Renard bolted through the trees the moment he heard Aria scream, his heart pounded and his mind raced with worst-case scenarios.
'Please be okay. Please be okay,' he kept repeating in his head as he rushed through the trees.
'Did they ambush us here? Did I change nothing by stopping early?'
His frantic thoughts didn't stop until he finally burst into the campsite and stopped dead in his tracks.
There was Aria, jumping around like a startled rabbit, while one of the maids knelt beside her and the other tried to calm her down.
"Young miss, it's just a tiny leech… nothing to worry about," the maid reassured Aria, but the girl continued her frantic little dance.
Renard stood there for a moment, catching his breath.
All that panic, all that running… for a leech?
"Really, Aria?" Renard muttered under his breath, feeling silly for getting so worked up.
But just as he was about to relax, something strange happened. Words appeared in front of his eyes, the same glowing, blue words. The unmistakable words of Providence.
[Name: Aria Grim]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: 10]
[Blood Crest: Unawakened]
Renard blinked several times and rubbed his eyes in confusion, but the words remained where they were.
'Wait… what?'
This shouldn't be possible!
Everyone knew that one could only see their own Providence State - it was a deeply personal secret that even someone's family couldn't peek at. And yet, here he was, staring at Aria's information like an open book.
Then it hit him. The new ability he had received—what was it called? Prajna?
Now curious, Renard quickly checked its description:
[Prajna]
[Rank: F]
[Eyes that pierce through the Providence's Veil]
The description was much shorter than his other ability, but Renard didn't need more words to understand just how incredible this power was.
A wide grin spread across his face as endless possibilities raced through his mind.
'What a cheat!' he thought, almost wanting to laugh out loud.
This wasn't just some simple trick—he could see what was supposed to be completely hidden from everyone! It was like having a secret window into a person's strengths, weaknesses and capability.
No, it was even better.
There was an old saying: 'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.'
And now, that's exactly what this ability gave him – knowledge!
Pure, invaluable knowledge about anyone he looked at.
In a world where everyone kept their abilities secret, he could see right through their cards!
Excited to test it further, Renard looked at the nearest knight. Sure enough, more words floated into his view.
[Name: Gerald Steel]
[Age: 42]
[Gender: Male]
[Zone: Essence Zone]
[Title: None]
[Blood Crest: Iron Body]
[Crest-Rank: Uncommon]
[Crest Abilities: ?? | ??]
Renard could hardly believe his luck.
Even though he couldn't see everything, just knowing someone's Blood Crest and Zone would prove to become a huge advantage! It was akin to being able to peek at another player's cards in poker.
Then a thought struck him that made his grin even wider.
Renard turned and began gazing at everyone in the campsite—one by one.
_____
Tiara's Castle.
One of the many subsidiary lands under the House Grim.
Victor had served House Grim faithfully for seven years.
Seven years of standing guard on cold nights at the border of Great Green Forest. Seven years of training young soldiers. Seven years of watching others climb the ranks while he remained stagnant.
And what was all his effort for?
'What do I have to show for it?' he thought bitterly. 'A salary with barely enough coins to feed myself.'
If it wasn't for his financial situation, he would have quit the Tiara's personal army long ago. But what choice did he have? The debt he had taken for his marriage still weighed on his head.
For years, this horrible life didn't seem to improve at all. Until last week.
He had simply been sitting in the Tiara's old Tavern, drinking with his buddies and grumbling about the beasts of the Great Forest—when that 'man' approached him.
He wore a hooded cloak that covered his face in shadow. But that man had a deal to offer.
"Riches beyond even your wildest dreams."
The task? It was simple. Spread a colorless tracking scent on the carriage carrying the young master and miss.
And the reward? Three Alpha Beast Cores.
Victor's hands had trembled when he heard those words.
'With just one Alpha Beast Core, I could buy a small piece of land. With three…'
He could hardly breathe thinking about it.
That kind of wealth could change everything. No more bowing, no more scraping, no more "Yes, my lord" and "As you command."
And so, he had ended up accepting the request.
'It's just a simple tracking scent,' he told himself each night as guilt gnawed at his conscience. 'I'm not even the one who'll…'
Victor knew that this journey was meant to be secret.
The Tiara Castle couldn't afford strong warriors these days—not with most of their forces occupied fighting off the beasts of the Great Green Forest.
To be honest, the hooded man had only given this scent for the worst-case scenario—if the young master or miss managed to escape. They already had enough power to crush the whole escort.
'They're already weak,' Victor reasoned with himself. 'Someone else will eventually take advantage. I'm just… being practical.'
Everything had been perfect.
After the deed, he'd planned to collect his reward and vanish across the Northern Barrens to start a new life.
The young master and miss would probably die.
But wasn't that how the world worked?
The strong took what they wanted.
While the weak…?
They died!
'They're just children,' sometimes, he would even feel guilty.
'Children of nobles,' but he always snapped back at himself. 'How many common folk's children die because of noble games?'
This time, the nobles will die for the common man's plan. It was just the way the world worked.
Anyway, everything was going smoothly, that is until the young master Renard had thrown everything into chaos by ordering them to stop and make a camp.
Victor's heart nearly stopped.
'Why now? Why here?'
Panic clawed at him. He was frustrated thinking if he was discovered but he forced himself to stay calm.
'This is still manageable. Wait until they're asleep. Simple. Just stay calm.'
The evening passed with agonizing slowness stretching unbearable. Every bite of the simple meal the maids had prepared tasted like ash in his mouth. When it came time to arrange the night watch and he volunteered for the first shift.
'Just a few more hours,' he told himself. 'Then I'll never have to serve anyone again.'
He waited, counting his breaths, listening as the camp settled into silence. Finally, when he was sure that enough time had passed, he rose to check on his targets.
There was a reason why he had agreed to the deal.
It was because of his Blood Crest.
Night Scout.
It wasn't combat-oriented, but it gave him some useful abilities like Silent Step and Night Vision. That was also why the knights hadn't hesitated to assign him the night watch in the first place.
'Now,' he clutched the vial in his pocket.
Plenty of time had passed. And now, all he had to do was spread this scent around both the young master and young miss. Then, his job would be done.
Thinking so, he activated both his abilities at once.
His eyes glowed in the moonlight, and his steps grew as light as a feather.
The young lord's tent was his destination, but first, he needed to be certain they were truly asleep before doing anything.
So he carefully peered inside.
Aria Grim lay peacefully on her bedroll, breathing softly.
He didn't waste time. He pulled out the vial of colorless liquid and was about to open it when—
He noticed that something was gravely wrong.
Where was young master Renard?
Usually, he would stick with his younger sister and they would sleep close to each other, but now he couldn't see young master Renard.
The realization came with a burst of terror, but it was too late.
Before he could do anything, cold steel pierced through his neck from behind.
A sword pierced clean through his throat, silencing him before a scream could even escape from his throat.
Victor helplessly collapsed to the ground and as life drained from his body, he managed to turn his head.
There stood young master Renard.
His eyes, cold as winter frost, looked nothing like the noble heir Victor had known for seven years.
"…"
Victor's eyes widened as he tried to speak, but only blood gushed out from the pierced wound and from his lips.
'How did he know?'
That was the last thought he could have before his life completely drained away.
The fortune had been too good for him to be true.
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