"What? That man is a dark wizard?"
"How could it be? Isn't Luminos City supposed to be one of the safest cities in the kingdom?"
"No, no… We have to leave! Run!"
The moment the old nobleman shouted the words of dark wizard, the crowded street descended into chaos.
After all, the fear moved faster than reason.
The merchants abandoned their shops, the noblewomen shrieked as their attendants dragged them away, and even the guards who had been reaching the place along the road suddenly stiffened in alarm.
The title carried weight in the kingdom. A dark wizard was not merely a criminal since their existence was a calamity.
People might question many rumors but no one would gamble their life on the chance that such a warning was false.
Within few seconds, the lively street emptied like the water that was draining from a broken dam yet among the chaos, one figure remained unmoved.
The man in the black hood slowly lifted his head with a pale smile across his lips. His eyes gleamed with cold amusement as he stared at the old nobleman.
"Old man…" he said calmly and his voice was smooth plus chilling, "How did you know I am a dark wizard?"
His tone carried no anger and only curiosity. The old nobleman froze in his spot.
"What? He admitted it?!"
The few remaining bystanders gasped in horror. Even Baston who was secretly watching the scene through the eyes of his puppet felt a jolt run through his mind.
"So, he actually is the one…"
For a brief moment, he wondered whether the fate itself was playing a cruel joke on him.
The accusation had been a lie that was meant to create a chaos yet the lie had somehow revealed the truth. The dark wizard slowly tilted his head.
"Since you already know my identity…" he murmured, "Then, this will be your reward."
The old nobleman's face turned pale. He immediately turned and rushed into a nearby alley. Unfortunately, the escape came too late.
A strange shimmer suddenly appeared across his body before his figure was ignited. It was not with the flames but it was with a silent and invisible force. For a moment, his body swelled like a balloon before it exploded.
"BOOM!"
A violent explosion erupted inside the narrow alley. The fragments of stone and splinters of wood burst outward as the smoke rolled into the sky.
When the dust settled, nothing remained of the old nobleman. Not even a scream had escaped him. The crowd soon erupted into a pure panic.
"MOVE!"
"PLEASE! SAVE ME!"
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP US!"
People trampled over one another in desperation as they fled.
Baston's connection to one of his puppets suddenly snapped, making a dull pain throbbed in his mind. Two puppets were gone just for one day. It didn't have a chance to struggle since it was destroyed instantly.
He clenched his teeth, thinking about the monster that was called dark wizard.
The difference in the strength between them was painfully obvious. There was no way he could confront the dark wizard directly. At least not yet, but still, he forced himself to remain calm.
Luminos City was not an ordinary city. Its defenses were among the strongest in the kingdom. If a dark wizard openly revealed himself here, the knights and the wizards would not remain idle.
Sure enough, within few minutes, the distant horns echoed across the streets. The alarm signals blared among the surrounding. From several directions, the armored knights rushed forward while the robed wizards began preparing the spells.
Meanwhile, amid the confusion, Viktor quietly disappeared.
The fat nobleman did not stay to watch the battle since the fear had already consumed him. If the people discovered his connection with the dark wizard, he would be finished.
"I have to leave the city…"
His thoughts raced wildly as he hurried down the side streets with his personal guards.
He needed to lay low for a few months or maybe longer. When things had already calmed down, he could come back. He thought he had escaped unnoticed but high above the rooftops, a small bird circled silently. Its eyes were fixed on him. Through that bird, Baston watched everything.
At first, he had only wanted to eliminate Viktor because of Luke's problem, but now, the things were different.
A dark wizard had been involved from the beginning. That meant Viktor was no longer just an unpleasant noble. He was part of something far darker and there was no need for hesitation.
*****
Meanwhile, Viktor finally stopped at an abandoned building on the outskirts of the district.
The structure had long been deserted with broken windows, cracked walls, and dust that was covering the floor like a gray carpet.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed heavily, "Good… good… no one followed us."
His guards cautiously scanned the area. There was only the silence in the surrounding. For the moment, it seemed safe.
Viktor leaned against the wall, trying to calm his racing heart. He hated this situation. A noble of his status should be enjoying the luxury, not hiding in the ruined buildings like a criminal. Still, his survival came first.
"We will leave the city tonight…" he muttered.
One of the guards nodded but before anyone could respond, a quiet voice drifted through the broken doorway.
"Wind Breaker..."
The words were soft and it was almost like a whisper yet the moment they were spoken, an invisible blade flashed. A violent gust of the wind tore across the room.
In a single breath, several guards collapsed with the blood that was sprayed across the cracked floor.
Before the others could even understand what had happened, another slash followed.
The steel screamed through the air and few bodies fell. Within several seconds, the room was filled with the corpses and only Viktor who remained standing.
The fat nobleman trembled. Before he could scream, a hand suddenly clamped over his mouth.
The cold steel pressed against his throat. The attacker stood behind him with expressionless face and empty eyes.
Viktor slowly turned his head.
The man's face was unfamiliar but the sword in his hand carried such terrifying precision.
"Tell me everything…" the stranger said calmly.
Viktor's legs nearly gave out since he was not a brave man. Under the silent pressure of the sword, his resistance collapsed quickly. He understood what he had to do.
The words quickly poured from his mouth.
The story he revealed made Baston's eyes narrowed down because this entire conflict had been planned.
The dark wizard had orchestrated everything and Luke had been chosen as a target because he was weak within the noble family.
If Luke died, his body would become a test subject. It would be a vessel for dark magic experiments. It was the same technique that was used on the fake Viktor inside the coliseum.
The imitation had been nearly perfect that even he had almost been fooled. When Viktor finished speaking, he collapsed onto his knees.
"Please… spare me…" the tears streamed down his face, "I swear I'll disappear… I'll never work with that wizard again… I just want to live."
For a moment, the sword did not move and the hope flickered inside Viktor's heart. Perhaps, this assassin was considering mercy.
Slowly, Viktor's hand slipped into his sleeve. His fingers wrapped around a small dagger and a sudden flash of determination appeared in his eyes.
"DIE!"
He lunged forward and stabbed the dagger into the man's stomach. The weapon sank deep and he immediately leapt backward. Eventually, he began laughing.
"HA! HA! HA! You fool! The poison on that dagger will paralyze you in seconds! Your body will rot from the inside…"
His laughter suddenly faltered because the man did not move. There was no pain and no weakness. There was only the silence.
"Enough…" the man said calmly.
Before Viktor could react, the sword moved. This time, however, Viktor was not defenseless.
Despite his fat appearance, he had once received a proper knight training. His hand shot toward the sword that was lying beside one of his fallen guards.
Each sword soon clashed with each other.
Viktor staggered back but he managed to block the killing strike, "Let me go… I will pay double from whoever hired you…"
The man did not answer. Instead, he stepped forward again. Their swords collided once again.
"CLANG!"
"CLANG!"
The abandoned hall echoed with sharp metallic strikes. Viktor gritted his teeth as the swords continued to collide.
Despite the fear that was squeezing his heart, the instincts drilled into him during his younger days slowly awakened.
He adjusted his footing, sliding one leg slightly behind the other to stabilize his heavy body. His sword rose into a defensive posture that looked surprisingly refined for a man of his appearance.
The next strike came swiftly. The puppet's sword darted toward his throat like a snake. Viktor quickly twisted his wrist.
"CLANG!"
The steel scraped against the steel as he deflected the attack to the side. For a brief moment, his eyes sharpened.
"You're not an ordinary assassin…" Viktor muttered under his breath.
The puppet said nothing. Instead, it stepped forward again with unnatural calmness. A quick thrust aimed straight for Viktor's chest.
This time, the fat nobleman reacted faster.
He shifted his weight and swung his blade downward, knocking the thrust aside before counterattacking with a heavy horizontal slash.
The sword cut through the air with its surprising speed. The puppet leaned back slightly and the sword passed just inches from its face.
Inside his hidden location, Baston narrowed his eyes.
Viktor might be cowardly but his technique was not entirely useless. The fat nobleman pressed forward with renewed desperation.
Another swing then followed by another thrust. Each strike carried the rough strength of someone who had trained in martial discipline, even if those years of indulgence had dulled his body.
"DIE!"
His sword crashed downward with brute force. The puppet raised its sword to block it.
"CLANG!"
The impact echoed loudly through the empty building. The dust fell from the cracked ceiling as the two swords locked together.
For a brief moment, their faces were only inches apart.
Viktor's expression was twisted with panic and fury but the puppet's face remained completely empty.
By then, the puppet twisted its wrist. A sharp flick broke the sword lock. Before Viktor could recover, a second strike flashed toward his ribs.
The sword sliced through his sleeve and drew a thin line of blood across his side.
Viktor stumbled backward and his breathing became heavier. The brief spark of confidence vanished because he finally understood something terrifying.
No matter how hard he fought, the man in front of him was not fighting like a human at all.
In the end, Viktor's biggest weakness was obvious which was the stamina. His breathing grew heavier with every exchange. The sweat soon soaked his face.
Meanwhile, the puppet moved with mechanical precision. Every strike targeted a vital point and every step was calculated.
Viktor realized the difference quickly and the panic returned to his eyes, "Damn it!"
He roared and launched a desperate attack. The sword cut through the air with raw force but that desperation created an opening.
The puppet slipped sideways, then with a clean slash, the sword pierced Viktor's defense and sliced across his neck.
For a brief moment, the time seemed to freeze.
Viktor's eyes widened. His sword fell from his hands before his head separated from his body. It rolled across the dusty floor before coming to a stop beside a broken pillar.
The silence returned and the puppet calmly pulled the poisoned dagger from its stomach. Through the puppet's senses, Baston examined the weapon. The dagger should have a nasty effect.
Unfortunately, it was useless against something that was not truly alive.
After a moment of thought, he threw the dagger aside. It was better not to keep it since it would bear unnecessary suspicion.
With nothing around, the puppet then vanished.
*****
Far away, Baston leaned against a wall and stared at the sky. A long breath escaped his lips.
At the beginning of his journey, killing someone had been unthinkable. Now, it happened without hesitation. Even the image of Viktor's severed head failed to disturb him.
Was he slowly becoming something darker?
The thought unsettled him yet another memory soon surfaced. A small girl and she was barefoot. She was struggling to survive in this harsh world.
The guilt of indirectly causing her death still lingered in his heart but that same memory also pushed him forward.
If he could make the world even slightly safer for people like her, perhaps his path still held meaning.
With that thought, he opened the old book. The pages glowed faintly and the result appeared which deemed as the excellent performance.
Because Luke had not delivered the final blow himself, the reward might be slightly reduced. Still, the outcome remained satisfying.
More importantly, Viktor's death could easily be blamed on his connection to the dark wizard. Luke would remain safe from the suspicion.
Baston accepted the reward. A strange warmth flooded his mind and a new knowledge surged through his consciousness about the Holy Element.
It was a type of light magic, the natural enemy of dark sorcery. It had healing abilities, purification, and protection.
For a moment, he simply sat in silence.
In the kingdom, those blessed with holy power were treated as the heroes and almost feel like the saints. Meanwhile, dark magic users were hunted like the monsters.
Yet, he felt no desire to become a savior.
"This magic is troublesome…" he muttered.
Just as he was about to close the book, it trembled again. Another quest quickly appeared. He stared at the new words and his expression slowly changed.
"Kill the dark wizard in Luminos City before he goes rampaging…"
"He was the one who was responsible for the explosion at Prius Academy…"
Baston's breath was caught. Eventually, the culprit of the academy disaster was here. The old book wanted him to kill that monster, but soon, a bitter smile appeared on his face.
"That's impossible…"
He had already witnessed the wizard's strength. Two of his puppets were destroyed effortlessly.
But eventually, he could only close the book and stand up, "First… I should check the situation…"
He began walking toward the Carpel Inn carefully because whether he liked it or not, his next enemy had already appeared.
And this time, the escape would not be so easy.