Eli surveyed the gruesome scene before him, taking in the sight of the black-haired man sitting on the chair, his limbs confined by mana cuffs designed to drain his magic if he attempted any resistance. The man's body was drenched in blood, with numerous cuts adorning his form, with his entrails gruesomely pulled out from his stomach.
Without flinching or displaying a trace of disgust, Eli simply stood before the unconscious man. His eyes briefly shifted to a blue-haired woman with azure-colored eyes, dressed in a maid's attire.
"Hello, HeadMaid" Eli greeted her, but HeadMaid remained unresponsive. Instead, she nonchalantly fetched a bucket of water and splashed it on the black-haired man.
'Splash'
"arrhhh"
The man groaned as he slowly regained consciousness, he saw three people, his bloodshot eyes fixing on the auburn-haired boy standing before him. Suddenly, he burst into laughter.
"Heheh...ahaha...."
Eli maintained his composure as he took a chair and seated himself in front of the man. The laughter subsided, and the black-haired man, now looking at Eli with bloodshot eyes, spat at him,
"'spit' Did you really think reviving me would make me beg for my life and spill everything about our Lord? -cough-cough- No matter how much you torture me, not a single word will escape my mouth. Hahahahaha... Looks like my lord's plans have worked perfectly for you to come and beg me.
'spit' If you lick my foot and let those bitches suck my dick, I might consider letting my lord go easy on you...hahahaha"
Eli, with indifferent eyes, observed the man and used his arts to halt the bloody spit mid-air.
"His name is--" The HeadMaid was about to provide little details gained from torture, but Eli raised his hand, silencing her. The black-haired man continued his taunts, confident that he wouldn't betray his comrades.
HeadMaid's lips twitched involuntarily, a flicker of annoyance crossing her. However, she refrained from voicing her irritation and instead cast a sidelong glance at Mariel, who observed Eli with an admiring look.
'Tsk' HeadMaid clicked her tongue in disapproval, subtly expressing her dissatisfaction with Mariel's apparent admiration for Eli.
"What you said before... 'We are nothing but pawns,' right?" Eli spoke with an emotionless voice, leaning in towards the black-haired man.
The black-haired man, leader of the assassination group, who had targeted Prisania and kidnapped Wei and Mei, frowned with bloody eyes.
"Hmm?" He grunted in response.
"He was not bound by the contract, right?" Eli asked without turning his head, recalling Prisania's erased memories related to the assassination group when he revived her.
"No" Mariel answered.
"I see....Looks like they trust their Pawn more than I thought" Eli muttered, his tone contemplative. In response, the black-haired man flashed a smug smile, a hint of arrogance colouring his battered face as he said,
"Hehe.....you filthy thing, no matter what you do to me....I am a trained assassin. Unlike that bitch, I will not betray my people" he declared defiantly, pointing disdainfully in the direction of Prisania.
"..." Eli continued to stare at the man before him, his expression unreadable, his fingers absentmindedly rubbing his chin.
The atmosphere around Eli began to shift, a subtle change in energy that seemed to ripple through the underground chamber.
"You see, Mr. Pawn... A single pawn can change the game if it enters the enemy territory" Eli mused aloud, his voice carrying a tone of calculated intent.
"Snort" the black-haired man scoffed dismissively, a defiant smirk playing on his lips, ready to retort. However, Eli interrupted before he could respond.
"Why do you think I revived you?"
"Huh? Of course, to tell about my secret base and my lord" the man replied confidently.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... No, No" Eli leaned in closer, the bloody spit that hovered in the air slowly moving towards the black-haired man.
"Did you feel something wrong with your Soul Crystal?" Eli whispered in his ears.
The black-haired man's furrowed brow deepened as he attempted to concentrate on his soul.
Next Very Early Morning
The sun was yet to rise.
"Hello?" Eli knocked on the door of the orphanage, waiting patiently as he heard slow footsteps approaching.
'Thud'
"Oh? You came early Sir" A honey-haired blindfolded woman greeted as she opened the door to let Eli in.
"Hmm?" Eli frowned, intrigued by her keen awareness, "How did you know it was me?" he inquired. It was a genuine question, considering that being summoned early didn't necessarily mean he was the expected visitor.
"Huh? Well, I have a very sharp nose, sir" she replied, tapping her nose with a playful smile.
Observing this, Eli subtly smelled his underarms, 'Maybe I should change soap every day?' he wondered in case he were to 'steal' something he needed to change his scent.
'Nah, I am not going to steal anything....for now' Eli thought as he remembered the serious talk he had with the headmaster.
Eli asked the Ancient Resurrection Script for his outstanding performance during the Training program.... However, the HeadMaster immediately refused as if his life dependents on it.
So he wondered whether to steal but..... pushed aside such mischievous considerations.
Eli walked inside and sat on a wooden chair, patiently awaiting the arrival of the Nun or Nurse.
"Hello, Sir" Soon, the old lady with wrinkles came in, wearing a nun's dress.
Eli stood up and greeted respectfully, "Good Morning. My name is Asher Eli" as he presented the letter.
"Good Morning, My name is Fiana"
The old woman instructed him to sit, and as she read the letter, a pondering expression crossed her face.
Eli's gaze wandered to the blindfolded woman, who seemed to be sneakily observing them.
'Why is she even peeking at us?' Eli wondered.
"Ahem"
Upon hearing a throat-clearing sound, Eli shifted his attention back to the old woman.
"So, you came here to repent for what you had done?" she asked with a calm tone.
"....Well, you could say that?" Eli hesitated, contemplating what he needed to repent for.....He just helped the bullied guy....Well, Eli kind of helped him, right?
"I see....Then you should come after school hours, play with the children, help them study, pray with them, then eat together. After everything, you can go home" the old lady said with a serious face though there was a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
"..." Eli opened his mouth to say something however he closed it, He was surprised by her acceptance without further questions. 'There goes my time' he thought, sternly warning himself to act decisively against bullies the next time he saw any bullies the first thing he should do was... Kill them and act as a witness instead of running away.
The old lady assured Eli that she would inform the children so they wouldn't be frightened by his presence.
Returning to Nex, Eli found it was still early morning. He decided to pay a visit to his sister, who must be sound asleep after her efforts the previous day. As a reward, Eli planned a surprise for her. Attempting to sneak into the women's dorm, he was surprised to find no one stopping him.
'Does this mean anyone could enter?' Eli thought, raising a brow. It seemed like a lax security measure, especially in a women's dormitory.
"Whatever," he shrugged, about to enter when....
"What are you doing here?"
"!!!!"