“Master, I’m going elsewhere for a while.”

  “And your work?”

  Karel signed the st paper and put the quill on the empty inkstone. “Done.”

  “Where are you going this time?”

  He stretched his arms and limbs. “I need to deal with some matters in Stavros.”

  “It will take you a month—”

  “Since I’m already familiar with the pce, I can just teleport there.”

  He shook his head in disapproval. “I clearly warned you about using magic in these nds, Karel.”

  Karel smiled at him. “I have a trick up my sleeve, master. Please don’t worry.”

  How can I not worry?

  “It might take a week at most. I’ll travel back and forth despite the distance in case you need me.”

  Kani sighed in the end. “I’ll stay here most of the time. So, don’t be reckless out there.”

  He bowed slightly. “I will heed the master’s words.”

  The two men spent the whole night talking about their future pns. When Kani yawned for the third time, Karel urged him to rest, earning a pout from the brunet.

  He ughed at his childish reaction. In the end, he coaxed him to rest and they would talk about the rest of the matters tomorrow. Kani protested but his droopy eyes betrayed him. He relented and his body rexed when he felt the familiar warm hand soothing him.

  Karel held onto his hand until he fell asleep, observing him until he decided to leave. Quietly, he opened the door of the master’s bedroom and looked back, assured that Kani finally fell into his slumber. He closed the door, put up the barriers and walked away.

  Treading on light steps, he found himself in front of the library near the master’s study. He heard muffled voices from the opposite room and with his acute hearing, he tried to tune it out. Unfortunately for him—

  “He never left the master’s side.”

  “I have told you beforehand, I don’t want to be caught up in your antics. Leave the master alone while I’m still asking nicely.”

  The man scowled. “In the first pce, why did you follow him?”

  A momentary silence passed then a sigh. “It’s none of your business.”

  Karel leaned on the nearby wall as he continued to eavesdrop.

  “He’s not even the heir to the family. What would you even gain from it?”

  “I should ask the same. What would you even gain by working for him when you didn’t like it in the first pce? You’re contradicting yourself.”

  “Hah! If not for the money they gave in exchange for doing some errands, would I be here? Of course not!”

  “Then, leave!”

  A manic ughter filled the silence. “No. I also need to get rid of his bodyguard and he’s next! That manwhore must know hell.”

  Karel scoffed to himself. Might as well get rid of you first then.

  Just as the first light dawned upon them the next morning, shocking news turned the estate upside down.

  Investigators hurried to the scene after hearing about it and even mobilized the knights for added security. They located the room in the annex where the servants stayed and even at first gnce, all decorations in the room remained in their original position which proved no signs of intrusions.

  One of the investigators frowned after realizing that and continued examining other parts of the room. Still, no signs. He moved towards the corpse and held it with his hand.

  “Leader," he called for their superior. “This man was killed with magic.”

  “Magic?” the superior echoed in bewilderment.

  The investigators became concerned. Due to the prominence of the Enaryus Religion, none dared practice magic in secrecy. While Astadvran seemed nonchant about it, if the said matter reached the temple, they would be cshing once again.

  The superior furrowed his eyebrows more. Should he suggest to the court about amending the said w? Or should they totally ban using magic?

  “Any more you see?”

  “He was killed slowly by a magic I don’t recognize. It may be an illusion to py with his mind which might have caused his death.”

  “This case is as good as closed,” the other investigator said when he entered the room.

  “What do you mean?”

  He sighed. “Everyone’s alibi is the same. At that hour, everyone was asleep.”

  “Then, how did this happen?”

  The superior, “Magic is involved. It means—”

  “I know Master Kani wields magic and I already saw him use his magic before due to an emergency. Somehow, it felt different compared to this.”

  The leader hummed pensively. “Is this perhaps a curse? The victim… did he offend someone he should not?"

  “Please don’t talk like that, leader,” the younger investigator said, nearly hugging himself. “I’m getting goosebumps.”

  “Master Kani is a suspect then?”

  “Yes. However, he slept early st night and two people testified to his statement.”

  “Who are they?”

  “His assistant Cashile and bodyguard El.”

  “Did you also question them?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “And?”

  The youngest investigator shook his head, resigned. “I’m afraid they are innocent.”

  “A closed case then?”

  “I think so. We can’t even find a motive.”

  The discussion among the three investigators continued on while Karel observed them from beyond the door of the said room.

  “Karel?”

  “Master?”

  “Are you alright?”

  “I should be asking you that, master. Do you feel well?”

  He replied with nothing and stood beside him. They turned towards the open door and watched the investigators do their work.

  “Are you still going to leave even after this?”

  Karel gnced at him. “I need to. Besides, since something like this happened, no one dares to commit another crime.”

  “Karel,” he called sternly. Kani pulled him towards the upper floor. He looked up to him, anger evident on his face. “You know something about this, don’t you?”

  “Are you accusing me?”

  “Who would dare—”

  “A lot of people.”

  “You…”

  Those crimson orbs also stared down at him, like omniscient eyes watching each one of them. “A lot of people are after you whether they have good or bad intentions. Isn’t it my job to keep you safe?”

  Kani scrunched his nose, clearly angered. “You know he’s one of my people!”

  “A traitor.”

  Kani widened his eyes at his words.

  “And I have a contract to fulfill, Master Kani.”

  He breathed out, staggering. “You… You really killed him?”

  “These hands are already stained with blood. What’s another?”

  “Karel…” he grabbed onto his colrs, “please, stop doing this.”

  He shook his head firmly. “No, Master. Your safety is my priority.”

  Kani bowed, bumping the crown of his head onto the other man’s chest. “You… to such an extent…”

  “He clearly aimed to take your life. I’ve only done my duty to protect you.”

  “Don’t speak of it like it’s a trivial thing! A life is a life, Karel. We humans might be an ant in your eyes but we too value our lives.”

  “But a man swayed by his greed is none lesser.”

  “Karel… Please…”

  “Treat me as a weapon, a mere bodyguard, I don’t care. What matters most is you’re safe as per what our contract indicated.”

  Kani sobbed more, tears falling to the floor. He pondered about the contract once again. They agreed about prioritizing his safety above anything else, even if it meant eliminating the threat.

  Was it really the right thing?

  “Master?”

  He choked out. “You’re heartless, Karel, you know that?”

  Karel smiled bitterly to himself as he looked beyond the rge paneled windows.

  Perhaps, I am.

  The investigators wrapped up the incident and arrived at a verdict—case closed. The servants who knew the victim pleaded for reconsideration and protested about their decision but with cking evidence, even the court would dismiss it.

  At the same time, Karel left for Stavros despite the conversation with Kani still lingering in his mind. The portal appeared before him and he clutched onto his chest, clearly stung by something unseen.

  “Why…”

  Karel then emerged quietly in an empty alleyway. He noticed the familiar shops nearby and tapped his foot onto the cobblestone. The ripples of his Navigation Magic spread towards all directions while his crimson eyes gleamed a little, an indication of using high-level magic.

  “Interesting,” he muttered to himself and walked towards the nearby market.

  The padins presented themselves as rge clumps of power on his navigation map and definitely not easy to miss. Only a few steps away, another clump of energy appeared near his location and rger compared to a Padin’s. However, it didn’t emit divine powers but more of an elemental type.

  Karel immediately deactivated his magic and continued walking like nothing happened.

  Like he always did, Karel found himself within the most bustling tavern in the city to gather information. People from different walks of life drank the night away and only a countable few sat in front of the countertop.

  “They gathered a lot of werebeast as of te,” someone whispered just as he sat down.

  The bartender gave him his mixed drink as another man sat beside him. The man gnced at him and ordered some vodka.

  Karel also noticed the enchanted rings he wore and frowned when he sensed his magical power.

  “If I were you,” the man prompted in an audible voice, “you should keep a low profile if you want to scout.”

  Karel stiffened for a bit before chuckling. “Is this a way for a Stavrovian to greet another?”

  “I can sense anomalies, especially when it comes to magic. And you—”

  “I’m merely a traveler and my current destination is Stavros. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that?”

  The man stared at him for a few seconds before huffing in exasperation. “There’s nothing wrong, of course, just be careful.”

  They stayed quiet while drinking from their respective cups within the next minutes and Karel guessed about the man also gathering information.

  “People nowadays are audacious, don’t they?” Karel chuckled. “Their greediness often becomes their downfall and bme the gods for their misfortune when they wish it upon themselves.”

  The man smiled. “That’s right.”

  “Righteous people are also hard to come by. It’s even harder to trudge that path. One day, it might also become their downfall.”

  “Speaking from experience?”

  Karel grabbed his cup then drank. “I witnessed someone taking all the bme and yet her death did nothing but fan the fmes.”

  “Why is this young man speaking of these things? To me, a stranger.”

  “Intuition.”

  He wondered aloud, “Intuition?”

  “I’ll be here again three nights from now. By then, you might know more about what you’re seeking, young man.”

  “I’m not—”

  Karel slid the coins on the countertop, covered his head with the hood and exited hastily, not even the other patrons spared a gnce at him.

  Another man tapped on his right shoulder, earning his attention. “Duke Streya, it’s time to go.”

  Duke Streya gnced down at his nearly empty cup and pondered. Why did he not follow the man? His actions seemed suspicious but felt no malicious intent. Also, the power the blond emitted attracted him, hence why he approached him.

  And blondes are rare here. Right, a traveler.

  “Sir?” the man asked in a whisper.

  Duke Streya paid for his drink and exited the tavern. When he looked at the night skies, a ridiculous thought crossed his mind: Is he perhaps… an Immortal?

  lymsleiah