Seth arrived at a large house, though not overly luxurious.
It was a place he had learned about after following a man named Aristo. Seth decided to go without waiting any longer.
As he sneaked inside, what caught Seth’s attention first was the large number of guards and thugs roaming around. The kingdom’s appointed guards occasionally appeared as well, but the striking thing was how the two groups seemed to assist each other in certain areas.
For example, both sides secretly supported one another. The captains of the guard patrols were likely taking bribes from the loan sharks, turning a blind eye to the extortion, threats, blackmail, and illegal price hikes these criminals imposed on people.
Corruption had wrapped itself around the kingdom’s ruling class like a serpent...
But this wasn’t Seth’s problem, at least not for now.
Without wasting any more time, Seth channeled Mana into his legs, crouched quickly, and leapt. His legs pushed him with great force as he jumped onto the roof.
"What was that noise?"
"Are you imagining things? I didn’t hear anything." A bald man, sitting tiredly in his chair, spoke with mild sarcasm in his eyes. The man he spoke to, however, looked worried. "Could it be someone?"
The bald man scoffed. "Even the guards salute us when they pass by here, who do you think would dare try to break in? Who could possibly have the guts to attack Big Hanson’s place?"
The other man thought about it and then smiled, relaxing. "You’re right, I’ve been getting paranoid lately."
"Your mind is probably still on that prostitute from last night."
The bald man laughed as he spoke, then closed his eyes. "Anyway, you take another round of patrol, and then I’ll take over."
The other man nodded and stopped looking at the bald man.
While the two thugs were talking, Seth had already slipped inside through the chimney—yes, like Santa Claus. And he was still in his human form. Turning back into a crow would’ve been useful, but Seth had different plans in mind.
After entering the room, Seth suddenly disappeared into the ceiling when he heard the sound of heels approaching. Once he vanished, a maid entered the room.
"Ugh, those bastards have messed this place up again."
The woman who entered was in her thirties, her hair tied up in a bun. Her eyes looked disgusted as she gazed at the beer bottles and the disheveled room.
With a quick motion, she removed the blanket and tossed the beer bottles into the trash bin beside her.
At that moment, Seth jumped down silently, barely making a sound. Before the maid could turn around, Seth gently struck the back of her neck, causing her to collapse instantly.
"You’re innocent. Otherwise, things would’ve been different."
Without waiting any longer, Seth exited through the door and immediately encountered a thug. The thug recoiled in surprise and tried to react, but it was too late. Seth’s fist smashed into his face, nearly shattering it.
"Agggghh!" Before the man could scream, Seth stomped on his head, and the man’s skull was crushed. Seth let out a satisfied hum as he felt his power grow.
"What happened, James? You alright?"
Seth quickly prepared himself when he saw another figure approaching. A short, short-haired man entered the room, and Seth swiftly knocked him out before continuing cautiously.
"Bring me some wine!" A man’s voice caught Seth’s attention, and Seth opened the door to see a tall, muscular man. The man looked like a mountain of muscles, and he was dressed in fine clothing.
Seth suspected this man was one of Hanson’s key figures and, without waiting, stepped inside.
"And who are you?" The muscular man looked at Seth with some surprise, though he still maintained an arrogant air. Seth’s reply was cold and simple. "Are you the leader of these thugs?"
The muscle-bound man didn’t answer, glaring at Seth with fury. "You damn bastard, how did you get in here?!"
Seth chuckled softly. "Maybe because your men are incompetent?"
The man’s eyes briefly flashed with reproach and anger, but then his rage faded, replaced by a smirk. "Thanks for telling me that. But today will still be your last day."
"Is that so, musclehead? Seems like all that muscle hasn’t given you much brains..."
The man proudly flexed his arms, as if displaying his muscles. "These arms are the result of decades of hard work, kid. You wouldn’t understand."
"Dark Wizard, you attacked us for no reason. If you leave, we will overlook this."
Seth chuckled and looked up at Dave, who was taller than him. "Sorry, but I have business with Hanson."
"Lord Hanson is not here at the moment," Dave said, flinching for a moment. When Seth realized he was lying, he grinned with pleasure. "You’re lying. Tell me. Where is he?"
As Dave grew increasingly desperate, the boy finally intervened and said sharply, "My grandfather is dead! Why are you still bothering him?"
"Young Master—"
Seth’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Hanson had died earlier than expected. He remained stunned for a while until he noticed the child still glaring at him. He sighed and said, "I understand, but I still have business with you."
"Tell me the truth, how did Hanson die?"
As the child trembled, Dave sighed and revealed the truth. "It wasn’t a natural death. The cause of death was because of the Blood Cult."
Upon hearing of the Blood Cult, Seth immediately remembered who they were. The followers of the Vampire Queen, members of the Blood Cult, were a human organization that served vampires.
Despite their significant influence, they rarely interacted with the outside world. They were a very secretive and racist group.
They believed that Orcs, Elves, Humans, and everyone else were born to worship the Vampire Queen. They argued that all Gods and Goddesses were false idols and that the only true Goddess was Carmilla.
"Lord Hanson’s grandson, Charlie, is a half-fairy," Dave said sorrowfully. Seth’s eyes lingered on the boy named Charlie, glowing with understanding. Where else could such bright, sun-like eyes, marked with a strange blemish...
These were all signs of fairies. Yet, the only question left in Seth’s mind was, how had Hanson’s son come into contact with a fairy? It was a very curious question.
"In short, they wanted to sacrifice Charlie to the Vampire Queen..."
Dave nodded. The vampire tradition was well-known among humans. There was a legend that for the Vampire Queen to escape from Avalon, a sacrifice was needed.
While humans were at the lowest level of sacrificial value, beings like Dragons, Fairies, and High Elves were the most sought after, hunted, and sacrificed.
Dave then looked at Charlie with gentle eyes. "Even though Lord Hanson has died, only the young master and I know. Otherwise, everyone would already be trying to betray us."
"Do you know a man named Aristo?"
At the mention of Aristo’s name, Charlie’s eyes flared with hatred. Dave, with a disgusted expression, continued, "That bastard would be the first to betray us if he knew Lord Hanson was dead!"
Noticing that both Dave and Charlie hated Aristo, a plan immediately began to form in Seth’s mind.
"Charlie, would you like to make a deal?" Charlie looked at Seth in confusion, not understanding what was happening. Seth, on the other hand, placed a thin smile on his lips, then lowered his cloak and revealed his face.
Both Charlie and Dave held their breath. It was natural because Seth’s face looked so exotic and divine. Androgynous facial features, red jewel-like eyes, long, smooth, dark-as-night hair—Dave almost believed he was standing before a divine being.
Thirty seconds later, Dave came to his senses and immediately urged Charlie not to make a deal. "Young master, you shouldn’t listen to an unknown man! This is dangerous!"
Seth’s eyes narrowed mockingly. "Don’t worry, I’m no devil. If I were, you wouldn’t be alive right now."
Unfortunately, Seth’s explanation still didn’t calm Dave.
Seth continued. "Do you want revenge? I can offer it to you, with nothing but a fair deal. Whether you accept or reject it, the choice is yours."
Extending his hand in a welcoming gesture, Seth spoke calmly. "I will be your business partner, and in return, you will be able to take revenge on the Blood Cult."
Charlie looked thoughtfully at Seth’s outstretched hand. Deep inside, he harbored an intense hatred for the Blood Cult and the Vampires. He blamed himself for his grandfather’s death; if it weren’t for him, his grandfather wouldn’t have died.
Charlie’s eyes turned to Dave. "What do you think I should do, Dave?"
Dave sighed and looked at Charlie kindly. "You are mature enough to make your own decisions now. Please, choose what feels right to you."
Although Dave didn’t like Seth, he knew the Blood Cult would come for them again. Having witnessed Seth’s power firsthand, Dave thought that an alliance with a strong person might be the right choice.
Charlie’s eyes grew cold as he remembered his grandfather’s cold, lifeless body, and his golden fairy-like eyes glowed strangely and magically.
Then, Charlie made his decision and looked at Seth. "I’ve made my decision..."