"No, no!"
Green's voice trembled as he instinctively stepped back, panic coursing through him. He felt the heat of fear rise in his chest as he watched Harry advance, each slow step amplifying his dread.
"Please, you don't want the Aura Technique anymore! Just stop!" His words turned desperate as he shouted, "Stop right now!"
But Harry showed no sign of halting his approach. Each deliberate footfall felt like a hammer striking Green's heart, intensifying the frantic beating within his chest.
"You've forced my hand!" Green gritted his teeth, feeling cornered. With a sudden burst of resolve, he tightened his grip on the dagger, plunging it toward the metal booklet in his hands. If he couldn't keep it, then no one could.
In that instant, a figure blurred into view. Harry was upon him, and before Green could react, his arm was frozen mid-strike, the dagger halting just shy of the precious item.
"What gives you the confidence to think you can destroy this in front of me?" Harry's voice dripped with sarcasm, each word a mocking reminder of Green's futility. "You really overestimate yourself."
With a flick of his wrist, Harry pushed Green aside effortlessly, sending him sprawling to the ground. The booklet slipped from Green's grasp, tumbling toward Harry.
If the difference in their strengths had been slight, Green's threats might have held some weight. But facing a top knight apprentice, he realized, he stood no chance. Harry had the power to dispatch him before he even registered the danger.
"Is this the booklet you're so desperate to protect?" Harry mused, picking up the booklet and weighing it in his hands. He could feel its energy resonating, a subtle warmth pulsing through his palm.
This connection, faint yet undeniable, assured him of its authenticity. It thrummed with a power that ignited something within him, a thrilling sense of potential.
"What a remarkable find," he said, unable to suppress a smile. "I never anticipated it would be this easy. In just a few days, I've achieved what I set out to do."
With the Aura Technique in his possession, Harry felt invincible. All that remained was to tidy up loose ends.
As he turned to face Alice, he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Plop. The sound echoed in the stillness.
To his surprise, Green had suddenly dropped to his knees, his forehead hitting the ground repeatedly in a frantic gesture of submission. "Please, let me go! I'll do anything! Don't kill me!"
"Anything?" Harry raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering across his face. "Including her?" He gestured towards Alice, who watched in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Yes, yes!" Green exclaimed, desperation painting his features. "I'll give you everything, even her!"
The moment hung in the air, heavy with tension, as Harry considered the offer. The prospect of using Alice as leverage intrigued him, but he could sense Green's fear was genuine. It was a twisted moment of bargaining, where survival hinged on the fragile thread of desperation.
Green, trembling, fell to his knees, his forehead pressing to the ground in a desperate show of submission. "My Lord Knight," he stammered, his voice wavering, "she is but a woman. If you desire her, please, take her. I'm sure she would be… delighted to be in your favor."
Green's eyes darted up briefly, his face pale with fear. "Please, forgive my earlier actions," he continued, his tone thick with desperation. "It was her doing! She persuaded me, insisted even, that we come here. She couldn't bear to part with her family's inheritance, you see. This wasn't my choice; I would never dare to break the agreement on purpose."
Words tumbled from his mouth in a frantic stream as he pointed fingers, each accusation meant to absolve himself while casting Alice deeper into the pit. His face, once confident and charming, was now contorted with terror and deceit as he painted Alice as the mastermind, the temptress who led him astray.
Alice stood a few paces away, watching the man she had once adored transform before her eyes into a stranger; a cowardly, pitiful figure who seemed willing to sacrifice anyone to save himself. She opened her mouth, wanting to shout, to defend herself, to make him see the truth. But Green was quicker, his voice overpowering hers, and she realized with a pang how ill-equipped she was to match his slick, practiced words. For all the sweet nothings he'd whispered to win her heart, his venomous lies now cut twice as deep.
Every sentence he spoke felt like a blade slicing into her chest. His betrayal was a brutal revelation, turning her memories of him into nothing more than cruel illusions. Each of his words, spoken with such ease, twisted inside her, reducing her love to a dark, mocking joke.
Across from them, Lord Harry watched the scene unfold, a faint smile playing on his lips. He seemed to find amusement in Green's pathetic scramble, but his amusement was short-lived. Boredom soon overtook his expression, and with a single, dismissive step forward, he closed the distance.
Green's bravado dissolved instantly. He recoiled, his eyes wide, hands raised as if he could somehow stop what was coming. "No! No, please!" he cried, his voice breaking. "You don't have to kill me! I can still be useful!"
But his pleas were cut short by a single, swift stroke of Harry's sword. The blade drove clean through Green's chest, silencing him forever. A strangled gasp escaped Green's lips, and then his body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
Harry wiped the blade without a second glance at Green's corpse and turned his gaze upon Alice. For a heartbeat, she stood frozen, unable to process the danger she now faced. She had spent her life in comfort, protected from the cruelties of the world, and the brutal reality unfolding before her felt almost like a dream. Only now, as Harry approached, did her mind scream the truth, she was in grave danger.
Alice's face turned ashen as she backed away, her heart pounding in her chest. "Lord Harry," she began, her voice shaky, "I—I promise I won't speak a word of this. No one will ever know what happened here."
She took another step back, her hands shaking. "My father… my father has already promised me to you. I could be your wife! If… if that's what you want."
The panic in her voice was unmistakable as she clung to any offer, any plea, that might save her life.
Harry paused, regarding her with a look of mild interest, almost pity. "Miss Alice," he said with a sigh, his voice low and cold, "I had thought perhaps you might have a shred of courage. It seems I was mistaken."
He shook his head, a trace of regret coloring his expression. "But it's too late for that now."
Before she could react further, his sword slashed through the air in one swift, brutal arc. In an instant, Alice's world ended. Her body collapsed to the ground, her face frozen in an expression of fear and shock, as blood pooled around her.
Harry glanced at the scene dispassionately before turning away. From the shadows, several figures emerged, stepping into the torchlight. Marlo, along with other trusted members of Harry's tribe, had been waiting quietly, prepared to carry out the rest of their lord's orders.
Harry addressed them calmly, as though he were discussing little more than a routine chore. "Clean this up," he instructed. "Leave no trace. Make it look as though they vanished without a trace. Dispose of the bodies; burn them, or leave them for the wild creatures in the mountains. No one must find anything left of them."
"Understood, my lord," Marlo replied, bowing low, and he and his men set to work immediately. They moved with practiced efficiency, clearing away every sign of the grisly scene. Green, Alice, and the remnants of Mousse were soon gone, their blood scrubbed from the ground, their bodies dragged away to an unknown fate.
Before departing, Marlo paused, stripping the leather armor and weapons from Mousse's lifeless body. Every item of value was salvaged before the final traces of the slain were erased.
As dawn approached, the clearing was empty, leaving no evidence of the treachery, no sign of the love betrayed, nor the lives taken. The land stood quiet, as though no one had ever been there at all.
The night slipped away in shadows, and with the dawn came a flurry of activity at Baron Senda's manor. Harry stepped out of his room, greeted by the sounds of hurried footsteps and hushed conversations. The air was thick with tension, and he could sense that something was amiss.
As the first light of day broke, news spread like wildfire: Mousse's lifeless body had been discovered, along with the disappearance of Alice. The baron, upon hearing this grim tidbit, rushed back to the manor, his heart racing with dread.
Inside the spacious hall, Baron Senda's face was a mask of shock and anger. "What in the world is happening here?" he demanded, his voice reverberating against the stone walls. "Why was Mousse found dead outside, and where is Alice?"
A servant stepped forward, pale and shaken. "My lord, it seems something was amiss in the manor a few days ago. Lord Mousse intercepted Miss Alice outside last night, but… we don't know how it ended in his death."
The servant's voice trembled as he recounted the events. "Mousse was trying to capture the bard, but it all went horribly wrong. He was skilled; how could he have been taken down?"
Baron Senda's brows furrowed, his mind racing. He understood Mousse's strength; there was no way he could have been defeated by Alice or Green alone. If Green had the power to best Mousse, Senda would have long since reconsidered his hostility toward him. The notion that it could be another force at play began to crystallize in his mind.
His thoughts were interrupted by the hurried arrival of another servant, breathless and visibly shaken. "Lord Senda! Something terrible has happened! I just checked, and your warehouse was broken into last night!"
"What?" The baron was momentarily taken aback, and then realization dawned. "The family's Aura Technique!"
Without wasting another moment, he dashed out of the hall, his heart pounding in his chest.
Later that day, the search for Alice and her companions intensified across Baron Senda's territory. He dispatched nearly all of his guards, personally leading a team through various checkpoints, determined to find them. The theft of the Aura Technique weighed heavily on him, and he was willing to go to any lengths to retrieve it.
Yet, despite their exhaustive efforts, there were no signs of Alice or Green. It was as if they had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind. Even with all his resources, Senda knew he wouldn't be able to uncover the truth; especially given the unique circumstances of their disappearance.
As the hours turned to days, rumors began to swirl throughout the manor. Whispers of Alice's elopement with her lover spread like wildfire, and everyone had something to say about it.
Harry, meanwhile, remained withdrawn, seemingly unaffected by the gossip. To outsiders, he appeared to be nursing a broken heart, consumed by the loss of his fiancée. He had pursued Alice fervently, even proposing to Baron Senda that they marry. Now, witnessing her escape with another was a bitter blow.
But in truth, Harry was unfazed by the chatter around him. He immersed himself in studying the stolen Aura Technique, his focus sharp and unwavering. While others speculated on his heartbreak, he remained fixated on a single goal, the turmoil around him fading into a distant echo.