60 Following the Apple

"Yo!" He waved to the girls who were now out their mesmerized state from seeing the red crystal spectacle.

"Wow, that was amazing! I did not even know that blood magic can do that!" Kamryn praised as she was more familiar with the magic of blood. Every other senior member in their family could not even come close to Aster's ingenious usage of their spell. The triplets also did not lose out from praising him but they only showed it through their beautiful winks.

The entire meadow was pretty much the same as it was despite the slight disturbance in the grass's natural growth and positioning. There were also the leftover materials from the Rats and servants. The dead metal pole was clamped together with some copper coins and metal paraphernalia.

"What about that guy? What are you going to do with him?" Eve disregarded those things and went ahead to look at Alcor whose state of consciousness is still unknown. He may have really fainted from his tripping or just acting dead to survive the ordeal.

"Shhh... I am going to give him a brutal death, of course. Just not here because this bad apple has to be near its tree when it fell." They were relatively far from Alcor but Aster said this in a whispered voice. The girls have improved senses and can read into his words clearly.

Aria nodded in agreement with his plans and just let him do what he wants. They were already satisfied with having seen the punishment given to their bullies. Since Aster said that it was going to be a brutal death, it was already enough for them to know that it is bound to happen.

"I'll have to nudge this fool a little for the plan to work." He smiled and willed space mana near Alcor to teleport into.

Within a blink of an instance, he arrived by the youth's head and used it as a foothold. He ruffled the softly conditioned long hair and messed it up with his shoes. Giving a knock to the skull whose inside is mostly hollow, he said in feigned annoyance. "Dude, you should stand up now!"

Alcor was still in replies and movement for a while that Aster ran out of patience. "If not, then the plants by your head is going to be smart since they are going to taste your brain!"

"Alright... sorry!!!" Panicked words could be heard as Alcor squirmed his head underneath his foot. With fear, he backed up because he did not want to be in close proximity to the murderer in front of him.

The short-tempered young master was not in any way similar to how he used to be. His face was warped with tears and snot which would the same look his servants had when they would be timidly begging for mercy when they made a mistake. "I... just... wanted a peaceful... death. I did not... mean to offend you by not answering."

Aster, like a merciful landlord, waved his hands and said humorously. "It is okay, man. I have to take a rest for a while from all of this massacre. You got lucky because my mood to kill has taken a rest."

"Does that mean... I can go?" The poor youth has clearly been damaged in the head from not seeing the fakery in Aster's words. When plunged in death, one would desperately cling to survival and when he heard of 'lucky', 'mood to kill', and rest are in the same sentence, he believed it like a true believer of faith.

Of course, like a true believer one must doubt first and Alcor timidly asked with desperate snots. "Can... I really just walk away now?"

"It is all in your choice. It is an expression of freedom to do what you want. If you want to stay and see the view of the meadow or go home and rest, be my guest and do so. It is not like a dictate your life, sheesh!" Aster said in fake annoyance while secretly influencing the disturbed thoughts of Alcor with words like 'go home'.

"Thank yo..." Alcor felt himself rise up in redemption and given a new lease in life, even though it was clearly fake. His celebration was interrupted and the fakery was revealed when Aster said. "Haha! I haven't finished yet."

"It is true that I don't dictate your life but it is a fact that I can influence it and even initiate your death. I said I am resting my kill mode but who knows when it would be back to full power. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe an hour from now or..." The slight delay in words initiated a murderous aura in the atmosphere and fear-inducing eyes were lookings straight into Alcor's when the continuation was said. "...maybe it would just come back within a minute or maybe even this very instant."

"EEEKK!!!" Alcor with all terror and snots ran straight without even looking back. The image of death was still fresh in his mind. 'I need to run faster than ever or those blood things would get me. I... don't want to die like... a rat!'

He reached Creed street with miraculous speed by using propelling flames in his feet. They were sure that it was his escaping skill but it was too flashy and mana-draining to be one.

The girls went closer to him from seeing that any sign of danger has gone minimal.

"Aren't you going to follow him back to their household?" Aria asked while also advising. "I have to warn you that the Dren family is weak but not to be easily messed with. They have a lot of connections and they say that their senior members are in the Expert rank."

"The man will run out of mana soon from too much of panicking and incomplete proficiency in that flaming feet of his. I can catch up with ease." Aster gave them his resolution. "Besides, we all know that things are bound to escalate even further. It is best to end his seniors if they are really as pretentious as he is. Strike while the iron is hot, is what blacksmiths would say."

"Whatever floats your boat." Aria felt that he was using too many idiomatic expressions for the day that she also gave one in return.

"I want my reward when I get back from all of these killings." Aster grabbed Plum and Aria into his embrace and felt up their butts. The duo rolled their eyes at him but they knew they can't resist.

"No fair!" Kamryn and Eve felt left out and expressed their jealousy. Aster laughed and said. "I still have matters to attend to so I am rushing to get you back inside the walls. You'll get your turn but Kamryn, you should carry Eve for everything to be done fast."

"Hmmph!" Kamryn and Eve harrumphed but could only follow his words. They were still hesitant with each other but what they were dissatisfied with was the fact that Aster doesn't get to carry them.

With Initiate speed, it only took them a minute to reach the walls and cross over it. They could have taken the gates normally but Aster had no time for that and he wanted to somewhat minimize the girls involvement with the incident.

Some neighbors might have seen him antagonize a group of fifty or more men that never came back again but they were not snoopy enough to look towards the meadow, so they won't connect the disappearance with the girls.

It was a futile attempt but at least he could portray his women as innocent if shitty guards of the city would try and defend the delinquents over them. Not that it mattered much because killing happened every day and Aster just needed to rank up to silence the corrupt crowd.

"Kamryn, you tend to your brother when he arrives while I am gone. Portray me as a charming sweetheart that became your lover in a meeting of romance." He grinned as he readied himself to continue and hunt the apple that was trying to return to the tree. Naturally, to practice equality, he snuggled both Eve and Kamryn to feel up their heavenly feeling butts.

"Hihi! I don't want to lie." Kamryn giggle with happiness and joked with the truth. "You are the opposite of that. You are a cruel charmer and our romantic meeting is just you molesting me in bed."

Aster grinned and said. "I know but what can you do about it and it is not like your brother would realize it."

He kissed the four beauties in haste and skipped space after he said those words. When he reappeared in the streets, his thoughts were deducing his lover's feelings and surmised. 'They must be having butterflies in their stomachs by now.'

Aster was having fun with idiomatic expressions and distracted himself while he followed the panicking Alcor, or should he call it the targeted bad apple.

People on the street were looking weirdly on the man that was running while shouting. "Heeelppp meee!!!"

There were some girls that saw him earlier pass the street with suaveness and wanted to form connections with a rich young master. The contrast of then and now was evident to them and they felt disgusted and repulsed.

Every other onlooker knew that something sinister was happening to one of their neighbors from the fact that they saw the infamous group of thugs flock their streets earlier. This young man must have something to do with it and might have formed some agreement with the thugs to nab the pretty siblings in the far corner of the neighborhood.

A lot knew that it was wrong but what can they do about it. They turned to become blind-eyed and deaf eared with the dark dealings.

There is also a minority who treated the girls well but their limited capabilities were not enough for them to be of any help at all.

Only those who lived relatively nearer to Aster's house knew of most that had happened while the others are still processing the weird showing of the terrified runner in the middle of the street.

Alcor tripped a lot and it made for a fun sight. Their only response was the same and that was to ignore it like it does not relate to them at all. They were curious why the luxuriously-dressed young master was running for his life like he was being haunted by the incarnation of death itself, but satiating their curiosity was not equivalent to their precious lives.

The supposed incarnation of death was actually following along with the comical marathon all this while as he teleported from one roof to another. Aster saw the reaction of the onlookers of the street and could more or less know what their attitude to the whole turn of events.

He sighed in his thoughts and commented. 'Aria was even enthusiastic to show and tell to me regarding this neighborhood's strong points and genuinely cared for the street but the reality is that her cheerful view was not deep enough to see the people's self.'

Aster was not too much in grudge to punish them for their inaction because he had no time to care for that. He just appeared and disappeared in stable structures of establishments and followed on.

His method was not too akin to an assassin because his will to kill was always felt by his target. He did so because the procession of the running was taking a long time.

Alcor might drop to the road and faint from overexertion. It was clear for him to tell that the man did not do much exercise for his cardio as his breathing was already too heavy and too long.

'This gay man should better not die from asthma or I would just try to revive him and kill him again.' Aster made a vow of annoyance from seeing the wimpy run that is decreasing in momentum as the distance of travel went rising.