There was a sudden flow of eon into their brains before they became insane.''


    Kael approached one of the dungeons. One of the newly insane kept trying to get his head between the bars, but he couldn''t.


    Kael fearlessly stood right in front of the man, getting close to his face. He focused on the his brain as he activated his eon sense as much as he could.


    ''Here...''


    He could sense the presence of a small unnatural amount of eon in the man''s brain.


    But Scher and his group had long been aware of this eon.


    ''We haven''t found a way to get it out of their brains... but why did it get into the brain in the first place? Where did this eon come from...?''


    They had no idea.


    ''The amounts are almost the same. The density is the same. There''s no real difference between them...''


    Somehow, he felt like he was looking in the wrong place. Like... like he was missing something much bigger.


    *******


    "Did you find anything?"


    Before Matthew and Baroch began their search outside the town, they had set a point where they would meet every hour. It was barely an hour into their search. Now, they were giving each other their first report.


    "No. I want to check the woods on the other side of town, actually... because I''m almost certain there''s nothing here."


    Baroch thought a little about what Matthew had said. Then he sighed, not overly concerned.


    "I didn''t find anything either, but I don''t want to leave this place yet. There are a few other important places I haven''t fully explored."


    "Then I''ll go the other way."


    "All right."


    And just like that, after only a few minutes, he found himself in the forest he had mentioned.


    "Now... Now..."


    He curled his lips up slightly. He closed his eyes, then closed all his senses except one... just as Kael always did.


    But... the result he got was very different from what Kael usually got.


    The area where he could sense eon was much larger. The sense itself, meanwhile, was much sharper.


    Matthew waited like this for several seconds, looking for a sign.


    And... he found it.


    His eyes opened slowly, the smile on his face widened.


    "Interesting."


    He turned to his left, moving slowly through the trees. Unlike Kael, his eon sense was one that he could keep constantly on, much more effectively. And with the benefit of that, as he got closer to his target, he didn''t need to turn off all his senses to sense it.


    After a few minutes, the color of the trees and leaves around him slowly began to change. It was a rather minimal change, easy to miss. But Matthew didn''t.


    ''Their colors are fading...''


    He lowered his eyes to the ground, dug a little with his foot, and uprooted some grass.


    The grass was suffering from the same condition as the trees.


    The only problem was... there was no ''natural'' reason for them to be like that.


    And strangely enough, he could feel that the eon around him was much different than usual.


    Much more... dense.


    And, strangely enough, rotten.


    Matthew kept moving forward. Every few tens of steps he took, the greenery around him grew paler. After a few minutes, he finally found something that interested him.


    "A cave, huh..."


    In front of him was a cave with a fairly exposed entrance. It was big enough for a person to pass through easily.


    He could feel the presence of that rotten eon from every part of the entrance.


    He stepped into the cave, every sense alert. The presence of eon all around enveloped him, but he didn''t care. He just walked deeper into the cave.


    The light had completely disappeared after a few seconds. The sunlight could not reach the point where he was now. But he continued on, not needing to create any source of light.


    Finally, much deeper into the cave, his eye caught a tiny glimmer.


    It was like... the tiny glow of a flame spreading a little light around it.


    Matthew''s expression grew serious with each step he took. He got closer and closer to the flame... and then he realized that the cave, which had sloped downwards until now, was flattening out. Moreover... the source of the flame he saw was a torch hanging on the wall.


    And not only that. There was a corridor straight ahead of him. A corridor flanked by torches... and at the end of the corridor, a huge cave room.


    Matthew made the decision to proceed to the room without hesitation and crossed the corridor at his usual slow pace.


    The room... was quite dark. However, there were lots of torches around, so the dim light made it possible to see a few things.


    And... the first thing Matthew saw was a large vine in the very center of the room with a figure kneeling in front of it.


    The figure was holding his hand on the vine.


    No, they squeezed it as hard as they could, actually.


    "I wasn''t expecting a visitor..."


    ''Oh, a woman...''


    Matthew put his usual smile on his face and answered her in a sarcastic tone.


    "I didn''t expect to find a cave like this in the middle of the forest either, to be honest..."


    He turned his eyes to the vine she was holding tightly.


    "And also didn''t expect to see someone treat something that a whole town considers its guardian in such a way..."


    The woman''s head moved slightly. She looked at her hand holding the vine, then threw it aside.


    "You should never have come here. Your death will be for interfering with my plans."


    Matthew widened his smile gently.


    But before he was allowed to say a word, he suddenly found a rampaging animal before his eyes.


    There was no way he could physically react. The animal, or creature, had appeared in front of him so quickly that he couldn''t even recognize when it had arrived.


    But he didn''t need to...


    He only needed to see it once.


    A blue glow suddenly appeared around him, then something long materialized in front of his body... and sliced through the creature that had come so close to wounding him.


    As the animal''s bisected corpse slumped to the ground, the blue-colored... sword... that had formed in front of Matthew slowly floated to his side, pointing its tip at the woman.


    "Oh, you''re a follower?"


    The woman raised her hand in surprise, pointing it at Matthew. And then... slowly, many shadows emerged from the darkness of the room. Each one looking just like the animals Matthew had sliced in half.


    Matthew sighed lightly.


    "You''re going to be a bit of a pain, huh?"


    With those words, a blue glow appeared around him again, just as before. His eyes were fixed confidently on the woman as two more transparent, blue-colored swords materialized.


    After a short moment... all the animals surrounding him jumped on him with a tremendous speed.

 Chapter 71 - 71: Outside the Town

    *(A/N: Sorry... I accidentally scheduled these chapters wrong so they didn''t get released. My bad...)*


    *******


    ''I can find nothing... absolutely nothing...''


    Kael was starting to feel annoyed.


    He had searched the entire dungeon. He had examined eon everywhere, thinking he might find something unnatural.


    But he couldn''t.


    All he had was the small amount of eon in the brains of the insane that they could not extract. Which he hadn''t even found in the first place. Scher had.


    ''Eon, dungeon.''


    His mind went back to the two words the Guardian had said. He started thinking all over again. He rechecked the natural eon in the room, looked again at all the insane people.


    Finally... he gave up.


    ''There is... nothing here.''


    He paused for a brief moment and sighed.


    ''At least nothing for me.''


    Unless the Guardian was trying to trick them or something, there was literally nothing for him to find here.


    If there was, it was beyond his abilities of observation.


    ''It must have been almost four hours... we were supposed to meet again.''


    And with that, he took one last look at the insane people in an annoyed way. He examined them out of the corner of his eye. Then he turned and walked out of the room.


    He wasn''t thinking much as he made his way to their meeting point. The only thing on his mind was whether the others had found anything.


    ''Huh... why does it feel a bit stuffy in here?''


    He paused for a moment on his way up the dungeon stairs. Frowning, he turned around and looked at the dungeon door.


    Strengthening his eon sense, he checked his surroundings again.


    And... for the first time, he found something.


    Or rather... he realized something.


    ''This place... why is it so devoid of eon?''


    He was talking about the outside of the dungeon. The stairs.


    But then he realized his mistake and paused again. As his eyes gradually widened, he realized something that could be quite important.


    ''No... this place is not devoid of eon...''


    It was the same as it had always been. The amount of eon in the atmosphere had not changed much, at least for this place.


    The place where the amount of eon changed was the dungeon.


    ''Is the amount of eon in the dungeon... constantly increasing?''


    He had been in it for four hours. And if the change was extremely minimal, he might not have noticed it in the short term because he was constantly getting used to it.


    It was only when he came out and encountered normal levels of eon that he noticed it.


    His lips curled upwards slightly. He didn''t go back to the dungeon, he only quickened his steps towards the meeting point.


    He didn''t know exactly why, or what the consequences would be, but at least he had found something. And Scher, being much smarter than he was, might be able to find something.


    *******


    Pecera, Scher, Kael, and Amar were waiting at the rendezvous point with Amar, now a group of six.


    What they were waiting for were the other two members of the group.


    "They should have been here by now."


    The deep silence in the room was quickly broken when Pecera, frowning, said what everyone wanted to say.


    "We are forty minutes past the agreed time. I don''t know about Matthew, but Baroch, as an experienced scout, should be aware of the time."


    Kael sighed slightly.


    "Something has happened to them, I think."


    And with those words, all eyes turned to him.


    "Didn''t the Guardian tell us that the enemy was outside? It is very likely that they encountered this ''enemy''. At least that''s my guess."


    That was the guess of the others, too, obviously.


    They just... weren''t sure what to do.


    "Even if Baroch is a normal person, he is experienced. And Matthew said he was a bearer. Whatever they''re up against must be strong to have kept them so long. I think we''re dealing with a powerful bearer at the very least, a follower at worst."


    And Kael said nothing more. Then, it was Amar who kept talking.


    "We didn''t find anything in the town, the only thing we know about the dungeon is the small amount of eon we couldn''t extract from the insane''s brains and that the natural eon inside is constantly increasing. Now we''re almost certain there''s an enemy outside the town... I think it''s clear what we need to do."


    His eyes traveled over the three members of the group, sharp, cold, and confident.


    "Kael and I will go to this ''enemy''. Ms. Pecera and Mr. Scher will stay here and continue to keep the situation under control."


    A short silence fell over the group.


    What Amar had said certainly made the most sense for their situation. He was a follower and Kael was a bearer, after all. They were the most capable of fighting.


    And... no one had any objections.


    *******


    It was a strange feeling for Kael to go outside with Amar, to walk smoothly beside him.


    This man... had tried to kill him not long ago, after all. Twice, in fact.


    But now he was just looking ahead as if it had never happened.


    "They went into the forest."


    Kael paused at Amar''s words.


    "Forest?"


    "It''s about my blessing. I can see it clearly when I study the surroundings and use it."


    ''Oh...''


    This... was a surprising piece of information for Kael as well as an acceptable one.


    ''Blessing...''


    Apart from his own curse, he had yet to see almost any blessing or curse in active use. Even as a Bearer, that is.


    So... it felt strange to hear about someone else''s blessing.


    Still, he didn''t let his interest get in the way of his task.


    "Then we are going to the forest..."


    And so they did.


    Amar, thanks to his blessing, was a pretty good tracker. Better than Kael, who was a ''scout''. He could guess exactly where Matthew had been. So much so that they even found his footprints at one point.


    But after they had traveled for some time through the forest, Amar paused, turned to his right, and squinted.


    "Did something happen?"


    Amar did not answer the question. He turned the way he was looking, slightly quickened his pace, and kept going.


    Kael, who was following behind him, couldn''t understand much. But then one of the places Amar had passed over caught his eye. He saw a very distinct stain on the grass and his expression instantly turned serious, his eyes narrowed.


    ''Blood...''


    Blood... was not a good sign. Especially with two people missing.


    ''I hope they''re not dead...''


    With that thought in mind, he continued to follow Amar in silence.


    And when Amar finally paused, he did the same and turned to where he was looking.


    "Oh..."


    This... was exactly what he didn''t want to encounter.


    There was a dead body in front of them. A corpse that they knew who it was.


    "Baroch..."


    And the way he died didn''t seem so painless.


    "He was dismembered, disemboweled, and then eaten a bit. It looks like the work of a wild animal or creature."


    Amar didn''t continue, but Kael didn''t need to. He could see something quite obvious himself.


    "There is a characteristic eon that permeates the corpse..."


    In short, although it looked like the work of a wild animal... it was actually the work of a Follower. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I smell rot. But not from the corpse, from the eon. This... is definitely not a nice eon...''


    Kael liked to study other people''s eon. Each one had a different feel to it and told a lot about the person.


    And this was the first time he had come across an eon that evoked such... bad feelings.


    "I found where Matthew went. There''s a cave not far from here."


    Without a second glance at Baroch''s corpse, Amar turned back to the cave he had mentioned. He moved forward with his usual coldness.


    Kael, though, looked at Baroch''s corpse with an involuntary sadness on his face.


    He had... liked Baroch. He was a good person. Talented too.


    He certainly didn''t deserve... to die like this.


    But that was their world. Cruel, unfair, rotten...


    There was nothing he could do.


    So... after a short time, he turned back in front of himself.


    Baroch might be dead. But they had to move on.


    And they did... After a short time, they found the cave Amar had told them about.


    Amar entered the cave without slowing his steps. Kael realized that the cave was filled with that rotten feeling eon and involuntarily grimaced.


    It was certainly not something he could not bear. But if there was a way where he didn''t have to endure it, he would definitely prefer it, even if it was dangerous.


    "Kael, get ready. We are going to meet someone powerful."

 Chapter 72 - 72: Escaping from the Cave

    When he saw Amar''s hand hovering over the sword at his waist, Kael didn''t hesitate, he grabbed both of his daggers and began to twirl his eon through his body.


    If even Amar was taking this seriously, he, a weaker person, had to be much more careful.


    In this way, they passed through a corridor filled with torches. Then they entered a cave room that seemed to be quite large.


    And what they encountered was... something they certainly didn''t expect.


    ''Matthew... is fighting?''


    Matthew was on the opposite side of the room, holding a transparent sword that glowed with a blue color. He was covered in blood and his clothes were torn in many places. He looked out of breath as if he had been fighting non-stop for hours. Yet his eyes were still full of life.


    He had no intention of dying.


    ''Are they... creatures?''


    There were creatures that looked like monkeys but actively used all four limbs to walk, tailless and quite furry. They all had squinty eyes and dull facial expressions. They reminded Kael of the human-turned-creatures he had seen in the Arcanoa Palace.


    ''They are quite fast...''


    He found it difficult to follow them with his eyes. They didn''t look that strong, but their speed was extremely high. So much so that he couldn''t help wondering how Matthew was still alive.


    She sighed slightly, gripped his daggers tighter, and prepared to help him.


    But then Amar grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.


    "Wait here."


    He didn''t understand why he had to wait... but he did as he was told and broke his stance, even if he didn''t let his guard down.


    Amar pulled his hand back from Kael''s shoulder and unsheathed the sword at his waist.


    It was a long sword. Not overly broad, but it seemed to be over a meter long.


    But the sword was not the point.


    The moment Amar began to move towards Matthew, a flash of brown appeared around him. Vines began to grow out of the ground as his eon slowly wrapped around his body, and not only that, it spread out around him.


    The next second... Amar suddenly disappeared and appeared right next to Matthew. Even though Matthew couldn''t see him, when he sensed his presence, he involuntarily widened his eyes, turned around, and tried to attack the new ''presence'' he sensed...


    But he was slow. At least compared to Amar. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So Amar grabbed him by the shoulder and threw him backwards with great force... right at Kael.


    Matthew used his center of gravity in the air to straighten his stance, dig his feet into the ground, and slow himself down. Preparing to strike again, he quickly shifted his gaze to the spot where he had just stood... but then he simply froze in place.


    "Huh?"


    A blank expression crossed his face as he saw the vines grabbing, tearing, and mercilessly killing the creatures he was fighting. But then he saw Amar and his eyes widened.


    He quickly turned around. And found Kael staring at him, two daggers in his hands.


    "You claimed you weren''t a Follower, right...?"


    Matthew''s lips curled upwards, then he gave a small laugh.


    "We all have a few things we''re hiding, you know."


    He straightened his posture, then tore his eyes away from Kael and back in Amar''s direction.


    Amar had already finished off all the creatures. Where he was looking now... was the other side of the cave.


    Kael turned his eyes there, and then he saw someone he didn''t understand how he hadn''t noticed until now, just sitting there, kneeling. A woman... was clutching a large piece of vine in front of her.


    "Are you the one who drove the townspeople insane and played with the Guardian''s health?"


    Amar asked coldly as he pointed his sword and the vines around him at the kneeling figure.


    "Would you believe me if I said I am not?"


    When the figure, a woman by the sound of her voice, answered Amar''s question with another one, Amar tightened his grip on his sword and prepared to pounce.


    "No."


    And then, just like at first, he disappeared.


    But the woman in front of him was not much weaker than him.


    A purple glow suddenly filled the room. The woman dropped the vine she had been kneeling on just a second before and stood up, then grabbed Amar''s sword in the air with her bare hands.


    "A pity, then..."


    As the fingers holding the sword suddenly changed color like those of a rotting corpse, Amar tried to retreat quickly without changing his expression. At the same time, countless vines were thrown at the figure in front of him... but the woman blocked them all with her seemingly rotten hands.


    At first, Kael couldn''t understand why the vines didn''t try to wrap around the woman when they were blocked. He thought for a brief moment that what Amar had done was a stupid move.


    But then he looked over to where Amar was and saw him looking at the sword in his hand. Then he saw how the metal she had touched with her finger had changed color, turning to dust as if it were rotting.


    "I have nothing more to do with the vines of your Guardian anymore. Your timing is good. We can fight."


    Amar threw his sword aside without any reaction. He was looking at her with a much more serious expression this time.


    "You are... not a Follower. You are a Seeker."


    "I didn''t feel the need to tell you."


    Kael stared blankly at the pair in spite of what he had heard.


    ''Seeker...? What does that even mean?''


    "Me too."


    The brown glow around Amar suddenly intensified. He fought against it as if waging war against the purple color that filled the entire room. But that wasn''t the only change.


    Tiny little vines, resembling blood vessels, began to grow over Amar''s body. The tips of his fingers turned the dark green color of the vines, the brown in his eyes glowed so fiercely that Kael suddenly realized how much he had underestimated his strength.


    Amar... was much stronger than he had thought.


    But the woman was no inferior to him.


    "We''d better get out of here."


    Just before Amar and the woman attacked each other, Kael suddenly turned to Matthew as he heard him talking.


    He could understand why he said that. The battle between these two... would probably affect this whole cave.


    They could get caught in the middle.


    "I think so too..."


    He actually wanted to watch the fight. But he was also aware that there was nothing he could do.


    Besides... they could do a lot more good if they could get word to the town as fast as possible about what was happening here than just standing here.


    Matthew turned around, almost at a run, and made his way back towards the entrance of the cave.


    Kael, meanwhile, took one last glance in the direction of Amar and the woman before leaving.


    Amar''s vines seemed much stronger than before. Likewise, his body seemed to have somehow adjusted to his ability. And... even though Kael didn''t fully understand the strength of the woman, she looked quite strong too. She met all of Amar''s attacks with her bare hands, even trying to touch him in the gaps she found.


    The fighting ability of the two was almost the same.


    ''Seeker, huh...''


    He turned around, his mind filled with a new thought as he followed Matthew down the torchlit corridor towards the surface of the earth.


    Apparently... Bearer and Follower were not the only terms used to designate those with power.


    There was still so much he didn''t know about the world...


    "Watch out!"


    Kael snapped awake the moment he heard Matthew''s voice. Immediately, he saw one of the creatures that had fought Matthew in the room below just a few minutes ago.


    ''They''re too fast!''


    As fast as he could, he threw himself backwards while tilting his head to the side. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he managed to stop the creature''s claw from slicing his face, but he couldn''t stop his nose from being scratched with a rather deep gash.


    Gritting his teeth, he charged one of the daggers he still held with an eon in his arm and hurled it at the creature as it leaped over him.


    The creature failed to hit Kael, its excessive speed sending it flying into the wall behind them. It quickly regained its balance and got to its feet, then quickly turned around and prepared to strike again.


    But just then it found Kael''s dagger on its forehead.


    It tried to dodge it with its extreme speed, tilted its head to the side, and twisted its body, but its opponent was not just one person.


    It successfully dodged Kael''s dagger with only a graze, but the next moment, it found a blue sword, much larger than the dagger, lodged in its abdomen.


    The life in his squinted eyes quickly faded, the sword in his belly turned to dust, and the creature''s body simply collapsed.


    "It must have something to do with her blessing, curse, or path. We may encounter more on the way. Let''s be careful."


    Kael nodded at Matthew''s suggestion. The creatures were, even though the only thing about them was their speed, dangerous.


    And with that, the two made it out of the cave.

 Chapter 73 - 73: Attack on Town

    After Kael and Matthew left the area, and thanks to that, Amar was able to fight more freely. He no longer had to worry about injuring them... and he could use his vines freely.


    The only problem was that it wasn''t enough. The woman had managed to touch his arm during their fight. That''s why he had what looked like a hand-shaped rotted place on his right arm. And it hurt a lot, even made him gasp for breath, as if it was draining his energy.


    He was in a difficult situation.


    "Give up, you won''t win."


    And the woman was well aware of that.


    Yet Amar did not answer her.


    Instead, he used the vines around his body to attack her once more.


    The woman... just sighed slightly. She raised her right hand, then simply pulled it to the right side.


    The purple-colored eon that filled the room suddenly rippled. An even darker smoke suddenly burst from her palm and rained down on Amar''s vines.


    One by one, the vines withered, shriveled, and collapsed to the ground, rotting before they could reach her. Amar stopped his attack and retreated backwards to avoid the smoke.


    "Our paths are in opposition. I am the worst match you will ever face in your entire life. You don''t stand a chance against me. I haven''t even used my blessing yet."


    Amar gritted his teeth. Even though he didn''t answer her, he was well aware that what she said was true.


    "What... is your goal...?"


    The woman tilted her face, hidden by a hood, slightly to the side.


    "Power, and a little revenge, I guess."


    "Revenge?"


    The woman sighed deeply.


    "I''m not going to tell you my life story. Just know that I hate your town and your beloved Guardian. Actually... you didn''t even need to know that either."


    The woman stretched slightly, then slowly removed her hood and uncovered her face.


    She was quite a beautiful woman. She must have been in her thirties, but her beauty belied her age. She had orange hair and eyes that glowed purple because of her eon. She had a tiny face with small freckles.


    She was a woman who could have attracted even Amar, if her eon hadn''t made her feel so... filthy.


    But that wasn''t the point.


    "Let''s finish this. I have to move on to the final step."


    What mattered... were her eyes.


    As Amar was looking at her, she fixed her violet eyes on him.


    Then Amar saw her eyes suddenly change color and turn yellow.


    ''Her blessing!''


    He quickly averted his eyes, careful not to look at her, and tried to understand what kind of attack he had been subjected to.


    Then, suddenly, he felt his whole world spinning, his stomach churning.


    ''What...?''


    "Die."


    When he found her rotten hand in front of his face, he tried to fight back. But his whole world was spinning, and his stomach kept having a vomiting reflex.


    So he couldn''t.


    Only... physically.


    As a last resort, Amar poured all the eon in his body into his vines and randomly attacked her.


    Even though his senses were blurred and his body was in pain, he managed to make her retreat. Then, he put the attack aside and unleashed vine after vine, closing them all in on himself.


    Soon, he was plunged into darkness by the vines. But he did not stop. He surrounded and surrounded himself... and then he used the vines to bury himself in the ground.


    He felt all of the woman''s attacks. The vines around him were rotting fast and she was approaching him in the same way.


    Yet he kept growing new vines.


    Finally... he managed to get his body deeper and deeper into the cave floor. Not only that, he found what he was looking for... one of the pieces of the Guardian that had been scattered all over the area.


    And the moment he came into contact with it, even though his communication with it had largely broken down, he asked for its help, as he always could.


    And his Guardian understood what he wanted, even if it couldn''t comprehend what he was saying.


    Amar suddenly found himself being dragged underground by vines that did not belong to him.


    He breathed a deep sigh of relief, then.


    He had escaped.


    *******


    Kael and Matthew got back to town as fast as they could and explained the situation to Pecera and Scher.


    Now, they knew who their enemy was.


    "We must quickly gather all the knights, bearers, and followers in town and go to the cave!"


    They had no idea how long Amar could hold on. So Kael wanted to move as fast as possible.


    And the others mostly agreed with him. It was clear that the woman was connected to the town''s problem and if they could take her down, most of it would be solved.


    Scher quickly made a decision for the group.


    "I''ll tell the baron about the situation and arrange what I can. Go through the town and stay in the dungeon until I make the announcement. Keep everything under control until I leave."


    And he quickly headed for the door to get out of the room. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But just as he was about to open the door, it was opened by someone else before him. And the person who entered... made them all freeze in their tracks.


    "A- Amar...?"


    Scher quickly stepped aside to make way for Amar as he entered with a grim look on his face.


    He was in pretty bad shape. He still had the hand-shaped rot on his right arm and his eyes were a little glazed over.


    He hadn''t realized it before, but the smoke the woman had used not only damaged what it touched, but also dispersed into the air and caused harm when inhaled.


    "I''ve been poisoned, I can''t use my right arm at the moment, I managed to escape somehow, but we need to be quick. That woman said she''s going to move on to the final step. She''s going to do something dangerous."


    Scher nodded quickly. This time, there was nothing to stop him like Amar, so he quickly left the room and headed for the baron''s room.


    After Scher left the room, Amar took a deep breath and looked at Kael and Matthew.


    "Good work."


    He didn''t say anything else. Just... that was it.


    Kael and Matthew looked at each other. They both felt like smiling, but neither of them reacted.


    They were in a situation where they had to act quickly.


    But they couldn''t do that.


    Because the next second, the whole manor started to shake as if there was a violent earthquake.


    "H- hey, what''s happening?"


    Pecera turned to Amar in a slightly panicked, but still professional tone, quickly grabbing onto something.


    Amar could only squint.


    "The dungeon... the center of the tremor is the dungeon."


    And it was then that the group remembered an important detail.


    The dungeon... eon...


    They had forgotten about the ever-increasing amount of eon in the dungeon! Or rather, they had put it on the back burner.


    As soon as Kael and Matthew heard the word ''dungeon'', they moved quickly. Their destination was, of course, clear.


    *******


    Soon, Kael and Matthew realized what was happening.


    Or rather... they saw it.


    ''The insane... have made it out of the dungeon!''


    All of them, in fact, had made it.


    The mansion was full of insane people after the tremor that had shaken the whole town.


    And in the last few days, so many insane people had appeared that it was almost impossible to pass anywhere without running into one in the mansion.


    Chaos.


    That was the only word that could describe the mansion.


    Kael and Matthew overpowered most of the insane who came out and attacked them, and continued on towards the dungeon. Fortunately, the insane were not overpowered, even if their physical strength had increased. This made them a little difficult to defeat, but not impossible.


    Especially the fact that there were two of them gave them a great advantage. After all, insane people were notoriously bad at thinking straight and often focused on a single person.


    So, after a short time, the two reached the stairs leading down to the dungeon.


    And the moment they did, Kael''s brow furrowed. So did Matthew''s.


    "There are... still too many eon here."


    The eon that filled the dungeon, so much that it was almost hard to breathe because of its density... was almost never spent.


    On the contrary, it was practically doubled.


    So the eon here was not the cause of the tremor.


    ''What is this woman up to?''


    Kael was beginning to understand a few things as he saw what was going on.


    The reason the people in the town were going insane... was probably because she knew they would be gathered in the dungeon and she could throw the barony into chaos when the time came.


    But even though the insane were a threat to normal people, they were not overly difficult to defeat. So... they only existed to cause chaos and distraction.


    At least that was his idea.


    ''Then why is this eon so dense?''


    Kael paused for a brief moment. He remembered what had happened in the cave. Before she started fighting Amar, the woman was holding a piece of vine that he was sure belonged to the Guardian.


    And if he remembered correctly, there were a lot of those vines in that cave, all with rotten spots on them. Which, In short, indicated that the woman wanted to hurt the Guardian for some reason. Who knows, maybe it was because of her that Amar and the Guardian were disconnected.


    ''She may have wanted to prevent the Guardian from informing Amar about the situation.''


    And... what exactly was the ''next step'' she told Amar about?


    Using the insane to avoid suspicion, using them to accumulate an enormous amount of eon in the mansion, and then using them again as a distraction...


    Blocking Amar''s communication with the Guardian.


    The power to decay and rot everything, an ''evil'' purpose targeting the town...


    Kael paused. Perhaps her target was not the town but... something in the town?


    Suddenly, an idea came to him, and then his expression darkened.


    "Heart of the Guardian..."


    Kael quickly started to make his way up the dungeon.


    "Matthew, we need to get to the Heart of the Guardian quickly. I think the woman''s purpose is related to the Guardian."


    Even as he said this, he didn''t wait for him at all. He quickened his pace and started running.

 Chapter 74 - 74: Weak

    There weren''t many insane people in the tunnels leading to the Heart of the Guardian. Which made Kael even more convinced that what he was thinking was right.


    After all, the mansion was going to focus entirely on clearing out the insane. And when they saw that there were few of them approaching here, they would shift their focus elsewhere. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Still, that didn''t mean the tunnels were completely unguarded.


    The guards who were responsible for what went in and out remained at their posts, no matter what. And Kael and Matthew inevitably encountered them.


    And, naturally, they were not allowed to pass without a permit.


    The result, then?


    Kael and Matthew knocked out both guards. The situation was urgent now. They had no time to waste on formalities.


    So they made their way through the tunnels. And the duo... finally reached the Heart of the Guardian.


    ''Just as I thought!''


    The Guardian''s Heart was beating smoothly. It was in its usual place.


    The only problem was... the woman they had seen in that cave was here, too. Just as Kael had suspected.


    The woman sensed the presence of two people coming towards her and turned in their direction. Her eyes were the color of the original, green, because she didn''t use eon at the moment. And... seeing her beauty for the first time, the two almost stumbled, even if only for a brief moment.


    "Oh, welcome."


    Kael and Matthew quickly assumed a fighting stance. Both had their guard up.


    "You don''t have to be so serious... I don''t have to kill you anymore, after all."


    The woman curled her lips up slightly, showing Kael and Matthew a rather innocent smile.


    "I have already achieved my goal."


    And at that very moment, another person stepped into the Heart of the Guardian. Someone all three of them knew quite well.


    Amar, whose eyes showed that he could still fight, even if he was in pretty bad shape... had arrived here. He too had probably suspected that woman was targeting the Guardian... and rushed here just like Kael and Matthew.


    But the woman didn''t mind him much either.


    "Oh, you''re welcome too."


    Though... Amar didn''t even listen to her.


    "Stay away from the Guardian, you witch!"


    Kael, Matthew, and the woman were momentarily taken aback when they sensed the anger in the voice of the normally calm, cool man.


    "Witch...? My Path may look malevolent from the outside, but I am not a witch. On the contrary, what you are trying to protect is more malevolent than me."


    Amar''s eyes flashed with a brown gleam, and the vines beneath his feet stirred with the same anger as if responding to his emotions.


    "You can''t fool me with your sweet tongue!"


    The vines rushed at her. Each one had spikes that aimed to pierce through her.


    But she still didn''t seem to care.


    "How quickly you forgot what I said in the cave..."


    She raised her hand. Purple smoke, an ability of her Path, quickly surrounded her, then covered the vines.


    One by one, the vines withered and fell to the ground, and the woman kept her smile on her face.


    "You can''t do anything against me."


    She narrowed her eyes as the purple smoke disappeared into the air.


    "Though there''s no need for me. You''re in such a bad state that you don''t notice things around you."


    Amar''s eyes widened. He quickly turned around and defended himself... but what he was facing was not something he should care about defending himself against.


    It was a cross-eyed, insane snake, just like the creatures she had used in the jungle.


    And this snake... took the opportunity to sink its fangs into Amar''s arm.


    "Agh!"


    Amar gritted his teeth, grabbed the snake by the tail with his other hand, and threw it aside. But the moment he did, his eyes blurred and the world began to spin.


    "You don''t even know the history of the ''guardian'' you think you serve, let alone why it exists."


    The woman turned her eyes slightly back to the big beating heart at her feet.


    "How many lives were sacrificed, who died, what happened... to bring this thing into existence... you have no idea. You don''t even know why it keeps growing and growing, and you think it''s helping you..."


    Knowing how powerful she was, Kael, who until now had not attempted to do anything, was momentarily thrown into doubt by what he heard.


    When he had first come to this town, he had thought that the plant called Guardian might be something troublesome... Then, after what he had experienced with Amar, he had come to trust it.


    Were his initial suspicions... correct?


    "What you think is protecting you is constantly draining your life. Little by little, it grows itself by killing you all. It may not want to, in its primitive consciousness, but it doesn''t or can''t stop it. Either way, its past and what it does doesn''t change."


    The woman narrowed her eyes, her expression turning serious as she slowly raised her hand and placed it over the Guardian''s heart.


    "That is why it must disappear. Along with this town that sees it as a god."


    Just as in the cave, her hand suddenly took the shape of a rotten one, her eyes shimmering with a purple glow. As he did so, his eyes were not on Amar, but on Kael and Matthew.


    And she was looking at them with such intensity that... even if Kael and Matthew wanted to stop her, they could not move.


    Then... the woman applied her ability to rot on the heart.


    At first, nothing happened. But after a single second of silence, a brief purple began to spread from the back of the woman''s hand over the heart.


    Then it began to expand rapidly. Unusually fast, in fact.


    The Guardian''s heart gradually slowed down as it turned completely purple. As the room, covered in lush green vines, rapidly decayed, the Guardian... just went to its death.


    Just like that.


    The woman removed her rotten hand from the heart even though the process was still in progress. After her eyes and hand returned to normal, though, she sighed.


    And that''s when Kael realized something else.


    The woman was talking about killing the Guardian, but she was also talking about destroying the town... but was just causing the Guardian to rot enough to destroy the town?


    ''Ah, the eon in the dungeon!''


    And his thought was spot on...


    But just like before, he was powerless to do anything.


    "Now, the town..."


    This time, the woman raised her hand gently, then simply snapped her fingers.


    Kael felt a violent earthquake and heard an ear-splitting sound, like the ones just before the insane were released from the dungeon. But this time it was so strong that he couldn''t stand, so he lost his balance and fell over the rotten vines.


    Matthew, although injured, kept his balance better and did not fall.


    After the tremor was over, the woman smiled brightly. Amar had already passed out from the snake''s venom, so she didn''t need to pay any attention to him. She simply did not even see Kael and Matthew as a threat.


    She simply bent down, dropped to her knees. She began to scrape the rotten vines from the floor with her hands. She dug, she tore, she dug, throwing all the rotten pieces aside, and finally... she reached the soil beneath the vines.


    She touched the soil. Her eyes narrowed a little, and her smile widened at the same time.


    "I have avenged you all... sleep in peace."


    And she just stayed where she was. Not saying anything, not moving a muscle... just waiting.


    Kael and Matthew looked at each other as they stood where they were, not making any move. Even though they didn''t speak, they were both thinking the same thing. And they both understood it.


    They just left the woman and Amar where they were. There was nothing they could do about them. She simply didn''t care about them, but if she did, she could simply kill them. Amar was poisoned, but his chest was still moving, so he was clearly alive. Since she had no intention of killing him anymore, they could leave him here.


    So they turned and ran back the way they had come, leaving the Heart of the Guardian. It was a very different experience compared to before, as the green tunnels turned purple and rotten pieces kept falling from the ceiling... but they kept running, not caring.


    Finally, when they reached the walls of the mansion, past the place where they had knocked out the guards... that''s when they realized what the second tremor and the sound meant.


    The path to the tunnels was normally one level below the mansion and covered with concrete.


    But now... sunlight was shining on their faces.


    The mansion had almost completely collapsed.


    Kael quickly climbed over the rubble. He aimed to get high enough to see the whole town... and he did.


    The sight he finally saw... made him freeze in his tracks.


    "This... This..."


    The town... was in complete ruins. Everywhere, there was a trace of the intense eon from the dungeon. The few lucky survivors were trying to understand what had happened in fear and horror, a few were trying to help the wounded, some were trapped under the rubble, crying and screaming incessantly.


    ''I...''


    He had... failed?


    So... he couldn''t do anything?


    He didn''t care much for this town or the people it had. But it was still his mission to help them. He had tried to get these people out of trouble, that was his goal...


    But he had failed.


    His enemy... had won. Easily. Almost effortlessly.


    ''Ah...''


    Then, he silently thought to himself.


    ''How... weak I am...''


    He... had lost. Completely.


    "I''ve been dreaming of this for years, you know."


    He stiffened again at the sound. But he didn''t turn around, he didn''t need to.


    That woman... apparently, she had decided to move.


    "Oh, how good it feels to achieve it..."


    Kael involuntarily clenched his teeth, his fist.


    He held no great grudge against this woman. Frankly... after two or three days, he would have forgotten her.


    But he was angry.


    That he had failed.


    That he was powerless.


    That this woman... had won by completely crushing him.


    "Oh, are you angry?"


    And she realized that pretty quickly.


    But she didn''t even have to care about Kael.


    After all, he was... weak.

 Chapter 75 - 75: Understanding Himself

    "Tell me..."


    At Kael''s words, the woman paused. She didn''t make any sound, she just waited for what he was going to say.


    And Kael continued.


    "Have you ever... felt powerless?"


    At first, the woman looked thoughtful. Then, though, she smiled.


    She was in a happy mood. So she didn''t ignore Kael and actually listened to him.


    "Of course. It took me years to get to where I am now. I''ve been in so many situations that I had to run for my life, barely escaping death."


    She wanted to answer honestly. And she did. But instead of remaining silent, waiting for Kael to continue, she asked him a question.


    "And do you know... how interesting you are?"


    She didn''t wait for Kael to react to her question.


    "You have so many eon in your body that at first, I thought you were a follower. But you''re a bearer. If you think you''re weak... don''t. If you stay alive, you''ll probably be stronger than me when you reach my level."


    Kael clenched his fist so hard that it pierced his palms. Blood warmed his fingers.


    "The only reason you feel weak is because I won as your enemy. That you couldn''t complete your mission because of me."


    Kael took a deep, really deep breath.


    He involuntarily thought about everything that had happened to him so far. Everything he had experienced up to this moment came flooding back to him. He began to remember how... incompetent he had been all the time.


    In Musthar V. Arcanoa''s mansion, he had ruined his mother''s life just by existing, pregnant by some random guy. His mother might have been happy, but she was doomed because she had poured everything she had into his well-being.


    He had ruined his own life, one after another, many times.


    In his days as a slave, he had ruined the lives of everyone below him so that he could rise.


    The moment he stepped into the palace, he found himself in the ruins, fleeing from the literal hell. He was even the one who killed the king.


    He had massacred many creatures and animals in the forest where he had spent months trying to survive.


    Then he had destroyed the lives of four innocent people in the name of ''mission'' in the town he had found.


    The town itself was almost wiped off the face of the planet while he was there, even if he was not the cause of it.


    And now... this town. He was on a mission to help, but... this town was in ruins now. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Why... why did everything around him have to be in ruins when he was striving for something?


    Why... did he always fail at every goal except surviving?


    Why... did everywhere he went, there was destruction, ruins?


    "Oh..."


    He saw the woman standing next to him looking at him with a concerned voice and expression. But he ignored her.


    His life at this point... was all about survival among the ruins.


    Getting stronger, accomplishing something, completing his mission... and more.


    Everything was just a by-product.


    And that... frustrated him even more.


    He had no problem surviving. Getting to live another day... was good.


    But... couldn''t he make peace for once, in a proper way?


    "Hey."


    Destruction...


    He paused. Lost in his thoughts... Then, though... he realized something else.


    Before... he had told himself that he would continue to live for his purpose, even if it meant destroying everything around him. Ruining everyone opposing him.


    Why was he thinking about such things now?


    He raised his head and looked at the ruins of buildings and people around him.


    ''I am... this.''


    He had accepted it before. And... he had decided to go on in spite of it.


    But now... what he accepted was something else.


    ''I... don''t care about things around me.''


    Actually... it was like that from the beginning.


    ''I just... lament my powerlessness for losing so badly.''


    The dead, the ruins, even the woman next to him.


    He didn''t really care about any of them.


    He only... felt this way because it was his ''mission'' to protect them and he couldn''t fulfill that mission.


    ''Everywhere I go turns into rubble, every person I meet is either ruined or dead...''


    His life was... a series of ruins, really.


    And... it would continue to be so, probably.


    There was a warmth in his heart, after all these thoughts, like the first time he used eon. But it didn''t strengthen his body, it didn''t make him more resilient.


    It just... gently spread throughout his body. It spread its warmth everywhere. And when it reached his mind... it began to take shape.


    The woman standing right next to him while he was experiencing this could only take a deep breath.


    ''Ruin, huh...''


    Kael''s eon had some of the characteristics from the very beginning. But now... it was completely taking shape and transforming. So the people around him could feel it too.


    Especially this woman, who was quite powerful, felt it even more.


    Kael''s eon... it gave her a frightening feeling. As if everything was going to fall apart as long as she stayed by his side. It made her feel like she was... walking helplessly through ruins.


    But what she found most frightening was the amount of eon and how heavy its characteristics were.


    Not everyone who became a Follower could instantly have an eon with such pronounced characteristics.


    ''He''s really interesting...''


    And finally... all this ''scary'' eon began to recede. The silvery glow that had been hovering around Kael receded into his body, and after a short time, it disappeared completely.


    Kael opened his eyes slowly. A silvery glow flickered briefly in his normally brown eyes, but then it disappeared as quickly as it had come.


    "Congratulations."


    She congratulated him in a soft tone. But Kael... didn''t pay her much attention.


    He raised his hands, looked at his palms.


    ''So to become a follower... you have to fully accept what you are?''


    "You must have learned on your own which Path you are following. And also the first ability you gained."


    She was right. The images that appeared in his mind a few moments ago gave him a few ideas.


    For example, the Path he followed as a follower was... Ruin.


    Path of Ruin.


    Therefore, his title was Follower of Ruin.


    And the first ability he gained because of his Path was... strange.


    He lowered his hands, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply.


    It was... funny that he became stronger because of the person he had lost by being crushed.


    Very funny.


    It was also strange to be standing side by side with her like this. Even though she was his enemy.


    Although... were they really enemies?


    "Anyway... I hope we meet again in the future. I''m really... intrigued by you."


    Kael paused, then slowly looked in the direction she was standing.


    But... there was no one there now.


    ''She''s a weird one...''


    He turned back in front of him. He looked again at the ruins in front of him, at the corpses of people.


    And then he repeated it inside himself.


    ''I am... this.''


    Someone who will somehow bring destruction and ruin wherever he goes.


    *******


    The town was almost beyond rebuilding.


    About eighty percent of its population was dead.


    The plant they considered their Guardian no longer existed. Which... might actually have been a better outcome.


    There was not a single thing the group had accomplished in the town.


    There wasn''t much left of the group, though.


    Baroch had died in the forest.


    Pecera had been buried under the ruins and her body was still not found. She too was probably dead.


    Scher had somehow survived, but he had broken his arm.


    It was questionable how Matthew was even still alive in the first place. Even after fighting so long in the cave, he had been standing up for hours. But, somehow, he too was alive.


    And last but not least, Kael was alive.


    Only three of the group of five remained.


    And now... they were getting ready to go back.


    "Amar didn''t wake up, right?"


    Amar... was in a kind of coma. No one knew when he would wake up. But he still wanted to ask.


    And Scher gave the answer to his question.


    "No."


    "I see..."


    The three were silent for a short while. Then they looked at each other, sighed, and began to move through the ruins of the town.


    Their own carriage was normally kept in the mansion''s stable. But when everything collapsed, the stable collapsed too, and their carriage was destroyed as a result.


    Since the Baron was, unfortunately, dead, they couldn''t ask him for a new carriage.


    So they had to walk to the nearest town.


    This was not really a problem. Walking was nothing they couldn''t do.


    The only problem... was the looks they got from the townspeople.


    Every person they passed looked at them with different expressions. Some looked at them with hatred. Some looked at them... with disappointment. Some with hope, that maybe they could help. Others just... looked at them. Detached from life, almost.


    After a while, Scher suddenly stopped. One by one, he looked at the townspeople around him. Then, he took a deep breath.


    "All the townspeople who can hear me!"


    He shouted so loudly that his voice echoed through the ruins. Everyone who heard his voice focused on him.


    "We failed in our mission, we came to help you with the insane, but because of the superiority of the threat we faced, we suffered a crushing defeat and... we couldn''t stop the town from being destroyed... I know you blame us!"


    Kael and Matthew quickly realized what he was trying to do. They then stepped back, allowing him to take the lead.


    And Scher... at this very moment, bowed as much as he could. Almost ninety degrees.


    "We apologize! Even if there was nothing we could have done, even if we failed because we faced someone much stronger than we expected, we apologize for failing in our mission and for causing you to lose your loved ones!"


    Kael and Matthew bowed after him.


    "I will write a detailed report to the Empire about what happened here, and even if we fell short... at least they will send someone to rebuild the town or do their best to relocate you. Even if our mistake is irreparable... we will try to do everything we can!"


    And he remained bent at ninety degrees for a few more seconds. Then, he slowly stood up. His eyes swept over the people listening to him.


    He didn''t know if his speech had comforted them. But... at least he felt a little more at ease now.


    He had worked night after night for this town, after all. It may not have looked like much from the outside, but he had discovered the tiny eon in the brains of the insane. He had found many symptoms of the insane and discovered ways to deal with them more easily.


    He only slept like... a few hours at best every night. Just to be of more help.


    Not only that, he had managed the situation as well as he could, he had made sure that the people were not harmed by the insane, and he had saved the town from a lot of damage.


    But he still couldn''t stop it from getting destroyed.


    He considered himself... a failure in every sense of the word.


    Still, he had made his speech and didn''t need any more. So he turned away again, walking on in the deep silence that enveloped the whole town. Kael and Matthew followed him in the same way.


    The trio... left the town just like that.

 Chapter 76 - 76: Returning to the Empire

    After their crushing defeat in the town, the trio of Kael, Matthew, and Scher left the Barony of Halve and arrived in a different town in about two days.


    It was a neighboring town to Halve. And just like Halve, it was ruled by another baron.


    They showed the Imperial crest and told a few things about what had happened in Halve. Then asked the baron of the town for a carriage. With that, they managed to get one without much trouble.


    This way, since there were three of them, they were able to move a little faster and travel in four days which would normally take them six.


    After entering the imperial palace, instead of resting, they wrote their reports as fast as they could, not hiding anything.


    And then... Kael suddenly found himself in front of Hakon.


    It had been about half an hour since he gave his report. He had wanted to meet Scher and Matthew one last time... but couldn''t because of Hakon''s urgent call.


    When he had heard that he had been called in such a hurry, he had thought it was urgent. But when he saw Hakon smiling at the table across from him... he couldn''t help but be involuntarily annoyed.


    "I heard that you failed your mission, Kael."


    And then the annoying feeling only intensified.


    "Yes."


    Still, he answered honestly. He couldn''t lie to Hakon anyway...


    "Depending on your report and the situation in the town, the consequences of this mission will be determined for you. But if what you say is true, you will not be punished or anything like that... don''t worry. The Empire is quite fair in such matters."


    He had no idea if that was supposed to be comforting to hear. But he made no comment.


    Hakon widened his smile.


    "You do know why I called you here in such a hurry, right?"


    Kael remained silent for a while. He made eye contact with Hakon for seconds. The man''s dark eyes seemed to grow darker every second he waited without answering... but the smile on his face did not fade.


    Kael sighed slightly. Then he replied in a rather flat tone.


    "Because I''m a Follower, right?"


    Hakon widened his smile.


    "Right. And we need to talk a little bit about that. Because being a Follower is a lot different than being a Bearer. Especially in your case."


    Hakon raised his right hand, pointing a finger at Kael''s chest.


    "Thanks to your curse, every time you kill a living being, the maximum amount of eon your body can carry, its purity, output power, efficiency, and more increases. That''s why, before you became a Follower, you already had far more eon than a normal Bearer. That''s normally a pretty good thing, but when you become a Follower... things change a bit."


    Kael paused, his brow furrowing involuntarily.


    Wasn''t it in his favor to be a Follower, in short?


    "Because you became a Follower, your eon reserves, which were already excessive, became even more so. Now, because of your curse, the amount of eon in your body is so high and your characteristics are so distinct that you are practically shouting your Path and that you are a Follower. Because your body can''t hold so much eon compared to your level and it leaks out. Even if you don''t realize it."


    Kael narrowed his eyes, finally understanding what Hakon was talking about. Now he understood why the people around him always looked at him with an uneasy expression. It had been like this since he left the Barony of Halve, but he hadn''t paid much attention to it. He didn''t care much about other people anyway.


    "And on top of that, because my eon is not exactly the feel-good kind, I unintentionally affect the people around me."


    But this was a bit of a bigger problem.


    "Exactly. It''s hard to make an accurate guess, but what your eon makes people feel is... simply destruction. But don''t worry, it''s nothing that can''t be solved. You just need to learn how to keep your eon in your body better."


    Kael sighed slightly as he realized where this was going.


    Training, they were going to do that, basically.


    He was going to go through that hellish training again... probably a lot harder this time.


    Still... this time, he didn''t approach the idea with as much resentment as before.


    After all...


    ''I''m weak.''


    So... he had to get stronger.


    "We''ll start training directly tomorrow. And tomorrow, we will talk in detail about your Path and the ability you have gained through it. For now... I have to deal with the results of your mission. So you can go to your room to rest."


    Kael nodded respectfully. He turned around, preparing to leave the room.


    But then, his hand remained on the door handle and he paused. Slowly, he turned around and looked at Hakon.


    "I want to ask you something."


    Hakon kept his smile and raised his eyebrows curiously.


    "Yes?"


    "Seeker... what does it mean?"


    Hakon paused. His smile faded slightly as his eyebrows flattened.


    "May I ask... where did you hear that word?"


    "The woman in Halve and Amar said it to each other when they were fighting."


    "Hmm... I see."


    Seeing Hakon''s demeanor change, Kael wondered if he had said something wrong. Was this... something he wasn''t supposed to know?


    "Here''s the thing in a nutshell, Kael. Most things about blessings, curses, and Paths are usually kept secret. For example, most normal people know about Bearers, but the only people who know about Followers are those who have the opportunity to do business with them... at least unless they hear it from others. In the same way, eon is also not something that is well-known. And Seeker is one of those things that is kept secret."


    ''Oh...''


    He had really... said something wrong, then. He wasn''t going to be killed just for knowing that word, thankfully. No one would have gone that far...


    But Seeker was not a word he could say in public, apparently.


    "Follower is the common name for people who follow a Path. But it is also the name of only the ''first stage'' of a Follower. There are stages that are reached as you advance on a Path. And ''Seeker'' is one of those stages. For example... I too am a Seeker. Although I introduce myself to people as Follower of Hunt, my real title is Seeker of Hunt because of the actual stage I am in."


    Now... quite a lot was clear in his mind. Just as he had guessed, Seeker was a title that represented one''s power, just like Bearer and Follower.


    "Like everything else, we''ll talk about it tomorrow. For now... I really have a lot to deal with."


    Kael nodded meekly. Then he left the room.


    As he took slow steps towards his own room, he couldn''t stop thinking.


    What stage was Seeker the title of?


    Bearer was technically stage zero. Because a Path was not yet being followed.


    Follower was both a common name for all people following a Path and the title of the first stage. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Was Seeker, then, the second stage?


    Kael frowned after dwelling on this thought for a moment.


    ''That woman... technically used three abilities related to her Path.''


    One was to make living beings go insane, another was that purplish smoke she could control by spraying it from her palm, and the third was the transformation of her body.


    ''Followers have only one ability related to their Path. Logically, they should have two abilities in the second stage... So Seeker is the title of the third stage, not the second?''


    What was the title of the previous stage?


    How many stages were there?


    How powerful was a Seeker... basically?


    With countless questions on his mind, Kael finally reached his room. Without bothering with anything else, he got into bed, put his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling.


    He had... missed his bed, actually. The one given to him in Halve wasn''t bad, but lying down on his own bed was a different thing after being away from it for a long time.


    But he didn''t sleep immediately. He sighed a little while looking at the ceiling.


    ''Ruin...''


    His Path.


    Tomorrow... with Hakon, he would use his Path for the first time.


    He would be lying if he claimed he wasn''t excited.

 Chapter 77 - 77: Follower Ability

    Just as he did before the Halve mission, Kael woke up early in the morning and went straight to meet Hakon.


    When he arrived at their usual place, he again found Hakon already there waiting for him.


    Once again, he had failed to arrive before him... but this time, he didn''t care too much about that.


    Because he was excited.


    And seeing his excitement, Hakon couldn''t help smiling.


    "So... let''s first talk about what it means to follow a Path and progress through it."


    Kael nodded meekly, his ears pricked up and his eyes wide.


    "You already know that a Path is determined by what one has experienced in their life and is tied to a certain concept. So following a Path requires acceptance, understanding, intimacy, and more with that concept. As you progress in these things, you progress in your Path. And at certain points, you advance in some stages."


    Hakon went to the side of the room and picked up a book. He opened it and showed Kael a page.


    There were seven circles on the page and small writing inside the circles. The first circle was quite small, with each circle getting bigger and bigger.


    "What we call stage zero is the Bearer. Those who do not follow any Path and only have a blessing or a curse. Stage one, Follower. Those who have just started to follow their Path. Stage two, Pursuer, those who have been granted a second ability by their Path. Stage three, Seeker. Those who can increase certain powers by projecting the characteristics of their Path onto their bodies. Next are the fourth, fifth, and sixth stages. But you will learn about them later. That''s all you need to know for now."


    Kael was a little... disappointed to hear this. He wondered what the next three stages were.


    But Hakon must have had a reason for hiding them, otherwise, he would have told him directly. So he didn''t press too hard.


    "Each time you reach a new stage, you not only gain a new ability, but your eon reserves, control, and physical abilities also improve. There is a much bigger difference between a Follower and a Pursuer than you might think, in short. That''s why you should always avoid colliding with someone at a higher stage than you unless you have an extreme advantage."


    When Kael nodded in understanding, Hakon placed the book he had been holding in his hand on the table next to him.


    "There is nothing else you need to know about the Paths for now. So let''s talk about your eon leaking out. What you need to do for that is simple... It is your body that cannot bear your eon. So you have to work on improving yourself physically. You will also use your eon constantly and develop the system that resembles the circulatory system you have created. It''s easy to explain, but it will take some work, so don''t ignore it."


    He understood almost immediately what he had to do. And he certainly had no intention of ignoring it in any way.


    "Now, lastly... can you explain to me specifically what your Path is and the ability you have gained?"


    And they had finally reached the point they had been waiting for all along.


    Under normal circumstances, the Path and the abilities were not supposed to be told to anyone. The more such information was kept secret, the more advantageous it was.


    But why would he keep it from Hakon? He had no reason to... and he couldn''t, anyway. Otherwise, he would be under suspicion. And he would lose trust.


    So, without even thinking about it, he continued excitedly.


    "It''s Path of Ruin. And, well... the ability I gained is a little strange. It doesn''t seem to be related to ''destruction''..."


    Hakon nodded understandingly.


    "It is possible. Paths only follow a ''concept''. The abilities change according to the way of thinking of the person following the Path, their life, how they fight... in short, everything. If you think about it a bit, you will realize that it somehow fits the concept of ''Ruin''. It will be more understandable if you explain the ability..."


    "Well... it basically ruins the senses of the people around me."


    Hakon paused for a moment, his expression thoughtful... then his lips curled upwards.


    "Ruining your opponent''s senses, huh. It somewhat suits your style and is also related to your Path, I guess... And it''s actually a pretty useful ability. So... can you create hallucinations, or is it simply about messing with the senses?"


    Kael wasn''t entirely sure of the answer to that question.


    But when he thought that the ability was linked to ''ruin'', for some reason, he didn''t think that it could create hallucinations that were basically constructions of things.


    And so he answered honestly.


    Hakon''s answer to that, though, was surprisingly optimistic.


    "The abilities you acquired in the previous stages get stronger as you advance to new stages. So even if you can''t do it now, you might be able to do it in the future, who knows? But... let''s give it a try first, shall we?"


    Hakon put his hands on his waist and put on his rather annoying-looking smile again.


    But Kael didn''t even find him annoying. He was so excited to use his ability that he hardly focused on Hakon, instead pumping his eon into his body.


    His eyes took on a silvery glow and his body grew stronger. But whereas most of the time Kael focused everything on strengthening his body, this time, he focused on something different... He imagined his Path, Ruin. He focused on the images and thoughts that appeared in his mind when he became a Follower. And finally, that he was using his ability.


    And he chose Hakon as his target.


    The eon in his body suddenly surged. The silvery glow in his eyes intensified. After a short time, his eon shot through the air and traveled towards Hakon.


    Hakon didn''t feel much at first. Kael, meanwhile, continued to look at him expectantly. And then...


    "Oh..."


    A slightly puzzled expression appeared on Hakon''s face as he raised his eyebrows.


    "It''s hard to notice at first... but I find it hard to pick things out. I can''t focus on my sense of smell, and the sounds seem to blend together."


    Hakon paused for a moment.


    "I feel... cold, I guess. Interesting... quite a lot. But more importantly... your ability also plays with my eon sense, Kael."


    Hakon raised his hand. A very tiny, red glow appeared in his dark eyes... and then he simply moved his hand away.


    His eon suddenly left his body and spread out. Kael''s eon retreated, unable to resist his, and Hakon regained all his senses.


    Kael felt a little... disappointed to see his ability so easily countered.


    But Hakon''s thoughts were very different.


    "Being able to block the sense of eon... is a much bigger thing than you think. You can even cause people to misuse their eon with this ability. But I''m curious about one thing... can you choose which senses to ''ruin''? Or... ''ruin'' what the senses specifically perceive?"


    Kael forgot his earlier disappointment as soon as he realized what Hakon was trying to say.


    "I think... I can, even in a limited way. But I see what you''re trying to say. If I first block the other person''s eon sense and then delete myself specifically from their sense of sight..."


    "You can actively turn invisible, even make attacks that your opponent will never perceive. Your ability... is much more effective than you think, and it suits you very well. I can''t imagine how powerful it will be, especially when you become a Pursuer or Seeker."


    Kael withdrew his eon, his eyes returning to their usual brown. His lips curled upwards, grinning.


    He could visualize the myriad uses for the ability he had acquired. There was no disappointment left in his thoughts. He was just... excited about the future and his ability.


    This was only the Follower ability. What about his Pursuer ability? And when he became a Seeker, how would his body change and be affected by the concept of Ruin?


    He was getting impatient.


    "Your talent is good, but you are still lacking in eon and physical strength. So, for now, we will emphasize those two... and soon, I will send you on a new mission. Is that clear?"


    He nodded quickly, his voice confident and loud. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Understood!"


    With that, Hakon widened his smile.


    "Then... let''s start training, again."


    And they did...

 Chapter 78 - 78: A Strange Friend

    Sitting in a well-lit room, in the midst of countless swords hanging on the walls, the old man focused on the sword in front of him, not even glancing at others, no matter how high quality they were.


    He gently lifted it up and placed it gently on two pieces of wood.


    The sword was full of cracks. The leather of the hilt was tattered, even the tip of one of the crossguards was missing.


    It was trash in the truest sense of the word.


    But instead of throwing it away, the man began to clean it with the utmost care. His dark green eyes were narrowed but sharp, not allowing himself to be distracted in the slightest.


    And it was at this moment that he heard a knock on the door of his room.


    He paused, pulled out the cloth he had used to clean the sword, and spoke in a deep voice.


    "Come in."


    The door to his room opened slowly, and then closed just as slowly.


    He knew who had come in. And he was also waiting. So he let him approach without saying a word.


    The young man with dark blue hair stood in front of him, then respectfully got down on one knee and bowed his head.


    "I have returned from my mission, Master."


    The old man, General Loukan... did not react in any way. His expression was flat, emotionless. And neither was his voice.


    "I heard you failed, Matthew."


    Matthew didn''t deny it, didn''t even look for excuses.


    He just... admitted it.


    "Yes."


    The only reason he lost was because he lacked strength. And it was his own fault he was weak.


    He had no excuse.


    But Loukan didn''t care too much about that. The mission was not something he had set up to succeed in the first place.


    Matthew''s real mission was something else.


    "Kael... how do you think he is?"


    "Talented. Even though he''s not particularly strong, he tries to do things with great care and skill. His senses are sharp, he moves very carefully. He has more eon than I''ve ever seen in anyone before, and its characteristics are so distinct that if I didn''t know better, I''d think he was a Pursuer, not a Follower."


    He paused for a moment. His eyes narrowed, thinking of all the time he had spent with Kael during the mission.


    "Besides... he seems trustworthy if he''s on our side."


    These were his thoughts about Kael. Nothing more, nothing less.


    General Loukan was silent for a while. Then he let out a deep sigh.


    "He''s someone we can use, you say."


    Matthew answered without thinking this time.


    "If we can get him to trust us... yes."


    "So you don''t think he trusts us yet?"


    "Yes."


    Loukan was silent for a short while. Then he sighed a little, picked up the cleaning cloth, and began to clean his sword again.


    "Blessing of Arcanoa and Path of Ruin... I want to use him."


    A tiny smile appeared on his expressionless face. His eyes remained serious and focused on his sword, though.


    "Start spending time with him. Make sure you trust each other. Once I feel he is completely trustworthy... I will start training him with you."


    So far, Matthew had listened and accepted his Master''s words without question, but now... he couldn''t help but pause.


    "No matter how powerful his Path is... I don''t think he is compatible enough with you to train him, Master."


    He was completely honest. There was not the slightest hint of jealousy in his words, not the slightest idea of getting in Kael''s way.


    General Loukan was the Savant of Sword. So, his knowledge and techniques were all related to ''sword''. That''s why his students had to follow the Paths related to the sword, or at least use a ''sword''.


    Kael''s Path was neither related to the sword nor did he use a sword as a weapon.


    It would have been far better for him to find a Master who was more compatible, and therefore more suitable for him, than General Loukan.


    "Trust me, Matthew. You know best that I will not make a wrong decision."


    Matthew raised his head and slowly stood up. His azure blue eyes were on his Master. And then... all he could do was sigh slightly.


    "As you wish, Master."


    Knowing that they had nothing more to say, he turned and walked slowly out of Loukan''s room.


    ''Kael, huh...''


    It seemed that... he would soon have someone to train with properly.


    *******


    Kael''s days, as they often do, became monotonous pretty fast.


    Training with Hakon, trying to improve his Follower ability, stepping into hell to improve physically, honing his chosen ''circulatory system'' method of using eon... and so on.


    Yet he never complained. He accepted everything he was told without a single grimace and started doing them quickly.


    And because of this, his progress was rapid.


    Day by day, he grew stronger. And, additionally, as he continued to feed his curse, no matter how minimal, the eon in his body also increased and became of better quality in every aspect.


    Finally, a week into the Halve mission... someone caught his eye in the garden of the Imperial Palace.


    ''Isn''t he...''


    Without thinking too much about it, he walked over to the person he had seen, who soon noticed him.


    A small smile appeared on Kael''s face. And so did the other person...


    "Hi, Matthew... I didn''t expect to see you here."


    Matthew replied in kind, his azure blue eyes fixed on Kael.


    "Likewise..." sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Even though their mission had failed... Kael had come to trust him a little after what they had been through. It wasn''t blind trust, of course, nor was it ''complete''.


    Just... he saw him as closer to him than the others, if nothing else.


    "You''ve been absent all this time. At least I didn''t see you anywhere... Where have you been?"


    Matthew widened his smile before answering the question.


    "I had some... important things to do, let''s say. I returned to the palace today."


    And Kael was inevitably surprised to hear that.


    But then he realized that his surprise was absurd.


    Matthew had been more powerful than he was from the beginning, he had been a Follower for much longer than he had been. And Followers were important people... so of course he would continue to be sent on missions.


    "But I''m surprised, because... you''ve improved. At least your eon doesn''t fly everywhere like it used to."


    Kael put one of his hands on his waist and smiled again.


    "I''ve been practicing. I have a long way to go... but thanks."


    And then...


    The two suddenly found themselves in an awkward silence.


    Neither of them had much to say.


    "Did you hear what happened to Halve?"


    And finally, Matthew decided to bring up such a topic.


    Kael paused for a moment.


    Now that he thought about it... he had no idea what had happened to Halve.


    "Do you have any information?"


    "Yes. After Scher and our reports, a large team was sent to the town. They decided that rebuilding the town would be too costly. So the survivors received financial support and were relocated to any nearby town they wanted."


    Kael inevitably felt a little relieved to hear that at least something was being done on behalf of the survivors. But Matthew''s next words made him stiffen.


    "There was also... some information about the Guardian."


    "Oh..."


    Now, that was... something he was really intrigued.


    "What''s the case?"


    "About thirty years ago, there were rituals performed by a cult under the town. People from the surrounding area were kidnapped and sacrificed. The cult was trying to produce a seed. And, well, they did..."


    So that was... the story of the Guardian.


    "Then... That woman knew about the cult. And among the sacrificed were people she knew..."


    "Most likely."


    This... confirmed many of the suspicions he already had.


    And with it, he found it even more difficult to see her as an enemy.


    She was... just one of the countless human beings who had had their share of life. Only, unlike the majority, she had found the time to fulfill her dream, survived, managed to grow stronger, and finally succeeded.


    Just like Kael was trying to do.


    Actually... they were quite similar, huh?


    But Kael had another thing on his mind.


    "What about... Amar?"


    Matthew shook his head from side to side without much response. Then, Kael let out a deep sigh.


    Whatever he''d been poisoned with... he didn''t really want to face anything that could put a Seeker in this position again.


    He couldn''t help feeling pity for Amar, but at the same time, he couldn''t care much for him. What had happened to him was something of a lesson.


    Never trust anyone or anything without knowing what it is.


    "Do you have any free time?"


    He paused at Matthew''s sudden question.


    "Sort of, I was just about to go for lunch."


    "How about eating together?"


    And he was surprised by the offer.


    He had thought that after their small talk, they would go their separate ways. Just like after Halve.


    Matthew apparently thought differently.


    "Sure, I guess."


    But he wasn''t inclined to refuse the offer either.


    Why should he dismiss the existence of a friend with whom he could chat? He was aware that humans were social creatures, and the idea of a ''friend'' with whom he could occasionally communicate was not a bad one.


    So they went to the cafeteria together.


    They ate their meals in conversation.


    And wished each other a good day before parting ways.


    On the way back to the training room, Kael... sighed and looked up at the sky.


    Matthew was... strange, yes.


    But he wasn''t a bad guy.

 Chapter 79 - 79: A New Mission

    In a dimly lit room, with not much sunlight coming in... a young man was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in the center.


    He was surrounded by a pale, silvery glow. A glow that seemed to try to destroy everything it touched, a glow that made the beholder involuntarily tremble inside.


    But the young man didn''t seem to be affected by it.


    Well... why should he be affected, when he was the source?


    Soon, the silvery glow slowly faded away and the young man opened his eyes.


    His eyes went to the room''s only window, measuring how much light was coming in... and then he sighed.


    ''Two hours...''


    He had been working on his eon for two hours. His eon circulatory system was doing very well.


    So, he stood up, prepared to leave the room... but just as he reached for the door handle, he suddenly paused.


    His brown eyes narrowed, his hand in the air, he didn''t react at all... but then, he sighed.


    "What happened...?"


    And immediately after his words, a figure slowly emerged from the darkest part of the room, an annoying smile on his face.


    "I''ve been watching how you work, you''ve improved several times more than I thought you would."


    "Thanks, I guess. But I know you''re not here just to watch me."


    "Oh ho... good, then. I can get straight to the point."


    His smile widened slightly, his dark eyes narrowed.


    "We have a new mission for you, Kael."


    And he said exactly what Kael had expected.


    ''A new mission...''


    How long had it been since Halve? It must have been forty or fifty days. He had really learned a lot in the time since his mission... he had improved a lot.


    "And this time, you won''t be with a ''team''. It will be just two people."


    Only two people... either it meant that this mission was not very important, or they were afraid that too many people would attract attention.


    He would have preferred the latter, frankly.


    "And, well... you know this second person quite well."


    But when he heard an unexpected sentence, he paused, his eyebrows raised involuntarily and an expression appeared on his face that made it clear that he was surprised.


    "Huh?"


    A person he knew...? S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *******


    ''I should have guessed...''


    Kael''s first thought when he saw who was waiting for him... was that it was definitely not a coincidence.


    Because the person in front of him...


    "Oh, wait..."


    It was Matthew.


    "They gave us both the same mission...?"


    The two had spent a fair amount of time together recently. They usually only chatted at lunchtime, though. But Kael thought he could at least refer to him as his ''friend''.


    Now, though, he ignored Matthew''s question and turned to Hakon standing behind him.


    The man had his usual smile on his face.


    "Your mission is pretty simple. There is a small gang causing trouble in an eastern barony. You will deal with this gang."


    Kael and Matthew looked at each other, then at Hakon at the same time.


    The last time they had said a mission was simple, nothing good had happened.


    Now, what made the Empire think this gang was simple?


    "Only two Bearers are known to be in the gang. No Followers, that''s for sure."


    And that was a quick response to their thoughts.


    Dealing with two Bearers was a fairly easy task as long as they acted correctly as two Followers.


    The only problem was...


    ''Why can''t the people in the barony handle this gang?''


    Not every barony had someone like Amar, yes... but almost all had a few Bearers and even Followers working for the baron. If this was a mission they thought Kael and Matthew could handle, the people in the barony should have been able to handle it too.


    "Think of this mission, just like the last one, as a way of gaining experience."


    And that was a response to Kael''s thoughts.


    ''Since when did this man... become a mind reader?''


    Kael pushed his thoughts aside, then sighed and straightened his posture.


    Whatever, if he was given a mission... he would do it.


    It would be a good way to see how much he had improved, too


    *******


    Kael and Matthew set off with two horses. Kael had learned to ride horses, even if it had been by force, during his training. Matthew had known how to do it for a long time... so they would have no trouble with that.


    The Barony they traveled through was only slightly larger than Halve. It was called Ghran, and it wasn''t much of anything special.


    But it was still a little further away than Halve. So, even though they traveled on their individual horses, it took them a week.


    Just as in Halve, they passed through security and went first to the Baron.


    The Baron was a thin man, quite skinny, one might say. Other than that, he was blond with blue eyes.


    When he saw Kael and Matthew for the first time he was clearly disappointed. Still, he didn''t press too hard, he told them the problem.


    "They showed up three weeks ago. They lure poor and weak people from the outskirts of town and swindle them or put them in debt. There is an allegation that they capture those who have no money and sell them as slaves. We tried to catch them a few times, but their intel is pretty good, they anticipate almost every move we make, act accordingly and avoid being caught. We have not been able to capture a single one of their men."


    Kael couldn''t help but be surprised after hearing this.


    ''Well, maybe it''s not such an easy mission...''


    "We think there are eighteen of them in total, including two Bearers. They hide their faces when they are out and about. We have no other information... unfortunately."


    Having heard all they needed, Matthew and Kael looked at each other. Many things were running through both of their minds, but one was at the forefront.


    "I''m going to wander the town hidden."


    Kael was unconditionally the best of the two at hiding.


    Matthew was going to search more openly and see if he could catch anything.


    For now, this was how they decided to make their first move.


    *******


    There was only one thing Kael could think about as he walked around the town, very quietly, above the rooftops.


    ''They know we''re here.''


    He knew the Baron wasn''t kidding when he said the intel was pretty good, yes... But he hadn''t expected this either.


    He and Matthew had only been in town for two hours.


    ''Then... there must be someone leaking information. Not even the baron knew who was coming here, someone who knew we were meeting with him...''


    The baron''s butler, perhaps?


    One of the authorized maids who worked at his mansion?


    He wasn''t sure...


    But if there''s one thing he knows...


    ''Nothing will come out of town.''


    He took his eyes off the dark, dimly lit streets of the town and turned towards the mansion.


    ''I need to search directly inside.''


    And he would do it secretly, even from the baron.


    With that, he sneaked into the mansion. It wasn''t hard not to be seen by the guards and maids roaming the corridors, he had mastered stealth to a considerable degree after all...


    So he entered his first target, the butler''s room, through the window.


    But he didn''t just enter... he didn''t hesitate to use his Follower ability while doing so.


    As the eon in his body spread around him, he moved in such a way that it affected anyone who entered a certain area... the whole room.


    Thanks to his training, he also knew which senses to focus on and how. In this way, he only disrupted the sense of sight. And not completely, but in a way that targeted only his own being.


    Using his ability so specifically was eating up a lot of eon. But his eon reserves were more than enough. He could spend a minimum of seven or eight minutes in the room without being caught by anyone.


    So, he started his investigations quickly.


    The butler was not in his room, presumably still working. So, he soon deactivated his ability. With that, he rummaged through drawers, cupboards, the bed, the armchairs, the desk... literally everything. Of course, he made sure to fix it all perfectly at the end.


    The only problem... happened in the tenth minute he was in the room.


    The door suddenly opened, just as Kael was checking one of the drawers.


    Kael quickly used his ability to disguise himself, closing the drawer at the same time, and just stood still.


    The butler was an old man. Probably in his late forties. He was careful and sharp-eyed.


    But he didn''t even notice Kael''s presence. As if... he was simply not in the room. So, he walked over to his desk, pulled some files out of a drawer, and began to examine them.


    As quietly as possible, Kael hid himself in a corner, behind the couch. Then he deactivated his ability again, so as not to waste too much of his eon.


    The butler did not make any suspicious movements, nor did he communicate with anyone. When he finished going through the files, he changed into pajamas, then got into his bed and simply... slept.


    When Kael was sure that the butler was fully asleep, he used his ability to come out of hiding. He looked at the files the butler had reviewed a moment ago, and saw that they were all related to the town''s financial affairs.


    ''This guy... seems to be clean.''


    He found nothing suspicious. And the man had not made any suspicious movements, either.


    For now, he left the room so that he could investigate the others. His next target was the head maid''s room.


    And he found her already asleep in his bed.


    The only difference was... there was someone else in her bed.


    ''This woman... wasn''t married as far as I remember?''


    He already had some information about the people whose rooms he was going to search.


    He approached the bed with his ability active. The head maid was a woman who could be called beautiful. Her black hair was a dark shade of black, though a little disheveled now. Together with her body, she was clearly desirable for men.


    The man sleeping next to her... if he remembered correctly, he was a guard.


    ''Anyway...''


    He was not interested in people''s private lives. He just came here to do research. And he did...


    In the end, he found nothing. Just like the butler, the head maid seemed to be clean.


    Unsatisfied, he left this room too. He snuck into a few other people''s rooms to investigate. And... he witnessed a few scenes that could be considered quite intimate. But he didn''t let them get in the way of his mission.


    Finally, later that day... he met Matthew, completely empty-handed.


    "I found nothing..."


    And Matthew was not much different.


    "It''s like... there''s never been a ''gang'' in this town ever before. There''s not even a trace of them among the people..."


    This mission...


    It was definitely going to be a bit more challenging than they thought.

 Chapter 80 - 80: Leaving the Barony of Ghran

    As Kael and Matthew sat across from each other at a table, all they could do was... think.


    "We haven''t found a single trace of any gangs since we stepped into the Barony."


    Three days.


    They had been here for three days.


    And... what they found was literally nothing.


    "How can a gang be so... organized and silent?"


    He could hardly believe it. So much so... that he now even had a few doubts that this gang might not actually exist.


    Matthew sighed as he pondered with his eyes squinted and his hands folded over his chest.


    "What if... there really is no such gang?"


    He lifted his squinting eyes from the table and turned them on Kael. Kael, meanwhile, asked the question he knew the answer to but wanted to confirm.


    "Do you think the Baron wrote a... fake report?"


    Matthew didn''t change his expression, he kept his posture and continued.


    "None of the people in town are related to the gang. We haven''t found anyone who owes money to the gang since we''ve been in town. We''ve searched every corner here for three days and what we found is just... nothing. I feel like... we''re trying to find something that doesn''t exist."


    The two remained silent for a while longer. They looked at the ceiling, at the table... and at each other as various thoughts passed through their minds.


    After a short while... it was Kael who broke the silence.


    "Let''s go, then."


    He looked into Matthew''s eyes in particular, not moving his gaze an inch.


    "We won''t find anything here. Either the gang never really existed, or they''re hiding out wherever they are because we''re here."


    And Matthew didn''t look away either. They both just looked into each other''s eyes.


    "Let''s ask the Empire for a larger and more capable team. If the difficulty of the mission increases, we can move more easily with more people."


    Matthew... finally tore his eyes away after a brief moment and leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh.


    "Yeah, I think so too."


    *******


    Kael and Matthew informed the baron that they would be gone for a few days to get more support from the Empire. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Baron was clearly displeased with them. Now, when they admitted they were incompetent... he seemed even more upset.


    Kael could guess quite clearly what the man was thinking. He was probably wondering why the Empire had brought two such young and inexperienced young men here.


    But there was nothing he could do.


    And so... Kael and Matthew soon left the town. They galloped their horses back to the capital the way they had come.


    What they didn''t know... was that they weren''t actually two people.


    Above them, flying in the sky, was a tiny crow. It was always over the two, following them until they left the town and night fell on the same day. Only when it was sure that they had really left the town did it turn away and return to the town.


    In this way, once inside the town limits, he descended and entered a window quite close to the floor of the baron''s mansion.


    He landed on the arm of a man whose face was hidden by a hood, and then, its whole body trembled for a bit. After a few seconds, a big smile appeared on the man''s face. He released the crow back out of the window and with slow steps, he walked through the corridors and into a certain room.


    This was... the wine storage room of the mansion. The townspeople owed much of their income to the special, sweet wine they produced. So it was a pretty full storage room.


    But the important thing was... the guards inside.


    When the man with the disguised face entered, the six guards in the storage room smiled at the same time.


    One of them, the tallest, who also seemed to be over two meters tall, took off his helmet and pulled back his orange hair with his hands. His brown eyes were quite... ordinary. Then the man whose face was hidden took off his hood and widened his smile, along with his green eyes and dark blond hair.


    "Have the brats left?"


    "Yes. They''re miles away from the town. It will take them at least three hours to get back from where they are, even with the horses. They won''t come back from that point."


    The tall man sighed lightly without breaking his smile.


    "I thought they would never leave... crazy brats, they even searched the mansion secretly. They are certainly not bad at their job..."


    He squinted, then looked at the green-eyed man.


    "They just didn''t include how diverse the blessings can be. That''s what happens when you''re inexperienced."


    He stretched, took off his armor, tossed it aside, and then put his hands in the pockets of the plain clothes he had been wearing for days. With a nonchalant demeanor, he exited the wine storage room and confidently began to make his way up through the mansion.


    When he finally arrived in front of the baron''s room, his smile widened and he pushed the door open hard.


    The baron jumped in fright when he saw his door suddenly open. Then he saw the person in front of him.


    The fear vanished from his face, but... it was replaced by a timid and uneasy expression this time.


    "W- what do you want...? The brats of the Empire just left town..."


    The tall man approached the table with slow steps, picked up one of the papers the baron was working on, and read its contents.


    "Funds for a new grocery store on East Street...? Oh, there''s good money to be made here..."


    He crumpled the paper in his hand, rolled it into a ball, and shook it behind his back. He turned his eyes back to the baron, who could not stop trembling with fear.


    "We''ve expanded, Baron. We have made contact with a larger group in the county. We will leave this town tomorrow evening. When those brats come back here again, they''ll think there really is no gang here, and you can relax a bit. I''m not gonna lie, it was a good use of your money. Thank you for your services. I just wanted to let you know that we''re going to make some travel money before we leave."


    The Baron could not think of anything to say in reply, nor did he have the courage to open his mouth. He could only... swallow and accept the man''s words.


    He had to be happy. After all... the gang that had been terrorizing the town for months was finally going to leave. Who knows, maybe never to return...


    But he was not happy.


    Not at all.


    Why... why hadn''t the Empire sent someone decent? He had gone to all that trouble just to write a report, to make sure that it was a maid who was not connected to himself just to be safe, to remove all suspicion.


    But the Empire had just sent two brats without even taking him seriously!


    Maybe... Maybe if someone more experienced had come, they could have removed these wastes who call themselves human from the face of the earth.


    But it was too late.


    "We''ll release your son before we go, although he might be missing a few fingers... his mind was a bit out of whack last time, too. But no problem, he''ll be fine... probably."


    He saw the Baron clench his fist under the table, his expression forced.


    Well... what could he do...? He was really enjoying it, seeing a baron suffering in front of him.


    "See you next time."


    He turned and walked out of the room, hands in his pockets and confident.


    Their days as a simple gang were over. Finally... he had managed to take a step towards something much bigger.


    The future looked... bright.


    *******


    The next day, the tall man and his gang looted the grocery store they had seen while they were in the Baron''s office. Quietly, of course... making sure that no one heard them, and making sure that the owner of the greengrocer''s shop would never say a word to anyone.


    Then, they prepared to leave town, just as they had said they would. As a team of eighteen people, they were heading for their new destination... the city at the center of Uhron County, of which the Barony of Ghran was a part.


    And soon they were on their way. Their journey was not short. For almost a week and a half, they traveled by horse and cart.


    Finally, they arrived in the city where the Count Uhron lives. Thanks to the loopholes created by the group they contacted, they managed to get inside, hiding their identities.


    The city was quite big. Maybe not as big as the metropolis of the Duchies, but certainly several times the size of the town in their Barony.


    Even the Count''s mansion looked like a mini palace. Thinking of the money, the fame, the power they could earn here compared to that small town... all the gang members were practically drooling, especially the tall man who was their leader.


    In this way, they entered a very large inn, which was their meeting point. And they found exactly the man they were looking for sitting at a long table in a corner of the inn.


    Eighteen men sat at the long table, one by one, without making a sound. The tall man sat right next to the man already at the table.


    The man at the table turned to him slowly, his dark eyes quite... plain. Then, asked with his seemingly same plain voice.


    "Dazul of the Barony of Ghran, is it?"


    The tall man, Dazul, nodded his head. The smile on his face never faded.


    "Nice to meet you, then. I am Hasron, co-leader of the largest gang in Uhron. We have reviewed our arrangement, found no problems... and have agreed to be business partners. Underneath this inn is a structure of tunnels, and that''s our headquarters. Come with me, we''ll meet with the leader and... decide exactly what we''re going to do."


    Hasron and Dazul, along with seventeen others, got up from the table at the same time and made their way to the back of the lobby of the inn. Then they started to descend down to the ground through a ladder that was there...


    All the while, there was someone leaning against the wall next to the secret staircase leading underground.


    After the whole group had descended, he sighed deeply, opened his eyes, which shone with a silvery glow, and looked coldly at the staircase. Then, slowly, he too began to descend the stairs, among so many others who didn''t even realize he was there.

 Chapter 81 - 81: Noble Trafficking

    Dazul and his gang followed Hasron until they got quite deep. They passed through long tunnels and corridors. Finally, they reached the front of a room with two doors almost three meters tall.


    They were a bit nervous going in. The gang, or group, or whatever it was, they had made a deal with, was really big!


    They had hit the jackpot.


    And that thought was multiplied when the door to the room they were going to enter opened. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The room was... huge. The walls were covered with eye-catching artwork and paintings. The carpet on the floor was of such high quality that Dazul normally would not have dared to step on it.


    But he didn''t care when he saw Hasron walking over it, not even caring its presence there, and approaching the center of the room. He swallowed involuntarily as his eyes fell on the person sitting at the table at the end of this sumptuous room.


    It was... a woman. It was surprising, he couldn''t lie. Normally, it was strong men who were involved in ''gangsterism'' and the like.


    But this person... she looked quite fragile.


    And beautiful at the same time.


    Her blonde hair was neatly braided and loose over her shoulders. Her blue eyes, like the sky, were brilliant. She was wearing one of the one-piece dresses worn by nobles, a beautiful red one.


    As they entered, her blue eyes were on them. Then, her pink lips curved upwards slightly.


    "Welcome, Mr. Dazul and his gang."


    Even her voice was pleasant.


    ''I... want this woman.''


    It was a thought that Dazul could not get out of his mind, no matter how much he suppressed his desires and instincts. He wanted this woman... absolutely.


    Not now, maybe.


    But when he was strong enough... he definitely would.


    "Thank you for being kind enough to include us in your group..."


    For now... he would respect and put his desires aside. The person in front of him was, after all, the leader of an illegal group operating in an entire county. He was not going to underestimate her just because she was a woman and looked fragile.


    There must have been a reason for her to be where she was now.


    "I like respect. Respect is one of the things that separates humans from barbarians."


    She smiled after her own words.


    "I''ve heard about your activities in Ghran, and I''ve looked into it. Rather than trying to develop things quickly, you secure yourselves first, make sure you have a place to run to in case of emergency, and try to grow slowly. And that... I like that."


    ''Ah...''


    Why was she praising him like that?


    With each passing second... he wanted her more and more.


    "My name is Feria Lockhend, I am the leader of the Red Feathers, the largest organized gang in Uhron County."


    But the moment he heard her name... Dazul suddenly went rigid.


    ''Lockhend...? Wait...''


    "At the moment, we are dealing with a relatively big business. I''d like to make you a partner in it, in a way that you''ll be quite happy with your share in the end..."


    Lockhend... was a name he knew.


    A family name.


    And... if he remembered correctly...


    ''The daughter of Count Uhron? And¡­ if I''m not wrong¡­''


    Dazul tried to collect his thoughts. If he remembered the name Lockhend correctly... He was involved in something much bigger than he thought.


    He asked gently, trying hard not to change his expression or tone of voice.


    "Of course, we would be happy to accept a big business. But... can we find out what kind of business it is, by any chance?"


    Feria Lockhend widened her smile.


    "The trafficking of a few nobles."


    Human trafficking... but with nobles?


    ''That''s... really big business right there.''


    As surprised as he was that the person he was working with was a noble... and a really big one at that¡­ hearing what the business was had an even greater effect on him.


    And yet...


    "I see."


    He did nothing but widen his smile.


    "We accept, of course."


    How and why would he turn down such an opportunity...?


    Of course he would jump at it!


    After all... getting involved in a human trafficking business where nobles were used as products as long as they were not caught would bring him too much money and fame.


    The only thing he didn''t know...


    They were already caught.


    *******


    ''Damn, using the ability on more than one person really consumes a lot of eon.''


    The ceiling of the room they were in was fortunately extremely high. That way, Kael could listen to the whole conversation without getting caught, even though he had deactivated his ability after getting up there.


    He turned his eyes to the still-talking duo of Feria and Dazul, narrowing his eyes.


    The task of taking down a gang in a simple barony had reached a point where... it was completely out of his league.


    ''Feria Lockhend... good to know her name.''


    He had no idea who she was, but it was always good to know people''s names. Especially criminals.


    Now, he had to go back and report this to Count Uhron quickly.


    "Some of the nobles to be sold are downstairs, they will leave for their destination in half an hour. Accompany them, and in the meantime, you can learn a little about the city."


    But Feria''s next words left him frozen in place.


    ''In half an hour...?''


    Was it... possible for him to make it in time?


    It would probably take him an average of twenty minutes to sneak out of here in the first place.


    He narrowed his eyes, lost in his thoughts.


    Just then... Feria announced to Dazul and his team the whereabouts of the captured nobles. Kael paused at this moment.


    ''All right...''


    He had... an idea.


    Something a bit stupid, but something that could make it work.


    *******


    Dazul couldn''t stop smiling for a second as he walked along the long underground tunnel with a guard leading the way.


    ''I''ve heard that some of the nobles are involved in illegal activities... but to come across one - now that''s luck!''


    Nobles always had the perfect connections to facilitate this kind of work. So doing business with them was both simple and profitable.


    When the guard who was leading the way stopped, so did he. Then he saw the door leading to a dungeon.


    Together, they stepped into the underground dungeon and Dazul could not help being surprised again.


    The dungeon was... quite full. There was someone in every cell. They were pretty filthy, but they seemed to be taken care of enough to survive.


    So, they came to one of the cells at the end of the dungeon. And Dazul took a look inside.


    There were two females and three males. One of the females looked to be in her teens, the other in her mid-twenties. One of the males was in his late forties, while the other two were quite young. They were dressed in simple pieces of cloth, just like those in the other cells. But... they looked much cleaner.


    ''Well, they are nobles after all...''


    Even in captivity, they were valuable.


    The guard with him opened the cell door, approached the five, and then stopped when one of them was in front of him.


    Dazul frowned when he saw what the guard was doing.


    "Is there a problem?"


    The guard nodded, not taking his eyes off the noble standing in front of him.


    "There were... four nobles here. I didn''t hear anything about the fifth."


    Dazul''s eyes narrowed. He walked over to the guard and looked at the boy standing in front of him.


    His black hair was dirty and disheveled, just like the others. His brown eyes, meanwhile, flickered with fear, his face twitching with horror.


    But just then, he opened his mouth.


    "I- I am Baron Halve''s nephew! Y- you will definitely pay for this!"


    Even his voice was full of fear. But it was something else that caught Dazul''s attention.


    ''Halve...?''


    Just then, he remembered the town that was said to have been destroyed about a month ago.


    "He was just captured on a journey to the county, and it seems he doesn''t know what happened to the Barony of Halve."


    Dazul and the guard slowly turned around and found another guard standing before them.


    He was wearing a helmet, so they couldn''t tell what color his hair was, but... he had relatively blue eyes.


    "Oh, strange... they would have told me about a newcomer to distribute the food evenly."


    But then he paused.


    If he was a newcomer... he didn''t need to eat anyway.


    That would explain why he hadn''t been informed. He wasn''t even a guard in this dungeon in the first place... he was just bringing food.


    "Anyway, understood."


    "Let me go! I- I said let me go quickly! Hey!"


    Dazul sighed slightly. He approached the young noble, then struck him hard on the neck.


    The boy collapsed to the ground, drooling.


    "He was making too much noise. And I only knocked him out... so he''ll be fine."


    He didn''t really need to explain himself. The guard next to him was thinking of doing something like that.


    The guard shrugged his shoulders, then tied each of the captured nobles'' hands with a chain, and tied the chains together with another one.


    The five nobles were led out of the cell in a line.


    As they left the dungeon, Dazul took one last look inside.


    ''Strange... there are quite a few guards in the dungeon.''


    Apart from the guard who had just told them the situation, he could only see two others. One was resting on the edge, almost looking asleep, while the other was leaning against the far wall. It was impossible to see his face because of his helmet and the distance between them.


    ''Three... I would have put at least five.''


    With that thought, they left the dungeon.


    Silence quickly took over the seconds after they left.


    ...


    It was in this silence that the two guards Dazul had seen both collapsed. There was a flash of blue between their clothes and their backs.


    Swords... that were flying.


    Swords that made them look like they were standing.


    Then, the swords slowly turned to dust and disappeared, while the third guard in the dungeon stretched his back.


    "Huuugh...! Kael''s ability is quite useful, huh?"


    He was pretty good at hiding the glow and eon of swords.


    A smile appeared on his face. He dragged two of the guards into a corner that was relatively hidden and left them on top of the other guards who normally worked here.


    As he made his way towards the exit of the dungeon, he saw all the captives in the cells staring at him, and widened his smile.


    "Don''t worry, we will free you as soon as we finish this gang. Thank you for your silence."


    Then, with a lot of hopeful eyes looking at him behind his back, he left the dungeon.

 Chapter 82 - 82: Ambush for Ambush

    The place where the nobles were to be sold was not far from Uhron County, but not far either.


    It was a journey that would take almost three weeks if they traveled by carriage. And they would travel in two carriages.


    Six bodyguards from the Red Feathers would accompany four members of Dazul''s gang.


    And Dazul had taken himself, his Bearer friend who could communicate with crows and rats, plus two of the most trusted men in his gang.


    He had decided to go himself, yes, because even though he trusted his own men, he felt that two of their Bearers would be the best choice for a human trafficking job where nobles would be sold.


    And he was glad he did!


    When he examined the plan for the journey, he noticed some flaws. Many flaws, actually, some of them too obvious.


    So much so... that the thought even crossed his mind that he was being tested. And if that was true... he was certainly happy with his decision to accompany the journey.


    He quickly reported to Feria the flaws he had seen and any suggestions he could think of to remedy them.


    And... Feria smiled and said that she would be able to carry out his suggestions.


    And in this way... he confirmed that this woman still did not trust him, that she would continue to test him.


    ''She''s not taking any chances, huh...''


    He could have taken it for granted that there would not be... literally ''ten of them'' going on this mission.


    But that didn''t matter.


    ''I will continue to prove myself.''


    All he had to do was succeed, become more and more valuable in her eyes, and rise up.


    And he could do that.


    No, he would.


    And so... finally, this group of ten started the journey.


    The nobles were kept in a carriage, bound hand and foot. From time to time, they kept bumping their bodies against something because of the rough road, and there was nowhere for them to sit steadily.


    They were all silent. As if they had accepted their fate. Their eyes were calm, dull, even.


    But... there was a reason for that.


    Because one of them was actually very different from them.


    ''They tied it tight, huh...''


    Kael, with his back against the inner wall of the carriage, was trying to untie the binding on his wrist.


    Fortunately... none of the nobles were Bearers or Followers, so no extra precautions were taken. So he could use a little eon to increase his strength many times over.


    And so, he managed to break the chain binding his wrists, even though it was tied quite tightly.


    He was very quiet, not even making a sound as he tore and tore at the chain.


    Once his hands were free, it was time for his feet. He managed to break them silently after about five minutes of struggle.


    Finally... he was completely free.


    ''Now, now...''


    They only had ten people to deal with. Then... they could escape with the nobles and report the situation to the Empire.


    He turned to the nobles who were in the carriage with him. He smiled slightly, then gave them a thumbs up.


    "Don''t worry, we''ll finish quickly."


    The eyes of the four in front of him were... still dull. He did not know how long they had been in that dungeon, but it had certainly not been quality time for them.


    Yet he could also see the hope in their eyes.


    And that was enough.


    He took his eyes off them, stretched slightly. Then, he poured most of the eon in his body into his follower ability.


    First, he used it to disrupt the eon sense of everyone within twenty meters of him. Then... to hide himself from everyone''s eyes.


    There were a few more senses that he would specifically ruin in this way. So he moved quickly, knowing that his time was not excessive.


    He got out of the carriage as if he were not a captive. Meanwhile, the trio following the carriage from behind did not notice him, nor did they notice that the carriage door had opened.


    Even though he was standing right in front of them, they continued talking among themselves as if nothing had happened.


    Kael quietly jumped out of the carriage and approached the trio. From the sense of touch of one of them, he destroyed the presence of the sword hanging on his waist. Then he unsheathed the sword.


    He had not ruined their sense of sound. That''s why the trio paused at the sound of the unsheathed sword.


    But... it was already too late.


    Kael decapitated all three with a single swing of his sword. All three were normal people, three people who had no idea what was happening right in front of them.


    It was that simple to kill them.


    Kael narrowed his eyes, tossed the sword aside, grabbed the two daggers hanging from the waist of one of the trio, and began to sprint forward.


    The moment he passed the carriage carrying the nobles, he used almost half of his eon reserves in an instant, erasing the presence of one more sense from the senses of everyone around him.


    And... at that very moment, three blue swords appeared on the carriages still moving forward.


    The lips of one of the foremost guards curled upwards, grasped one of the blue swords that had appeared, and stabbed the other two into the two guards standing behind him.


    A total of five people... thus dead.


    Kael pounced on another with his daggers, and Matthew decapitated another with his sword.


    Immediately afterwards... Kael deactivated his ability, both because his eon reserves were near the bottom and because he thought that would be enough.


    "H- huh?" sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    One of the trio sitting in the front car, specifically the nameless Bearer, who had dark blond hair and green eyes, widened his eyes and quickly turned around.


    All the while shouting.


    "Dazul! There is an ambush!"


    Dazul and the Bearer who could control crows and rats, moved quickly. The guard who drove the carriage did not let go of the reins, ready to rev up the horses at any moment.


    But then... the Bearer and Dazul stiffened where they were.


    "What?"


    Why... why was the carriage carrying the nobles so far behind?


    They were a group of ten men...


    Where were the other seven?


    And that''s when they saw the duo looking at them.


    One was wearing the uniform of his own guards. He had thrown aside his helmet, so that his dark blue hair and shimmering azure blue eyes were exposed. In his hand, he held a sword that shone with a blue glow.


    The other was... a black-haired young man with silvery eyes, wearing a piece of cloth that the captive nobles wore.


    It was Matthew and Kael, of course.


    "A- ah, these are the brats the empire sent to Ghran!"


    And they were quickly recognized by the Bearer, who had watched their every move for three days while they were still in Ghran.


    Dazul''s expression suddenly darkened at what he heard.


    He had to accept it. If the two had deceived themselves from the very beginning and had even managed to sneak between them without being caught... he had been overconfident and overconfident.


    He had underestimated these two... even if they were brats.


    ''We are two Bearers, and there are two Bearers in front of us. We are older than them, more experienced. Even though we underestimated them at first... now we can crush them with our sheer power!''


    And with this thought he curled his lips upwards, activating his blessing.


    Dazul''s blessing was a simple one.


    Simply... every time he roared after using his blessing, he grew stronger, healed a little, and became more resilient.


    All he had to do was to roar every chance he got after using his blessing.


    ''The blue one''s blessing must be to create the sword in his hand, the other one''s... illusion or playing with our senses?''


    He knew enough about them.


    But they didn''t!


    He stretched, prepared to roar, and spread his hands wide.


    This was... going to be a piece of cake!


    But then...


    "H- Ugh-?!"


    He paused, realizing that he could make no sound from his throat.


    His eyes widened, and with his eyes fixed on the sky, he slowly tried to lower his neck... but that''s when he felt the cold of the dagger slicing through his vocal cords and his blood soaking his clothes.


    ''W- when did he... come... to me...?!''


    "Don''t you... underestimate us too much?"


    When Kael''s cold words entered her ear, she paused for no reason.


    His body suddenly stiffened.


    A strange, cold sensation enveloped his whole body.


    His surroundings seemed to change. Inside the ruins, in the dust that covered the whole area, his lungs slowed down as if he had difficulty breathing. A helplessness and fear permeated him that he could not make sense of.


    "There''s a reason the Empire sent us after all... right?"


    The next second... the whole world turned upside down.


    Dazul couldn''t comprehend what had happened. But then he saw his friend''s head detached from his body, spinning in the air and falling backwards.


    ''Ah...''


    And... in the last seconds before he died, he realized.


    His head too was separated from his body.


    *******


    Kael and Matthew took care of business after Dazul and the other Bearer.


    Kael quickly pursued the driver of the fleeing carriage and caught up with him a kilometer or so later, killing him too. Matthew, meanwhile, returned and explained the situation to the nobles, reassuring them.


    "Now... I know this place from the maps, there should be a town to the west. Let''s go there first, ask the townspeople for clothes and help. Then... let''s go straight back to the capital."


    Neither Kael nor the nobles objected to Matthew''s suggestion. Kael had no knowledge of maps anyway. And all the nobles wanted... was to return home to their families.


    But...


    ~clap!


    ~clap...!


    ~clap...


    With the sound of applause coming from behind a tree on the side of the road, they inevitably paused, their guard up.


    "Bravo..."


    When the voice of an old man entered their ears... Kael and Matthew''s eyes widened.


    "You''re very talented... very, very talented."


    Because... in the next second, all the trees around them moved.


    And from behind them all came guards dressed in Red Feathers'' clothes.


    "It''s a pity... you didn''t realize that we don''t trust the people we give this mission to either..."


    The old man stopped clapping. He brushed his graying hair aside with his hand, squinted his black eyes.


    "Now... you will die."


    And with his words... all the surrounding guards reached for their weapons.


    There was only one thing running through Kael''s mind, all the while...


    "Shit!"

 Chapter 83 - 83: Hunting the Humans

    Kael used his ability as fast as he could.


    If he could disrupt the vision of everyone around him, even if only for a few seconds, it would be enough for them to escape.


    But... the moment he used his ability, his eon collided with someone else''s eon, and because he was trying to reach too many people at once, his eon was quite thin and weak. So it just dissipated like that.


    "I know what your ability is, don''t even try."


    He gritted his teeth at the words spoken by the old man at the front, glancing at Matthew out of the corner of his eye.


    Even though they didn''t speak... there was what could only be described as perfect communication between them.


    And it was Kael who initiated it.


    What are we going to do?


    I don''t know.


    You should know!


    Hah? It''s you who should know! You''re smarter than me!


    Let''s run, then!


    Run where you idiot?! We''re surrounded!


    I told you!


    But then... Matthew paused for a moment.


    And then the old man, arms folded across his chest, spoke once more.


    "Kill them, we''ll continue with the nobles."


    Matthew turned to Kael, narrowing his eyes.


    And Kael... understood right then that he was going to do something, nodding his head in approval of whatever he was going to do.


    "Be careful, then..."


    After saying these words quickly... Matthew closed his eyes and just stood there.


    Swords, spears, axes approaching him from all sides... he just stood there as if accepting his death.


    ''Damn it, I shouldn''t have trusted this id-''


    But Kael''s thoughts were interrupted by the next moment.


    He and Matthew were in a circle... when suddenly a dark blue field appeared around them.


    Then... in an instant, dozens of flying shields surrounded them, repelling any weapons that came at them, and not only weapons, but the men!


    ''Ah, this...''


    Kael couldn''t help his eyes widening at what he felt as he looked at the shields.


    These... were not shields created by Matthew''s follower ability. He could understand from the eon they possessed.


    ''This... is his blessing!''


    He had never thought about what Matthew''s blessing was until now.


    If he had known it was so... useful, he wouldn''t have bothered in the first place!


    But then he found Matthew''s hand on his shoulder and saw that his expression was quite serious.


    "Start running, the shields won''t stay up long."


    Kael nodded quickly. And the next moment... they burst through a gap Matthew created between the shields and dived into the trees.


    It didn''t take them long to realize that they weren''t going to be so successful in running, though, as a voice came from behind them.


    "They''ve gone into the trees, get them!"


    The two clicked their tongues at the same time.


    "You could have told me earlier what your blessing was."


    Matthew didn''t answer, just sighed with a blank expression.


    "The shields can only stay up for three seconds at most, and they all consume a lot of eon. They''re a bit more powerful than my swords because they''re separate from my Path, but I can''t use them much, and once I''ve created them I can''t move them much, they''re just momentary."


    It was totally... a blessing on instant defense, then.


    "But forget my blessing, what are we going to do? They''ll come after us and we had to leave the nobles with them."


    Kael thought deeply for a while. Then he turned to Matthew with a serious expression.


    "Those swords you can create... how far can you control them?"


    Matthew''s answer was quick.


    "About seven meters."


    "And how far away from you can they maintain their existence?"


    "Twice as far."


    "That''s more than enough."


    Kael smiled, squinting slightly as a silvery glint appeared in his eyes.


    "We''re going to... hunt them."


    He wasn''t so sure about Matthew, that was why he had asked the questions.


    But himself...?


    The ones who should be afraid were the ones who were after them.


    After all, the forest was... his territory.


    *******


    Following Kael and Matthew, fifteen people entered the forest.


    And... four of them were Bearers.


    Hunting these brats was going to be a piece of cake for them!


    Of course, they were not going to be complacent just because their opponents were young and inexperienced. They were going to stand together as the experienced ones and not let the forest be used to their disadvantage!


    But then...


    "Agh!"


    Suddenly, they heard one of their number groaning momentarily.


    The fourteen turned at the same time to their friend from whom the sound had come.


    And... they saw a blue sword piercing their friend''s chest and stabbing his body into the ground.


    They could not see where the sword came from!


    "Watch out, they are hiding!"


    They all turned in the direction of the sword. After all, it had to be thrown from somewhere... the person hiding had to be where it was thrown from!


    "AAGH!"


    But then the person in the middle of them suddenly appeared with a sword on his back and plunged into a tree in front of their eyes.


    "Form a circle!"


    They quickly put their backs on each other.


    So what if their first thought was wrong...?


    There were still thirteen of them and in this position, they could dodge any attack!


    The next second, a total of two swords appeared, hurtling toward them!


    Both of them came from different locations, both of them were really fast!


    But because of the stance they took, they quickly dodged these two swords. Then the Bearers, two by two, rushed to where the swords had come from.


    And just as they were about to enter the bushes, they all turned around.


    They saw someone covered in a silvery glow, approaching their nine friends, back-to-back in the center...


    He was so... fast that they could only make out his figure.


    But there was no way nine people, not even a Bearer, could see a Follower like Kael. Especially when he was using his ability even if slightly.


    With that, Kael passed like lightning through the back-to-back nine and disappeared back into the trees.


    And as he passed... he made sure to slit the necks of two of them.


    Those of the Bearers who were close to the direction Kael had gone quickly headed in that direction. Once they had seen him, if they were fast enough, they could figure out exactly where he had gone!


    But then, the seven of them heard voices coming from the direction of their remaining friends.


    "Ugh!"


    "A- AAAAGGH! MY LEG... MY LEG!"


    The fallen swords they had just parried... suddenly started to move on their own, catching the circle of people off guard and slicing off their feet!


    "COME OUT, YOU FUCKING PESTS!"


    One of the Bearers lifted his foot up and struck the ground as hard as he could.


    The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck. Everyone else who felt the tremor, except their allies, was disoriented, unable to think straight.


    It must have caught those two brats off guard!


    "It''s a pity my feet didn''t touch the ground, though..."


    But then, he heard the voice whispering quickly in his ear and his eyes widened to their fullest.


    He saw feet wrapped around his waist, then the cold metal of a dagger approaching his throat before his eyes.


    And then... his throat was cut, his head severed from his body in a single blow.


    ''That leaves three bearers... and that old man.''


    It was... Kael!


    He was moving so fast while misleading everyone with his ability that no one could track him!


    They could probably take down the three Bearers at this point. They must have been on edge after what had happened to their friends, unable to think straight for fear of death.


    But that old man...


    ''He was a Follower at worst...''


    The only problem was, he never showed up! He hadn''t entered the forest with the team he had sent after giving the orders...


    Or he had entered and was waiting for the right moment.


    Either way, he was a threat because Kael and Matthew didn''t want to let the nobles be sold. It would be far better if they completed their mission by rescuing them.


    And with that thought, Kael turned to face the three remaining Bearers.


    And at that moment... he found a pair of black eyes staring back at him.


    His eyes widened in an instant.


    Because these two eyes... were not the ones that were familiar to him.


    They did not belong to Hakon.


    They were the eyes of the old man he had been thinking about just a few seconds ago!


    He quickly planted his feet on the back of the Bearer he had just killed and pushed himself with all his might.


    As he was thrown backwards, the sharp edge of a huge axe came down just before his eyes.


    It landed on the ground where he had just been, splitting the headless Bearer''s body in two.


    It was so fast and powerful... it even sent a shockwave, albeit a small one.


    ''Holy, it was so close!''


    But this was not the time to relax yet.


    Because the old man''s dark eyes were on him again... and were slowly turning an orangish color.


    Kael analyzed the man''s eon extremely quickly.


    And the man''s eon was... hot. Kael felt like he was right under the sun in the middle of summer, in a cloudless sky. If he stayed any longer without doing anything, he would even sweat.


    ''Hot...!''


    The moment he caught the clue, he picked the nearest tree and jumped behind it.


    Immediately afterwards... he felt a tremendously hot gust of wind blowing on him.


    Fortunately, he was behind a tree, so the heat did not damage his clothes or himself...


    But the temperature of the air passing around him was sweltering enough to make him sweat quite quickly!


    ''His follower ability allows him to send out a wave of very hot air...''


    He was sure to be a bit... challenging!


    But there was one thing that Kael forgot...


    "Gotcha!"


    And it was that his enemy was not only this old man. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After all, there were still three Bearers in the field they hadn''t killed yet!


    So, he saw the tip of the spear approaching him overhead.


    In just half a second, it would pierce through his skull and into the tree behind him!

 Chapter 84 - 84: Challenging Old Man

    A blue sword flew out of his sight with a speed that even Kael had difficulty seeing.


    The spear that was about to pierce his skull suddenly snapped, and the eyes of the man holding it widened.


    Kael quickly squinted. He could feel the eon moving behind the tree, exactly where the old man had been.


    Using his ability only on the man in front of him, he removed his own presence, moving behind him as fast as he could at the same time. Then... another wave of hot air blew over him.


    The man''s body, accompanied by his screams, shielded him from the hot air. And as the attack passed them by, Kael kicked him hard in the head.


    He didn''t have time to wait a second. So without even checking if he was dead, he turned his eyes to the old man... and used his ability once again.


    The last time, the old man had managed to block his ability because there were too many targets for him and he had to divide the eon.


    Now he targeted only him, pouring his eon all over him.


    And even though the old man tried to block his ability again, he only half succeeded. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kael''s image fogged up before his eyes, almost disappearing.


    But he didn''t care much about that.


    Things were getting troublesome now. He had to take these two brats much more seriously. Having lost so many men, he couldn''t afford to lose any more!


    ''Where''s the second one?''


    Out of the corner of his eye, he looked back for less than a second. The blue-haired brat was fighting with other two Bearers. And it wasn''t as if he had an overwhelming advantage. On the contrary, his situation did not look particularly good.


    ''Then I can focus on the one in front of me!''


    He turned back in front of him, his eyes on the blur that was already moving towards him.


    ''He wields a dagger, and his physique is much weaker than mine. I can finish him off in one blow.''


    His speed was a bit of a problem, yes...


    But all he needed was one blow.


    He used his ability, sending the hot air into the blur. But this time, instead of staying where he was, he pushed himself a little and followed his ability, attacking himself.


    The blur... avoided the wave of hot air by throwing himself quickly to the left. But that was exactly why the old man was on the move!


    He swung his axe at a diagonal angle towards where Kael had dodged the attack. But the blur, Kael, was fast. He managed to avoid the axe by quickly stepping backwards.


    The old man pointed his hand at him, sending another wave of hot air close by.


    Kael ducked as far as he could, even laying himself almost completely on the ground. In this way... he dodged the old man''s ability once more.


    But... now that he was lying on the ground, he was quite vulnerable.


    The old man turned his axe over and swung it at the blur that lay beneath his feet. This time, his attack would reach him, he had nowhere to run!


    At least he thought so.


    Because, as the axe was closing in on him at full speed, Kael wrapped his feet around the man''s legs and, supported by them, spun himself sideways around him.


    As soon as the axe cut where he had just been, he leaped to his feet and tried to drive his daggers into the old man''s back...


    But then he saw the palm facing him, hidden under the man''s armpit, and his eyes widened.


    He loaded his arms with as much eon as he could and quickly pulled them in front of him, ducked his head, and threw himself aside.


    He had managed to act fast, yes...


    But this time, his evasion of the attack was not perfect.


    The heat wave permeated his arms, if only for a second. He felt his hair burning, his skin almost shriveling. The hot air was going to pass through the gaps between his fingers and arms and seep into his whole body... and in fact, it did a little.


    But just then, Kael managed to get out of the path of the attack. He quickly put distance between himself and the old man and checked his condition.


    There were burns on his arms that looked quite large. Part of the piece of cloth he was wearing was blackened by the heat, almost to the point of burning, but... it wasn''t as bad as he thought.


    As he checked himself... the old man pulled his axe out of the ground and smiled broadly.


    "I told you, you will die."


    The blur whose figure he couldn''t quite make out... didn''t give him any answer.


    The old man suddenly felt all his senses strangely jumbled.


    ''Does he still have eons left?!


    He was aware that Kael''s ability should consume eon like crazy. But... Kael kept using it over and over again!


    His opponent''s eon reserves were... truly staggering.


    He paused, realizing that even though all of his senses were going crazy... one of them was actually not affected at all.


    And that sense was... the sense of touch.


    He could feel his clothes, the light wind against them, the slight warmth of the sunlight, and more... he could feel them all.


    ''Behind me!''


    As soon as he felt the change behind him, he contracted all his arm muscles, turning his axe behind him as fast as he could while using... his blessing.


    The function of his blessing was a bit... complicated.


    It multiplied the momentary force of all objects he touched according to their momentum.


    In short, the more instantaneous the speed of his axe, the greater his explosive power. And to facilitate this, his agility increased with every second he used his blessing.


    It was a pretty decent blessing for someone with a built body like his.


    The only problem was... the greater the force his grace multiplied, the more eon it absorbed.


    That''s why he always saved his blessing for the final attack and used it as a surprise at the last moment.


    ''He is done!''


    The swing of his axe and the spinning of it happened almost simultaneously. Only a handful of Pursuers, let alone Followers, could have seen that attack!


    And Kael couldn''t see it either, of course.


    Even though his attack was instantaneous, the old man could feel the body his axe sliced through. And as he completed his attack... there was indeed a blur before his eyes.


    A blur split in two.


    "Heh."


    He took a step backwards to keep his axe steady, realizing that the fingers holding the handle were red from the sheer force, but he didn''t care.


    Slowly, his senses returned to him. Slowly, the blur hiding his opponent disappeared...


    "I told yo-"


    But then he swallowed his words.


    His eyes widened in an instant.


    The blur he had sliced in half with his axe... was not his opponent.


    It was his ally, the Bearer whose head was missing.


    He looked around quickly, trying to protect himself. He tried to see Kael, to understand where he was.


    And he saw him... collapsed on the ground not far from him.


    Kael was gasping for breath. The glint in his eyes had completely disappeared, back to their original color of brown.


    ''Did he run out of eon...?''


    The old man narrowed his eyes. Unsure if this was also a trick, he kept his axe in an alert position, ready to attack and defend himself at any moment.


    "Now... what are you planning, brat?"


    Kael raised his eyes slowly, meeting his. Then he let out a deep sigh and dropped himself to the ground.


    "I''m not planning anything, I''m out of eon."


    If he really ran out of eon... then his chances of winning were zero now.


    The fight between them was already over.


    And he had... accepted that?


    "Look behind, idiot.."


    The old man''s eyes widened at the voice behind him. He turned his eyes back and found the blue-haired young man, Matthew, in front of him, holding a blue sword.


    Behind him, where he had just fought, both Bearers lay motionless on the floor.


    ''Are they... already dead?''


    He tried to defend himself with his axe, using his blessing one last time to finish Matthew off with an unexpected block followed by a quick counterattack.


    But then, his whole body stiffened. The pain he felt in the back of his head made the whole world blur and all the power drained from his body.


    "You idiot, who do you think you turned your back on?"


    Kael''s voice echoed in his ears.


    The moment the old man had turned to Matthew... he had thrown one of his daggers right at his head.


    But he didn''t even understand what had happened.


    Because the next moment, Matthew''s sword severed his head from his body... and he collapsed to the ground just like that.


    "Huuuuuh..."


    Kael took a deep breath, his brown eyes fixed on Matthew.


    "So... only two Bearers were enough to challenge you that much?"


    Matthew threw his sword over his shoulder and smiled.


    "Believe me, they both had the most frustrating blessings I''ve ever encountered."


    Then he held out his hand to his friend on the ground.


    Kael rolled his eyes as he gladly accepted the hand and stood up.


    "Keep making excuses."


    Matthew said nothing. Kael, meanwhile, stretched as he stood up, causing a few of the bones in his back to crackle. Then he turned his eyes to the trees in the forest.


    "Let''s be quick, we need to rescue the nobles. There shouldn''t be many of the gang left after the ones we killed here."


    Then he paused, his brow furrowing as a thought occurred to him.


    "Wait... Did we kill the regular guards whose feet you cut off?"


    Matthew just stood there, frozen in place.


    "I guess... no?"


    And Kael let out a much deeper sigh this time.


    "I''ll have to... search the forest a bit, then."


    It didn''t matter if they lived or died, actually.


    But... when he had the opportunity to feed his curse for free, why would he pass it up?


    "You head towards the nobles. I''ll be right behind you."


    And, strangely enough, Matthew didn''t question him and nodded his head.


    "Fine by me."

 Chapter 85 - 85: Possible Serious Problem

    It was just as they thought. After killing the old man and the others, they had taken down most of the group.


    The only ones left were two Bearers and eight normal people who dealt with nobles. Which took them less than half a minute to kill.


    Finally, when they retrieved the nobles...


    "We won''t face another ambush now... will we?"


    Matthew shrugged his shoulders in reply.


    "I don''t know, but if we do, we''ll be in a tough spot... that''s for sure."


    Kael sighed slightly. Then he turned his eyes to the four nobles crouched on the ground behind Matthew.


    So far... they hadn''t spoken much. They had been communicating largely through body gestures, making no sound.


    And that was still the case.


    ''Are they still too scared?''


    This was the most logical explanation... but for some reason, it began to strike him as strange that all the nobles he had met were so ''weak''.


    Most of the time, he had thought that nobles were the strong ones. Like all of them were Bearers or Followers. But... the reality was different. The vast majority of the nobles he had met were only skilled in policy work, such as running their own settlements, and that was it.


    ''Well, whatever.''


    He bent down to the nobles and untied their hands one by one with his dagger. Then he put a small smile on his face.


    "We''ve taken out almost all of our chasers, now... we''re going to go to the nearest town and get some clean clothes first. And then..."


    He paused, turning his eyes to Matthew.


    They looked at each other for a moment. But when Kael saw that he didn''t react much, he turned his gaze back to the nobles.


    "We''ll go straight to the capital."


    Actually... the best option was to go to the Count of Uhron and inform him of the situation. The city was much closer to here than the capital and it would have been much faster.


    The only problem was...


    ''I just... can''t find myself trusting the Count.''


    Yes, he had never seen him once.


    Yes, he might turn out to be a really good guy.


    Still... ever since he had learned in Ghran that the Baron himself was directly supporting the gang they were targeting, whatever reason he had, he had chosen not to trust anyone without seeing and understanding them.


    Just in case.


    *******


    With Matthew as their guide, it took them a full day to reach the nearest town.


    The only problem was... the town''s baron was probably the most cowardly person Kael had ever met.


    At first, they were going to ask him for help by showing him their Imperial crest. But the moment Matthew pulled it out of his pocket, the baron''s eyes widened as if they were going to pop out of their sockets.


    All he had to do was give them clean clothes. But the baron... thinking that Kael and Matthew had come for him... started saying one thing after another, not even letting them speak. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He apologized for the woman he had threatened just to spend one night together.


    He apologized for the maid he accidentally killed.


    He apologized for firing a man from his job and making sure that he would never be able to find another one, just because he got on his nerves.


    Finally, as he apologized for his mistakes and crimes, Kael and Matthew could only stare at each other, their faces twitching.


    "We... we just want clothes... we are on a different mission..."


    It was only when they finally found the space to speak and uttered those words that the baron stopped. A silence fell over his office so deep that no one moved.


    Eventually... he basically ran out of the room.


    When they got the clothes they had asked for from the maids, they learned that the baron had gone to his bedroom and wept bitterly.


    It was a rather... strange day for sure.


    But they managed to get what they wanted and set off again. What to do about the baron... they chose to decide later.


    *******


    Nothing happened to them during the journey. No other ambush, no one following them, no bandits, no creatures blocking their path...


    Nothing at all.


    Though... a small part of the reason for this was that Kael regularly left the carriage and went into the forest to kill things. Every day, he could find a few wild animals and creatures. But they were still relatively few in number.


    In this way, they made it safely to the capital. They handed the nobles over to the guards, then, without even reporting, they went straight to Hakon.


    And they managed to find him in his office, although it was quite... unlikely that he would be there.


    A few minutes later...


    "So... you found the gang in Ghran, you took out the leader and the Bearer with him, but there''s a much bigger gang in the city in Uhron County, and you rescued the nobles they were going to sell for human trafficking... Did I misunderstand anything?"


    Kael and Matthew shook their heads at the same time.


    And Hakon... widened his smile.


    "Good. Do you know anything about the gang in Uhron?"


    Matthew remained silent, not having any information.


    But Kael... knew something.


    "Feria Lockhend... that was the name of their leader."


    And after what he said, not only Hakon turned to him, but even Matthew, who had been standing silently beside him.


    "Lockhend?"


    "Did you say Lockhend...?"


    Kael paused, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at Matthew and then at Hakon.


    "Did I say something I shouldn''t have...?"


    Hakon quickly shook his head from side to side.


    "No, you just... said something quite surprising. Where did you get this information?"


    "Directly from Feria Lockhend herself."


    Hakon narrowed his eyes, the tiny smile on his face vanishing in an instant.


    "Are you... sure about this, Kael?"


    "I was hiding in the same room when the leader of the gang in Ghran was talking to her. She''s a pretty woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. She used that name when she introduced herself and said she was the leader of an illegal group called the Red Feathers."


    Hakon''s expression darkened further.


    "Feria Lockhend is the daughter of Count Uhron, who married into the Lockhend family last year. But that''s not the real problem."


    Kael suddenly felt himself tense, his eyes narrowing just like Hakon''s as a thousand thoughts ran through his mind about what could be the problem.


    But the answer he got... it was definitely something he hadn''t expected.


    "Lockhend is a ducal family, Kael. And if it turns out that their daughter-in-law is involved in something illegal, especially trafficking other nobles, it will cause them a lot of trouble."


    "Oh..."


    Kael quickly realized how... big this was and stayed where he was with his thoughts.


    "We need to investigate this. Every last detail. And if Feria Lockhend really had a hand in this ''gangsterism''..."


    Hakon turned his eyes to the table, his black eyes even more... dark than usual.


    "The Empire may be in turmoil for some time to come because of the Lockhends."


    Hakon was silent for a short while, then stretched, took a piece of paper out of his desk drawer, and began scribbling.


    "This mission... is out of both your league. I will mark your mission a success and you will receive your reward, though."


    Then he took out another piece of paper, scribbled the same thing on it, and handed it to Kael and Matthew.


    "Write your report, not leaving out a single detail. Then you can leave. Your days must have been exhausting, get some rest. Then... we''ll see what happens."


    Kael... was very surprised, not expecting things to get so serious. Nevertheless, he obediently pulled the paper to himself and wrote his report at length. When he finished... he and Matthew walked out of Hakon''s office.


    As they walked down the corridor, both of their faces were stoic.


    "Feria Lockhend, huh... Why didn''t you tell me earlier?"


    There was no anger in Matthew''s question. He must have had dozens of thoughts running through his head too. He was just... curious.


    "I don''t know. I guess I didn''t think that woman would be that important."


    "..."


    Kael paused for a moment, his mind filled with questions he did not know the answers to and could not understand.


    For example... if Feria Lockhend was so highly placed among the nobility, why was she involved in such... simple ''gangsterism''?


    Trafficking nobles was certainly not a simple thing to do, yes, but... why were her underlings simple and weak? Why was she operating only in her father''s county?


    She must have had a lot of money. So that couldn''t have been the case.


    It couldn''t have been fame either. The only greater fame than being part of a Duke''s Family would have been being a relative of the Emperor or something.


    Was she looking for entertainment, simply?


    He wasn''t sure of the answer, it could have been something he had never thought of.


    But, nevertheless...


    ''People... are just so strange.''


    After a short while, he parted ways with Matthew and returned to his own room. After days of sleeping on the floor, doing nothing but riding horses... his bed certainly felt comfortable.


    Yet there was another reason why he had allowed himself so much comfort.


    And it was because... for some reason, he thought his future was about to get a bit troubled.


    So he closed his eyes. His mind surrendered to the darkness, he slept soundly.


    The next day, when he woke up with the sun shining on his face and saw what awaited him in his room, he realized how right he was.


    He didn''t know why, but... sitting on his desk was a rather familiar figure with an annoying smile on his face.


    "Good morning, Kael."


    Kael let out a deep, really deep sigh.


    Good thing he had decided to get a good night''s sleep. Because he knew something like this was going to happen...


    When had his instincts ever failed him before?

 Chapter 86 - 86: Infiltrating the Barony of Dolcan

    "What am I expected to do...?"


    He had just woken up. Even the blurriness in his eyes was not completely gone... but he knew why Hakon was in his room.


    Or rather, he knew why he might be here.


    The fact that he was here... meant there was an emergency.


    "Ahahah, you can figure things out so quickly... I really appreciate that about you."


    Kael rolled his eyes, meanwhile Hakon simply squinted.


    "There''s something about the Lockhend case. I told you and Matthew yesterday that this was out of your league, but... I have just the mission for you. And it''s supposed to be extremely secret."


    A secret mission, huh...


    For some reason, he remembered the mission Laen had given him in Greenveil Town. Those four merchants he had killed... he still hadn''t forgotten them.


    "And...?"


    "I''ve been researching Feria Lockhend ever since you gave me her name, and about half an hour ago I realized that she corresponded quite frequently with a baron."


    Kael paused, more or less realizing what the mission was.


    "I''m going to go to the barony secretly, then inspect the letters... And if I find anything troubling, I''ll take it with me as evidence, right?"


    "Exactly."


    Kael sighed deeply.


    "I also won''t have anyone else with me this time, I guess."


    "You guessed right."


    Kael didn''t say anything for a while. His brown eyes lingered on Hakon for a few seconds, then narrowed and focused on his black eyes.


    "Why... me, though? Even if it suits me... you said this matter could become too big of a problem. Wouldn''t it be better to give it to someone more trustworthy, a Pursuer or something? You going there yourself, for example... You have a camouflage skill, after all."


    "That''s exactly the problem, Kael."


    Kael frowned, waiting for Hakon to continue, listening to what he had to say.


    "This matter... could become quite serious. So the fewer people who know this information, the better. My sudden disappearance would attract attention. And... I wasn''t kidding when I said this mission is secret, not even the Empire knows about it."


    And at that moment, Kael''s eyes suddenly widened.


    Basically, Hakon was giving him this mission himself. It was not an approved assignment from Empire!


    Which meant...


    ''If I''m caught, I won''t have an official assignment document behind me to defend me!''


    They weren''t giving him this mission because they trusted him.


    This mission... was exactly the kind of mission they would give to someone like him whom they did not yet fully trust!


    If he failed in the mission, it would do them almost no harm...


    "Also..."


    Hakon widened his smile, not averting his eyes even for a second.


    "What makes you think I don''t trust you? I have every confidence that you will accomplish this mission successfully..."


    Kael tried really hard to keep his face from twitching.


    ''I bet you have, asshole!''


    *******


    With his horse beneath him, heading for his destination, Kael had a rather stoic expression.


    But... the same could not be said for his mind.


    ''I cannot fail... I absolutely cannot...''


    He was terribly nervous.


    He knew he shouldn''t be nervous, but he couldn''t help it.


    If he failed in this mission, if he was captured... everything he had worked for so far was for nothing. Hakon and General Loukan would just throw him away!


    They wouldn''t have a choice!


    ''Damn it... fuck this!''


    He slammed the reins hard on his horse, making it go faster, even though it was already quite fast.


    All the while, as he cursed Hakon incessantly in his thoughts, another kind of them appeared.


    Like... if he succeeded, they would start to trust him a lot more. And he had no doubt that the reward would be good.


    This mission... was as much an opportunity as it was a danger.


    And he wanted to do everything he could to make the most of it. That was one of the reasons for his nervousness.


    He gripped the reins even tighter, narrowed his eyes.


    ''No failing.''


    And so... he kept moving forward.


    *******


    The Baron with whom Feria Lockhend corresponded was not governing one of the baronies within Uhron County, like Halve and Gran, but an entirely different county.


    It was therefore quite far from the capital. Nevertheless, Kael traveled all this way quite quickly because he was traveling alone. Even though his curse was quite saturated, he hunted animals and creatures wherever he passed each day. He was never idle.


    And so, at the end of twelve days... he stopped his horse when he had to go down a seemingly high hill.


    He squinted, looking with interest at the town at the bottom of the hill.


    The town walls were the smallest he had ever seen. They were barely four or five meters high.


    But that didn''t mean that its security was low... because he could see quite a few guards moving around on the walls. The entrance to the town was strictly controlled.


    Much stricter than necessary for a barony, in fact.


    ''Dolcan Town... let''s see what you''re hiding.''


    He dismounted and tied his horse to a tree, out of sight from the town.


    Then he waited until night fell, for nearly two hours... all the while making plans to enter the town unseen by anyone.


    The guards on the walls... were about fifteen meters apart. No matter where he approached the town, he would always be in sight of at least three guards. And he was too far away from them to use his ability.


    Kael turned his eyes to the entrance on his side of town. A few carriages drove in and out. Their controls were solid and thorough, and they were all carefully inspected to see what they were carrying.


    Kael began to examine each of the guards circling the walls, to see what kind of men they were.


    What he was looking for was simple. He was looking for anyone who looked the least bit lazy, tired, careless... After all, with so many guards, there was no way that every one of them could be perfect.


    And it was just as he thought.


    ''Those two... look pretty tired.''


    He wasn''t sure if it was a miracle, but the two guards advancing behind each other were exactly the types he was looking for. Both of them walked quite slowly, only quickening their pace when they realized they were falling behind. They also both looked rather careless.


    As Kael watched them, another guard called out to one of them, and the guard... only realized it the second time the person called out.


    ''Wonderful.''


    Kael moved quickly. He began to approach the wall diagonally so that he was on the same side as the two men. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He moved from tree to tree, careful of his every move as he made his way down the hill. So, keeping himself always in line with the two guards he had chosen, he sneaked closer, closer... and closer.


    Finally, he came to a place where he was only twenty meters from the walls. Moreover, he was in front of a part of them that faced the hill, and it was also a bit curved.


    But the most important thing was that Kael could now use his ability.


    He focused his eyes on the three guards most likely to see him. Then he used his ability, completely erasing himself from the trio''s view.


    He ran quickly to just below the curve of the wall, then climbed up and moved to the center of the trio where he used his ability.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he began to check the other guards. The trio he had chosen earlier continued to move through their rounds, soon moving out of the range of his ability, but Kael ignored it and stayed where he was. He used his ability on each new guard that came close.


    Finally, after about three minutes... he caught a tiny gap in the line of sight of the guards outside his ability''s range and quickly exploited it.


    He climbed up the three-meter-thick wall so fast, jumped over it and into the town so quickly that even he could not observe what exactly was happening around him.


    As soon as he jumped into the town, he threw himself between two buildings.


    His breathing was even, every movement was silent, and it happened with perfect speed.


    No one had seen him...


    "Huh...?"


    Except for the old man in the middle of the two buildings he had stepped between!


    Kael didn''t even hesitate as the man looked at him with a puzzled expression. His eyes quickly turned cruel.


    Without even waiting for the old man to make a sound, he covered his mouth with one hand and placed the other at an angle behind his head. Then, he snapped his neck as fast as he could.


    At first, the old man''s eyes filled with astonishment, but then, slowly, all signs of life disappeared from his eyes... he just died like that.


    Kael let out a deep, yet silent sigh. He had had to move so fast to avoid being caught that he hadn''t had time to consider whether there might be someone in his hiding place.


    He leaned the old man gently against the wall, laying him down so that it looked as if he were asleep. In any case... he was probably a homeless beggar. His clothes were quite dirty and his hair was full of dirt and dust.


    He was sure that no one would look for him, that they would care if they saw him sleeping here.


    "Huuuu..."


    After taking care of the old man, he stretched, made sure again that no one was watching him, and turned his eyes to the tall building in the center of town.


    It was much smaller than the mansions belonging to the other barons... but a little taller.


    ''Let''s go...''


    The clothes he was wearing were especially casual, specially prepared by him as he waited for the night to fall. He just needed to give it a little touch now.


    He took off the piece of cloth that hid his face and tucked it into his clothes. Then he craned his neck, put on a casual expression, as if he were a normal person, and walked unnoticed out of the building to blend in with the crowd.

 Chapter 87 - 87: Office of the Baron

    After all the training he had received, all the practice he had done, Kael had thought that infiltrating a place would be at least a little bit easier.


    Not much, just a little bit...


    Oh, how wrong he was...


    ''Why the hell is there so much security in this place?!''


    The mansion was surrounded by guards, trained dogs, controlled checkpoints, and much more.


    He had to think about every step he took, calculate every point he wanted to make.


    It took him forty minutes of analysis and calculation to get into the garden, let alone inside the mansion, without getting caught!


    Well, in the end... he succeeded. And as long as he got what he wanted, it didn''t really matter how much time he spent.


    Still, it was frustrating!


    He calmed himself, took a deep breath.


    ''Now...''


    He had managed to sneak in by disrupting the dogs'' sense of smell.


    And yes, he could ruin animals'' senses too.


    But his next problem was to get inside the mansion. Though, this... was easier than he thought.


    Moving step by step through the garden without anyone noticing, he spotted the baron''s office, and keeping his ability active, he climbed to the roof.


    Then... he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Thanks to the structure of the building, the roof had ledges for the rooms and recesses above the corridors. This gave him a few spaces where he could deactivate his ability without worrying for the first time.


    And in this space... he waited for quite a long time.


    He was hiding behind the bulge just above the baron''s office. No one could see him, and the dogs in the garden couldn''t smell him from here.


    Basically, he was quite comfortable here.


    And comfortable meant there was plenty of time to formulate the perfect plan.


    Kael lay down, closed his eyes, and used his eon to enhance his senses. The Baron''s office was just below him, after all... even if there was a wall in between.


    So he thought that if he developed his senses to a certain degree, he would be able to hear his movements, his voices.


    And he did.


    Although he could have used more eon, to avoid the few Bearers or, in the unlikely event, Followers in the mansion, he was limiting himself. So what he could hear was not extremely clear, some things were even difficult to make out...


    But it was enough.


    He could hear the baron humming a melody. He could also make out the sounds of the papers on his desk, which he was constantly moving around and scribbling on, though it was difficult if he focused on them.


    That''s how he knew where the baron was in the room.


    He calculated how far away he was from the window, and even made tiny calculations to figure out where his face was looking.


    Ten minutes into his analysis, though... there was a knock on the baron''s door.


    "Come in."


    Kael focused all his attention on his ears. He turned off all his other senses and pushed his hearing to its maximum.


    "Ah, Sirbas. I''ve been waiting for you."


    ''Sirbas...?''


    It was... a name he did not know.


    The person who entered, Sirbas, closed the door and approached the baron''s desk.


    "Any news?"


    "Yes, sir."


    It was a... man. His voice sounded very strange, quite... thin. But he could still tell it was a man.


    "Nice! What is the news?"


    Kael couldn''t help frowning. What could make a baron so... excited?


    Sirbas didn''t answer, on the contrary, he moved closer to the baron''s desk and then silence fell over the room.


    ''Did he give him something? I couldn''t hear a sound...''


    The silence continued for a few more seconds. But finally...


    "Great! That''s excellent news."


    Kael tried hard not to click his tongue. Sirbas had given him something, probably a piece of paper, and the baron had read it completely inward.


    ''Maybe he''ll comment on something?''


    But... he couldn''t hear anything from the baron. Absolute silence reigned in the room. The only problem was that he knew Sirbas had not left the room, that he was still standing there.


    ''Why are they so quiet?'' S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kael waited a while longer. But there was no sound from inside...


    And with that, suddenly, his eyes widened, a possibility entered his mind.


    ''Did they... notice me?''


    Fear gripped his whole body. He opened his eyes and looked around, waiting for someone who was about to pounce on him...


    But no one came.


    He was alone...


    And that''s when a faint voice entered his ear, the voice of the baron. A low, incomprehensible sentence of some sort...


    He quickly closed his eyes and focused on his ears again.


    But the baron had already finished talking.


    "Understood, sir."


    With those words, Sirbas left the room. And Kael... made the mistake of not hearing what the baron was saying and stayed where he was.


    If he hadn''t had to hide, he would have scolded himself out loud, but he didn''t. What had happened had happened. Now, he just had to keep doing what he had to do.


    To keep waiting, to keep analyzing.


    And so... a day passed.


    He kept analyzing.


    Then two days.


    Three days...


    Kael hid on the roof the whole time. He had problems with food or things like that, of course... but with little things like a piece of bread he had taken with him before entering the mansion, they weren''t too big a problem.


    In the end... he had achieved his goal.


    He had learned the baron''s daily routines. He figured out where certain things were, what time the servants came in at night.


    He also learned a few useless things.


    The baron was cheating on his wife, for example.


    And that the reason he didn''t have a child was because he was infertile, even though he was hiding it from everyone.


    And he didn''t know why, but the baron had a habit of muttering meaningless things over and over. Kael wondered if he was crazy more than once.


    Still, it didn''t matter.


    He could finally take action and that was what mattered.


    With that, he waited for nightfall.


    The Baron usually worked late into the night, only then sleeping, waking up at noon, and getting back to work. So Kael had to wait under the cover of darkness for quite a long time.


    And the baron rose from his desk only three hours before sunrise. He stretched, yawned sleepily. Then he did a few things, like organizing the files in his room, and finally went to sleep.


    Kael moved rather quickly. He stepped perfectly down from the roof, avoiding any eyes that might see him, and stood in front of the office window.


    The Baron left the window slightly open to allow the room to ventilate. In this way, he had no trouble sneaking in.


    Since the Baron''s sleeping hours often varied, the servants never entered the office at night, and when they woke with the rising of the sun, they started to clean up. In short... he had three whole hours.


    The design of the room and the positioning of the furniture were as he had imagined it when he was on the roof. Only... it was fancier than he had imagined.


    Still, he didn''t waste time on that and quickly approached the baron''s desk.


    When the baron worked, he often heard the sound of drawers opening and closing, so he would check them first.


    So he began to rummage through one drawer after another, examining the files.


    There were many things in the files. Things that concerned the town, a few files about the renovation of the mansion, a list of women he had cheated on his wife with, and many other things...


    ''Why don''t they put these things in more secret places...?''


    He put aside the list of women with whom the baron had cheated on his wife. When he was sure there was nothing useful in this drawer, he put it back the way it was before and moved on to the next.


    He found many things. Yet the vast majority of what he found had to do with things that the baron already had to do, and the rest was unnecessary.


    But when he realized that he had finished searching every drawer in the desk, he frowned. He stood up and started rummaging through the cabinets fixed to the wall just behind the desk.


    There were quite thick files and books in the cabinets.


    But not all of them, again, were useful.


    ''How surprising... The Baron was actually a decent, dedicated man...''


    Kael could not help but praise the man. What he was doing was really about growing his town, his business, and his future. Likewise, he didn''t persecute his people. In fact, they liked him very much.


    ''Leaving aside the cheating on his wife, of course...''


    Which, as far as he could tell, very few people knew.


    ''Whatever.''


    He looked through the books in the cabinet, searching for something hidden, but he couldn''t find it. Finally, realizing that nothing worthwhile was going to come out of here either, he put everything back the way it was and closed the cabinet door.


    The same thing happened in another one.


    And then in another...


    Finally, with a sigh, he walked across the center of the room, slowly turning around, looking carefully at every corner of the room.


    He couldn''t see anything that caught his attention.


    His face twitching, he narrowed his eyes and began to search every corner of the room more carefully.


    But the man had nothing illegal to do or anything to indicate his connection to Feria Lockhend.


    "Tch."


    He clicked his tongue, closed his eyes, and began to scan his memory, and then paused as a thought occurred to him.


    ''Now that I think about it... who was that Sirbas?''


    Since the first time he had heard of the man, he had never seen him enter the baron''s office again. It was as if... he had disappeared.


    ''Where could he have gone?''


    He hadn''t found any files related to him inside. So his existence had slipped his mind a little.


    Now, though... he had no other suspects but the person called Sirbas.


    ~creak!


    He suddenly paused.


    ''Is that... the door?''


    His eyes widened as he realized what the sound was. He quickly turned to the door of the office.


    ''The fucking door!''

 Chapter 88 - 88: A Stupid Plan

    The person who came in... looked skinny. His brown hair had gray spots in places, he must have been over forty. His clothes were not pajamas or the clothes of someone who had just woken up. He looked more like... a butler.


    The man let his dull yellow eyes roam the room for a while. Then, he closed the door without a sound and approached the baron''s office.


    He passed Kael standing in the middle of the room, not noticing him at all... Or rather, unable to notice him.


    ''He... He didn''t see me... I did it.''


    Kael had used his follower ability as soon as he realized the door had opened. Apparently, he had managed to erase himself from the man''s line of sight before he saw him.


    ''That was close... too close.''


    He calmed himself, slowed his breathing and his heart. Then he studied the man who had entered.


    ''Who... is this, though?''


    While he was in these thoughts, the man finally reached the table and then bent down under it. He took out what looked like a key from his pocket, then... pointed it at a spot on the floor.


    As Kael continued to watch everything carefully, there was a ''click'' at the spot where the man extended the key, then that part of the floor sank slightly, revealing a hole.


    The man inserted the key into the hole, turning it a single turn. Then he pulled the hole aside like a trapdoor and opened it.


    The secret compartment was completely filled with what looked like letters.


    ''Letters...?''


    Kael''s eyes widened.


    ''Letters!''


    The man was shuffling through the letters, pulling most of them to the side, almost as if he was looking for something specific.


    Kael approached him as he continued to search for what he wanted. The letters he had pushed aside were right next to him, out of sight. So he reached for one of them, quietly pulled it towards himself, and tucked it between his clothes.


    And... he didn''t stop there. As the number of letters the man pulled aside increased, he took a few more with him.


    Finally, just as he was about to take one more...


    "Aha..."


    Suddenly, the man stood up with a single letter in his hand. If Kael had been a little distracted, they would have almost bumped into each other!


    But, fortunately, it didn''t happen.


    "Found you..."


    Kael frowned the moment he heard the man''s voice.


    ''That voice...''


    It looked familiar.


    Even...


    ''Sirbas?''


    It was definitely him, he was sure. Their voices were identical.


    Sirbas didn''t even open the letter he found. He simply tucked it into his clothes, then put all the letters he had stacked aside back into the secret compartment and locked it. When he was done... it was literally impossible for anyone to realize that there was a secret compartment there.


    He took one last look around the room with a smile on his face, then his smile widened and he left the room.


    As the room fell silent again, Kael deactivated his ability, then sighed deeply.


    ''Now, this was just... weird.''


    He approached the window through which he had entered the office, went up to the roof, where he had spent three days, and took out the letters he had smuggled out while camouflaging himself.


    ''Let''s see what we have...''


    He carefully opened the first letter and quickly began to read what was written.


    And...


    ''Bingo.''


    The first sentence of the letter was simple, but actually something he was looking for.


    Dear Baron Dolcan, this is Feria Lockhend. It is with great pleasure that I inform you that I have found someone to buy the nobles we are holding captive.


    The letter went on to say who would buy the nobles and where, and that she was satisfied with the work done with Baron Dolcan.


    The sentence at the bottom of the letter was quite ironic.


    Please burn this letter after you receive it and destroy the evidence.


    ''Idiot...''


    The Baron did not burn the letters, but kept them.


    He probably wanted to use them if something happened, or he had some other motive, who knows.


    Either way...


    ''Now, I have proof.''


    He put the paper back into the letter, then moved on to the second letter.


    This was a much older letter, almost a year old. It was one of the first letters Feria Lockhend sent to the baron. And its content... was a guarantee that there would be a relationship between the Dolcan Family and the Lockhend Family if they started to make big profits from their business.


    The third letter, unfortunately, was not about Feria Lockhend, but about another dirty business of the baron. It seems that after his work with Feria, he had taken up illegal activities on his own...


    The fourth and last letter he was able to plagiarize was the one that caught his attention the most.


    ''This...''


    It... was a warning.


    A warning from Feria Lockhend to the baron.


    The Second Imperial Princess is suspicious of something, we will be inactive and silent for a month or so. Please don''t try anything on your own.


    So there was already someone after them...


    Kael strained his memory, trying to remember who the Second Princess mentioned in the letter was, but he had never heard of such a person before.


    ''Does the Empire know about this? Or is this princess trying something on her own?''


    If she was someone whose mere presence could cause Feria Lockhend to worry, she must have a lot of influence. Or someone so powerful that she was feared.


    When he finished reading this letter, he tucked it back into his clothes, then took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.


    It would be about two hours before sunrise. He had only been searching the room for an hour.


    ''Should I look for more things, or is this enough...''


    His mission was simply to find the letters between Feria and Baron Dolcan.


    And he found them.


    In short, his mission was over.


    ''This is... enough, I think.''


    He didn''t need to try any harder when the risk of being caught was high. At least that was the decision he had made.


    He rose slightly to his feet. From the roof, he had a fairly easy view of the manor garden and the town in general.


    ''Back to square one, huh...''


    He had to get out of here before he got caught, now.


    *******


    It was easy for Kael to infiltrate the mansion.


    But getting out...


    ''Damn... what the hell is this?''


    It was almost impossible to get out!


    ''Why has security been increased? Has something happened? Why is it harder to get out of here than in...?''


    A day had passed since he found the letters. It was the beginning of the next night.


    But he still couldn''t get out of the mansion, let alone the town!


    There were guards, dogs, and more everywhere. He wasn''t sure what was going on in the mansion, but something was definitely happening.


    ''Maybe they realized someone had snuck in?''


    Or maybe it had something to do with the letter Sirbas had taken with him... who knows?


    ...


    Well, actually... he didn''t need to find out why security had been increased.


    He just needed to get out of here safely, without losing the letters, without his identity being discovered.


    He kept thinking, different plans began to form in his head.


    How about sneaking up on one of the guards, knocking him unconscious, then changing his clothes?


    The dogs would be a problem, though...


    Trying to sneak through was impossible in the first place...


    But then he paused. He went backwards in his thinking, to a certain thought.


    He just had to make sure he didn''t lose the letters, his identity didn''t get discovered, and he didn''t get caught.


    ''Huh...'' S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His lips involuntarily curled upwards at the thought. But it wasn''t because of excitement or happiness, or because he had come up with the perfect plan.


    ''I am an idiot...''


    He took a deep breath, then slowly stood up.


    He was completely exposed, anyone could see him now... But he didn''t care.


    ''I''m really stupid to do this...''


    He really was.


    But in the end... all he had to do was to keep his identity a secret.


    Was it really a problem if someone found out that someone had infiltrated the mansion, or even... that he had walked out in front of them?


    He just needed to keep his intentions and the fact that he had the letters secret.


    ''Fuck this shit, but...''


    He looked at the sky, the stars, and the moon for the last time. As his smile widened, he let himself fall off the roof.


    ''Let''s go!''


    Meanwhile, just below him, a few guards were walking around, chatting.


    But as soon as they saw the figure descending towards them in the darkness of the night, they all stopped chatting and turned towards him.


    They didn''t have a chance to see the face, to understand who he was, nor to understand what this figure actually was.


    Because the figure, Kael, without a care in the world, pumped eon all over his body and suddenly started running at an explosive speed.


    "Ah..."


    The eyes of one of the guards widened as he looked at Kael''s figure moving away at tremendous speed. And then...


    "G- get him! Someone has infiltrated the mansion!"


    The whole mansion was suddenly alerted by this shout in the middle of the night.

 Chapter 89 - 89: Escape from the Town

    After his first mission, Kael had a thought. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And that thought was... the barons had too much power.


    If every baron had their own private knights like Amar, how much power did counts, dukes, kings, or the emperor himself possess?


    The nobles were frightening, even if most of them were not individually powerful.


    But then Kael realized something else.


    And that was that not all barons had a knight like Amar who was a Seeker.


    Amar was probably an exception. Because all the baronies he stepped into after that day were quite poor in Bearers, let alone Followers.


    And the Barony of Dolcan was among that majority.


    Therefore...


    ''There are only two Follower in the whole mansion, the Bearers are getting close to ten... but as long as I''m fast, there''s no way they can catch me.''


    And he was fast.


    Really fast.


    Normal people could only see him as a mere blur. Knights and guards could more or less make out his figure, but only Bearers and Followers could actually ''see'' him.


    The large amount of eon in his body was quite useful in these situations. And he didn''t hesitate to use it, this time. He used his speed to the limit.


    He was past the dogs before they could bark, leaped up the thick, tall walls of the mansion in a single bound, and found himself instantly running across the rooftops of the town.


    He could see his chasers coming after him, the guards on the rooftops trying to block his way.


    The news that someone was on the run had spread too fast, although he didn''t know why.


    But it didn''t matter.


    Because he dodged them all with his speed. He ran through them, even stepped on some of them to gain more momentum...


    Arrows rained down behind him at some time and he had to get off the roof, forcing him to enter the streets of the town.


    Countless guards were gathering on the great wall he was running towards, but he did not change his direction.


    Finally, he came into the alley he had entered a few days before. The body of the old man whose neck he had broken was still there. He had begun to stink, his skin was so pale that it was impossible not to know he was dead.


    But for some reason... no one noticed that he was there, as if to announce to the world how lonely and insignificant the old man was.


    He took a deep breath, tensed his leg muscles, and jumped as high as he could.


    There were so many soldiers on the wall he was trying to get on that he couldn''t see behind them...


    But as long as they did not see him, they were not a threat.


    He used his ability, used all the eon left in his body to erase himself from the sight of the countless guards on the wall.


    His eon reserves were drained so quickly by his ability that he was almost stumbling for a moment... but he kept himself together. As he stepped onto the wall, among the guards waiting for him with various weapons at the ready... he heard a voice behind him.


    "Attack him!"


    Because of the range of his ability and where he was aiming, those behind him could see him as he was.


    But therein lay the problem.


    Those in front of him couldn''t see him at all.


    That is why their faces were filled with confusion at the order that came to them.


    What were they going to attack? There was nothing to attack!


    "Look behind you, idiots! What are you waiting for?!"


    The faces of some of the guards became even more confused. But some of them listened to the order and turned around.


    The last thing they saw was a figure climbing the hill on the edge of town at full speed, seeming to disappear into the darkness of the night...


    *******


    Kael was lucky. His horse was still near the tree he had tied it to, grazing as he reached it.


    But, unfortunately, it couldn''t eat anything now. There was no time. After all, they had to escape quickly.


    Kael quickly untied the horse, jumped on, and tapped the reins.


    The horse neighed loudly, then broke into a gallop. Kael sped through the trees at great speed. For minutes, he made his horse run as fast as he could. Not forgetting to check behind him from time to time.


    He couldn''t see anything. But he didn''t stop, he kept going.


    For almost an hour, he only rode his horse through the forest as far away from the town as he could.


    And at the end of that hour... his horse was so tired that he had to stop.


    Knowing that the animal needed to rest, he tied it to a tree and went back, hiding in the direction he had come from. He immersed himself in the silence of the forest, in the darkness of the night, and listened.


    Seconds slowly turned into minutes. For a long time, Kael checked to see if anyone was coming after him.


    After about ten or ten minutes...


    ''There is no one...''


    He took a deep breath, opened his eyes.


    No, he would not relax completely. He was not going to let his guard down. Even if he could not see or hear anyone coming after him, he was going to act as if such a person existed.


    He was not going to risk anything.


    And yet... he would be lying if he claimed he wasn''t a little relieved.


    For almost an hour and a half, he had been running away, literally giving it his all. He was tired, even a little exhausted. He needed rest as much as his horse needed it.


    So, he looked for a spot where he could hide himself among the leaves and bushes. Then he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.


    Slowly, his body surrendered itself to sleep... Yet it was not exactly ''sleep''. He was always alert, his senses sharp enough to pick up the slightest abnormal sound.


    *******


    Shortly after sunrise, his eyes widened slightly.


    He yawned, unable to stop his face from twitching a little.


    Stretching his body, he came out of hiding and checked his surroundings.


    He seemed... safe. He had not experienced or perceived anything that disturbed him while he slept.


    In fact, he felt quite well-rested.


    ''I actually did it, huh...''


    His plan, at least in his own opinion, was totally foolish. Not knowing what the abilities of the Bearers and Followers in the town were, he was likely to find himself in an unexpected situation.


    Nevertheless, he managed to leave the town successfully. And no one was after him...


    He reached into his clothes and confirmed that the letters were still there. Only then he could breathe a real sigh of relief.


    He stood up and made his way to where he had tied his horse. The chirping of birds and the rustling of tree leaves in the gentle breeze were the only things that filled his ears. Strangely enough... despite being in the middle of the forest, he had not encountered a single wild animal or creature.


    ''I am lucky...''


    Although... it would have been better if he had been unlucky, to feed his curse.


    But it was all right. It would be a long time before his curse was hungry enough to kill him, so it wasn''t that important.


    So, he got to his horse and found it standing where it was.


    ''I am really lucky, huh... How strange.''


    Even his horse was alive, it hadn''t been eaten by anything in the night.


    When he got to his horse, he saw that it was looking at him with... a rather stern expression.


    Horses couldn''t have expressions, of course. Yet, somehow, as he looked at the horse, he could almost feel what it was thinking.


    A smile formed on his face. He put his hand in the horse''s mane, stroked it gently and petted it.


    "Thank you for not failing me."


    The horse neighed as if in reply. It moved its head and rubbed lightly against Kael.


    After giving the horse the care it deserved, Kael stepped back slightly.


    "Now... I know you''re tired and you haven''t eaten well the last few days, but we need to keep going if we don''t want to die."


    The horse neighed again. But this time Kael felt something different from what he had just felt from it and couldn''t help his smile widening.


    He jumped on the horse, took the reins, and looked up at the sky. Checking where the sun was, he calculated where he needed to go.


    His mission was not yet over.


    After the mess in the town, the baron would know something was wrong. So he had to get back to the capital as fast as possible.


    "Let''s go!"


    He tapped the reins gently... But, despite that, the horse reared up slightly before starting to run even more energetically than yesterday.


    Their destination was clear, and this time, with no one chasing them, they could move at a more brisk pace...


    ~crack!


    But even though they had just started moving, Kael brought the horse to a sudden halt.


    ~thud! ~thud! ~thud!


    His eyes widened at the sounds in his ears.


    There wasn''t just one sound, there were many. It was as if a tiny army was moving... rhythmic footsteps echoing throughout the forest.


    Kael left his horse behind and moved in the direction of the sound, then... he could finally see the moving group.


    ''What... is that?''


    Before his eyes were dozens of horsemen and perhaps more than a hundred soldiers on foot. They were following a wide path through the forest. At the same time... the direction they were heading... was the direction Kael had escaped.


    ''Are they going to Barony of Dolcan?''


    He focused on the soldiers'' clothing. And yes, they were Imperial soldiers. Moreover, there were a lot of Bearers and six Follower among them.


    One of them was even...


    ''Pursuer? Her presence seems to be more overwhelming than the others...''


    He squinted, focusing on who he suspected was a Pursuer. She was standing on the carriage at the front. She wore no helmet, her brown hair was short and she had gray eyes. She looked to be in her thirties, her features were sharp.


    He was having trouble feeling what her eon felt like, and he didn''t want to be noticed by her by focusing on his sense of eon. So he didn''t try too hard.


    He was just... confused.


    ''Has Hakon made a move? Or has the Empire realized something is happening?''


    Should he go out, identify himself, and tell them what he had learned... or should he ignore the soldiers and return to the capital, as had been his intention all along?


    He narrowed his eyes, unable to stop his lips from twitching.


    He could not see any family crests or flags on the soldiers. So this group of soldiers was entirely loyal to the Empire, not to a noble.


    And yet...


    ''Well... I won''t do it.''


    He would not risk it. He had as little trust in the Empire as he had in the nobility.


    ''My mission is clear, and so is what I must do.''


    And so, without anyone noticing, he returned to his horse, mounted again and stretched. Then, he continued on through the forest.


    He was just... continuing his ride, but something had occurred to him that gave him a guess as to the identity of the group.


    It was one of the letters he had in his clothes.


    ''Could it be... the Second Princess that Feria Lockhend mentioned?''

 Chapter 90 - 90: Self-Given Mission

    Previously, it had taken Kael twelve days on his horse to reach the Barony of Dolcan from the capital.


    But after his escape, for some unknown reason, he returned even faster. In exactly nine days.


    He had tried to return as soon as possible, without much rest. And he succeeded as well as he could.


    At the same time, unexpectedly... he was a bit attached to his horse.


    It was a fast and powerful horse. Only, in some situations... he could sulk like a human, at least that''s what Kael felt from it, but other than that... it was quite friendly.


    Still, these were all things he would have to think about later. After all, there was something he had to do now that he had made it back to the capital...


    And he was standing outside Hakon''s room right now to do exactly that.


    He knocked gently, then stepped back slightly, waiting for an answer.


    He had only just arrived to the capital. So Hakon might not have realized it was him.


    Despite that...


    "Come, Kael."


    He rolled his eyes, then opened the door and walked in.


    Hakon was at his desk. He had his feet up on his desk and was holding a glass with something Kael wasn''t quite sure what was in it. He had that annoying smile on his face.


    Kael didn''t say anything, and also didn''t wait for Hakon to speak. He simply approached the table, took out the letters he kept in his clothes, and handed them to him.


    Hakon took the letters slowly, one by one, examining the appearance of each one. Then he took one at random and read its contents.


    Then the second, the third... and the fourth.


    When he had finished reading everything... he just put the letters down on the table and turned his eyes back to Kael.


    "I assume you didn''t get caught?"


    "I didn''t... at least they don''t know who I am, but I may have caused a bit of a fuss when I ran away."


    "Oh. A fuss, huh... Do they know you stole the letters?"


    "If they checked, maybe, if not, no. But there were almost a hundred letters there, maybe two hundred. So even if they checked, it''s still possible that they might not realize it."


    He paused, his next words a question rather than part of his report.


    "Has there been any news about the thing I did there?"


    Hakon shook his head from side to side.


    "No. They probably don''t want anyone from the Empire to come and investigate for they are afraid."


    That... made sense.


    But he wasn''t finished with his questions.


    Normally he would have been a little hesitant to ask this question. Hakon himself had told him that some things in this world were better not to know, after all.


    Curiosity was bound to end badly.


    Still... since she was mentioned in one of the letters, there was no harm in asking.


    And for his next question, he needed to get the answer to this one first.


    "So... who is the Second Princess?"


    Hakon''s smile widened as if he had been expecting this question.


    And indeed he had.


    "The Emperor has three sons and two daughters, Kael. The Second Princess is, as you might guess, the younger of the princesses."


    ''So the Emperor has a family, huh...''


    He didn''t know why, but he found it difficult to imagine this man as a ''human being''. The existence of the so-called ''Emperor'' was like a divine being for him.


    He narrowed his eyes. He thought about what the daughter of the man he had difficulty even imagining, perhaps the most powerful man on the entire continent, might be like.


    She was probably a monster in her own right. And... she must have been quite beautiful to be the daughter of an Emperor. At least that was what he thought.


    He imagined someone so beautiful that no one on the battlefield would dare touch her, yet she would crush everyone in her path like an ant.


    That''s what the Second Princess was like in his mind.


    "Oh, and also... I know you haven''t forgotten what we talked about before, but the Second Princess... isn''t particularly popular or supported. So be extra careful not to talk about her."


    ''Huh? She''s... disliked?''


    This... was information that he definitely did not expect and found quite strange.


    Why would a princess be disliked?


    Was she a brute? A disobedient, maverick, foul-mouthed person for example.


    The woman who Kael had imagined changed in an instant. The delicate figure he had first thought of was replaced by a tough and big war maniac who smiled like a lunatic all the time.


    He could almost hear her cursing incessantly as she fought!


    After a short time, he shook himself out of his thoughts.


    It was kind of fun to think about what the Second Princess was like, he couldn''t lie. But there were more important matters at hand...


    Turning his brown eyes back to Hakon, he asked his last and indeed most important question.


    "Have you sent any troops to the Barony of Dolcan?"


    Hakon paused for a moment. His eyebrows rose slightly as his smile faded.


    His eyes seemed to speak for him as if he had guessed why Kael would ask such a question out of the blue.


    "Did you... see a troop?"


    Kael nodded quickly.


    "It didn''t have a crest other than that of the Empire, so I''m sure it wasn''t some random noble. And I thought it might be the Second Princess since she was mentioned in the letter."


    Hakon''s expression suddenly turned serious.


    "How many days ago did you see them?"


    "Eight days ago."


    And this was when the Hakon Kael ''knew'' was completely changed into someone new.


    His eyes suddenly became colder than ever, the annoying smile he always had on his face was gone. His feet were not on his desk anymore, he had put them down. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He... looked like a cold-blooded murderer now.


    "Haaaaah..."


    He didn''t even look at Kael. He was in the midst of other thoughts, and this... was telling Kael again and again the seriousness of the situation.


    "She will threaten the Baron, gather evidence of Feria Lockhend''s illegal dealings, and use it to protect her position as a princess."


    As Hakon muttered these things to himself in a low voice, he folded his arms on his chest and leaned back in his chair.


    "We were planning to use Feria Lockhend for ourselves... This is certainly not good. If it''s eight days ago, she probably already gathered the evidence she wanted, sorted it out, and is on her way back to the capital."


    He clicked his tongue and stood up, ignoring Kael and heading for the door.


    But then, as if suddenly remembering his presence, he paused, turning to him out of the corner of his eye.


    "Ah, right..."


    Kael''s eyes involuntarily narrowed at the words he heard.


    ''This man... had he really forgotten me?''


    It seemed so.


    The moment he encountered something that could seriously interfere with his plans, Hakon completely ignored Kael''s presence.


    ''Then he doesn''t include me in his plans at all...''


    That meant... that in their eyes, despite what he had done so far, he was still untrustworthy.


    He didn''t matter to them.


    "You may return to your room, Kael. Even though the mission I gave you was unofficial, you have earned our trust even more, proving your abilities once again. So I will arrange your reward, and it will be a good one for sure... don''t worry."


    Then, he turned and prepared to leave.


    But...


    "Stop."


    And... he did stop.


    This time, instead of looking at Kael out of the corner of his eye, he turned completely around. His eyes, which were completely black... really resembled those of a serial killer.


    "The evidence the Second Princess has... if I destroy it, there''s no problem, right?"


    He narrowed his eyes, his expression cold. Just like Hakon.


    "They can''t accuse the daughter-in-law of a ducal family without hard evidence, after all. And we have the only proof."


    If no one trusts him...


    He would make them trust him with his own hands.


    "Even if a few of her men die in the process, it will not be a ''success'' for her, but a ''failure''. And you don''t seem to like this Second Princess very much... so it suits you."


    If no one sees him as a valuable asset...


    He was going to raise his value with his own hands.


    "And if I can''t... you can make me look like an agent of Feria trying to destroy the evidence about her. So, nobody suffers from this. Only me..."


    Rather than waiting for someone else to take him to a certain point...


    He had to scrape himself to that point with his fingers.


    And he was going to do it.


    "Am I not the Follower of Ruin, after all? Let me personally ruin the Second Princess''s plans... What do you say?"


    A deep silence fell over the room. A long one in which neither Kael nor Hakon said a word.


    But, then...


    "Follower of Ruin, huh..."


    Hakon''s lips suddenly curled upwards. The implication of his eyes had not changed, but...


    "Sure, Kael."


    He certainly liked Kael''s suggestion.


    "Go. Destroy the evidence the Second Princess has. If you succeed... I''ll put you in the reports as the main figure in this whole Feria Lockhend mess. The Empire will be quite pleased, that''s for sure. Me and the General included, even."


    Kael did not smile, did not react in any positive or negative way.


    He simply... nodded. But he had one last thing to say before he left Hakon''s side, about his self-given mission.


    "I need to get some plants from the greenhouses in the garden, is that okay?"


    At first, Hakon didn''t understand why Kael would ask such a thing... but he couldn''t find a reason to refuse.


    "Take what you want, I''ll cover it."


    When he confirmed after a brief silence that Kael had nothing more to say, he turned and opened the door of his room, just as he had done at the beginning.


    Before leaving, though...


    "Good luck, Kael. I¡­ hope you succeed."


    And then, he just left the room. He left Kael just like that.

 Chapter 91 - 91: Preparations

    The larger the group traveling, the longer the travel time.


    Moreover, when Kael saw the Second Princess''s squad, they were still a day away from reaching the town.


    If they rested in the town for two days, they should travel around seventeen to nineteen days from there to here.


    In short, subtracting the nine days it took Kael to get back to the capital and the distance to the town on the day he saw them... he had nine to eleven days to prepare.


    Thinking the worst, Kael made a plan that they would arrive here in nine days.


    So...


    First, he took a carriage with him. Then he filled it with lots, and literally lots, of plants.


    Each one had a different effect.


    But they had one thing in common... they were all poison.


    All of them.


    Some were lethal, some hallucinogenic, some messed with the digestive system, some made it impossible to sleep.


    He knew what they were all for. And he was going to use that.


    By the time he finished preparing the carriage... the night of the day he arrived in the capital had fallen.


    ''When they are four days away from the capital, I will start attacking.''


    This meant that he had about five days.


    If he moved a little faster and took two days to travel, he had three whole days to prepare.


    And that was more than enough.


    And yet...


    ''I have to give a perfect performance. Everything... has to happen in the best possible way.''


    Hakon could have done this on his own.


    And if Kael hadn''t acted quickly, he probably would have done the same thing, even if his method would have been slightly different.


    He wasn''t doing something that only he could accomplish, in short. He was simply seizing an opportunity that he had given himself.


    And so, he had to outdo himself, he had to achieve the best possible result. The one that was impossible for him.


    Only in this way could he achieve the goal he wanted.


    So he revised his plan many times, he would prepare all his traps by thinking over them at least three times.


    He had time, and he would make the most of it.


    ''The order of the poisons...''


    He had to arrange the plants to get the best result. The group on the move had to collapse irreversibly.


    ''How can I use them?''


    He had decided the order in which he would use the poisons, but... how would he apply them to the group?


    He had many ideas, literally... After all, the intended use of the plants was quite varied.


    ''Is it wrong to start four days before the capital?''


    He had chosen this method to make the most of his time, but now... he hesitated.


    Wouldn''t it be better to move more slowly, more cunningly?


    ''Is it enough to use only poisons?''


    He could inflict heavier damage.


    He could work more effectively.


    Instead of relying entirely on poisons, he should use them as a tool.


    Of course, he also had to consider the possibility that the group he would encounter would be prepared for these. He didn''t know if the Second Princess was among them or not, but he remembered the Pursuer woman he had seen.


    There was a good chance that the Second Princess was that woman.


    And if it was her, most things would have been carefully checked, most everything would have been done to make sure there were no problems.


    He also had to prepare for the measures they could take in case of a problem.


    Moreover...


    ''There are eleven Bearers, six Followers, and one Pursuer among them.''


    He didn''t know their abilities, he didn''t know what their capabilities and experience were. If even a single one of them had the ability to cause trouble for his plans... they could fail.


    Kael frowned, narrowed his eyes.


    No, they were going to fail.


    This had to be a full-fledged group, after all. A group prepared for every possible situation.


    There was definitely someone among them who had the ability to foil his plans. The opposite was basically impossible.


    Kael sighed deeply as his mind raced, thinking of dozens of things for every situation.


    ''This... is definitely out of my league.''


    It wasn''t something one person could handle, let alone himself. He was sure of that.


    He had picked himself a big challenge, a mission that he would most likely fail.


    Yet he did not despair.


    ''I can do it.''


    On the contrary.


    ''I''ll do it.''


    He motivated himself even more.


    So, he prepared, prepared... and prepared.


    He developed a counter plan for every possible possibility. He even went ahead and prepared even more plans just in case those counter-plans failed.


    The days slowly passed one by one. As Kael moved farther and farther away from the capital, he worked on things that would make the group''s journey to the capital more difficult.


    He did not rest or even sleep.


    He was so dedicated, so focused that even though he kept meticulous track of time, he could not stop it from passing away quickly.


    Like that... it was exactly five days since he left the capital and started preparing.


    If his calculations were correct, he was a day or less away from meeting the group again...


    He had finished his preparations, even though there were a few more things he could and would do.


    *******


    Baron Dolcan had led a simple life.


    The sudden rise of the Empire, swallowing up all the kingdoms around it one by one, did not affect him much.


    As soon as he had taken the oath of allegiance, everything had continued as before, and the town he was already going to manage was in his hands as well.


    Why should he have a problem with the Empire?


    He was successful, he had a beautiful wife, the townspeople loved him very much.


    He was a bit... a bad husband, though.


    He couldn''t control himself sometimes.


    So... he kept a few secrets that his wife shouldn''t find out.


    But other than that, he had no problems.


    His life was one of the most humble lives a simple nobleman like him could live.


    And then... he received an offer.


    "I need to sneak a group of carriages through your territory."


    Said one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her blonde hair, her sky-blue eyes were so... lustful that he couldn''t help swallowing.


    His instincts were taking over his logic.


    He wanted this woman.


    But... he restrained himself.


    After all, she was someone a simple noble like himself could never touch.


    She was the daughter of a count and the daughter-in-law of a duke.


    There were few nobles in the Empire who had never heard of Feria Lockhend.


    And yet...


    "Pardon my rudeness, Lady Lockhend... but may I know what these carriages are transporting?"


    He was a baron loyal to his duties and responsibilities.


    Even if it was Feria Lockhend he was dealing with... he could at least find out what her purpose was, could he not? The territory she wanted to sneak through was his territory, after all...


    But the moment he saw the delicate, small smile of the woman in front of him, he forgot all his responsibilities.


    When he heard her next words, the way she spoke them so calmly, despite their content and the fact that they were a grave crime, he couldn''t get the words out of his throat.


    He couldn''t even keep his lips apart.


    And...


    That conversation was the first moment of the connection between the two of them.


    The Baron let the carriages pass.


    Even if he didn''t want to.


    If he hadn''t, he would have had to die anyway, because he learned of Feria Lockhend''s plans.


    He had no choice.


    For a few days, he felt remorse. He was gutted that he had allowed a crime to be committed.


    But then... Feria Lockhend sent him a letter, a secret letter with exactly the same request as before.


    At the end, he was told to burn it.


    But the baron didn''t.


    Because he was scared. He was so scared of the crimes he had committed that if one day it all came to light... he wanted to have evidence to say that he had been forced into it.


    So he didn''t burn any of the letters he received, even though he had allowed all the crimes to happen over the years.


    The money that came into his treasury as a result of his partnership with Feria Lockhend was such that he soon found himself willingly becoming a partner.


    Everything was perfect.


    As long as they didn''t get caught, at least.


    But then someone snuck into his mansion and simply ran away.


    The Baron spent hours in fear. Who was the intruder? What was his purpose? Why was he here?


    He was afraid of being caught.


    But then... as if that wasn''t enough, he was betrayed.


    From the most trusted person in the town, his butler.


    He told him that in exchange for taking almost all the money in the treasury, he would leave the town, keep his nose out of his business, and disappear.


    The poor baron could do nothing but accept.


    He could collect the money back. He would be in a difficult situation for a while, yes... but he could refill the treasury.


    So he didn''t worry too much about it.


    It just... hurt him deeply that his most trusted person, his butler, had betrayed him.


    The next day... he found the lifeless body of his butler in the middle of his room. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And as he tried hard not to scream... he found a woman staring back at him.


    She had short, brown hair that touched her shoulders. She looked to be in her thirties, with no wrinkles on her face. But the most important thing was... her eyes. Cold, gray eyes that gave him nothing but a sense of danger.


    And then he learned the bitter truth.


    He had been caught, already.


    For a very long time.


    Only he didn''t realize it.


    His life was over...


    Or so he thought.


    "If you cooperate, we can get you out of this with a simple punishment."


    Yes! His life was not over...


    There was still a way out.


    That''s why he never resisted. He even gladly became a ''prisoner'' of the group he had learned belonged to the Second Princess. Even though his hands were tied and he was standing behind a carriage like a prisoner, he didn''t worry about anything as long as he would survive in the end.


    Everything was perfect, once again!


    At least... until the tenth day of their travel.

 Chapter 92 - 92: Slowly Cornered

    The group''s journey back to the capital was uneventful. The scouts identified potential problems in advance, eliminated them, and kept the group moving forward safely.


    The cooks provided good food and kept the group full and strong.


    Just like when they traveled to the Barony of Dolcan, they were returning without any problems.


    This mission... although a secret and of great importance... went quite smoothly until now.


    But on the tenth day... something unexpected happened.


    It was not the scouts who first noticed the movement, but a random guard advancing with the carriages.


    "The bushes are moving!"


    Hearing his words, everyone immediately paused, ready to assume a battle stance.


    And immediately after that, the group was surrounded by countless creatures and wild animals.


    Apparently, they had somehow managed to escape the scouts'' eyes.


    It was very well possible.


    Little mistakes happen every now and then.


    No one in the world was perfect, after all.


    And... they were of no great importance to this group. These animals and creatures were all simple, powerless hunters living in the forest.


    And therefore just as easy to defeat.


    The only problem that was noticed... was that these animals and creatures were not behaving normally.


    Why were they specifically attacking the group as a whole instead of attacking each other?


    Why were there so many of them?


    Why... did they not seem to care much about their lives and only wanted to attack?


    Who knows...


    In the end, it didn''t matter.


    Because they had slaughtered every one of them.


    Not a single animal or creature had survived. The Followers didn''t even need to act, only the Bearers and normal humans were enough to fend off the attack.


    The people who made up their group were too strong, after all.


    The tiny attack had done nothing more than slow their journey to the capital by twenty minutes.


    At least, that''s what they thought.


    About forty minutes after the attack... this time, they found themselves among random forest dwellers. Not just wild animals or simple, powerless creatures.


    Birds, squirrels, rabbits...


    A little army of animals that have no reason to attack humans.


    They succeeded in surviving this attack too.


    Success wasn''t the right word, though... After all, this attack was never likely to be a threat to them in the first place.


    But there were wounded compared to the previous attack.


    Some of the smaller animals had narrowly dodged the attacks and made it to them.


    So there were nine injured in the group of seventy-three people.


    When they realized that the attacks were not simple ''attacks'', they kept the injured under observation. And only half an hour after the second attack... what they expected happened.


    The nine wounded men suddenly became aggressive, their eyes rolled back in their heads.


    Now, they knew one thing for sure.


    Their group was being specifically targeted by someone or something.


    A woman, the only Pursuer of the group with short hair and gray eyes, who was also in charge of the group''s progress, first slowed down their advance.


    She increased the number of scouts to be ready for any situation. And the nine who became aggressive... she just killed them and left their bodies behind.


    Who knows, maybe they didn''t just need physical contact to spread their madness.


    She couldn''t risk such a thing.


    At the same time, she could no longer trust the people in her group in the truest sense of the word.


    So she took a head count. He made sure that there were no more or fewer of them. He also ordered everyone to observe each other and report any suspicious behavior.


    That same day, a few hours later... she received a slightly different report than she had expected.


    "L- lady... two of our scouts have disappeared."


    This... was a significant loss.


    Not only had their numbers been reduced to sixty-two, but they had lost two of the scouts who had been providing security for the group.


    This meant they were more vulnerable to attack and possible danger.


    Fortunately, none of the Bearers had died, so the gray-eyed woman tried to reassure herself.


    There were two Bearers among the scouts. If they had lost one of them, it would have been much worse.


    Still, when she noticed the tension that was beginning to spread through the group, she knew she could not remain silent.


    Her orders were simple. Everyone was to stay close together. The scouts would now move in pairs and look out for each other. Likewise, a few people, who were not scouts, were to keep a distance from the main group and constantly observe the surroundings.


    "Don''t be afraid! Our enemies are hiding and moving silently, clearly expressing their fear. This means they are weaker than us!"


    She had to keep the group''s spirits high.


    But even so... fifty minutes later, he received another piece of unexpected news.


    One of the Bearers and a normal man who had been scouting with him had disappeared.


    The gray-eyed Pursuer''s brow furrowed at what she heard, a look appearing on her face that made it clear she was frustrated.


    She did not know the true identity of the attackers. Nor could she see any trace of them.


    She narrowed her eyes, thinking.


    Even though she was a Pursuer, there was no sign of any unusual eon in the surroundings.


    That meant there were no Bearers or Followers among the people causing trouble.


    They were most probably normal people.


    People with clear intentions.


    But... they were acting quite professionally.


    And yet...


    ''It will not be under my personal supervision.''


    She was a Pursuer, a notoriously unpopular one who was feared even by the others in general.


    Normal people might be able to hurt those in her group, but they could not make this mission fail under her watch.


    And so, slowly, night fell.


    The group stopped in a suitable place to rest, setting up a tiny camp.


    There were almost three times as many people on guard duty as usual. The shifts were much tighter. Everyone was on alert.


    But there were no attacks all night long. They were having a very normal night.


    It was just... at some point, they felt that the air around them was a bit heavy. They attributed this to their nervousness, to the knowledge that they were being targeted. There was no strange smell, after all, and the food was normal. They couldn''t have been poisoned, and they had four experts on the subject.


    None of them had detected anything. Otherwise, with their keen senses, they would definitely have caught these poisons.


    Nevertheless... the night did not continue as calmly as it started.


    Because almost half of the group of sixty people couldn''t sleep during the night.


    They might have been nervous. They might have been scared, and they were, even if a little bit... There might be some other reasons too, who knows?


    But almost thirty people having extreme difficulty sleeping on the same night?


    No, this was not normal.


    Even if they had no idea what was happening... there was definitely something going on.


    And she couldn''t let it go any further.


    No matter what.


    So, the gray-eyed woman approached one of the six Followers the group had in the middle of the night.


    "Use your ability, leave a mark on as many people as you can and notify me immediately of the dead." S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then she went to another one, one whose only ability was to sense the flow of eon around her with an amazing clarity. Her ability sharpened and strengthened her sense of eon enormously.


    "Report to me even the slightest change in the eon around us."


    To another...


    "You will taste each of the dishes yourself. Use your immunity and notify the entire group as soon as you detect a poison."


    This person could tell if he was poisoned by the change of eon in his body, so he was a perfect poison detector.


    "Go to those who cannot sleep, investigate what is wrong with their bodies. Report everything you find."


    In this way, she gave the Bearers and Followers she had a lot of tasks according to their abilities.


    Everything was perfect.


    It was impossible for them to miss something, for something to be done by simple people in the background without them noticing.


    Even if there were no simple people involved, they would notice it.


    She thought there would be no more difficulties in their mission, even if she would never let her guard down.


    After a short time, they realized why those who could not sleep could not sleep.


    It was a poison, obviously. An extremely rare one, and the only way it could be administered was by inhalation.


    They had no antidote with them, so the only thing they could do was to go all the way to the capital and make sure everyone was cured there.


    They gained one new piece of information through this.


    And that was that the ''heavy air'' they felt last night was not from nervousness, but from a poison.


    "They can administer poisons in disguise, as if they know all the ways we perceive them and are aware of how to respond to all of them..."


    He looked at the poison experts in his group. They were all busy, doing their best.


    And yet...


    ''Then most of our poison specialists are rendered useless, except for the one with the immune ability.''


    Now, they had to approach everything more carefully. The slightest anomaly, no matter how small, no matter how ''natural'' it seemed, was now a threat.


    They could get through most things by approaching their environment in this way.


    And when they arrived at noon of the next day and nothing had happened yet, the gray-eyed woman felt a little relieved.


    It seemed that she had made the right decisions and had managed to disrupt the plans of whoever the attackers were.


    But she had been so wrong.


    "M- my lady!"


    At the tense and worried voice, the gray-eyed woman suddenly turned her attention to the person running toward her.


    It was... the Follower she had told to mark those in the group.


    And seeing him approaching her like this could only mean one thing.


    "Who''s dead? Tell me quickly."


    Follower was a young man, and his reactions were as frightened as one would expect from someone as young and inexperienced as he was.


    "T- the cook and one other person who was helping him!"


    The gray-eyed woman made her decision rather quickly.


    "Throw out all the food, no one new will take the position of cook. From this point to the capital, we will proceed without eating."


    Targeting the cook meant only one thing.


    Something had been or would be done to the food.


    And she, of course, was not going to allow it.


    If they moved a little faster, they only had about three days. They could get through that time without eating.


    ''A little more... a little more...''

 Chapter 93 - 93: Getting Tricked by an Invincible Enemy

    After throwing all the food away, the gray-eyed woman gave her men a simple order.


    "Gather everyone together and take a head count."


    All the moving carriages stopped and the whole group gathered together. Then the counting began.


    And the result was...


    "Huh..."


    She suddenly narrowed her eyes.


    "What happened?"


    "There are fifty-seven people..."


    The total number was supposed to be fifty-eight.


    The woman ran her eyes over those gathered in front of her. After a brief moment, she paused, frowned, and turned to the man next to her.


    "Count again, there are fifty-eight of us."


    The man counted again.


    But...


    "I count fifty-seven, my lady..."


    After what she heard, the gray-eyed woman turned to someone else.


    She told her to count everyone too.


    And then...


    "I count fifty-six, my lady."


    Her brow furrowed even more in confusion.


    Were they under the influence of an illusion?


    Was something playing with their sense of sight?


    Had they all been poisoned with some unknown poison?


    What was going on here?


    ''I don''t sense any eon.''


    She turned her eyes to her right, to the woman who had a follower ability on eon sensing.


    Her reaction was to shake her head from side to side.


    ''If she doesn''t sense any either...''


    They had been poisoned.


    And none of them had any idea how small or big the effect of this poison was.


    *******


    "M- my lady!"


    The gray-eyed woman sighed deeply.


    She had no idea what had happened again.


    But... it certainly wasn''t good.


    "Haaaah... what happened again?"


    "We found pits dug ahead of our path, traps that could damage the carriages!"


    ''They know our route completely.''


    The road would probably be full of such traps. And if they made the scouts focus on these traps, then they would be vulnerable to threats from their surroundings.


    "Change our path, take a different route. Not the routes indicated on the maps, they might have guessed that we would change direction. Try to choose the most likely route that will not be a trap and make sure we take that route."


    Their journey would perhaps take a little longer... and that would probably be a big problem for those who couldn''t sleep.


    But it was certainly a better option than driving themselves into their traps and leaving themselves open to the threat.


    Still... the news didn''t stop there.


    "We can''t contact a Follower and a Bearer!"


    ''Where are they? How can they do it?''


    Hours later...


    "People started vomiting and hallucinating!"


    ''We''re not even eating... how did they get poisoned?''


    "We''ve lost four more people!"


    How...


    How could they kill people without being caught in any way?


    "The tire of one of our carriages went into a trap!"


    They had changed their direction, their path.


    How could they encounter traps even here?!


    She was going insane!


    ''If only... if only I had an ability for scouting...''


    As a Pursuer, she was quite strong.


    But her abilities were all about head-to-head combat.


    She was useless in the current situation and had to rely on others. And her enemies were superior, more knowledgeable than those she had to rely on!


    So... even with extra precautions, they finally entered into the night with only a day left to the capital.


    After the next night, at dawn, they would be able to see the walls of the capital.


    They were so close...


    But they were also so close to exhaustion.


    There were only thirty-seven survivors.


    Twenty of them could never sleep, they were tired and worn out.


    They could never eat, afraid of poisons. They were starving, close to collapse, unable to move.


    The situation was bad.


    Extremely bad.


    But the worst thing was... they were attacked in this state.


    At their weakest moment, when everyone could barely walk, goblins and wolves suddenly rained down on them.


    Just like the first two attacks, they were frenzied. Moreover... they were marching on exhausted soldiers.


    Was there really any way to defend this?


    Well, there was.


    And it was herself.


    She took her soldiers behind her, confidently diving among the goblins and wolves.


    Her gray eyes turned green as her eon activated, then her skin color turned slightly green as well.


    She felt a growing anger inside her, the power coursing through her muscles as she grew slightly taller.


    The goblins and wolves didn''t stand a chance.


    They couldn''t even touch the soldiers.


    The gray-eyed woman- though... green, actually, when she used eon, showed how much of a difference there was between them as a Pursuer by tearing them apart with her bare hands; by unleashing her rage on them.


    When it was all over... all around them was just carnage.


    Massacre in the truest sense of the word.


    Disassembled bodies and blood...


    The ground was not even visible because of the red in some places.


    The gray-eyed woman felt her anger fade as she withdrew eon from her body. The green spots in her skin color disappeared, returning to their original color. Then she turned back towards her group and spoke coldly.


    "We continue."


    Her men could not look at her without being slightly frightened, even though they knew what her ability was. Still, they did not disobey her.


    There was no resting now.


    They had to reach the capital... before she herself became tremendously exhausted.


    When the sun rose the next morning... they found three more dead.


    No, they hadn''t disappeared or been poisoned to death like the previous ones.


    Two had simply died of starvation and lack of sleep.


    And one person... had been killed with his throat slit, as if he had been left in the middle as a message to everyone.


    And it was at this point that the gray-eyed woman understood one thing in particular.


    The people after them... they wanted them to slowly lose themselves.


    They wanted them to go crazy.


    They wanted to break them psychologically.


    She reminded herself of what she had told her soldiers when the attacks had just begun.


    "Don''t be afraid! Our enemies are hiding and moving silently, clearly expressing their fear. This means they are weaker than us!"


    They must be really weak if they were using this method.


    She sighed deeply, looked up at the sky.


    After a while, she gathered everyone together again.


    She counted thirty-six people, including herself.


    Again, the others did not add up to her count.


    Why was this so?


    What was wrong with her that this was happening?


    She didn''t feel any eon so just what was the reason...


    One by one, she ran her eyes over everyone who was still alive.


    They all looked so tired that it seemed impossible to tell if there was a traitor among them.


    But then...


    "Huh?"


    The woman she was keeping with her made a sound of surprise.


    The gray-eyed woman turned to her quickly, clearly expecting an answer, even if she didn''t say anything. And she got her answer.


    The woman, whose Follower ability allowed her to have a keen sense of eon, raised her finger and pointed to someone in the group.


    This person... was a normal human being. His role in the group was simply to be a ''soldier''.


    "That man... he is surrounded by a tiny eon that seems almost impossible to feel."


    She didn''t listen to her anymore. She didn''t need to.


    She hurried to the man in question, and when she was next to him, he almost fell to the ground in fright, but paused at the last moment.


    "Y- yes, my lady!"


    She narrowed her eyes, studying him with great care.


    She did not recognize him, it was not a face she knew well.


    She could see beads of sweat running down his forehead.


    His eyes were trembling, signs of fear.


    And... there was indeed an eon hovering around him that was hard to feel.


    "Who are you? What is your name?"


    The man opened his mouth to answer.


    But the moment he did... the small amount of eon around him fluctuated.


    The woman suddenly realized that her ears were numb. It was as if... her hearing was being tampered with. At the same time, the image of the man in front of her blurred slightly, almost blending together... disappearing.


    ''He''s running away?''


    She raised her hand and swung it hard towards where he had just been standing, even though she was not sure of his position.


    Before he knew what was happening, the man she had attacked was instantly pinned to the ground. His head and left shoulder hit the ground so hard that cracks appeared beneath him, blood splattered over a wide area.


    When she saw the eon around him disappear and realized that her senses had returned, she squinted again, looked around quickly, and turned to the others.


    What she saw... was them looking at her in genuine horror. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Huh?"


    Surprise showed on her face.


    Why were they looking at her like that? She had just killed the traitor or one of them...


    "M- my lady..."


    The person approaching behind her was Follower, who had just pointed the man out to her.


    "T- the man gave his name normally, stated his rank, asked for your orders... Why... did you... kill him?"


    The woman quickly looked at the corpse on the floor, then back at the woman who had just told her this.


    What...?


    Hadn''t they seen how the man had started to disappear?


    For them... this man had just stood where he was and done what was asked of him?


    As her eyes widened, it suddenly dawned on the gray-eyed woman what was happening.


    The man... was not trying to escape by dulling her senses.


    On the contrary, she had been tricked.


    The ability had been used on her and she had been made to think that this person was a traitor.


    She clenched her fist. Her face twitched as her lips began to tremble with anger.


    Whoever that was... was playing a game with her, literally.


    They had a Bearer, or a Follower, from the very beginning.


    It was just that... they were so skilled that she couldn''t even sense them. Not even the woman she always kept around.


    ''They can distort all of the senses... does the sense of eon also apply?''


    This... would explain a lot.


    How they were never caught and more...


    And yet...


    "Tch..."


    Still... she was even more frustrated, enraged now.


    She had been made to kill one of his men with her own hands. This would shake the group''s trust in her, make them fear her, and further disrupt the order.


    It was so clever...


    If she was incapable of thinking about it, she would surely have gone mad by now.


    Fortunately, she could still think, and she wasn''t going to let her emotions get in the way of her logic just yet.

 Chapter 94 - 94: Miserable End

    ''First of all... objectives.''


    The woman turned around, quickly checked on the baron being held captive.


    The man was scared shitless. He could probably guess what was happening because he had seen everything around him. And, well... he seemed to have lost his mind as a result.


    Still, she was sure that if they could get out of here, he could still be used for their purposes. He was a man with a high survival instinct and he was also not that stupid.


    He would do everything just to be alive.


    So, she left him as he was. She walked towards one of the carriages. And what she found when she got inside was... simply a chest. There was nothing inside except this chest.


    She opened it, checking the contents.


    There were all the letters that Feria Lockhend had sent to the baron.


    Nothing seemed to be missing.


    In short, whoever the traitor was, he or she hadn''t found the letters yet, or if they had, they had chosen not to take them.


    She got out of the carriage and, to be deceptive, entered all the others. She stayed in all of them for a certain amount of time and then got out.


    There was nothing they could do, at this point.


    Only...


    "We keep moving forw-"


    Her eyes suddenly widened. All her senses expanded to their fullest and after a long time, finally... she felt an abnormal eon fluctuation.


    She instantly grew taller, her skin color slightly greened, and her eyes sparkled with a lush green glow.


    She ran as fast as she could.


    She was furious. Both she herself and her ability had made her so angry that she had only one target, the spot where she felt the eon fluctuation.


    And it took her a very short time to reach that spot. What she found in front of her as a result was, though... nothingness.


    Literally nothing.


    The trace of eon was here. And it was quite clear.


    It felt... destructive. It made her feel like she was walking cold through the ruins.


    But there were no people.


    No creatures or animals.


    ''It could be playing with my senses.''


    Thinking this, she did not deactivate her ability. Remaining alert, she studied her surroundings, and after a few moments... she realized something.


    ''This... is a decoy.''


    No one was here, she was sure now.


    This was just a move to lure her here.


    She ran back at the same speed, almost even faster than before. She turned back towards her group, thinking that whoever had done this... she would find each and every one of them and tear them to pieces.


    It was absolutely unacceptable... to be tricked like this!


    She was a noble, a proud one, nonetheless.


    And even she had her limits.


    This was enough!


    But when she turned back, she couldn''t help but freeze in place at what she saw.


    "What... is this?"


    There was literally... chaos in front of her.


    "S-s top! You idiots!"


    She screamed at the top of her lungs. The sound she could make in this form was quite wheezy, so she usually didn''t speak.


    But, this time, she didn''t care. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His men were fighting each other.


    They were attacking each other like they were crazy, despite their exhaustion.


    "I- it''s you, right?! You''ve been acting suspiciously for days!"


    One of the scouts said, his hands on the throat of a guard he had subdued.


    "I''ve found the traitor! It must be him, he just disappeared and reappeared out of nowhere!"


    A guard was literally tearing apart a carriage driver who had done nothing wrong.


    "Hahahah! Did you think you''d never be found, idiot!"


    All of them...


    "Die, die, die, die!"


    They were all out of their minds.


    "COME TO YOUR SENSES!"


    The gray-eyed woman roared as loud as she could. It was her Pursuer ability, which increased the physical and mental strength of everyone who heard her voice, including herself.


    And with this ability, everyone who had gone mad slowly paused. The lips of those who laughed slowly pursed, some of those whose hands were covered in the blood of their comrades could not help widening their eyes.


    "Ah... A- AAAGGHHH!"


    In the end, someone let out a scream of horror.


    But before he could utter a sound, the gray-eyed woman suddenly appeared at his feet, smacked him lightly on the head with her hand, and knocked him unconscious.


    "Listen to me, you idiots!"


    She roared again, drawing all attention to herself.


    "You have all been poisoned, calm down and use your logic! We must stick together!"


    Fortunately, her words managed to register with her men. With her Pursuer ability, those around her swallowed and focused on her, waiting for her next orders.


    The woman first counted how many were alive.


    There were only eighteen.


    Their group... almost all of them were gone.


    ''Damn it... damn it!''


    How could they... end up in such a situation?


    How... when almost everyone was a professional, how had they managed to be defeated, to be so humiliated, against an enemy they had never even seen once?


    ''More careful, more careful...''


    They still had a chance.


    As long as the mission succeeded, the rest didn''t matter.


    They could still succeed...


    "Stand up!"


    And so they did. Even if they were weak, exhausted... her men slowly stood up.


    "Come on, let''s go-"


    But she couldn''t give the next order.


    Because... in front of her eyes, one of those who stood up suddenly collapsed, foaming at the mouth.


    "H- huh?"


    Right next to him, a guard who had only just regained her reason and sanity... lost it again as her eyes widened.


    When she heard the sound of collapsing behind her, she turned around to see another friend collapsing, foaming at the mouth, just like the one next to her.


    Then... she too collapsed.


    In front of the grey-eyed woman''s eyes, in mere seconds... almost all of her men collapsed unconscious, all foaming at the mouth.


    And all she could do was watch, her eyes wide.


    Despite her strength, unable to do anything.


    With trembling steps, she approached the only one who hadn''t collapsed yet.


    This was the Follower who was immune to any kind of poison.


    He was literally terrified as he watched what was happening around him.


    He was so frightened that he was shivering all the time.


    He was not even in his right mind, even though he was not under the influence of any poison.


    "H- hey, calm down..."


    She was about to go to him and calm him down, to tell him that they should continue their mission... but she paused again.


    ''No... no... isn''t this enough already...?''


    For the second time in as many days, she caught an abnormal presence of eon.


    It was the same eon she felt the first time when she ran into the decoy. She felt like she was wandering through the ruins, cold and chilled inside.


    The only difference was... this time... this eon was everywhere.


    "I- I beg you, let me go! P- please... I will make you live like a king in Dolcan!"


    Suddenly, she was stunned by the voice she could hear. She slowly turned around, and there before her was... the sight of their captive, Baron Dolcan, on his knees, his forehead pressed against the floor, crying and begging.


    There was a young person in front of him, one who seemed to be separate from everything else that was going on around him.


    But it was not so, she knew it well.


    Because... this youth was the source of the eon that enveloped the surroundings. His black hair fluttered in the breeze and his eyes sparkled with a silvery glow. He held two daggers in his hands.


    The youth simply threw his dagger at the baron''s head. And as the dagger pierced his skull, the baron''s voice suddenly went silent, his body shook violently as he fell sideways.


    The man she was supposed to protect... was slaughtered in front of her eyes.


    The gray-eyed woman suddenly felt the whole world stop.


    All her thoughts were erased from her mind. The only thing she could see... was the youth in front of her.


    It was him.


    He was the traitor.


    He was the one who had ruined the whole mission, who had caused everything to fall apart.


    She felt her anger rise to immeasurable heights. Or rather... she couldn''t feel it. Because she was that angry.


    The moment she felt her feet leave the ground, she found herself in front of this youth. She was so fast that no one should have been able to see her.


    But the youth he attacked saw.


    Her hands, greenish in color, were about to grab him and tear him apart... when she suddenly found his silvery eyes staring at her.


    They were cold, calm.


    But then, suddenly... they disappeared.


    Along with the youth''s whole body.


    No, he wasn''t too fast.


    He had simply disappeared.


    The woman, suddenly finding herself in the middle of the forest, alone, didn''t know what to do.


    She looked around, threw her hands behind her back, trying to block a possible attack... But she was met was just... nothing.


    "I- impossible!"


    She could more or less sense the presence of even Seekers in this form. Not even they could use their abilities so flawlessly, so precisely in front of her.


    "W- what would a Savant want with us?!"


    But then, she felt the presence of cold metal in her throat and was suddenly speechless, as if she had swallowed her little tongue.


    The world was spinning, strangely. At the same time, she felt nauseous, almost vomiting.


    "I''m not a Savant, I''m not even sure what stage you''re talking about."


    His calm voice entered her ears. Eyes widening, she quickly reached for her Pursuer ability and even her blessing at the same time.


    But...


    "You were just poisoned."


    The coldness in her throat slid aside as her eyes widened, slowly giving way to warmth.


    Being a Pursuer, she naturally had a certain immunity to poisons. It wasn''t impossible to be poisoned, just a bit difficult. That was why she had been able to stand so far, to remain unaffected as his men writhed from the poison.


    But there was a limit.


    And it seems she had already crossed that limit.


    ''Ah...''


    She realized too late that her head had been separated from her body as her world turned upside down.


    She... had lost and died in such a humiliating way.


    Even when she died, her face was one of incomprehensible stunned confusion, disgust with herself... and disappointment.

 Chapter 95 - 95: Unexpected Success

    ''Damn it¡­''


    When it was all over... Kael, near to collapsing from exhaustion, tried to keep his balance, doing his best to keep his eyes open.


    The perfect performance...?


    Pushing his limits?


    He had done more than enough.


    He hadn''t slept for days. He had always used his ability in the most appropriate places, confusing his targets with the most perfect timing.


    He hid in the dozens of people looking for him, trying not to be exposed or seen.


    At one point, the scouts almost found him, and the fact that there was a Bearer among them was a big problem... but he managed to avoid being discovered by killing them at the last moment.


    He administered the poisons gradually. First, he took away their sleep, to weaken them, then he prevented them from eating.


    Little by little, step by step, he destroyed them.


    Slowly dragging them to their deaths, unavoidably.


    He created a situation in which even someone like himself could defeat a Pursuer, using the means at his disposal, mainly poisons.


    And all this was... really exhausting.


    The most exhausting days of his life.


    "Huuuuu..."


    He took a deep bre-


    "Aah- AAAGGRRRHHHHH!"


    ''Huh?''


    He paused, turned in the direction of the scream as his eyebrows rose slightly. Then he realized his mistake.


    ''Oh... there was one more left, right.''


    He had forgotten, probably due to lack of sleep.


    The Follower who was unaffected by any of his poisons, no matter what.


    He, though, after realizing that Kael was looking in his direction, turned around...


    and started to run in an instant. Frantically, even, gathering eon all over his body as if he had lost his mind.


    "H- HELP ME, S- SOM- SOMEON-"


    But the dagger stabbed into the back of his head took the life from his body before he could complete his sentence, before he could fully use his speed... causing him to collapse, lifeless.


    Kael, meanwhile, sighed.


    ''With that, they all died...''


    This time, it was over, really...


    He let himself fall to the floor, closed his eyes, and stayed where he was for a while.


    Ah, how tempting it was to rest right now... to sleep right where he was.


    ...


    ...


    He opened his eyes, then sighed once again.


    ''I will be able to rest soon... it''s not time yet.''''


    He pumped eon through his body faster and stronger than usual, to stay awake and for energy.


    Slowly, he got up, and walked towards the carriages.


    When he didn''t find what he was looking for after entering the first one, he went into another, and then another...


    Finally, he came across a carriage with nothing but a small, simple chest inside.


    When he opened it, he found just what he expected.


    Letters, lots of them.


    ''They just took them all, huh...''


    Kael thought for a moment.


    Should he take it all with him... or should he simply burn it in a corner, destroying it?


    He kept thinking...


    Finally, though, he simply rolled his eyes and carried the chest to the carriage with the plants he had used to prepare the poisons.


    Not all the plants were used up, some of them were still there. So, once he placed the chest in among them, he was ready to leave.


    He jumped on the horse and rode off in the direction of the palace, the main target of the group... which they could no longer reach.


    *******


    Ever since Hakon learned of the existence of the group sent by the Second Princess, he had been working on one thing.


    Figuring out how to foil her plans.


    They had no direct enmity with the Second Princess, actually. In fact... they had no connection with each other. General Loukan was not someone who cared much about the existence of the Second Princess.


    However, the Feria Lockhend case was such a beneficial one for them that Hakon could do everything in his hands to make them don''t lose that opportunity.


    He paused, shuffling through some files in his office, and sighed deeply for a moment.


    Kael''s self-given mission was fresh in his mind, yes... but it would be surest to assume that he would fail.


    After all, if he succeeded, it would be too easy. There would be very little to deal with for him, really.


    And yet...


    ''He will most likely fail''


    Kael was just a simple Follower.


    Yes, an abnormal one with unnecessarily large eon reserves, maybe...


    But still a Follower.


    ''She''ll be there, probably.''


    And she was the only reason why he thought Kael would fail.


    It would be foolish for someone like her not to go on a mission like this.


    And... this woman was a Pursuer.


    A quite powerful one in combat, in fact...


    Aside from every other Bearer or Follower the group had... she was a Pursuer.


    ''Impossible unless there''s a miracle.''


    So, thinking like that, his focus shifted back to the files.


    They were simple files.


    Files containing reports on the Second Princess.


    He had been going through them, wondering what she had been doing officially lately, what kind of things she had been up to.


    But then...


    ~knock! ~knock! ~knock!


    He paused at the knocks on his door. They were quite... harsh.


    His eyebrows rose slightly as his eyes narrowed.


    He hardly had anyone to visit him at this hour.


    "Come in."


    The door opened rather quickly, completely devoid of respect or anything like it.


    But with what he saw, Hakon hardly worried about it. Instead... he simply stared at the door in surprise.


    It was Kael, the one who had come.


    His face was literally dripping with sleep... yet his brown eyes looked so determined that he was ignoring the sleep. There were tiny traces of blood on his clothes as if they had been splattered on him instead of belonging to him.


    But, most importantly... there was a tiny chest he was carrying in his arms.


    Kael went in, putting the chest on the desk. Then he went back, closed the door of the office, and went back to the desk.


    His eyes were completely on Hakon.


    "I did it."


    Hakon did not answer him. His hands reached for the chest that had been practically thrown on his desk, and he opened it without haste.


    What he saw... was that it was full of letters.


    "Oh..."


    He opened a random letter, checking its contents.


    They... were not fake or anything like that.


    He closed the chest just as slowly as he had opened it, without haste. He pushed it to the corner of the table, creating a space where he could see Kael.


    Then, involuntarily, his lips curled upwards.


    "Well... done. Well done, really."


    He was quite sincere about it.


    Because he didn''t really expect Kael to come back successful.


    He was aware of the way he had thought about his decision, that''s why he wanted to give him a chance... but he honestly didn''t think he could do it.


    "What happened to the group? They must not be happy that you took this chest away from them."


    Kael tilted his head slightly to the side at the question.


    "They must not be happy...?"


    Hakon, meanwhile, couldn''t understand why he was reacting this way to his question.


    ''Is the lack of sleep clouding his mind?''


    "I killed them all, there is no one who can or cannot be happy..."


    "..."


    "...?"


    "Killed?"


    "Killed."


    "All of them...?"


    "All of them."


    A deep silence fell over the room after this exchange of words.


    "Wasn''t there... a Pursuer woman among them?"


    Kael fixed his eyes on the ceiling for a brief moment, then his eyes opened slightly wider.


    "Oh, yes... there was. I killed her too. Her death satisfied my curse quite well, in fact."


    He paused, suddenly, as if something had occurred to him. A worried expression appeared on his face.


    "I''m not exactly sure who she was, but..."


    He hadn''t dwelled on it much until now, his purpose and focus being his mission.


    But... there was a very good chance that the woman was the Second Princess herself.


    And he had killed her.


    "Killing a member of the royal family... wouldn''t be a problem, right?"


    Hakon, unable to shake off his surprise, didn''t answer him, as if he hadn''t even heard the question.


    And that worried Kael. Very much so.


    "Hey, Hakon...?"


    The man''s dark eyes suddenly shifted to him, then paused.


    "Ah, no... she''s not the Second Princess. Even though she was quite close to her... she''s not."


    Kael felt relief at what he heard.


    The last thing he wanted was... to be the murderer of someone with the Emperor''s blood.


    He didn''t want to get into this much trouble, he truly didn''t.


    Still...


    ''Someone pretty close to her, huh...''


    It was... something that could get him in trouble, probably.


    At least if it is revealed that he was the one who killed her.


    "Kael..."


    When he heard Hakon calling his name, he came to himself quickly, shoving his thoughts aside.


    Hakon... didn''t even look at him, though. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His eyes were on the chest.


    "You... can go. To your room, I mean. Rest, you look much too sleepy. Let''s... talk about this in more detail tomorrow, okay?"


    He waited a short while after his words, then quickly added.


    "And... don''t worry. You did a good job. Extremely so... So much so that I certainly didn''t expect this from you. Not at all."


    Kael... couldn''t have been happier to hear that.


    Nodding quickly, he bowed, trying to keep his lips as flat as possible, so as not to show his happiness.


    "Understood... and thank you for letting me rest."


    Slowly, he turned around. Realizing that if he tried to resist any longer he would collapse from lack of sleep, though, he quickly made his way to his room.


    When Kael closed the door... Hakon was silent in his office for a very long time.


    He leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling.


    Then... he couldn''t stop his lips from curling upwards.


    He could only think of one thing, the whole time.


    It wasn''t even a thought, really.


    It was... a reaction.


    And this reaction was... quite simple.


    "Wow."

 Chapter 96 - 96: Instructive Duel

    Kael slept so well that he had no dreams, no nightmares, nothing to disturb him.


    When he woke up, it was late afternoon of the next day.


    He stretched in his bed, deliberately not getting up for a while.


    He enjoyed his cozy and comfortable bed for some time. After such a tiring day... it was really quite relaxing.


    But, nevertheless, he sat up slightly, knowing that he shouldn''t get too lazy.


    Then, sighing, he tried to convince himself that he shouldn''t stay in bed any longer, that he should go to Hakon.


    And in the end there was a side that won.


    He got out of bed, straightened up. He made his bed, splashed some cold water on his face as he did every morning, changed, and made his way to Hakon''s room.


    The palace, at least this building, seemed quiet compared to normal. Still, he didn''t press too hard and came to the front of the usual room.


    He knocked gently, and received a quick answer.


    "Come in."


    Hakon... was at his desk.


    He had a more serious expression than yesterday as if something had happened.


    Kael couldn''t help feeling a little nervous as he closed the door and approached the desk. But he didn''t flinch, and didn''t avert his eyes.


    And Hakon finally spoke.


    "Now... let me be honest, Kael. I didn''t think you would succeed."


    It wasn''t something he hadn''t expected.


    That''s why he wanted to do this mission in the first place.


    "That''s why I didn''t prepare anything accordingly... But we don''t really need to. I''m going to write a report to the Empire with the evidence we have. General Loukan and I... are going to be very busy for a while, probably because of this. But, on the bright side... so will you."


    Hakon curled his lips up slightly as if he wanted to lighten the mood a little.


    "As promised, we''ll make you look like you''re at the center of this Feria Lockhend mess. But your identity will be kept secret from the public, only appearing in reports... In short, you will be a valuable asset to the Empire, not to everyone else. Because we''re dealing with a duke."


    This was also one of the things he expected.


    And, well... he didn''t really care.


    His goal was not to be a hero, not to get attention or anything like that. He just... wanted to get stronger and get a solid position for himself, his goal.


    "You have been undergoing simple ''training'' under us up until now, at least in the eyes of the Empire. But after this incident, as a rookie, you will have to choose a department to work for yourself. You will start working directly for the Empire and receive approved assignments. Of course, you will still be under our supervision."


    Good, Kael thought to himself.


    This is what he wanted.


    To be someone who could take a more active role, to become stronger.


    "Besides... you''ve proven yourself for us, really, to a certain extent... at least. I can see how hard you''ve tried."


    His lips curved upwards slightly, this time into a full smile.


    It was a smile that Kael, unexpectedly, felt really sincere.


    "So we''re going to start trusting you a little more. And for that reason..."


    Suddenly, unexpectedly for Kael, Hakon reached under his desk and pulled out a... chest.


    He turned it towards Kael, then opened it.


    And when he saw what was inside... Kael couldn''t help but be surprised, his attention and focus turned there in particular.


    There were two daggers in the chest.


    "These are called Gile. But these particular ones are a bit more special."


    They certainly looked... special.


    Their single-edged blades, with a slight curve, were certainly among the shiniest, smoothest, and sharpest-looking blades Kael had ever seen. They were like a mirror. The handle, just like the blade, had a tiny curve to it, allowing it to fit in the hand. Thanks to the tiny engravings on it, they were also quite pleasing to the eye.


    "They both have a leather-wrapped handle made from the bone of a creature that can be called quite powerful. The blades are made of steel, but not just any steel... the finest steel you will ever see in your life, as is the craftsmanship."


    Kael moved slightly closer to the daggers. His eyes seemed to ask Hakon''s permission as he reached for them... and he gave it.


    The moment he took the daggers in his hand, he felt that they were strangely light. They fit in his hand, too. The blade seemed to be a little over twenty-five centimeters long, a bit longer than the ones he normally used... but that didn''t seem to be a problem at all.


    ''They''re nice, they''re comfortable...''


    He swung the dagger in his left hand, then connected the one in his right in one motion, just after the first swing.


    ''They are suitable for both slashing and stabbing...''


    He liked them.


    He absolutely liked them.


    "These are yours now."


    Kael did not answer. He sheathed the daggers and put them on his belt, then replaced them.


    He was still reeling from using them.


    With the exception of the gold inlaid dagger he had stolen from the Arcanoa Palace, these were the best daggers he had ever handled, or even seen.


    "I hope you use them well. These daggers are... pretty good quality stuff. It would be a shame to let them go to waste."


    Kael said nothing. He didn''t really need to.


    He liked the gift, and he had no plans to misuse them.


    "Now... I''m going to finish writing my report on the night of today, and then give it. It will be reviewed quite quickly, most likely. And I expect that Feria Lockhend will be summoned to the palace rather quickly too. When Feria Lockhend gets here... a special investigation and trial will begin. In which you will be a witness, telling what we have planned together."


    They were going to lie, in short.


    Even if they could get out of it by telling the actual truth.


    Well, Kael had no problem with that.


    He was not a truthful person, to begin with.


    He would gladly tell the biggest lies if lying would make their work easier or even better.


    *******


    Kael left the office after a short time so that Hakon could prepare the report.


    And now, what he had to do was... nothing.


    Until Hakon wrote his report, he was completely free.


    And what he chose to do with it... was to head towards where he always went to train.


    He wanted to try his daggers in a more proper environment, but he also wanted to work on his ability a bit.


    So he moved relatively quickly through the palace grounds.


    He reached the place where he trained with Hakon every day... and opened the door.


    But what he found was not a quiet, cool, and empty room.


    On the contrary...


    "Huh?"


    ~clang!


    ~thud!


    In the center of the room... a duel was taking place.


    And it wasn''t just random people dueling, either.


    ''Matthew and...''


    General Loukan.


    Matthew aside, he was quite surprised to see General Loukan. The man was... a general, after all. He must have been a very busy man.


    But here he was.


    He had a tiny smile on his face. His eyes were squinted, and he seemed to be studying Matthew''s every move and attack.


    Matthew, in contrast to him, was very serious.


    So much so that Kael had never seen him so focused and collected, not even during the two missions they had worked together.


    Kael closed the door slowly and leaned against the wall by the door quietly without drawing their attention to himself. Then he watched them with great focus.


    Both of them wielded training swords, plain, seemingly devoid of any special features.


    Neither of them used eon.


    They were just using pure sword techniques. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a short time, Kael noticed something else.


    All Matthew did was attack, while all General Loukan did was defend.


    And even though Matthew was extremely focused, with sweat constantly pouring down his forehead, General Loukan was very relaxed.


    ''Huh...''


    As the duel continued, he began to notice more and more things.


    For example... even though all the General was doing was defending, for some reason, it was Matthew who was being pressured.


    Matthew was attacking and attacking, never stopping, but it was definitely the General who was leading the duel.


    ''How does he do it just by defending?''


    Kael took his eyes completely off Matthew and turned them to the General.


    He observed what he was doing in his defense.


    He tried to understand how he was leading the duel, directing it, subduing his opponent.


    When Matthew attacked him with a diagonal slashing attack, the General angled his sword. Instead of blocking the attack directly, he simply used his strength to make it slide off the blade.


    But to prevent this from being used to his disadvantage, Matthew spun around in one swift movement, maintaining his momentum while simultaneously ducking slightly and attempting a horizontal slash from below.


    The General drove his sword into the ground just in front of his feet, blocking the attack for real this time.


    But it was no simple block. Kael couldn''t see exactly what had happened, but... the sword seemed to have moved slightly during the block.


    Not a movement caused by Matthew''s attack, but a deliberate movement on the General''s part.


    And with this tiny movement, Matthew''s sword suddenly swung backwards in an abnormal way.


    It was so strange that neither Matthew nor Kael could understand what had happened.


    For the first time, the General used the gap he had created, stopping the tip of his sword just inches before it touched Matthew''s neck. And then...


    "Let''s take a break."


    And... that was the end of the duel between the two.