One-Eyed Monster

It was all over now.

I’ve failed to complete the task assigned by the Big Boss, Uli thought. Now, I’m at their mercy.

”I don’t know if Willem told you some inconceivable things, but those are no longer important. You have lost, and you can only accept the bitter fruit of defeat.” Estev wanted to provoke these men, hoping to find out if the Black Crows had any reinforcements.

”Winners are hailed as kings, losers are condemned as bandits. I’ve said it before: even though it was just a fight, a loss is a loss. I have nothing more to say. Kill me or maim me as you see fit.” Uli gathered his thoughts. Even if he had lost all hope for revenge, he could not forget the Big Boss’s kindness and the debt he owed him.

”I admire your spirit, still loyal to Willem even in this situation.” Estev realized he couldn’t provoke these Black Crow members. These men seemed to have undergone special training; they were all tight-lipped, unwilling to reveal any information.

Leader-level members are a world apart from Puppets! Estev thought. Back at the Court of Guards, those Black Crow Puppets would say anything, utterly unguarded. But Puppets are just Puppets; they only know how to work and are ignorant of crucial information. I always used to wish I could capture a real Black Crow leader back then, to interrogate them and find out more of their secrets.

Now, with help from others, he had caught three Black Crow leaders, yet he still couldn’t extract any information.

These leaders were tight-lipped.

Despite how Mugen and Wizard Gus usually bickered, at this moment, they were unusually calm, showing no hint of nervousness or unease.

Estev sighed. He couldn’t help but admire Willem’s methods. How on earth did he earn such loyalty from his subordinates...? Perhaps Willem himself is a traitor, so he understands traitors inside out. He must have anticipated every detail, every possibility. Estev mused. Even as a traitor, Willem’s mind is truly exceptional. He still admired Willem’s cunning.

Since he couldn’t extract any information, leaving these captives on the mountaintop wasn’t a good option. Their original goal—to open the door atop this mountain—had been exposed. Even if they had reinforcements, those forces would now be heading this way. If reinforcements arrived, there could be trouble. Those Dark Wizards might have new tricks up their sleeves.

Estev hesitated. This isn’t so simple. He couldn’t leave the three Black Crow leaders on the mountain, nor could he escort them down. The Black Crows already knew the secret of the door on the mountain; he couldn’t just leave this stone portal so easily.

He wasn’t proficient with the Mail Bird System for sending messages down the mountain and didn’t trust it much, feeling a human messenger was more reliable. Even if he were to use a Mail Bird again, he couldn’t be sure the Hunchbacked Scholar at the mountain’s base would receive it. Besides, he felt the Hunchbacked Scholar couldn’t offer much help at this point anyway.

Should I just kill these three? Estev wondered. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was just a Soul Guardian; he hadn’t reached the point where he could casually take a life.

Estev looked at the people around him and sighed again. He didn’t want to drag more individuals into this conflict.

So he took out his pipe, filled it with tobacco, and began to leisurely smoke once more.

”Sorry, everyone,” Estev said, exhaling a puff of smoke. ”We have different allegiances and missions. You can rest here for a while.”

”Kill us, mutilate us, as you see fit.” The three Black Crow leaders didn’t mince words. They were tough and wouldn’t be bothered by a little suffering. They could abandon sunlight and their original bodies; they wouldn’t care about such trivial pain. They were people who had long ago pledged their lives. The Black Crow’s Willem had presented them with a grand promise, one so tempting they felt it was worth pursuing even if it meant sacrificing everything.

Estev, unaware of this, continued to smoke, blowing out smoke rings. The smoke was his secret weapon. He planned to use it to put the three Black Crow leaders into a deep sleep. His goal was simple: to prevent these men from causing trouble in the near future. For now, at least, he needed to incapacitate them.

Stan Sol watched Estev’s actions, sniffed the air, and grasped his intent. ”Shadow... Ghost Fragrance... I... am beginning... to doubt... if you... are... a Hunter... or... a Wizard.”

”Friend, my particular profession doesn’t matter,” Estev replied. ”What’s important is that we both belong to ancient professions, not these new, emerging ones. Our ancient roots are strong enough to support our path forward.”

Estev again said something others couldn’t understand. He was different; he was a Soul Guardian. He felt that without mastering more skills, he might not be able to protect what he was duty-bound to guard.

Ghost Fragrance came from a special plant. This plant was colorless and odorless, but the liquid extracted from it could render a person unconscious. Wizards commonly extracted this plant to make potions. Indeed, Estev was quite eclectic in his learning.

Estev mixed the Ghost Fragrance into his tobacco smoke and then used the smoke to envelop the three Black Crow leaders.

The Ghost Fragrance worked quickly. The three men soon fainted, enveloped by the smoke, and collapsed to one side.

”Friend,” Estev said to Stan Sol, gesturing towards Qi Liu and Bunan with his chin, ”I think your companions might also need to... ” Clearly, he didn’t trust these two either.

Bunan had already hidden behind Qi Liu. He didn’t dare face this man from the Court of Guards, as he was implicated in a strange murder case, though he knew he was framed.

”Them... you... need not... worry about,” Stan Sol told Estev. ”They pose... no... threat.”

Stan Sol was right: Qi Liu and Bunan, along with the unconscious Hustace, indeed posed no threat.

Bunan thought, If that’s the case, please let us go down the mountain! But he didn’t say it aloud, still fearful of these individuals.

”It’s not that I consider them a threat,” Estev said, his words polite, ”but I’m worried they might get caught in the crossfire if another fight breaks out.” I hope these people won’t become a hindrance in the battle to come, he was actually wondering.

”Don’t... worry,” Stan Sol stated decisively. It wasn’t that he wasn’t concerned, but at this moment, he had no better solution. Those individuals could only hope for the best, as what was about to happen could become very complicated.

This was the second time Stan Sol had reached this mountain peak, and his feelings this time were completely different from the last. He had chosen to guard this peak in Dastan’s stead, but he hadn’t expected that besides Dastan, others were guarding this place—and they were allies of his family.

Estev, of course, didn’t know this; Stan Sol had only discovered it through subtle clues. The clue lay in the smoke rings Estev exhaled. The smoke wasn’t ordinary; it was mixed with a special substance that only the Sol Family could procure, and it was provided exclusively to a certain type of person.

Stan Sol looked at Estev. He had initially wanted to have an in-depth conversation with this ally, but he realized there was no opportunity. He didn’t know what secrets this mountain peak held. And just then, more people were ascending...

”Now,” Estev said with a grin, clearly sensing the arrival of more visitors from the mountain’s base, ”we should consider how to deal with the ones approaching from below.”