Upon seeing the dead bodies arranged in the eerie shape of a smiley face, Elysian’s frown deepened, and his expression quickly darkened. He wasn’t alone in his shock; even his companions were too stunned to utter a word. They just stood there frozen, staring at the strange scene before them while their mouths hung open. Even when confronted with this terrifying scene, the young noble was still thankful that they’d followed his command not to scream. It wouldn’t have been wise to attract the attention of whoever was responsible for this gruesome display.

 

‘Who could have done this?! What a sick b*stard! His sense of humor is twisted. Not to mention dangerous… extremely dangerous.

I really hate dealing with these kinds of individuals. Crazy ones are hard to read. Their actions are often so irrational that predicting their next move is nearly impossible.

Also, the bigger issue is that the killer must possess a higher level of cultivation than me. To be able to kill so many thugs, he’s got to be. If there’s a fight, we may not emerge unscathed. Worse, there might even be casualties. 

Sh*t! 

Should we retreat for now, or press on? Hmm…’

 

“Whoever did this is twisted. He has a sick sense of humor,” Elysian muttered, his brow furrowing in disgust as he surveyed the area. Even when he shifted all of his aura to his sight and hearing, increasing their range, he still couldn’t detect anything alive. However, he did notice his companion’s strange glances at him. Frowning, he addressed them, “Why are you looking at me like that? Is there a problem?”

Osric and Amara glanced at each other, unsure of how to respond. Luckily, Bran stepped in to break the tension. “You’re right. He has a sick sense of humor, but you’re worse, young master,” the servant stated bluntly. “Yours is disturbing.”

“Are you serious?!” Elysian questioned, aghast by the servant’s statement. Glancing at the others, hoping for support by refuting the older boy’s assertion, they just averted their eyes instead of defending him, silently agreeing to the servant’s words. “Oh my god, I can’t believe this. Really?”

As his companions nodded in unison, Elysian could only let out a deep sigh, delving deep into his memory of when he had wielded justice and vengeance for the sake of the oppressed. 

 

‘I knew my action wasn’t something to be proud of, but I’ve only taken one life, and that person deserved it. I couldn’t possibly be worse than this murderer who killed a whole room of people, right?’

 

As he recalled the screams and horrors he had brought upon the thug, slowly and painfully torturing and killing him, the young noble’s face grew even paler.

 

‘Yup, they might be right. I could be worse than that murderer.

Nope, I can’t agree with that. No matter how cruel I’ve been, it doesn’t stack up to all these dead bodies. Maybe if we just compare one death to another, I’m worse. Fair enough. I can accept that. 

What I did might equal two deaths, but no more than that.

Well, maybe just add one more. 

I’d add another one to even the score.

Hmm… Maybe another one?

Sh*t!’

 

Clearing his throat, Elysian swiftly decided to change the conversation. “We all need to stay focused. The killer could be nearby, watching us,” he stated seriously, his voice anxious with a hint of urgency. As he looked around him while hiding his red cheeks, he continued, “Stay vigilant of your surroundings. We should assume danger is present in every corner.”

Nodding in agreement, they found themselves taken aback by the abrupt shift in conversation. Realizing that the young noble was right, their confused eyes suddenly widened in panic; the killer could be out there, watching them. Hastily, they drew closer together, their gazes darting around in search of any potential threat lurking in the shadows.

Elysian just smirked, glancing at his terrified companions while shaking his head. He wasn’t lying, the killer might be watching them; however, with his senses on overdrive, he would know in advance if the killer was within their vicinity. At the moment, they were safe.

Kneeling near a body, Elysian carefully inspected one of the corpses. The first thing that caught his attention was the puncture wound at the back of the thug’s head. It was a swift and painless death; the victim didn’t even realize that he had died. Frowning at the sight, he turned to examine another body, only to find that he died the same way—a puncture wound on the back of his head. When he inspected a third corpse in the far corner, he exhaled deeply, confirming his worst fear. 

Standing up, Elysian looked around and noticed that all the faces of the thugs were serene, as if they were peacefully sleeping.

 

‘The way they died just confirms that the killer is highly skilled—an assassin type—fast, silent, and deadly—a very dangerous combination. Not to mention, it’s nighttime, and we’re inside a dark warehouse with no clue about the enemy’s location. 

Tsk, I don’t like this at all.

If I’m right, all the members of the Crimson Talon here in the warehouse are dead. Hopefully, Amara’s friend is still alive.’

 

“Young master, is everything alright?” Amara asked, her voice laced with worry after noticing the sudden change in the boy’s demeanor.

 

‘We need to leave here as soon as possible.’

 

Without responding to the young woman’s question, Elysian asked, “Amara, earlier you mentioned that you know where they’re keeping your friend?”

“Yes, young master,” the young woman answered while nodding to him.

“Good. Lead the way,” the young noble said, unsheathing his knife. 

Everyone noticed this. Both Bran and Osric's faces suddenly grew serious as they tightened their grip on their weapon while scanning their surroundings. 

Amara quickly moved forward, leading them to her captive friend, with Elysian and his two companions following closely behind. The young woman guided them to the other side of the warehouse before veering right. At the furthest end, she approached a door and was about to open it, when the young noble stopped her.

“Wait. We don’t know what’s behind it,” Elysian said cautiously. Despite his enhanced senses, he couldn’t see through doors or any solid object for that matter. Rather than taking any unnecessary chances, it’s better to be extra careful.

The young woman nodded to him, releasing her hold on the door. Elysian stepped forward and took her position, slowly opening it while his knife was ready to strike at any moment. After ensuring it was safe, he swung the door fully open. Inside, they found a long corridor with doors on both sides.

Turning to Amara, Elysian asked, “Where do we go from here?”

“Young master, at the end of that corridor, we turn left,” Amara replied, trying to remember the information. “If we continue, we’ll find a door. Inside, there’s a secret room. That’s where they kept her.”

“Okay,” Elysian nodded to her before stating, “From now on, I’ll be taking the lead. With these many doors, we can’t be sure when an enemy might ambush us.” Glancing at his two companions, he instructed, “Both of you, stay at the back. Your main task is to protect our rear.” After they nodded, he moved forward. “Let’s go.”

Elysian moved swiftly but also carefully, meticulously inspecting each door they passed through to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Guided by the young woman’s directions, the noble slowly turned to the left, carefully scanning the corridor ahead. Once he confirmed it was safe, they advanced towards the farthest door on the other end. “Is this the one?” He inquired, ensuring this was the correct room.

“Yes, young master. That’s the room,” Amara confirmed with a nod to the boy.

Nodding back, Elysian slowly opened the door, his senses on high alert for any potential danger. After confirming it was safe, he pushed it fully open and entered the room. Inside, he found an ordinary space without any windows, filled with crates and assorted junk. Turning to the young woman, he asked, “We’re here. Where is the secret room?”

“Right there, young master,” Amara said, pointing to the front left corner of the room, where the crates were tightly packed and stacked together. 

Glancing at his two companions, Elysian ordered, “Move those crates.”

Bran and Osric nodded, promptly carrying out his orders. It didn’t take long for a portion of the secret door to become visible. While they did that, the young noble glanced at the young woman, studying her.

 

‘I’m impressed. Despite her youth, she has a knack for gathering information. Who would have thought that there was a hidden door here? To know something this hidden in a big organization such as the Crimson Talon, she’s truly remarkable. It just goes to show that not everything can be quantified and summarized solely by the artifact’s evaluation.’

 

“Young master, we’re done,” Bran said, trying to draw his attention.

“Huh. Ah!” Elysian exclaimed, refocusing on the door. Smiling at his companions, he stated, “Thank you both. Now step back. Let’s see what’s behind that.”

As before, Elysian did what he had done, slowly opening the door with his knife, ready for any possible danger. Unlike before, there was a thug guarding the entrance inside the room. Without hesitation, he quickly went inside and stabbed the unsuspecting enemy in the chest, killing him instantly.

“Who’s there?!” one of the thugs questioned, rising to his feet; four others followed suit. They couldn’t see what was happening near the entrance, since there was a short passageway connecting to the room.

Moving farther inside, Elysian saw a large area filled with crates stacked atop one another. Across from him, there were cages full of children and young women. Some were asleep, while others were startled awake by the sudden commotion. From a quick glance, the boy noticed that they were in poor condition: some were malnourished, having gone days without food, while others showed signs of prolonged captivity. This sight instantly soured his mood, causing his expression to darken.

Initially, the captives thought that he was one of them. Upon realizing that he had just attacked one of the thugs, their perception of him changed. Instead of hope, it was replaced by confusion. They just couldn’t fathom the idea of being saved by a child, so they just stayed quiet, staring at him.

“Who are you?” Another thug asked, slowly moving closer to him. “And how did you even get inside?”

 

‘It seems they weren’t aware of what happened outside. That’s to be expected since this room is hidden. The killer wouldn’t have known this existed.’

 

Elysian remained quiet as he studied their enemies. In total, there were five thugs, excluding the one he killed just now. Three stood next to each other in front of him, while the other two were further to his right. As soon as his two companions entered the room, he commanded, “Take care of those two. If you can’t, just hold them off while I deal with the ones in front of me.”

They both nodded to his orders without raising any questions, before they proceeded to confront the thugs.

“I’ll ask again, who are you?” The one who spoke earlier demanded, his tone now threatening yet calm. When he was ignored, he signaled the others to prepare themselves for a fight as they unsheathed their weapons.

 

‘Hmm…  Interesting.

The thugs here seem to be different from the ones I confronted earlier. It’s evident from the way they’re behaving. They’re not arrogant. Even though we’re just children, they didn’t underestimate us. They immediately presumed that I was dangerous the moment I entered this room.

The way they look at us… There’s an edge to it that exudes experience and danger. Among all of them, the one in the center seems to be the most dangerous. He’s likely the leader of this group. I can already tell, this won’t be an easy fight.

Does it even matter, though?’

 

Elysian grinned before suddenly vanishing. He reappeared in front of the thug on the left and swiftly stabbed his knife upward; the blade striking his target under the jaw and piercing through his brain, killing him instantly. The other thugs froze, their eyes widening in shock at what they had just witnessed.

As he was about to turn around and make a witty remark, Elysian ducked; his head was nearly hit by a sword blazing with aura.

 

‘Yup, I was right. This won’t be easy.’