Just five minutes after Grey left the burning building, a crowd of passersby had already gathered around it.
Incidents like this were a rare sight in the aristocratic district and naturally attracted attention.
The servants had just finished a hard day's work and were heading home for some well-deserved rest when a terrible peal of thunder tore through the silence of the street. Everyone instinctively looked up at the sky, but there wasn't a single flash of lightning. The stars shone brightly in the night sky, and there wasn't even the slightest cloud in sight.
Then where could such a deafening sound have come from?
"Hey, someone's fighting over there! I can even hear the clash of metal from here. Why don't we go take a look?" exclaimed a young man who looked no older than sixteen.
"Are you an idiot?" the old man snapped at him. "Didn't you hear those peals of thunder? Someone powerful must be fighting over there. A weakling like you could die from a single sneeze from an expert like that. Haven't you heard the saying, curiosity killed the cat? We'd better get as far away as possible before we get dragged into this."
The old man lowered his eyes to the road and even quickened his pace, hoping to leave the district as soon as possible. He would much rather return home safe and sound and spend the evening with his sweet granddaughters than stick his nose into other people's business.
However, not everyone could boast the same level of awareness and prudence.
By the time the building caught fire and the sounds of battle had died down, a crowd of onlookers had already gathered around it.
At that moment, curiosity and greed took hold of everyone.
After all, this was a genuine aristocrat's estate! There were bound to be plenty of valuable things left inside. A powerful expert was unlikely to care about worldly possessions, but they would gladly make use of them.
All they had to do was muster up some courage, rush into the burning house, and snatch something valuable.
The guards shouldn't hold them accountable. After all, even if they did nothing, the fire would inevitably destroy all the valuables anyway.
Wouldn't doing nothing at such a moment be tantamount to wasting divine grace?
With these thoughts in mind, the first brave soul rushed into the burning building. A minute later, he returned, dragging an entire sack stuffed with all sorts of unknown goods. The man didn't dare linger and immediately disappeared around the corner.
Seeing his example firsthand, the crowd cast aside all their doubts.
More and more people followed suit and began looting. No one hurried to put out the fire or even tried to save any survivors. It was clear that a powerful expert wanted to destroy this place down to its very foundations. Who were they to oppose his will?
Another fifteen minutes passed before a patrol squad arrived.
They dispersed the looters and arrested the most brazen ones. Not to investigate the circumstances of the crime, but to collect their share.
By then, the flames were burning so fiercely that there was no way to put them out. The only exception would be if a powerful mage specializing in the water element intervened personally. However, there was no such person among the patrolmen.
All they could do was prevent the fire from spreading to neighboring houses and perhaps take advantage of the situation for their own benefit.
However, there was one person among the patrolmen who didn't look nearly as relaxed as the others.
Captain Smith of the city patrol felt his uniform grow damp with sweat, and his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
Unlike everyone else, he knew the true owners of this building. As a commander, he had turned a blind eye to numerous strange incidents in this district at the orders of his superiors. When he heard his subordinate's report, he could never have imagined that this time, the Merciful Flame's Cult would be the victim.
"Who did they offend?" A natural question arose in his mind.
Damn it, this was their operational base! At least three Centurion-level fighters were constantly assigned to guard it!
Captain Smith wasn't even sure his own team could have caused such devastation.
Now he faced a dilemma: who should he report this to first?
Depending on the attitudes of the influential figures involved, this matter could be either extremely important or utterly insignificant.
He could follow protocol and immediately send a letter to Baron Orpheus's estate, then wait for further instructions. He could show his willingness to cooperate and report directly to the Ashen Shepherd, though who knew how the latter would react? The cult leader might be grateful for his assistance, or he might simply take his anger out on him.
Finally, he could take a risk and show goodwill toward Megan, the ninth concubine of King Orion, whose influence was growing with each passing day.
In that case, Captain Smith would be guaranteed a generous reward for the information he provided, but he would fall out of favor with Baron Orpheus if the baron learned of his actions.
For several minutes, Captain Smith stood like a statue, staring at the raging flames. He was utterly at a loss and had no idea what to do. For him personally, this problem could become a turning point, a crossroads that would shape the rest of his life. Such a decision could not be taken lightly.
In the end, as a man with considerable political experience, he made the only decision that could be considered safe: he sent messengers to all three.
By this time, many influential factions had noticed something amiss in the district and hurried to send their subordinates to investigate.
Palmer, who served as the deputy leader of the Wild Fang gang and had happened to be nearby by sheer coincidence, was the first to arrive at the commotion. He immediately spotted the familiar face of Captain Smith and hurried over to him.
Knowing exactly how to handle such situations, he nudged the captain with his elbow, conveniently dropping a rather heavy pouch of coins.
"Captain Smith, you dropped this," he said, stretching his lips into his most charming smile.
Deputy Palmer was a bald man with a thick beard, and no matter how one looked at it, that smile would never appear friendly to anyone he spoke to. However, Captain Smith didn't object. He simply picked up the pouch and thanked Palmer.
"Thank you very much. I've been rather absent-minded lately. Age is catching up with me."
"I understand. We're living in troubled times, and your position comes with an enormous amount of stress. I'd advise you to visit Venus's Embrace more often. I must say, the girls there know how to help a man unwind."
Palmer clapped Smith on the shoulder and offered him a cigarette, which had been growing increasingly popular among the wealthy citizens of the Magic Empire.
Smith accepted the hand-rolled cigarette and held it between his teeth, then whispered something almost inaudible. His thumb turned red like a glowing coal, and smoke immediately filled his lungs.
"Find anything out?" Palmer asked casually. "My boss will skin me alive if I don't bring back at least some information."
"I questioned the witnesses. No one saw or heard anything... except the peals of thunder that the whole city heard. The boys should be going inside to inspect the building now. Maybe they'll find something."
"Seriously? Not a single cultist survived?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen anyone," Smith drawled, releasing a thin stream of smoke. "Let's wait."
Soon, one of his subordinates approached and cast an uncertain glance at Palmer, whom he didn't recognize.
"Report," Smith ordered.
"Fifteen corpses. There are almost no signs of a struggle, though the fire might have destroyed the evidence. Several people had their heads pierced straight through. They clearly died from a single blow. I can't even imagine who could have done something like this. Even a Saint Adept couldn't eliminate so many armed men so quickly."
Palmer let out a whistle.
"Looks like someone influential has paid our city a visit," Smith remarked, waving his subordinate away.
"He's ruthless," Palmer added. "Sounds like some kind of Quickdraw Butcher. I just don't understand why make so much noise? If he's capable of this and wanted to keep his identity a secret, he could have done everything quietly without attracting so much attention."
"Perhaps that was exactly his goal. You know, there have been some rather unpleasant rumors about the cult lately... Maybe this Quickdraw Butcher is a genuine champion of justice. Ha-ha."
"That's a good point," Palmer nodded solemnly.
"Want some advice?" Smith suddenly asked.
"Of course."
"Stay away from the mines for the time being. The Ashen Shepherd runs a very profitable salt-mining business there. No one dared to interfere with his interests because of his influence, but now..." Smith fell silent for a moment. "He's shown weakness, which means he'll have to accept some losses."
"I'm grateful." Palmer clapped his companion on the shoulder once more and stepped away, since their conversation had attracted too many curious glances. Before leaving, however, he added a few more words.
"I should warn you about something, too. It's time to make up your mind and choose a side. Concubine Megan or Baron Orpheus. The undercurrents are growing stronger, and opportunists will be the first to suffer. Neither side has any use for them. Choose quickly, and choose carefully. I hope we won't find ourselves on opposite sides of the barricades."
Captain Smith's face twisted into a grimace, and he hurriedly grabbed Palmer by the shoulder to stop him.
"What about you? Who will the Wild Fang gang support?"
"Unlike you, I'm not influential enough for that. The leader will make the decision. Perhaps that's for the best. I won't have to shoulder such responsibility," Palmer replied, pulling his shoulder free before disappearing into the crowd of onlookers.
Captain Smith clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles ached. The small cigarette butt between his teeth glowed red one last time, burning his lips.
"Easy for you to say. I have a family and a duty to fulfill. I can't even abandon my post because I'm worried about my boys. They're still green, and they wouldn't even understand how they died if I weren't here," he whispered so quietly that no one could hear him.
...
On the roof of a tall building several houses away from the fire stood two women whom no one had noticed. They watched the flames indifferently as they grew quieter with each passing minute. However, their level was so high that they had heard every word exchanged between Smith and Palmer clearly.
"He-he, that patrolman isn't a fool at all. What a pity that his duty will force him to choose a side."
"Is that all you have to say? What about the Quickdraw Butcher? Do you think he wanted to avenge the children? Some new champion of justice who happened to come to Thorn's Cloaca and decided to intervene?"
"I don't know." The second woman shook her delicate head. The bat wings on her back trembled slightly with anticipation. "Things get more interesting with every passing moment. Isn't this what you wanted?"
"Hee-hee, I can't deny the obvious. The more chaos, the more fun. This time, we even managed to profit without lifting a finger. I like these kinds of surprises best."
"Then why do you look so serious?"
The first woman glanced toward an inconspicuous alley where an elusive shadow had just slipped beyond her perception.
"Something is about to happen in Thorn's Cloaca. Not today, not tomorrow, but it will happen sooner or later. So many powerful figures have gathered in such a small town on the outskirts of the empire. It's quite intriguing."
"Hahaha, I hope you remembered to count yourself," laughed the girl with bat wings, failing to notice the strange tone in her companion's voice.
"Of course. I'm one of the main anomalies that must be taken into account. I simply wanted to live somewhere remote without attracting attention, but look how things turned out..."
The second woman nearly stumbled at such utter nonsense, but in the end, she decided not to argue.
"I don't know about you, but I've had enough of the show for today. I'm going back to get some sleep."
"Me too. I just need to check one hunch first."
The first woman disappeared so quickly that the second didn't even have time to ask a question. In the end, she decided not to interfere and simply follow her original plan to get a good night's sleep.
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