Three assassins turned back suddenly, and at that exact moment, fear stabbed into their spines like a frozen blade.
Their eyelids trembled, their pupils shrank, and their bodies stiffened without control; it was as if something deep inside them was screaming that they should never have seen this man.
For the first time in their lives, they smelled death, as if death itself had wrapped its arms around them.
As assassins, their missions were always dangerous. Many times, they had stood between life and death, and whether by luck or by skill, they had survived.
But now? They knew that tonight, there would be no such luck.
The old man, wearing the simple clothes of a servant, stood calmly.
His back was not bent, yet his presence was heavy enough to crush the breath out of them
"Idid not expect unwanted guests at this hour of the night" he said in a cold, indifferent tone.
None of them had time to react.
August took a single step forward, and the world broke for the assassins.
The old man's hands moved like steel clamps; with one brutal motion, he smashed two heads together, and slammed the third into the ground with terrifying force.
The sound of skulls breaking echoed in the closed space like stone shattering. Blood burst out, bones collapsed, and lifeless bodies scattered across the floor.
The blow did not feel like a punch. It was as if a mountain had fallen from the sky.
They did not even have time to breathe, let alone warn the other two assassins.
Reinh watched everything without emotion. Blood dripped from the torn half of his face, one eye was blind, and one ear was simply gone. Even so, his gaze was calm and empty, as if this scene had nothing to do with him.
Seeing his condition, August frowned and immediately knelt beside him. He raised his hand to check the wounds and, at the same time, spoke with a serious and honest voice.
"I realized it too late. This was my failure. I'm sorry. Please punish me, young master."
He knew apologizing was useless. He had failed, and he deserved punishment.
"I'm fine. We'll talk about your punishment later. Two other assassins are still outside. Capture them alive."
Reinh did not even blink. His tone was still cold.
It was clear that August was not going to be let off so easily, especially when Reinh could use this opportunity to get what he wanted.
August paused for a moment. Fine? Half of this kid's face was torn off, and he was saying he was fine? No shaking, no pressure in his voice. It was as if pain meant nothing to him.
The old man sighed. He knew arguing was pointless.
Without another word, he disappeared.
Not disappearing in a literal sense, but moving at such extreme speed that even the eyes of a mortal like Reinh could not follow it. The air moved, and then there was nothing.
"That human is stronger than I expected," Arceus said lazily, glancing at the place where August had vanished.
"This is what you'd expect from a warrior with nine rings," Reinh murmured.
August was a warrior with nine mana rings. Whether in the Vorhelm family or across the entire continent, he was considered one of the strongest.
The assassins who had come to kill Reinh had, at best, four to six rings. Compared to August, they were no different from insects.
In fact, if that assassin had used mana from the very beginning, Reinh would have been killed instantly.
"Why would they assign someone this powerful to protect you?"
"I don't know. Maybe because of the bell. But it's definitely my father's order," Reinh said indifferently. He didn't care why this old man was here. Now that he was here, Reinh would at least make good use of him.
"Either way, kid, you're far too weak. You were lucky that human was slow to use mana. Otherwise, you would be dead. You should obtain my physical structure as soon as possible. Once you do, even a mana user won't be a threat to you."
Reinh did not answer, but his silence was a sign of agreement.
A few seconds later, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway. Organized, hurried, and anxious. Reinh understood, Lia had noticed.
It didn't take long for the door to open.
When Lia saw the three half-dead bodies on the floor and Reinh covered in blood, the color drained from her face. Her steps faltered, and she almost fell. Her breath caught as she rushed toward Reinh, her shaking hands landing on his shoulders.
"What happened?! My god… Young Master, are you okay?! No! With injuries like this, how can you be okay?!"
"It's nothing."
"No! This is not nothing! You need healing right now!" Lia shouted in fear and anger.
At that moment, on the roof of the palace
The two remaining assassins stood in the shadows. Their eyes kept sliding downward. One of them said angrily,
"Why did that idiot use mana?"
"Now that he did, that old man definitely noticed. We need to leave immediately. Otherwise, we'll die," the other said, clenching his teeth.
"Calm down. Even if he knows, we still have a trump card. With that, we can escape," the second assassin let out a short laugh.
"What? Why didn't you say anything?"
"It's a secret."
"But why haven't we heard from them? They should have come back by now." He paused, his brows tightening.
"They were treated very well."
A voice came from behind them, calm, but playful.
Both assassins trembled. They swallowed hard and slowly turned around.
Behind them… stood only an ordinary old man.
With a gentle smile, and eyes that held no emotion at all.