"I really don't care." Livio sheathed his sword and stepped forward.
He reached for the body, slowly lifting it. But as soon as he raised it a little, his grip faltered, and the body fell back to the ground.
"What happened? Was this the right thing to do? No... I guess not. But what does it matter now?" Livio stared at his trembling hands.
"You okay?" Oliver approached him.
Ethan followed closely behind. With Oliver's ability, the five assassin bodies hovered in the air, weightless.
"Let's go. We can't stay here much longer. They'll figure out what happened to the assassins soon enough. This time, we really are criminals." Ethan's voice was firm as he and Oliver moved ahead.
Livio took a step, but his thighs started to shake. His legs grew heavier with each passing second. He forced himself forward but collapsed onto his knees.
"What's happening? My body.... it's trembling." He struggled to rise but fell again.
His heartbeat raced. A surge of anxiety overtook him. He looked around in panic. The trees seemed to grow taller, looming over him. His breath became shallow. His throat went dry. He wanted to cry, to scream—but something inside him kept it trapped.
"Someone..... Ethan, Oliver..." He tried to call out, but his voice barely carried beyond his own ears. Was it fear that was suffocating him, or was it the weight of guilt crushing his soul?
Then, a warm touch. A firm presence. His breath steadied, his body calmed, his vision cleared.
"So....will you be alright?" Ethan asked. He was carrying Livio on his back.
"Yeah... it'll take me some time to adjust." Livio clung to him tightly.
"Where's Oliver?" Livio asked weakly.
"He's with the blacksmith, watching him work on our items." Ethan carried him inside the workshop.
"So, do you have anything from your room you want to take with you?" Ethan asked, gently lowering him to his feet.
Livio steadied himself against the wall. "Nothing."
They made their way toward the forge. Livio walked slowly, his steps unsteady.
"Here." Ethan placed a hand on his shoulder, supporting him as they moved forward together.
"Is it ready?" Oliver asked.
"Yes," the blacksmith said, smiling.
Blood erupted from the fire. Three bodies began levitating around it in a slow, eerie circle. Skin and muscle peeled away, falling into the flames, while the bones crumbled—leaving behind only skulls and vertebral columns. The spinous processes stood out prominently. The skulls formed the heads of three rings, with the vertebrae shaping the bands. Blood vessels and nerves wove around them like cloth, completing the grotesque transformation.
"Here you go." The blacksmith handed them the rings.
"What about the extra bodies?" Livio asked.
"Instead of the bodies, how about I give you something important?" The blacksmith smirked.
"What?" Ethan's expression darkened with suspicion.
"I have three items. Let's make a deal." The blacksmith walked to the wall and pressed his hand against it.
A blue light spread across the surface, carving the shape of a crocodile's face. Slowly, the stone crocodile began protruding outward.
"What's happening? Is that thing coming to life?" Livio unsheathed his sword.
Oliver activated his PBV, while Ethan remained unfazed.
"Relax, it's just one of my secret vaults. I can't keep all my valuables out in the open, can I?" The blacksmith chuckled, reaching inside.
He pulled out a cloak, a wooden compass, and a small locket whistle.
Meanwhile, near the waterfall, soldiers examined the bloodstained grass.
"Did the assassins kill them?" one soldier asked, his voice uneasy.
"What? They were ordered to bring them back alive! How could they disobey orders?" another exclaimed.
"This is bad. If we report this to Mr. Zelen, he'll be furious," a third soldier muttered.
Murmurs spread among the twenty men who had come to inspect the scene.
"Idiots, calm down!" A loud voice silenced them.
Yemen stepped forward, exuding confidence. "The assassins were the ones who got killed. That's what really happened."
"Are you sure, Yemen?" a doubtful soldier asked, his voice unsteady.
"You fool, don't you know his ability?" another soldier interjected, gripping the doubter's shoulder.
Yemen – Ability: Sniff
Can remember and track people by their scent within a 100-meter radius.
Can detect a person's internal health problems if they are within four meters.
"Report to Mr. Zelen. The rest of us will track down the traitors," Yemen ordered.
Three soldiers rushed back, while Yemen and the others spread out to search.
"Oliver, you can't hide for long. I still remember your scent. Don't forget....you can't escape," Yemen murmured to himself.
Back at the castle, Zelen kicked the floor in frustration. "Those bastards! How dare they?!"
A wicked grin spread across his face. "This is perfect. Now I have a real reason to make them suffer."
"Capture them alive!" he bellowed.
The gathered soldiers responded with a thunderous roar, pounding their lances against the ground. The sound echoed beyond the castle walls.
As the soldiers marched out, Zelen headed to their rooms.
"They won't be able to hide for long. I just need one of their belongings...… someone can track them easily." He smirked as he opened Ethan's door.
The door creaked as it swung open. But the moment it was fully ajar.....
An explosion rocked the building.
Flames engulfed everything inside Ethan's and his friends' rooms, reducing all their possessions to ash.
The blast was so powerful that even the soldiers outside halted in shock.
"No, Zelen...!" Nitwit sprinted toward the flames.
When he arrived, he found Zelen lying face-down on the ground, motionless.
"So, what do these things do?" Livio asked the blacksmith, eyeing the items curiously.
Before the blacksmith could answer, Oliver's left palm began to emit smoke. A pungent smell filled the air.
"Wait…... does this mean.....?" Ethan's eyes widened in realization.
"Yeah. Five minutes. Max." Oliver stared at his smoldering palm.
Livio unsheathed his katana, activating his PBV.
"Oh, I almost forgot….. that bastard Yemen. He remembers my scent." Oliver's eyes narrowed dangerously.