The monster endured Han’s condescending taunts and pushed itself to the limit. It charged at him and swung its thick arms, forcing Han to read its patterns and gain combat experience. Its speed gradually fell thanks to the Obsidian Cauldron.
When its mana ran dry and the Obsidian Cauldron began gnawing at its flesh, the monster dropped to its knees and convulsed.
Looks like we’re done.
Han no longer felt any threat from the creature. He looked deep into its structure with his Analysis. At a glance, he saw a human encased in that mass of bloated flesh. With its mana gone, the flesh slid off the fra, plopping to the floor with wet, eerie sounds.
Only Bellatrix flinched at the sound and looked down, hands folded in prayer. The others seed used to it, while Han’s Dragon’s Pride didn’t allow him to be disgusted by sothing so insignificant.
The monster’s screams shifted to human pleas for a quick death.
"Kill... ... please... kill ... end this... suffering... please!"
Han ignored him and focused on the veins and tissue to study the strange sacrificial transformation. At the end of his Analysis, he found a foreign serum in the man’s vessels. He would take the body and extract the serum to learn its nature.
Han sensed a presence erging from the shadows. A man in white, clinical robes stepped out, his face visible beneath a transparent hood. A small hippo trotted beside him. Without a word, it ran to the splattered flesh and ate.
Hanna and the others stepped out of the restaurant to stand at the ready. Hanna edged half a step forward, ready to block. They felt no killing intent from the man in white, but they were prepared to stop him from doing anything to their Master. The man offered a faint smile and raised his hand, signaling he was harmless.
"You’re new here, aren’t you? I’m one of the cleaners contracted under Awberg. We’ll clean the street before dawn and leave no trace of battle outside your restaurant. But you must cover expenses for the ss inside," the cleaner said.
"I see," Han said with a nod.
Since he was here only to clean, the maids and Xena watched the hippo. It chewed the raw flesh, blood dripping from its muzzle, and they shared the sa thought.
It’s cute. Xena’s mouth twitched. Even she couldn’t help it.
The cleaner drew a magic circle that erased the scars on the ground. Han studied it. It looked as if he were rewinding ti.
"You really can’t rewind my restaurant?" Han asked.
The man chuckled. "I can’t. Anything public can be repaired through this spell. Streets fall under that rule. But private facilities like your restaurant don’t."
"Sounds like your spell is part of a larger magical schema," Han said.
"Keen observation." The man didn’t hide his approval. "Yes, you’re correct. That schema doesn’t infringe on private facilities. Otherwise, people would start asking the wrong questions. No one wants the wrong people on edge. Look at the ss one of their businesses already caused."
He nodded toward the man Han had defeated, implying the man was a lab experint who’d escaped, but Han didn’t buy it. He accepted the man had been a test subject, nothing more.
He clearly targeted my Maid Restaurant.
"Do you know where this rat ca from?" Han asked.
The cleaner shook his head. "No."
I don’t buy this. You’re a cleaner with freedom to walk the streets at night. You’ve seen enough to have suspicions about where this rat ca from. You’re saying nothing to keep yourself safe. It’s not for my sake.
"Would you like to clean the body?" the cleaner asked.
Han shook his head. "No. I’ll keep it."
"Naturally, you have every right to do whatever you want with the corpses of your enemies," the cleaner said with a business smile, similar to Denver’s, then continued his work.
Ten minutes later, the street was as clean as before, and no one would suspect a battle had taken place here. The cleaner patted his hippo and praised it, then led it away, bidding Han farewell. His maids stared after the little hippo until it disappeared into the shadows.
"Was it wise not to leave the body with him?" Bellatrix asked.
"Worried about my safety?" Han asked, smiling.
She nodded. "This is like admitting you’re part of the Underworld."
"Is it? Even Church healers need corpses to study anatomy. But I agree. He probably thinks I’m from the Underworld, and I don’t mind. Awberg will look into us sooner or later. With a famous Maid Restaurant, they’re less likely to target us," Han said.
"That’s true," Bellatrix agreed.
Han looked at the ss. Broken windows and doors. Smashed chairs and tables. The furniture that ca with this restaurant was ruined. He sighed. He rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Everything costs now. It weighed on him more than it had at the mansion. Now everything was on his shoulders.
Sothing for sothing.
"Let’s clean this up and fix what we can before dawn," Han said. "We’ll bla so drunkards and move on."
"Understood." Hanna and the others bowed.
—
A peculiar duo watched Han’s battle from the start from a nearby rooftop. One sat at the edge with his legs dangling, while the other stood straight and stiff. The first was a man in his late thirties with stubble and a an look. The second was a young man in his early twenties with a baby face and an innocent air.
"Was that the right choice? We could have killed that man and ended his suffering instead of luring him to this restaurant with fake promises?" the younger asked.
The older clicked his tongue. "About ti you learned how this world works and man up. You’ll investigate that man’s origins. And rember, don’t be kind. You’re in a Fortress. Half this population was sent here as punishnt, the other half was born here."
"But that man is at least an Adept!" the younger protested.
"So?"
"And even you, sir, couldn’t see through all his Spells! We still don’t know what drained his mana and will so quickly..."
"That’s why you’ll sniff around, so Awberg knows who they’re dealing with. You don’t have to fight him. Just learn about him. Do you understand your mission, Faveen?"
"Yes, I do..."
Reviews
All reviews (0)