24 Monster

Hearing a voice come from above him, Louis was startled so much that he jumped in freight and tried to get as far away as possible but, due to his knees shaking so much, he ended up tripping. Perhaps, due to his intense desire to get away, even though he tripped and was unable to stand up stably, he still used his hands and knees to crawl away.

Casimir snickered. Now this, was a reaction that he was more used to. Oh, how they fear!

In his previous life, the mere mention of his name would make men's faces pale, women's knees weak, and children would cry.

It's been a long time since he had felt this superior. So notorious! So...lonely.

Casimir sighed wryly to himself and jogged leisurely to catch up to the boy. "The way you're going leads to a dead end, you know..."

He tried to inform the boy helpfully but, was ignored. It seemed like the boy had grown deaf in fear.

Soon enough, the Louis did reach the dead end, staring hopelessly at Casimir who approached him slowly.

"S-stay back! Stay back, you monster!" The boy wanted to shout for help but he feared that the child in front of him would kill him before he managed to even open his mouth. And, even if he did manage to scream, he wouldn't even be sure that people would hear him.

"Relax, kid..." Casimir raised both his arms in a non threatening manner. "I won't hurt you. In fact, I'm the same kind as you."

"The same kind?! I'm not a murderer like you!" Louis shouted at Casimir, confused and scared.

"A murderer..? Well, I suppose I am one now." Casimir muttered. "But, I didn't mean that. What I meant was, I am like you. A wizard."

"A wizard?! Don't joke with me, you murderer! Wizards aren't real!" Louis retorted, tired of talking with this deranged murderer.

"But, that was magic you used just then, right?" Casimir whispered coldly, stepping closer to Louis slowly and deliberately, like a predator on the hunt. "The one that made you appear here inexplicably.... It was magic."

Suddenly, Casimir stretched his hand towards a pile of bricks and, with a flick of his wrist, the bricks toppled down with a crash, making Louis look at him with a combination of fear and awe. "...You see? I can do it too."

"Come with me..." Casimir stopped in front of Louis and offered his hand to him. "I can show you a bigger, much better world."

"All you have to do is take my hand..." Casimir smiled amiably as he tried to persuade Louis.

"I... I..." Louis stuttered, hesitant on making such a decision. "I think I'll-"

Suddenly, Louis disappeared from the alleyway, leaving Casimir alone with his hand stretched out towards an empty corner.

"Mm... I see." Casimir lowered his arm and stared at the place where Louis had been sitting in previously. Then, he started laughing madly. This was the first time that someone has refused him, either directly or indirectly.

But... Since the kid had shown signs of being a wizard, it wouldn't take long before they would meet again. And at that time, Casimir would make sure that he would give him a straight answer.

So, with elegance befitting of his identity, he walked out of the alleyway as pristine and unruffled as he had been before he was dragged inside it, leaving the three corpses behind.

He reckoned that, if no one knew exactly of what happened inside that alleyway, they never would have known that it was him who had done it.

At least, except for that one wizard boy.

...

"Young master! Young master!" Edgar ran around the market, looking everywhere for Casimir and seeming a bit disheveled. "Young master, just where have you run off to?" The man muttered to himself.

"Boo!" Casimir said from behind Edgar, suddenly appearing out of nowhere holding two candied apples.

"Young master!" Edgar exclaimed, nearly tearing up in relief. "Young master, where have you been?! I've been looking all over for you!"

"Calm down, Edgar. It's only been fifteen minutes." Casimir tried to appease the man with a small smile. "I just got some candied apples from a stall that was giving them out for free. Here! Have one!"

Casimir handed one of the candied apples to Edgar who took it from him gingerly.

Fortunately, those traffickers carried some money with them. Casimir sneered at them in his mind but, still retained his smile on the outside. The pipe had also been thrown into the sewers so he should be free of suspicion now.

"Thank you, young master. But, please do not wander around anymore! Not all people here have good intentions. You may end up bumping into some of them!" Edgar tried to warn sincerely but, Casimir didn't seem to heed his advice.

Bah! What bad people? I'm probably the worst person in this market to bump into!