___ City Guard, Commander's office. ___
To get William to let me tag along, I had to convince him I was fine. Truly, I was. Apart from the faint scorching pain beneath the bandages around my hands, I was perfectly fine.
My choice to increase my bone density has been the right one. If I had suffered a fractured injury from that attack, I doubt he would have agreed.
As for my mana pool. I had a good seven hours of sleep, enough time to get my tank half-filled.
Click!
William opened the door to the Commander's office, and I followed him in only to frown as a familiar stench entered my nose: a corpse.
On John's table was the corpse of a half-bald elderly man in his late fifties, stark naked! I immediately spotted the wounds on the neck.
"He was hanged?" I looked up to John who was standing at the other side of the table.
He seemed more surprised to see me standing here than my question.
"Is there a problem with my face?" I snapped and he flinched.
'Coward old man' I snorted disdainfully and rolled my eyes.
I turned to William who nodded at my words and gave me the answer I needed.
"Bernot Lotus. Owner of the whispering Lotus. I found him hanging in his office. I found the person responsible. She fled and you intercepted but failed to stop her." William nodded with a bitter smile.
I could understand his frustration. Coming so close to catching the culprit and watching them slip away from your grasp can be frustrating.
"Our men are currently searching the entire city. I can assure you, that bitch that hurt you won't escape this town!" John added with a suspicious passion that attracted annoyed glares from William and me.
He shrank back and lowered his head.
"I had to send you to the hospital and make sure you are alright, so I haven't had time to pay a visit to his family and break the news," William said and I nodded understandably.
"Did you find anything else?" I asked with a raised brow and he nodded.
"About a dozen unidentified corpses were found in the basement and some ledgers detailing funders and VIP clients of the brothel. It's crazy how most of the wealthy families have a hand in this." William frowned.
"Not enough." I shook my head. "Fund a business doesn't necessarily make the man accomplice to the crime associated with that business. They can claim ignorance and you would just have to let them go with minor penalties." I speculated.
However, my words were met with an unnerving silence, and I looked only to see William and John glaring at me with shocked expressions. They were probably wondering how a peasant knew so much about law and politics.
Well, YOU FUCKING MADE ME READ ALL THOSE BOOKS!
"T-true!" William recovered first and stuttered a sorry excuse of a response.
I was tempted to curse, thankfully, my self-control has never failed me.
"Why don't we visit Mrs. Lotus first? We would decide what to do from there."
For the first time, this dumb commander had something reasonable to say. William and I nodded in agreement—there was no gain in rushing to make conclusive decisions in a matter this delicate.
We boarded William's carriage back to the upscale residential area. The ride there was okay, except I had to share the same space with their buffalo-sized commander.
His breathing was forced, noisy, and irritating, probably a sign of respiratory problems, which must be stern from his size. However, for some strange reason, I can't see the angel of death around him, meaning he has more than a decade lifespan. Only when a person has ten years left would the angel of death come close enough for me to see
It was annoying William would die before this man but God knows as soon as William goes, I'll have this man hanging.
The carriage rolled to a stop in front of another estate with towering metal gates. I only exited the carriage after everyone had left, and by the time I got down, the gates were opened by the Lotus family guards stationed at the entrance.
"Lord Blackwood…" they greeted us with light bows as we walked in.
'They must have been doing pretty well to afford all of this." I whistled at the three-story building home ahead.
Private guards and a home this big may be far from the level of nobles but this could be considered wealthy amongst commoners.
{Lust is a powerful tool. Those who exploit this weakness meet wealth and fox spirits…. Hehehe…}
I rolled my eyes at Lin's evil giggle as we approached the main building. As soon as we reached the grand wooden doors swung open, revealing a petite woman in her mid-twenties, brunette hair and a fair smooth skin that would make any man go red with lust.
What is such a young lady doing with that old pig?
Thinking of that old man and this lady….Aaaahhhhhh!
My brain hurts trying to paint the picture. It was a disgusting sight for sure.
Buzz!
My soul shuddered as I felt a familiar negative emotion, deep resentment. A familiar feeling I got while I chased after that cloaked figure. My gaze raised to meet her eyes—they were blank and a polite smile etched on her face.
"Lord Blackwood? What a surprise!" She wore a surprised expression, "Please come in!"
William and John smile politely and there was some familiarity in their eyes as if they had known this woman before. They were oblivious to the strong murderous intent hidden beneath that smile.
"You can fool anyone… not me." My eyes revealed an amber light as she turned her back and led the two in.
My grimoire wasn't with me but I could remember Williams words, as if they echoed in my head and I repeated them.
"From ember's breath to blazing wrath, I shape the spear of burning death.
Flames coil, heat bends—pierce through all, until nothing stands.
Ignite—Infernal Lance!"
Fire Magic: Infernal Lance!
My feet stomped the ground with a heavy thud as fire burst into my palms, consolidating into a scorching fiery spear. With a vicious swing, I took my chance and hurled my feary spear at her exposed skull. If I could blow this bitches head to a bloody mess, I would, but things don't always go the way we plan.
William was the first to react. He looked over his shoulders and his eyes dilated in shock as a flaming spear shot past him. Commander John didn't even notice a thing.
The last thing I saw before a deafening explosion was the tilted head of Mrs. Lotus, giving me a disdainful glare.
BOOOM!
I watched as Mrs. Lotus skidded back thirty meters, her hand raised to cover her face while black smoke escaped her body. She blocked the attack with her bare palm, which blocked the lower part of her face, and her frown deepened.
Her malicious gaze swept past everyone and settled on me.
"You can fool these people but nothing escapes these eyes." I sneered as my eye revealed a threatening emerald glow.
However, she wasn't threatened. Instead, her lips spread into an ugly frown that revealed her jagged teeth.
William was stunned while John peed his pants, and was rooted to a spot. I couldn't blame him, though; a vague white and crimson energy escaped Mrs. Lotus's body, taking the shape of a fox.
The pressure escaping her body was suffocating, making one's body heavier. John was a normal human and a weak one like that; it was even surprising he was still standing.
If it wasn't for my inability to feel emotions deeply, I would have been terrified as well.
"Fortunately, I am not that person," I muttered as my eyes buzzed with power.
By this time, Williams' shock had vanished and was replaced with a cold, murderous gleam. It was clear he felt betrayed by the revelation.
"Prepare yourself, she's about to make a move." He warned and I nodded.
Contrary to our expectations, Mrs. Lotus wasn't stupid enough to attack. She quickly turned and bolted up the stairs to the first floor of the building.
Bam!
Before I could react, William shot forward like a spear, barely touching the ground as he soared up the sky staircase in a blur. I barely had a second to think but I had made a decisive decision.
"Have your men surround the estate, we can't let her escape again!" I barked at John before dashing upstairs.
Loud bangs echoed repeatedly as soon as I reacted the corridor which was covered in thick black smoke that hung to the high ceilings. It was hard to breathe, but it wasn't unbearable.
A door flung out its post slamming on the wall before Mrs Lotus skidded back and only stopped after she crashed into the door.
Bang!
It was thunderous, but she didn't dare hesitate. She rolled to the side and the next moment, William shot out of the room, his fist tearing through the door and punching a hole into the wall.
His body was red hot and his veins occasionally pulsated with orange amber light. It felt like the power of the fire element was flowing through his body, instead of manifesting as it should.
"Strong!" I gasped in shock.
As one age, the decline is certain. This is something all men must experience. William was well over sixty, a man past his prime, so it was shocking how his body could still move like this.
I didn't let my thoughts slow me down. Without hesitation, I sprang forward, chasing after William, who, in turn, chased after Mrs. Lotus, who ran down the wide corridor.
"She's trying to escape through the window!" I screamed as I noticed her plan.
But it was too late for her. With John coordinating the few guards we came with, it wouldn't be difficult boxing her in here.
This time everything was ready!
Thud!
Mrs. Lotus abruptly halted her retreat and turned to face us. The sudden change caught everyone off guard; it was even more shocking that she had been conjuring fox fire without anyone noticing.
And then, she released it—
Fox fire: Fox wisp!
A thumb-sized sphere sped in our direction. William was ahead, so I stuck behind him, waiting to see how he counters, and honestly, I was stunned.
The old man crossed his hands over his face and charged through the fox fire.
{A brute!} Lin commented with slight surprise, just the same way I felt.
KRUSH!
By the time we made it out of the scorching fox flames, glass-shattering sounds had echoed across the large hallway—Mrs. Lotus had escaped through the window.
William finally stopped as he reached the window. When I arrived, I was stunned to see the fox's shadow disappearing into the alley and vanishing.
"John!" I hissed with clenched fists. "That day bastard didn't follow my orders!" I cursed.
William let out a sigh and flexed his shoulder.
"We will lock down the city. She won't escape this town. Especially now we know what she looks like." William said in a dull voice.
I could see the frustration in his eyes, yet he didn't say anything about John. I wondered why he wouldn't just get rid of that fat pig.
{True. This is a small town. Every face here is familiar. She can't impersonate anyone.} Lin added, leaving me wondering if I was the only person pissed at that fat commander.
Letting out a defeated sigh, I followed William back to the path we came through; however, upon reaching the building exit, I was stunned to see a small pool of blood on the floor.
Outside the building were the Lotus family's personal security guards held down by our guards.
"What the hell happened here?" I muttered. "And where is John?"
I expected to see our guards lazying about, not a bloody scene that looked like a small skirmish between armies that took place moments ago.