The black man looked at the assassin leader and asked, "Who gave him that wound?"

  His gaze fell on the gruesome injury where the flesh had disappeared around the knife.

  Jean and Rian exchanged a brief glance.

  Raising his shoulders, Rian turned his head away, leaving Jean on his own in that one.

  Left with no other choice, Jean answered, "I did."

  Elder Quenlith also observed the wound. It was something neither of them had ever seen before. The wound seemed anomalous—almost as if the very essence of the flesh had been erased, leaving only a sickening hole in its place.

  Elder Quenlith inquired, "How did you do it?" His voice held genuine curiosity. He then added, "It's fine if you don't want to answer. This old man has lived a very long time and seen many things, but never something like this."

  Jean hesitated for a moment before replying, "I just threw my knife at him, and this happened."

  The black man, skeptical, asked flatly, "May I see that knife?"

  Jean appeared startled, taking a step back defensively. But being defensive in front of these two meant little.

  Elder Quenlith chuckled. "Boy, haha... it's good to be cautious. But Malrik was a child rescued by Teacher Aaron. He spent time with him and was taught by him. The School of the Badass was partially built for his sake—and the sake of many other children. He's also one of the first graduates. You should call him 'senior brother.'"

  Malrik retorted, "Teacher wouldn't be so selfish as to build an entire school just for a single orphan brat like myself."

  It was the first time he had shown any emotion.

  Elder Quenlith smiled but remained silent. Jean, on the other hand, was conflicted. However, curiosity got the better of him, and he eventually took the knife and showed it to them.

  To his surprise, neither man touched it; they simply examined it intently.

  Leaning forward, examining it too closely.

  Elder Quenlith asked, "Malrik... is this one of the artifacts?"

  Malrik responded, "If it was an artifact made by Teacher, do you think any of us would be able to tell?"

  Elder Quenlith thought for a moment, then nodded. "Indeed. If he's not willing for us to see it, we won't be able to."

  He paused, looking at Jean. "Child, it's uncommon for Skyborns to allow young ones like yourself to venture into the world. Their numbers are rather small. Do you know who your parents are—or where they are?"

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Jean could feel the weight of the elder's gaze, his own heart beating with a mixture of discomfort and agony. Elder Quenlith's presence was imposing yet reassuring, as though the weight of his years and wisdom could alleviate any doubts. Jean shifted uneasily but didn't speak.

  Elder Quenlith had realized that Jean was mixed, but he didn't press the matter further. He was willing to take him back to the clan, but his thoughts remained cautious. The Skyborns were known for their fairness, but Jean's sudden appearance, without a clear lineage, was a puzzle.

  Something didn't sit right, but the old man kept his concerns to himself for now.

  He didn't want to cause harm to the child.

  It was also why both he and Malrik chose to ignore the fact that he could sense rank 5 and rank 6 auras from such a distance—even with a silencer in place.

  Little did they know...

  But regardless...

  Jean didn't want to answer; the memory of his parents, and the pain of being torn away from them, was still too raw.

  His body trembled, and his eyes stung.

  He could still hear their last words in his mind—the sound of their voices fading away as he was torn from them.

  He was unwilling to speak.

  He shook his head, fighting to hold back the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

  Elder Quenlith smiled amiably and ruffled Jean's hair. "Worry not, child. I'll take care of escorting you to the school."

  Jean's expressions and pain didn't escape the elder's eyes. He thought that bringing him to the clan could cause the child more harm than good.

  Jean paused, looking at the elder with a mix of gratitude and confusion, then nodded in quiet agreement.

  But there was one more thing... something he needed to ask.

  "Can I... take Nina with me?" Jean pointed to Nina, who was standing further behind, still watching the exchange with a cautious expression.

  Elder Quenlith laughed. "It's good to be young, haha. Listen well, child. The School of the Badass, in essence, is a sanctuary built for children to live and learn. They don't give up on the untalented—that's the way Teacher built the school. But they will judge your character. So be a good kid, and everything will be fine."

  By noon, everything was finally settled. Jean and Rian slept like logs. They didn't even make it to the beds, falling asleep where they sat, as if sleep had caught them once they let their guard down.

  Their minds were drained, the events of the past few days still fresh and raw in their minds—yet exhaustion took over.

  Watching them sleep peacefully.

  Elder Quenlith moved them to their beds, his movements soft and careful, as if protecting fragile souls.

  Nina also slept, lying on a nearby cot.

  Everyone was dead tired, drained, and beyond exhausted.

  Meanwhile...

  Miles away from Swamp City...

  In a dark room where only a few stray rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains, a man sat at a desk, piles of paper in front of him. His face was shrouded in shadows.

  The room contained only one insignia: a sword lying flat inside the steel wings of a single drop of blood.

  A man clad in black—face obscured, hood drawn, features unidentifiable—appeared from the shadows inside the room.

  "My Lord, the disposal mission failed," he reported, his tone full of reverence.

  "Hoo... seems like that elven kid has a lot of luck. How did it fail? We didn't send anyone noteworthy, but they should've disposed of him easily," the man at the desk spoke in a voice as soft as if everything were none of his concern.

  "There seems to be a child of the Skyborns accompanying him..." the assassin explained, bringing up another piece of information.

  "Skyborns... Why did Teacher give such a name to them? Well, their feral affinity is rather problematic."

  He paused for a moment, thinking about something before asking, "Did you investigate why the slave traders failed?" the man mused.

  "We investigated, but it led to the Lords of Swamp Forest. We couldn't investigate further," the assassin explained.

  "These beasts are appearing all of a sudden now... That's indeed problematic..."

  Sigh...

  "During his short visit to these lands, Teacher laid the groundwork for everything to fall into place against my plans—plans that didn't even exist back then. Haha..." He laughed softly.

  "Well, I guess something should be done about the current situation, then..."