“The roads are dirty, the smell is nauseating, and there are only peasants around. This is awful.”

A young man with curly crimson hair was in a carriage with a handkerchief over his mouth and nose. His voice was squeaky and filled with arrogance as he pulled the curtains to not see the roads of Wilsden.

Emil Sanguis, 24 years of age and nephew of Sancha Sanguis, turned his attention to his companion.

“I don’t know how you convinced father to give you the heirloom once he was done with it.” He spoke, his tone lacking any respect despite the disparity in age.

The man sat across from him was just as well-dressed as Emil, but other than that, he was a complete mystery.

Emil’s father, who was Sancha’s older brother, had sent him to this backwater town to retrieve the family’s Heirloom.

If they find it before Sancha, then they could openly oppose her and fight for power on more equal grounds. After all, Sancha ruled with an iron fist, using brute strength and threats to make sure those who objected to her decisions remained obedient.

“His Lordship needs only to show the heirloom to the others. With it in his possession, it will push them to defy Miss Sancha. I will also provide His Lordship with a perfect imitation of the heirloom.”

“Is that so? Well, either way, it doesn’t matter to me. I just want this to be over as quickly as possible and return to the Capital. I hate foul places like these.”

The man responded with a soft smile while looking at the small shop the carriage had stopped in front of.

“I will leave the talking to you, Young Master. Please remember that we need to be a bit discreet. It wouldn’t help us if the Baron interferes.”

“What the big fuss? Isn’t she just a girl?”

The mysterious man kept his calm smile, “She belongs to the Aeternus Family. From what I’ve heard, she is quite the capable ruler as well as a fearsome Vampire. Not even the Holy Church was able to lay a hand on her.”

“Hmm…”

Emil thought for a moment before shrugging, still not impressed. His utter disregard of all those of lower status than him was quite apparent.

He was quite talented at using his special ability, but much of his arrogance was because he was a member of the Sanguis Family.

“This is the place?”

Instead of answering the impatient Emil, the man took out an old-looking compass, which, when injected with Mana, sprung into life and pointed toward the shop.

“It is. The heirloom is closeby. Coupled with the fact that one of the people that served under Leonis Sanguis now works here… I believe we have the right place.”

“I can’t believe a lowly servant actually dared to steal our Family’s heirloom.”

Emil angrily disembarked from the carriage, still covering his nose with the handkerchief as he quickly entered the cramped shop.

..

Sitting behind the counter, Elyna politely bowed her head to the customer, who was dressed like an aristocrat.

It was very uncommon for a wealthy person to visit her mother’s shop. Moreover, when she saw the young man’s striking red hair, Elyna had a foreboding feeling.

She nervously hid her hands and smiled at Emil.

“You. Did you work for that idiot?”

As luck would have it, Elyna’s mother was out so she was tending to the shop alone.

Emil had been given enough details about the suspicious servants that remained in Wilsden, and Elyna was one of them.

He also knew that she had been visited by Sancha’s knights regarding the heirloom, but they didn’t find anything in the end.

“Leonis Sanguis was your Master, was he not?”

Elyna, fidgeting and visibly disturbed, wasn’t able to keep her smile. She immediately realized why they were here. The strange coin that her Master had given her. Apart from her mother, she had never shown it to anyone else, nor did she carry it with her anymore.

Upon seeing Emil tactlessly talk to the girl, jumping straight to the point and cornering her like that, the man let out a sigh and stood at the back, his eyes darting from one corner to the other. He momentarily glanced at the compass and saw the needle spinning uncontrollably before pointing in a certain direction.

“Y-yes. He was my Master.”

“Okay, I don’t want to prolong the pointless talk. Give me the coin.”

“I.. I beg your pardon?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, girl! I can have you arrested and hanged for stealing from your Master!”

Emil raised his voice and glared at Elyna, who fearfully backed away.

“I know it is here, and I know that you have it.”

“I…I…”

Elyna stuttered, her face pale and lips quivering. She didn’t know what to do or say as Emil grew more aggressive. He approached the counter and banged his fist on it.

“Give me the coin right now. I’m not in the mood to deal with you, so hand it to me and I’ll quietly leave.”

At last, Emil’s companion intervened. He lightly pulled the young man to the back and, with a soft and friendly tone, spoke,

“Miss Elyna, right? We don’t want any trouble. The Sanguis Family is looking for its lost heirloom and it would be to your benefit to cooperate. Here, you can have this for your trouble.”

The man pulled a pouch filled with Gold coins and put it on the counter.

“You’re paying this thief? She deserves a hundred lashes!”

Just then, Elyn’s mother returned only to see the two guests. At first, she was about to welcome them but when she saw her daughter’s terrified expression, she rushed toward Emil.

“Please leave!”

Guessing his identity as an aristocrat didn’t take a genius, nevertheless, the mother pushed Emil and the man away from the counter.

“We are closing.”

“You dare touch me?! A mere commoner!”

Infuriated, Emil raised his hand and unhesitantly and conjured a small barrier which pushed the mother away and made her fall down, hitting the back of her head in the process.

“Mom!”

Elyna rushed to her mother and raised her bleeding head. The woman’s eyes were closed and the bleeding didn’t stop, making Elyna freak out.

Emil didn’t seem particularly afraid or guilty as he clicked his tongue.

“A peasant touching nobility is a crime. I only meant to push her, but looking at it now, she got what she deserved. Now, give me the coin.”

Elyn’s face was flushed red from rage: She stood up and lunged at Emil, which surprised him.

Out of reflex, he used the Sanguis Barrier again, this time using more force and pinning her against the wall. He didn’t even hold back as the glowing yellow-ish barrier broke Elyna’s arms and made her shout in agony.

“Stop.” The man tried to intervene again, but Emil was having none of it.

“Just use the damn compass to find it!”

Then, Emil closed his hand, which made the barrier contract around Elyna’s body, crushing it. There was no blood, but her arms dangled in the air and her eyes closed.

“It was stupid to let her live anyway.”

“His Lordship insisted we be discreet and subtle.” The man let out a sigh and added, “We cannot leave their bodies here.”

Emil removed the barrier and snorted.

Several hours later

North of Wilsden

“Young Master, this place is good enough.”

A knight standing outside the carriage talked to Emil, who dismissively waved his hand.

“Just be quick. I can’t wait to return home.” He raised a dark golden coin with a lion’s head engraved on it. It was an artifact of intricate design, but Emil didn’t know how to use it… or if it was even usable.

“To think everyone is so desperate to find this.”

“It’s the heirloom of the Sanguis Family. It holds unfathomable power.”

“Doesn’t look like it. Except for the design, it feels like a normal gold coin.” Emil shrugged and put away the coin while his two knights dragged Elyna and her mother’s bodies into the quiet woods.

The two knights started digging a massive hole while the bodies were temporarily put to the side.

The mother was dead, but Elyn’s eyes fluttered and a soft inaudible grow escaped her lips. She could hear the sound of digging and the cold breeze wash across her body, but she couldn’t move a muscle.

After a couple of minutes of rapid digging, the knights first threw Elyna’s mother inside. When it was her turn, the knights abruptly stopped and looked to the left, where approaching footsteps could be heard.

They unsheathed their blades but when they saw the unexpected newcomer, they looked a bit relieved.

Dressed in simple yet unique attire, the man first looked at the knights, then at Elyna.

“The girl is still alive. Also, isn’t it wrong for knights to do this kind of thing?”

The knights offered no response: One of them, sword in hand, approached the man and got ready to strike.

Emil wouldn’t tolerate any witnesses, so they were obligated to deal with this swiftly.

When the knight was about to strike, something invisible grabbed his body and literally squished.

“A…Ah!”

The second knight was horrified by the sight, opting to flee instead of resisting. Sadly for him, his body was squished before he took more than ten steps.

The Minstrel of the Ages, Aerin, approached the half-conscious Elyna and knelt next to her body.

“Here, drink this.”

He gently lifted her head and poured a potion’s content into her mouth. Almost instantly, her complexion got better and her broken arms healed.

“I’m sorry you had to go through this. Is that your mother?”

Elyna, with tearful eyes, quickly crawled to the hole and jumped inside, shakingly hugging her mother.

“Mom… mom!”

…

“What the hell is taking them so long?!”

After half an hour, Emil finally grew annoyed and pulled the curtains to look for his knights. However, what he saw was a man wearing a long feathered hat.

Emil’s companion also leaned forward and looked, but his face grew deathly pale. His eyes focused not on Aerin but the invisible entity floating right behind him.