Alan laughed with satisfaction. "Hahaha, I'm sure that trash is dead now."
He was in the same restaurant. Sitting in the same VVIP room, though not at the center table because he wasn't as special a guest as Sorbet Valden.
Alan was indeed part of the Valden family, but he didn't hold a position like his father. His class and his father's remained different.
This time, he wasn't with his father. This time Alan sat with his fellow noble children.
One of them was the son of an Earl. He was Alan's good friend. The young man's name was Arzer de Lunox — one of the most talented in his family. He was very skilled with ice magic, one of the rare and difficult arts.
Arzer nodded proudly. "Of course. I already paid a rank-B adventurer to kill your brother. Of course he'll die. There's no way he can win. Besides, the opponents are five senior adventurers," Arzer said.
Alan nodded in agreement. "I like your way of thinking. You're truly ruthless and reliable. As a reward I'll persuade my father to arrange some business contracts with the Lunox family."
Arzer, hearing that, was stunned. He smiled broadly. This was exactly what he had been after. "Thank you! You're my best friend."
Arzer and Alan laughed together.
Another friend was Arther Belack. He mostly listened. He was quieter than Arzer and Alan, but he was a good friend to both. The three were very close and often did things together.
This plan had Arther's involvement too, but he didn't speak much. He only guided and offered advice. The quiet, cunning type.
And the last friend, Warlet Von Crimson. She remained mostly silent. She had nothing to do with what Alan and the others were doing.
She didn't particularly like the meeting. Her eyes even showed her dislike.
She wasn't a close friend of Alan, Arzer, or Arther. She and her father were only visiting the town of Stromhall for a business deal. Nothing more.
Alan looked toward Warlet. "Do you like the food? This is the best restaurant in Stromhall."
He said it proudly, trying to win Warlet's sympathy, but her expression was flat. Her gaze was listless. She looked like a living corpse.
Her skin was very pale, but Warlet had a beautiful, unblemished face. The shape of her lips, her eye color, the contours of her face, her slender body — all could almost be called perfect.
Warlet nodded. "It's good, but I don't like what you are doing."
Alan, Arzer, and Arther were surprised. They looked at each other.
"What do you mean?"
"You paid people to kill someone. That's disgusting. You treat a person's life like a toy. I hate it," Warlet explained.
"But he is—"
Warlet shook her head. "Whatever your reason is — killing is still disgusting. You have no idea how many lives are lost every day in Moonlight City. People there work hard to survive. They help one another to live. Meanwhile, you..." she stared at Alan, Arzer, and Arther with contempt. "treat life as if it were worthless."
The three fell silent. Alan wanted to defend himself. His mouth opened, but no words came out.
Warlet stood and walked toward the door. Alan stood as well, wanting to stop her and explain what he had actually done. Of course Alan would look for an excuse to make his actions sound right and reasonable.
"This isn't—"
BRAAAGH!
Before he could finish, the door to the room suddenly burst open. A guard's body was shoved inward. The guard lay unconscious.
Alan, Arzer, and Arther immediately drew their weapons.
The guards in the room moved toward the entrance. They gripped their weapons.
A young man walked into the room. He wore a monkey mask. His eyes were sharp.
"Finally, I found you," the young man said.
He walked toward Alan, gripping a sword in his hand. Several guards attacked the masked young man. They surrounded him from different directions.
They advanced together and swung at him in unison. As their blades nearly struck the young man, he vanished.
[Wind Step Slash activated!]
The masked youth reappeared behind the guards. He held his sword tighter and delivered a very strong slash.
Slash!
The cut sent three guards to the floor. Blood spurted from their backs, but they still tried to rise.
The youth advanced and struck across their bellies and elbowed their backs. Two consecutive attacks left the three guards unconscious.
The remaining guards glanced at each other and rushed in again. They attacked the masked young man again and again. But unfortunately, every one of their strikes was parried. Some were hit back by counterattacks.
Alan, Arzer, and Arther began to panic. They struggled to follow the masked youth's movements.
"Who is he?" Alan asked.
He felt a sense of familiarity, but he couldn't place who the masked young man was. And besides, why would the masked youth want to attack him and his friends?
"Do you know him?" Arzer asked.
Alan shook his head. "I don't know."
"Then why does he seem so angry with you?"
Alan fell silent. Only one thought surfaced in his mind, but he dismissed it immediately as impossible — his brother couldn't possibly fight this well. Moreover, he had never shown any affinity for the wind element. His brother was born without any elemental talent.
"What should we do?" Arzer asked again.
Alan could only remain silent. He couldn't think clearly. Arther narrowed his eyes. He tried to read the masked youth's attack patterns.
"We can win, but we have to work together," Arther said.
Alan, hearing that, immediately nodded. "Yes, Arther's right. We're the children of nobles. Why should we fear strangers?"
The three nodded. They felt more confident. When they looked back at the masked young man, all the guards were already defeated.
The masked youth smiled widely. "Time to beat these little dog children."