Jarek heard Raven's whisper and couldn't comprehend what he had said. He observed Raven, who remained motionless, simply inspecting his surroundings.
Jarek began to feel uneasy about Raven's behavior, so he immediately questioned him.
"What's happening, Raven? Why are you examining your surroundings? Do you need something?"
Raven turned his gaze to Jarek, who was studying him with suspicious eyes.
Raven had already analyzed everything around him and formulated his plan. Now all I need is a target.
"Nothing. I was thinking about finding someone to kill."
Jarek was shocked by Raven's blunt statement. He stared at him with wide eyes, unable to believe his words. Jarek felt lost, failing to grasp Raven's true nature.
"What do you mean, Raven?"
Still not believing what he'd heard, Jarek wanted confirmation. Raven looked at him and spoke again. "I already explained my mission—I need one person per day. If you provide someone for me, I don't have to search. If you won't help me, then I'll have to find someone myself."
Jarek began to realize that novels and reality were as different as heaven and earth. In novels, you could predict character motives and goals through their perspectives, but now he was facing reality where everything had changed.
A protagonist was talking about killing innocent people—not for his own sake, but for someone he would have considered a third-rate villain or extra character, whose role should have been a stepping stone for the protagonist's growth.
Jarek continued staring at him and asked, "You never liked Aeren before, right? So when did you start following his commands?"
Raven glared at him, remaining silent for a while. Silence overtook the inn as they locked eyes. Raven's quiet demeanor made everyone around him uneasy.
Jarek sensed something wasn't right about Raven but stayed vigilant and ready.
"Don't disrespect His Highness by using his name casually. This is my first and last warning."
Raven's cold voice reached everyone in the Cold Inn, and all the patrons turned toward him. Jarek was stunned by his icy tone and bloodthirsty aura.
Jarek was about to ask more questions when, before he could say anything, Raven attacked the lady whom Jarek had previously saved.
Jarek reacted to his assault, blocking Raven's sword and managing to stop him. Simultaneously, Raven's knife flew toward another patron's head. While Jarek protected the lady, the blade found its mark before anyone noticed the strike. The man collapsed to the ground.
Raven glanced at the corpse with cold eyes, then turned to Jarek, his voice echoing throughout the inn. "Work done."
Jarek noticed the dead body and couldn't believe his eyes—Raven had killed someone right in front of him, and he'd still failed to protect a single person. Rage began building within him as he faced Raven.
"Raven, I'm going to kill you."
Jarek's declaration filled everyone with fear—they rarely witnessed such fury from him. Raven heard his threat but smiled.
"Why not? Try it."
Jarek began to doubt his understanding of this world. What the hell does this world want? His rage burned within him, but he didn't strike at Raven, knowing he was at a disadvantage with so many people around.
Jarek controlled his anger and spoke. "You will regret this, Raven."
Hearing this, Raven began to vanish into thin air, stating, "I won't."
Jarek watched Raven disappear from where he stood, unable to stop him or do anything about it. Then he began thinking about Aeren. He's playing with my mind. What am I missing?
Jarek's head lowered in shame. Just wait a little longer. Then I'll come for you, Vorthis.
Jarek spoke to his people: "Take his body and give him the best funeral. Compensate his family, and I'll handle everything later."
After saying this, Jarek walked away without looking back, exiting through the door.
Meanwhile...
Aeren and Ellie arrived at their mission location assigned by the royal family. They stood side by side, observing a small village from a distance.
Aeren was half-naked, wearing only pants. His black hair appeared dry, and his eyes looked deeper than usual. Ellie wore commoner's clothing, but her beauty still shone through.
She had dressed in a loose shirt and loose pants, her beautiful black eyes and black hair matching Aeren's. Noticing Aeren's disguise, she felt disgusted and stared at him for a moment before turning her gaze away.
Aeren also observed Ellie's disguise. "These clothes suit you, Ellie. You should wear this type of clothing more often," he commented with a small smile.
Ellie turned toward Aeren and punched his stomach, but he felt nothing and showed no emotion at her attack.
"Don't speak nonsense, you useless prince." Seeing that her punch had no effect, she insulted him in return to feel slightly better, but Aeren still didn't respond to her comment.
Aeren turned his attention to the distance where the village lay. Ellie noticed his gaze and looked toward the village as well. They had a mission to find the culprit who was smuggling wizard girls around the city.
"Let's finish this work so I can enjoy my birthday with my betrothed."
Aeren reminded her of something she wanted to forget. She felt irritated about her upcoming marriage, and now he was starting to remind her about it like a persistent leech.
Ellie stamped her foot on the ground in frustration and followed behind Aeren. After walking for a while, they could see the small village much closer.
Aeren and Ellie finally reached the village gate, where they saw a guard performing his duty of sleeping. Aeren approached the guard, shook him gently, and spoke, "Hello, sir."
Aeren's words woke him up. He opened his eyes and saw Aeren and Ellie. The guard's gaze stopped on Ellie, staring at her beauty and falling into a deep trance, forgetting his surroundings entirely.
Both Aeren and Ellie noticed his lustful attention. Ellie looked at Aeren, who also turned to her.
Ellie signaled to Aeren: Should I kill him?
Aeren received her message and replied with his own signal: No, we can use him.
Aeren and Ellie exchanged glances for a moment, and silence fell over the area. Then Aeren clapped his hands.
CLAP
The guard snapped out of his trance but continued staring at Ellie, completely ignoring Aeren. Aeren nodded to Ellie.
"Sir, we're lost and don't know the area. Since night is approaching, could we stay in this village for the night? Please," Ellie spoke politely on the surface while feeling disgusted inside, careful not to show her revulsion toward the lustful man.
"Hmm, sure." The guard began hiding his lust, accepting calmly and politely, then remembered her words. "We?"
"Yes, I'm her brother."
The guard was startled by Aeren's voice and nearly had a heart attack. He studied Aeren's body—no shirt on his upper half, so thin that only bones were visible, as if he hadn't eaten for years.
"Okay, let's go."
"Thank you, sir."
Aeren smiled and spoke in a polite tone, showing his appreciation with a bow.
The guard nodded but then noticed Aeren was half-naked from the waist up. He paused for a moment, took out some clothes, and offered them to Aeren.
"Here, wear this. You look too shabby."
Aeren stopped where he was and began tearing up with happiness, looking at the guard as if he were a role model. Aeren's eyes moistened as small tears began falling.
"Thank you, sir. I will never forget your kindness and will definitely repay you." Aeren bowed again, speaking with determination and displaying genuine emotion to both Ellie and the guard.
Ellie watched his performance in shock because it felt so authentic—as if he were genuinely experiencing those emotions while showing them to others. Is that even possible? If I hadn't known my brother Aeren, I would have trusted his acting completely.