Arvad looked at the wooden ceiling, and let out a tired sigh. His entire body was aching from pain, especially his legs. It was as if they were numb.
'I must take a good rest as tomorrow will be a long day too.'
The long run had tired him mentally and physically, making him unable to think of anything anymore.
The lights on his room were turned off as it mingled with the thick darkness outside the Inn.
---------
Roy looked at the two men beside him who were moaning in pain. Both of them were sweating, their hair disheveled, and they constantly gasped for breath.
They were none other than the two men who were talking in the Inn not long ago.
The cheerful and intoxicated expressions on their faces were gone. Instead, they were replaced by lines of extreme fear.
Their pupils were dilated, and their skins were blushing red, with patches of inflammation and burnt marks around the entire body.
With a sharp silence, Roy gave a creepy smile before grabbing out a piercing metal cutter from his robe.
They immediately understood what was about to happen, and they started to struggle fiercely. However, they were helpless against the rope tightened by a mage himself.
Both of them could only watch in horror as the glistening sharp edge creeped closer to their hand.
"You know what I hate the most?" Roy asked with a chilly voice.
They repeatedly shook their heads in desperation, but they found themselves to be utterly helpless.
"Pussies like you."
The robust man looked as the metal cutter inched closer to his friend's fingers, the cold touch which sent shivers down his spine.
Looking at the man's desperate face, Roy pretended to be concerned. "What? Do you wish to speak? Sure please go ahead." He took off the clothes covering his mouth, and the man immediately started pleading.
"Please! I am just an ordinary hunter. Spare me!" He shrieked.
"You know what a liar deserves?" asked Roy.
"I really am not-"
Click!
The man froze, and robotically looked down, only to find that his middle finger was missing. His face twisted from the soul-stirring pain, and he roared loudly. "Ahhh!"
"Hahaha. Shout to your heart content. No single soul will be able to hear you. I have already erected a mana shield around this entire room."
The robust man beside him was getting hysterical. "We really don't know anything. We were just ordered to play that conversation everyday."
The playful expression on his face was gone, and Roy squinted his eyes. "By whom?"
"I… I-"
Before the robust man could finish speaking, Roy stood up from the chair, his silhouette flashing like a light as he disappeared from their vision. They could only look at each other with the same confusion, and the unbelievable speed made their heart beat rise.
Roy quickly barged into Arvad's room, and erected a sound-proof shield around him. At the same moment, countless earth element fragments converged on his call, making a spear between his fingers.
"Ignite," Roy roared.
Swish!
The mana reserve in his body rapidly burned as a crimson fire coiled around the spear. The fire danced like a dragon waiting to devour anything in its path.
Looking at the clear night sky through the open window of the Inn, Roy's eyes shone brilliantly, and he threw the spear with full force.
[Whirling Crimson Spear]
It pierced through the night sky, whirling at a crazy speed without losing any of its velocity, and left behind brilliant showers of sparks.
As the spear rushed ahead, a dark silhouette gradually became bigger and bigger in its eyes, and under the assassin's panicked expression, it directly pierced through his head without even giving him the time to defend himself.
The body soullessly fell from the sky, and even the dagger in his hand dimmed as the source of mana became exhausted.
Roy didn't even wait to see if the spear pierced through the assassin's body, and he turned around to walk towards the adjacent room.
"Ugh… I was still late." Roy shook his head in regret.
The two men were nowhere to be found, and only a bloody mess was left in the room. Through clothes and other items, Roy could faintly make out that they were none other than the living humans which he tortured not long ago.
There was also another intruder present in the room, and a human sized hole in the wall behind him. The bloodstains on his white shirt were shrieking that he was the slaughterer behind the murder.
"Oh. Mr. Innkeeper. Didn't expect you to be here," Roy said with a chilly smile.
"Really. Mr. Roy, or should I call you as the Spear of Aeron, Watcher of the Shadows, Head of Knights, and the Protector of Royal Blood," The old man with no extraordinary features spoke.
Roy's expression finally changed, and there was anxiety deep in his eyes. "How do you know?" The pitch of his voice was unusually high.
"Hahaha. Are you dumb? You think anyone can imitate the pretentious spear attack you used? Till then, it was just a guess but you confirmed it yourself." The old man's shoulders shook continuously as he laughed nonstop.
"How did you know that we are from the Aeron House?"
"If not, why would that kid have such a strong reaction to these two idiots' words?" The old man continued, "Unless he is the Heir of Aeron House himself, hahah."
"So you intentionally made them say those words. I already knew that they were sent by someone, but I didn't expect the treachery to run so deep. What a cunning plan indeed."
Roy clapped when he thought about their hidden intentions. He didn't expect to encounter something like this so soon.
'There are more powerful auras coming in this direction, Looks like they are prepared. I really didn't expect to run into something so troublesome so soon.'
"Since you already know everything, you should surrender. I swear we won't harm you."
While pretending to seriously think about the proposal, Roy asked, "Can I know your origins first?"
"Hahahahahaha."
In response, the old man just gave a contemptuous laugh. "You really think of me as an idiot, don't you?"
"No. Not at all…" Roy fiercely shook his head, and smiled. "I just think you guys are too weak."
Left speechless by the thin man opposite to him, the old man raged. "You really are as the rumor says of you. Don't worry we won't disrespect you and give you the proper courtesy you deserve."
Saying that, the old man raised his hand, and made a weird sign with his hands. "Let the show begin."