Frings Mansion
"Sir, we still can't find Caesar," Dante reported.
Frings gritted his teeth. 'Who would have done this?Merlion Family? No—why would they?'
'Damn it, I can't just start pointing fingers. If I accuse the wrong people, it could spark a war. The king would have the perfect excuse to seize this city.'
His fingers tapped impatiently on the table. 'Think, Frings. Think.'
'Why now?'
He exhaled sharply, frustration mounting.
"Tsk. Caesar, where the hell are you?"
Kaeli's House
Rethrus stood frozen, his mouth slightly open as he stared at Caesar's lifeless body. The severed head lay a few feet away, blood pooling beneath it.
"Why… Did you do this?" he asked, his voice low but heavy.
Kaeli, seated at the table, twirled a bloodstained dagger between his fingers. "We already got what we needed from him," he said casually.
Gerard took an involuntary step back, his hands trembling. 'Is this what happens when you cross them?'
'I forgot… these two are mercenaries!'
He glanced at Eri and Kaeli, their expressions unreadable.
Rethrus remained silent, his fists clenched.
'Rethrus, you're a hero… What will you do?' Gerard thought anxiously.
Eri shifted his stance, claws flexing. Kaeli gripped his blade.
'Damn. If he turns on us now…' Kaeli's mind raced.
'He's the hero of this kingdom. A kid, sure, but still a hero. I should've seen this coming.'
'Please, Rethrus, don't make us your enemy,' Eri thought, her muscles coiled, ready for a fight.
Gerard swallowed hard. 'Are they going to fight? Which side should I take? If I help Rethrus, it's a guaranteed win.'
Rethrus remained still, his expression unreadable.
Kaeli exhaled sharply. 'If he kills us here, he can pin it all on the guild.'
Rethrus let out a long breath. "Haaaaa…"
The three tensed, fear creeping into their expressions.
"So this is the dead body of a dwarf, huh. Kinda like the monster I killed earlier," Rethrus said.
The three were shocked.
'Did he just compare a dwarf to a mere monster?' they all thought.
"So, why did he attack me?" Rethrus asked.
Eri hesitated before explaining everything that had happened before Rethrus lost his memory.
Eri hesitated before speaking. "Rethrus… before you lost your memory, you fought that dwarf knight."
Rethrus' eyes drifted to the headless corpse. His chest tightened.
Kaeli nodded. "Yeah. That was Caesar."
"He and his squad were ordered to retrieve an Avalorian girl who had escaped. When he found her… you were with her."
Rethrus' fingers twitched. 'An Avalorian girl?'
Eri continued, "He didn't say much before Kaeli killed him, but he was sure of one thing—you fought him. You won. And instead of killing him, you tied him up and left him in an alley."
Gerard swallowed. "You tied up a knight?"
Rethrus' jaw tightened. "That doesn't sound like me."
Kaeli leaned forward. "The knight's squad found him later. The girl was already back in her cell. And you… were gone."
A headache pressed behind Rethrus' eyes. "And?"
The room fell into a tense silence before Eri spoke again.
"We asked him about the girl before we killed him."
"And?"
Eri's claws flexed. "Caesar said she was taken back to Frings."
Rethrus exhaled sharply.
Gerard paled. "That means—"
Kaeli's expression darkened.
"That noble bastard keeps young girls locked away beneath his palace. He waits for them to 'flower' before he makes them his wives."
Rethrus gritted his teeth, irritated. "Damnit, nothing comes to mind."
Gerard hesitated. "Maybe you're cursed."
Rethrus shook his head. "No, I checked my body. There's no mark."
Eri spoke up. "How about your Blight?"
"Blight?" Rethrus echoed, confused.
"Oh, I mean your Devil," Eri clarified.
Rethrus raised an eyebrow. "You call it Blight, huh?"
Eri nodded. "Yeah, some members of the Black Dragon Guild are dark users, and they call it Blight."
Rethrus frowned. "Well, my 'Blight' didn't exist yet."
'Wow, he's that strong just alone?' they thought in unison, surprised.
Kaeli crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "Anyway, what should we do, Rethrus?"
Rethrus glanced at the body of the dwarf knight.
"We can either bury it, burn it, and forget everything that happened… or we could do something interesting," Kaeli smirked.
Rethrus paused, his thoughts lingering on something Eddie had once said.
Rethrus glanced at Eri. "Eri, do you know any enemies of the Frings family?"
Eri scratched her head, thinking. "Uhm, yes… too many to be exact."
Kaeli chimed in, "I mean, they're running this city, of course. Some families secretly envy them."
Rethrus narrowed his eyes. "Let's go for the strongest."
Eri nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, there's the Merlion Family. They've had a serious beef with the Frings family for ages, especially since they were the original Lords of this city."
Rethrus raised an eyebrow. "Do you know what kind of family they are?"
"Wait, what are you planning to do?" Gerard asked, looking between them.
"Let's just listen," Kaeli said, his tone calm yet firm.
Eri leaned back, her voice casual but carrying weight. "The Merlion Family doesn't mess with markets like the Frings. They've got control over the port here in Aurelia."
Rethrus raised an eyebrow. "Control over the port? You mean they run all the trade here?"
"Exactly," Eri replied, nodding.
"They own most of the trade routes in and out of the city—anything that comes by sea or river has to go through them. Since Aurelia is the last city of Alborea, they've got a massive grip on the flow of goods. Luxury items, spices, rare resources—you name it. If you want something across the water, you need their permission."
Rethrus thought for a moment. "So, they control the water... what about the people?"
"They do more than just trade," Eri continued. "They're water mages, so they can control the tides, rivers, and even the weather when it's in their favor. They keep things flowing smoothly, and if you try to mess with them, they make sure you regret it."
Rethrus narrowed his eyes. "Sounds like they have a lot of power."
"They do," Eri said with a serious expression. "But it's not just about power and wealth. They're very good at killing... back then, for them, killing was a play."