"Impudent! I am the Tower Master! You are still my disciple! You dare threaten me and cut my arm? Are you asking for death? I'm telling you, boy. Even if you are the Emperor's brother, the Empire's only Archduke, you are still a boy who has yet to become an adult! Your power is superficial at best and without the Emperor and me, you are nothing! You have no backing!" The Tower Master roared angrily with self-righteousness.
"None of the nobility is your supporter! A mannerless punk who disregards social etiquette and kills people for fun? You think I don't know about your dungeon? That I don't know that you have tons of severed heads on display inside your estate? That your closet is full of rotting bones and skeletons of people who had offended you?" His pointed with his other hand, his tone becoming louder and louder.
"The Emperor can turn a blind eye to your nightly activities and bizarre hobbies but I am different! What do you think would happen if word got out that the young Archduke was a lawless youth who disregards people's lives and kill people for fun? Not only will your reputation be ruined but the royal family will turn into a complete joke! The Emperor who was unable to restrain his younger brother-"
Agnus swung his sword once again, severing the other hand. Another round of screams echoed through the underground laboratory.
His only response was to wipe his cheek that was stained with blood using the back of his hand. His emotionless eyes never once changed.
"Noisy," he repeated.
"You...you..!" Tower Master Rogen was breathing heavily from the sudden loss of too much blood. His face gradually turned paled in an instant. He was already so old.
His body wouldn't last long unless he was treated immediately. Unfortunately, this underground laboratory was far away from capital and aside from a few guards and servants at the surface, no one was capable of helping him aside from Agnus.
But Agnus would never help him. The Tower Master knew this deep in his heart and loudly cursed this abominable person who didn't know what having morals mean.
Agnus stared at his sword with disdain. The blood was really ugly. The rabbit girl was right. Although he had seen it so many times, this was the first time he had evaluated its aesthetic potential.
The floors were covered in blood and it would be hard to erase them.
His irritation began to increase further. Not only did this old man threatened his brother's reputation, he also made the floors dirty.
"You really dare to hurt me? You ungrateful brat! I'm your Master! May the Goddess curse and punish you for your sinister actions! You have no shame!" Rogen accused bitterly. He wasn't delusional. He knew he was going to die but could only delay further and talk some sense into his disciple.
Agnus burned the other severed hand without blinking as if he was burning paper.
"That's funny. I seem to recall seeing a hidden top floor at the Mage Tower with illegal research and documents about human experiment. Coincidentally, I discovered an underground laboratory filled with slaves, to the east of the Tower."
Rogen paled. How did he knew?
Agnus tapped his chin, not yet done.
"Ah.. I'm not interested in ruling the throne. So to ensure my freedom, I have to make sure that all the obstacles on my brother's path is eliminated. Otherwise, my brother would keep bothering me. I hate being troubled by mundane tasks, ah. I have to write a report later and think of an excuse why the Tower Master died. Hmm... I'll just say that Master was so driven with guilt from what he did that he decided to commit suicide and atone for his sins. Then just publicize all the 'sinister actions' that Master committed. " Agnus' lips curled upwards as he dragged the tip of his sword on the floor, creating a harsh grating sound that echoed around the room, making his approach all the more ominous.
"Master, don't hold it against me. Even if you are the Tower Master, that still doesn't excuse your 'lawless' actions of killing the innocent."
Rogen started to feel an indescribable amount of fear at the irony of the situation. Agnus was known for being crazy and ruthless. Although he seems very harmless, he was a viscious character that people could not afford to offend.
"The Mage Council of the Tower can turn a 'blind eye' to your nightly activities and bizarre hobbies but I am different. What do you think would happen if word got out that the reputed Tower Master was a 'lawless' old man who disregards people's lives and kill people to experiment on them? Not only will your reputation be ruined but the title of Tower Master who was revered and admired by many will turn into a complete 'joke'! The Tower Master who was unable to restrain his thirst and greed for power, kidnapped innocent children and used them for human experiment." As Agnus finished his words, a cruel smile emerged on his youthful face.
The deep red of his long flowing hair matched the pool of blood on the ground. His aqua blue eyes looked like the eyes of the devil as they glowed with a sinister light. He had the face of an angel and a demon's personality. One could already feel the oppressive aura coming from this angelic faced youth.
"Today, my Master died and committed suicide by burning himself alive. Naturally, I'll honor Master's memory and use Master's ashes as plant fertilizer for my 'flower pots.'"
Rogen quickly tried to stand up, running towards the door. Agnus didn't immediately attack him but he followed the old man. The tracks of blood from the wounds on Rogen's arms were evident on the floor.
Agnus followed behind leisurely like he was going out for a stroll. His whole face was relaxed and completely unbothered by the old man who was trying to run away and staining the underground with blood.
With his weak and old body, along with the huge blood loss, Rogen fell on his knees and breathed heavily.
Cold beads of sweat were on his forehead and his back was soaked with his sweat.
His whole body trembled. Their were black spots appearing on his vision. When he looked up, there was a huge shadow over him.
Before he could scream, the thin shadow of a sword moved with blinding speed.
"I'll use your body well, Master."
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