"THE BODY! THE CORPSE IS GONE!"
Every eye snapped to the bed. The red blood was still there, steaming in the unnatural cold. The blanket was tossed aside. But the space where Lucian had been lying was empty.
...
The scream ripped through the room, and every eye snapped to the bed. The red blood was still there, steaming in the unnatural cold. The blanket was tossed aside. But the space where Lucian had been lying was empty.
"What!"
They all rushed toward the bed, leaving the man who was frozen.
"It's true… The body's gone! I'm gonna leave! I don't want to fight a wraith! It's too disgusting!!" one of them cried, backing away toward the hole in the ceiling.
"What! What about our purpose here?" another barked, trying to maintain order.
"Nevermind that! I'll leave!" Without another word, he scrambled up the debris and fled.
"I'm leaving also! I don't like this at all! I'm sorry!" a third added, his voice trembling as he followed.
Then, one by one, they all climbed the hole at the top and left.
"Damn it!" the man who had first approached the bed spat. He also prepared to leave.
"What!? What about me? You're leaving me here?" the man trapped by the ice cried out.
"It's your fault why your hands freezes! Escape on your own!" With that, he left, leaving the seventh person alone in the freezing, ruined room.
"Damn it! Damn damn damn damn damn!! This is why I don't trust them!" The man cursed, doing everything he could to break the ice, but as he struggled, he heard a laugh— "Pfft. Hahahahaha!"
The man looked around and saw no one. "Who are you? Where are you? Show yourself! I demand it!"
"Wow. You're the one who entered my inn just to steal, now you're the one who's acting high?" The light opened and Lucian appeared sitting at the couch, cross-legged.
"Y-You! Y-You're the person we killed in bed! H-How are you alive!"
"What? I'm always alive!" Lucian said with mockery in his tone. "It was really fun watching y'all arguing on who's going to open my suitcase."
"If y-you're alive, w-whos that p-person on the bed?! And how can the artifact we brought didn't sense you!!?"
Lucian smiled. "Ohh! That was also me! But no consciousness, Mana Spell: Elemental Clone! And for how your artifact didn't sense me, Mana Spell: Concealment."
"Y-You can use a multi m-mana spell at once? And how can you know that we're targeting you?!"
Lucian rolled his eyes. "Tsk. So many questions. It's because of this little guy!" He yelled— "Snow!" A small creature flew toward Lucian and rested on his open palm. "He was a great help~~"
Lucian's expression turned cold. "Well, let's get straight to the point. Give up now and tell me who they are. If not, I'll kill you then use another Mana Spell to look at your memory."
"Do you really think you can scare me? My colleagues will come back to save me and to kill you!"
"Really? I thought they already abandoned you? I saw how they immediately left when they were scared. And the last person. He even said to save yourself because you're the one who put yourself in your situation. Isn't that an abandoning?"
"No! They will definitely come back!"
"Sigh… You're hopeless." Lucian raised his right hand halfway, and an ice long knife manifested in his grip. He smirked. "Don't worry, no matter how loud you scream, no one will be able to hear it."
He raised the knife and drove it through the person.
"No. Please. Spare me! I have a sister to feed! No please. No!!"
"SHCK." Blood was splattered.
…
Meanwhile, there was a person watching them from the window. After the man "died," she left, jumping through the roof houses until she reached a closed alley. There, the people who had infiltrated the room and several others were waiting.
"He's dead. He killed him," she spoke, her voice shaking.
"Are you certain?" a man who seemed like their leader replied.
"Yes. I heard the kid saying that he would kill him and looked into his memory, and by then I heard him scream. So he was definitely dead. I think right now, he is already looking into his memory."
The leader narrowed his eyes. "Since he was already looking, I think he already knows our existence and hiding spot. Change of our plan! We'll continue our raid next month!"
"Wait!" someone in the crowd said. "Since he looked at his memory, won't he know our plan?"
"Nonsense!" the leader replied. "There is no such spell that can look into someone's memory! I've been a mage for over forty years and I never heard of it! He was definitely bluffing!"
"What about the one we left? Will we just let him there?"
"He's already dead," the leader replied coldly. "And he's not that worth it anyway, so just let him be. Now! Evacuate first to our hideout at the Western gate! By the sunrise, make sure that you're all there and no one notices you! Understood!?"
"Yes sir!"
Meanwhile, Lucian was on the roof, listening to them. "Hmm. What kind of raid are they planning to do?" He looked at his side. The man from the room was there, his hands tied and mouth frozen.
Lucian continued, "Did you hear that? You're not that worth it. They already abandoned you. So, have you decided now? I'm waiting!"
The man looked at them slowly leaving. In his eyes, there was an obvious hint of anger and regret. He looked at Lucian and then… nodded.
Lucian smiled. "Great! Now you're ready to cooperate! You have so much information to tell me." He giggled.
The two disappeared from the roof and returned to the inn. Inside, Lucian removed the bindings and the ice covering the man's mouth.
"I don't think the master is awake right now. I guess let's just do it tomorrow."
"Why not just interrogate me yourself?" the man asked.
"Nah. I'm tired. Remember, you literally disrupted my sleep." Lucian went to his bed and lay on it.
"You're not afraid that I'm gonna escape?"
"I know you won't. If you want to sleep, it's either on the couch or floor. I'm gonna sleep now." The lights closed automatically, leaving the room in darkness.
…
Lucian woke to golden light shining into his eyes. The curtains were not fully closed. He lifted himself up and looked toward the window; the sun was high and the road below was growing crowded.
Lucian yawned and rubbed his eyes. "What a great morning." He stretched his arms high above his head. Then he heard a loud snore.
"HRRNNKKK…"
Lucian looked down beside his bed. The man lay on the floor, sleeping loudly. Lucian stared at him with mild irritation. He stood on the bed and kicked the man's leg.
"Hey, wake up. It's morning. You have a lot to tell me." He continued kicking his leg as he spoke.
"Alright. Alright. I'm awake! You do not have to kick me!"
"Come with me. We have a lot to talk about." Lucian glanced at his time artifact. It showed eight in the morning.
Lucian walked down the stairs to eat breakfast, with the man trailing behind him.
"Go find a table," Lucian said.
The man followed him as if he had no choice. Lucian went to the front counter where Cseasey was stationed.
"Good morning Mister! What can I get you?"
"Can I get some breakfast? Two please," Lucian smiled.
"Certainly! Here is the menu!"
"I'll take whatever you recommend."
"I would recommend this one! This is great for you!"
"Alright. I'll get that. For two please."
Cseasey paused. "For two? I remember you're alone when you enter."
"I have a night visitor. Did you see that man at that table? That's him." Lucian pointed him out.
"Him? Wait… I know he's one of the people who rented a room on the fourth floor. Did you know him?"
Lucian smiled. "Yes. I'll go now. I'll wait for the food."
He walked to the table and sat across from the man. "Start talking."
"Wow. No good morning? Just straight to the point? I don't even know you!" After saying that, the man felt a sudden coldness in his feet. He looked down and saw ice locking him in place.
"Come on… Hehe… I-I'm Just kidding…"
Lucian made a deep sigh. "Sigh… I'll introduce myself. My name is Lucian."
"That's it?! You won't even tell me how old you are?"
Lucian looked annoyed. "Why bother telling if you already know. Don't tell me that priestess scammer didn't tell you." He leaned in. "What about you? You said you have a child."
The man looked embarrassed. "Ohh, not really. I lied when I said she's my daughter. She's my younger sibling."
Lucian focused his gaze. "Tell me more about yourself."
"I-I'm Matthew," the man finally said.