With a casual wave of his hand, Orion conjured a fierce fla, instantly setting the entire room ablaze. The flas quickly consud the bodies and any evidence of his presence.
Satisfied that his tracks were sufficiently covered, Orion vanished silently into the shadows, leaving nothing but an inferno in his wake.
***
Walking stealthily back towards the inn, Orion’s brows furrowed deeply in contemplation. He inwardly murmured with frustration, ’Damn it, this turned out troubleso. I gained no useful information. Soone is clearly targeting now, and soone very strong.’
Lumi, sensing his frustration, spoke softly and cautiously in his mind,
[Master, now we’re in the open and our enemy is in the dark. You must be even more careful from this point onward. If we can’t uncover their identity quickly, we’ll have no choice but to proceed with extre caution all the ti outside our ho. Whoever this hidden enemy is, their thods are ruthless enough.]
Orion silently agreed, nodding grimly as he approached the inn. Arriving quietly, he swiftly entered his room.
Upon opening the door, he was instantly t with the sight of little Lyra, still sitting on the large bed, her wide, expectant eyes staring anxiously toward the door.
Seeing Orion step inside, her expression imdiately brightened, and she quickly jumped down from the bed, her tiny feet pattering swiftly as she dashed toward him. "Papa, you’re finally back!" she exclaid joyfully, wrapping her small arms tightly around his leg, burying her little face against his robes.
All the tension in Orion’s heart instantly lted away at Lyra’s innocent face. He gently reached down, pinching her small nose with a gentle smile as he teased softly, "Of course, silly girl. Did you really think I’d run away? Why haven’t you slept yet? It’s already quite late."
Lyra puffed out her cheeks adorably, pouting slightly in a playful yet sincere complaint, "I can’t fall asleep without Papa beside . I was waiting for you all this ti!"
Orion’s heart softened even further, a doting warmth filling his gaze as he knelt down to gently pat her head. He said gently, "Alright, alright. Papa’s sorry, okay? Let’s go sleep now."
Lyra imdiately brightened, nodding eagerly. Orion smiled helplessly yet tenderly as he scooped her gently into his arms, carrying her to bed.
Lyra nestled comfortably beside him, closing her eyes peacefully, and soon drifted off into a deep slumber.
Orion gazed gently at her peaceful, sleeping face, his previous tension dissipating. Yet, deep in his heart, a quiet determination remained. ’Whoever you are, daring to plot against , I will find you,’ he vowed silently. ’You will learn what it ans to beco my enemy.’
Deep inside his SoC, Lumi looked at him and inwardly muttered, ’Looks like Master is getting more and more affected by his draconic lineages as he gains a deeper mastery. He is becoming more ruthless towards his enemies subconsciously.’
After thinking about it for a while, she threw the thought to the back of her mind, ’Oh well, this is better for him. He can’t be soft against those.’
***
Orion and Lyra went to sleep peacefully, oblivious to the commotion brewing in the rest of Silverfall City. While they rested without a care in the world, a nightmarish scene unfolded elsewhere in the city.
Deep into the night, fierce, unnatural flas raged uncontrollably, consuming the entire Viscount Bellgrace Manor.
The inferno painted the dark skies crimson and orange, illuminating Silverfall City in an eerie glow visible for miles.
Experts from throughout the city were swiftly alerted, gathering hurriedly around the manor to quell the flas, yet they couldn’t do anything even after using all their powers.
The gathered experts channeled their most powerful water spells, deploying potent mana-infused techniques to extinguish the flas.
But no matter their combined might, the fire remained undisturbed, utterly resistant to their magic.
The City Lord himself arrived, a dignified Tier 8 cultivator known for his impressive control over water elents.
Even he stood helplessly, sweat beading on his brow, eyes narrowed in disbelief and confusion as his carefully used elental spells simply evaporated harmlessly upon contact with the flas.
Whispers filled with unease and speculation rapidly spread among the onlookers, feeding an atmosphere of anxiety and fear.
"Such terrifying flas... Who did the Bellgrace family provoke?" one man murmured nervously, his voice barely audible over the crackling inferno.
"I heard the entire main residence was destroyed," another whispered gravely. "Even the City Lord is powerless... Just what kind of warrior can conjure flas like these?"
Rumors flew wildly, guesses becoming wilder with each retelling. Many began speculating openly about hidden grudges or shadowy conspiracies behind this devastating assault.
Throughout the night, Silverfall City buzzed restlessly, tornted by unanswered questions and mounting dread.
Only as dawn’s first golden rays peeked above the horizon did the unstoppable flas finally begin fading naturally, slowly diminishing until nothing remained but smoldering ruins and scorched earth.
Fortunately, the combined efforts of the city’s experts had at least managed to rescue most of the Bellgrace family mbers and servants who had been sleeping in the manor’s outer sections.
Those closer to the inferno’s epicenter, however, remained unaccounted for, presud consud by the vicious blaze including the Viscount and his imdiate family mbers.
As morning fully broke, Orion strolled leisurely through the marketplace of Silverfall City with little Lyra beside him.
She held tightly onto his hand, occasionally tugging at his sleeve with curiosity, her innocent laughter a stark contrast to the surrounding uneasy atmosphere.
Walking at a relaxed pace, Orion quietly humd a tune, a faint smile on his lips. He was in a good mood after beating a snake to death, and soon he heard so conversations among nearby rchants and shoppers, their voices filled with worry and uncertainty.
"Did you hear about last night?" a rchant muttered anxiously to his friend, eyes darting around nervously. "The entire Viscount Manor burned to ashes. The flas were terrifyingly powerful."
The other man quickly nodded, eyes wide with shock. "I rushed there myself last night to see it firsthand. Even the City Lord couldn’t do a thing! It’s as if the flas were the legendary Phoenix Flas, burning for an eternity, completely beyond our ability to control."
Another passerby joined their hushed exchange, voice lowered conspiratorially, "Just who did Viscount Bellgrace offend to cause such ruthless retaliation?"
For a brief mont, the entire market street fell into uneasy murmurs and whispers, each filled with anxiety and trepidation about the uncertain future.
Yet Orion didn’t care at all and strolled casually through the crowd. He’d already ticulously eliminated all evidence of his involvent.
Even if suspicion fell upon him, what could they possibly do? Bite him?
With the King personally backing him and his grandparents as protectors, few would dare to openly challenge him without proof. And those few are the Duke Houses. And coincidentally, he has good relationships with quite a few Duke Houses.
Orion soon approached a shop, stepping calmly inside. The interior was cozy, shelves lined with various trinkets, scrolls, books, and everyday artifacts.
A plump middle-aged shopkeeper greeted Orion enthusiastically as he entered, politely asking, "Welco, sir! What can I help you with today?"
Orion smiled in amusent seeing how most of the shopkeepers were fat middle-aged n here, he asked lightly, "I’d like to purchase everything you have related to cooking: recipes, techniques, guides, anything available. Also, please assist in obtaining so cooking utensils and fresh ingredients if possible."
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