Alex was right. Saint Rothen was in chaos. Soldiers and knights were moving up and down the streets, knocking on doors of nobles to ensure that they were still alive and not dead in their houses. Anyone suspicious was taking in to be questioned about their purpose in Saint Rothen, which would result in brawls consonantly taking place between travelers and knights. With so many nobles dead, those with noble titles were agitated. Some nobles even moved out of their homes, forsaking the glorious gold color and what it represented. Some thought that it was beneath them to move out and opted to move in with other nobles.
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Ives Bray's Point of View
"Why is this happening when father is away? Why? Why? Why? The title of viscount will be given to me. Why must I prove myself? How are nobles dying at night my fault?" Ives screamed in the air venting his frustration. In the period of his father's departure, over two hundred people have died in four days. Ives was a young man that turned sixteen this year, blue eyes, blonde hair, 5'9 in height, with the looks of an attention grabber.
"This is the worst month ever! A dirty commoner raped my fiancé, and now I could lose the title of viscount to my second brother. If I did not know that he didn't want the title, I would think that it was him sabotaging father's test for me." Ives signed hard.
"Send a message to father, tell him to come back immediately. I need help." Ives said in a tone lewd with defeat. Calling for help meant that his father was right; he was too young to govern and needed more time learning.
Ives advisors could not help but agree; while praising Ives inwardly for knowing his own limits and not dragging out this situation.
"right away, young master. Also, the commoner might be innocent; I have checked his background, he is naïve but not stupid. The story isn't as it seems," His advisor Philip beckoned.
Philip was an advisor to Ives since he was twelve, preparing him for the role of the viscount. Every future leader who would control a town under the king's banner would be sent an advisor on the king's orders. The king was grooming the next generation. The advisor's job was to guide the young leaders and report if anyone is a little too ambitious, whether it was the future leaders or the current town rulers.
"what? What do I do now? I cannot just free him, could I?" Ives exclaimed. In the past two years, he had fallen in love with Alice Waterfield. The girl was a slender beauty in her own category.
However, nothing was in Ives's favor; if he released Lith, it would mean that Alice would most likely die. Even though Ives was blinded by hormones and a fleeing idea of love, he knew why she lied! Even if Alice hated Lith with all her guts, there was no need to put her virginity in question unless...... And with that, Alice and her adulterous lover would die for plotting against the house of viscount Bray. The lie Alice told was harmless until he moved one hundred and fifty troops. Alice's lie wasn't simply a lie anymore. There was no way around it. His father would make sure they died for the public image.
'Why did she tell such a stupid lie? Why didn't she just come and tell me?' Ives thought.
There was no easy out. He made a big show bringing one hundred soldiers and fifty knights to the house of Christopher Wright, who is also a knight, to arrest Lith. Dragging him through the streets and denouncing his crimes.
"No, I can't release him". Ives said with conviction. Even knowing that Alice betrayed his trust, Ives was looking for a way out for her. Even if it was at the cost of a commoner's life.
"My advice is to tell your father once he comes back and let him handle the situation," Philip advised Ives. Philip knew Ives loved Alice. If Ives had the guts to imprisoned Alice, denounced the baron and lord Markson for their participation, viscount Brays would applaud him. Even this would gain him merit as a just ruler with the future king. But Philip knew Ives wouldn't do it. Philip could only chalk it up to his youthfulness and report this matter to the king that Ives swayed in his decision.
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Alex's Point of View
Alex was woken up by the system's notification.
*[Ding]*
[the following quest has changed]
[new quest]: Within five days, turn Saint Rothen into a living hell. Kill three hundred citizens [141/300]].
[Reward]: 3000 exp (possibility of a bonus reward. No evil deed goes unrewarded)
*Ding*
[new quest]: In three days, the viscount will return, prove Lith's innocence]
[Reward]: 2000 exp
"Star, how does the system know the timeline has changed," Alex probed.
"The system uses a universe law called faith to make deductions about the future. Some people, too, are adopted at using faith to see the future; these people are called seers. Seers are normally a pain in the ass, even for gods. Unless the seer joins a particular faction or god, they are killed quickly. Imagine someone seeing your every move before you even do it? However, there is a downside to using faith or any law. Those laws are like walking on a slippery slope; you might end up tying yourself to a world. If that world is destroyed, so will a part of your soul, if not all." Star said.
Alex was going to ask more about these laws; he wondered if it was like newton's law on earth, but his jail cell opened, and in came two men. One was a young guard and the other a middle-aged man. The guard stayed close to the cell door, ignoring Alex as the old man approached Alex and introduce himself.
"Young man, my name is Gail Forbes. I am a healer; they paid me to look at your injuries and make sure you are all right. From just looking at your condition, it's horrible."
'Inspect'
-------
Name: Gail Forbes
Level: 12
Race: Human
Class: Healer
Element Affinity: Light
Mana core: level 1
HP: 100
Mana: 150/150
STR: 50
Agility: 80
Intelligence: 200
Stamina: 50
--------
Name: Saysar
Level: 15
Race: Human
Element Affinity: fire
Mana core: level 1
HP: 200
Mana: 250/250
STR: 150
Agility: 180
Intelligence: 100
Stamina: 250
'Thanks to Star, Alex's body appeared in the same condition it was in before he signed the soul contract. This was simply child's play for Vigerřamous.
Alex wondered who would send an expensive healer to him. It could not be Lith's aunt since she did not have the money, and she had the note. There is no way Lith had a secret helper, or he wouldn't have suffered like this. So that only means the healer came with ill intentions.
'since you want to play; let's play.'
If anything, Alex could just kill the healer and the guard. Hid them in the storage and say they left him. Who would cry foul? Lith was a person who couldn't use mana and what could Gail do to Alex with those stats?
Alex spoke while wheezing, finding it hard to breathe "thank… yo… u. for…com….ing....who…pai…d you?"
Gail replied righteously, "That person wants to stay anonymous. Don't speak anymore. You might worsen your condition. Don't worry, when I am finished, you will be back to normal."
'Anonymous? Yea, I bet I would want to remain anonymous, too, if I had evil intentions. Seems like I will have to visit the wonderful healer tonight to heal him too.' Alex smiled inwardly.
Gail healed Alex with his ability, or at least that is what Gail thought. Once he was finished, he took out a red potion and told Alex to drink it for his internal injuries. Alex declined such an expensive potion feigning modesty. At the same time, Gail insisted he drink it and that his anonymous benefactor covered it.
Alex drank the entire bottle then thanked Gail for being his savior.
*Ding*
[passive skill poison immunity was activated]
Gail smiled while saying goodbye to Alex, and Alex did the same. Gail's actions were puzzling Alex; why heal him just to poison him. Just given the potion to drink would've convinced Lith that Gail was genuinely helping him.
'Was he doing it to cover himself? Or were there two people that paid Gail, one to heal and the other to kill? No, Lith had no friends, so it was definitely to kill.' Alex concluded.
Thanks to Gail, Alex didn't have to pretend to be sick or half-dead anymore. The guards did not bother the prisoners unless they were in a foul mood. No one cared about the dead prisoner that Alex killed; prisoners die, it happens. Nor did anyone notice the beast-man was messing. Food and water are only given every four days.
Alex stayed on the bed the entire day with his back facing the cell, eating meat and bread he looted while discussing traps and tactics with Star.
Quality father and son bonding.
Barely anyone came close to Alex's jail cell with decomposing bodies and water on the ground. Alex thought that these were gifts from Ives to make Lith uncomfortable as possible. Maybe if it was Lith here, he would be nauseous, but to Alex, they were resources. The dead bodies masked his cell with a grotesque odor, ensuring the guards stayed far from his cell, and he could use the corpses as dummies to play him at night.