[Why didn't that brat break through... Sigh... Halting your own development forcefully.]
The voice faded, laced with both sadness and nostalgia. A hint of understanding was evident in his tone. He seemed to know the man who had appeared before them.
He was a rugged man, appearing around twenty, though he could be older, considering his rank and aging process.
He had black, curly hair and full, prominent lips. His skin was dark, and his eyes matched the shade of his hair.
A man from the southern lands—and his height was impressive, nearing two meters.
The man looked at both Jean, who still had the mask on—his hair now back to pure white—and Rian, who no longer looked like royalty.
"Explain the situation," the man said flatly, his tone unmistakably authoritative.
[Take off the mask for now. Explain things to that old brat. He shouldn't have changed that much.]
Jean removed the mask, now looking like a normal nine-year-old. He glanced at Rian with a questioning gaze. Rian, the self-appointed speaker and leader of their group of misfits, sighed and ultimately showed his identification.
"I, Rian of the Elven Forest's World Tree Guardians, was attacked by assassins during my sleep at the Bright Night Inn. We felt the aura of a Rank 5, so we escaped toward the closest Rank 6 aura in the city."
The man didn't respond immediately. He grabbed both kids, and in the next instant, they were standing in front of the inn. The speed surpassed their understanding of distance or movement, though Rian was handling it better due to his upbringing.
"He ran away..." the older man muttered softly. But it didn't escape the ears of either child.
It seemed the Rank 5 assassin had tried to clean up the evidence but hadn't had the time—or so Rian thought.
He was furious but held it in. His image couldn't fall any further. This had been one bad trip.
The black man circled the room, inspecting the area where the battle had occurred.
He checked the corpses one by one.
Meanwhile, Jean was still dizzy, disoriented by the leap he just experienced.
He still held himself up with difficulty and walked outside the room.
He was worried...
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"Nina, are you okay?"
Nina, who had been hiding under the couch, crawled out. Her eyes showed no hint of fear or panic. She simply nodded after dragging herself from the cramped space.
Rian looked at the man. "Did they use a silencer?"
It was the first time Jean had heard the term. Silencers were items that even amazed Aaron—though they also earned his disgust. These tools were used to block a small area from external cognition, typically for assassinations. Aaron could see through them, but for most warriors, they were a nightmare. Even the strongest wouldn't sense anything happening nearby while one was active.
These items were consumables—and were also a product of this world.
The black man continued inspecting without answering, further deepening the young elf's frustration.
After a few more minutes, he spoke. "Did the two of you do this?"
Rian, on the verge of exploding, snapped, "Some trash assassins. What's wrong with killing them?"
He added, "I need a way to contact the Elven Forest. And I need to send that brat to the School of the Badass. He seems to be a Skyborn—or a rather mixed one."
The black man stared at Jean for a long moment before averting his gaze.
Suddenly, he vanished. So fast that neither Rian nor Jean could track his movement.
"This arrogant bastard... If I weren't separated from Elder Quenlith, he'd know his place."
A few minutes after Rian finished grumbling, an old elf-sage-like in appearance—appeared before them. His aura was calm and refined.
"Elder Quenlith," Rian exclaimed, jumping with joy at the sight of the elder.
But Quenlith ignored him and inspected the surroundings.
Rian wasn't annoyed by the elder's behavior. For the first time in weeks, he felt like salvation had arrived.
"Rian, since you seem unharmed, care to explain where you disappeared to and what happened here?" Quenlith's bright green eyes pierced Rian, making him shiver involuntarily.
"Elder... during the party, I was invited somewhere inside the castle. But there... all of us kids suddenly fell asleep. I don't even know what happened. I only saw a group of assassins approach before passing out. I feel humiliated for falling for such trickery... like an idiot.
"Elder, I thought you'd come for me. You came personally to escort me... but after days passed, I lost all hope. I woke up in a slave trader's convoy. I was saved by the Lords of the Swamp Forest. They escorted me across the forest and entrusted me with that boy—to send to the School of the Badass."
After recounting the scenario, Quenlith understood. He'd been played—toyed with.
Silencers had been used in succession all around.
During Rian's abduction, Quenlith hadn't been far. But he'd been swarmed by low-ranked assassins. He couldn't sense anything beyond his residence because of the silencers.
The problem wasn't their strength—he could have dealt with them easily.
They came with the intent to self-destruct.
Now he understood what had really happened.
To be enslaved or disposed of...
The elder understood what they were aiming for.
He had spent two weeks searching for Rian.
Considering that Forest Lords often lurk near vacant city zones, everything now clicked.
He'd come to this city recently, tracking the suspicious movements of convoys and the cities they passed through.
Something major was happening.
And it had started with the elves as targets... or maybe it started long ago, and no one noticed.
The black man reappeared.
The elder looked at him with a faint, amiable smile. "Now that you're this city's patrol commander, I suppose I should thank you officially."
Rian squinted. Suspicion filled his eyes. Did they know each other?
"It's fine, it's my job... for now," the black man answered sternly as always.
It seemed like it was his nature and attitude; he wasn't being arrogant like Rian had thought.
He could also be someone amazing...
