“You’re worth more dead than alive.” Robert, who looked suave and elegant, smiled like a demon from the depths of hell, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
“H-hey, hey!…” The man’s voice trembled as he forced a smile.
“Y-you must be joking, Young Master Robert, ha, haha, you really have a sense of humor…”
“Don’t laugh.
I never joke with people who aren’t my friends.” Robert, looking every bit the refined gentleman, glanced at the sword-and-shield noble beside him and casually gave an order.
“Finish him.”
Without a word, the sword-and-shield noble drew his blade, face dark, and stepped toward the man pinned to the ground, unable to move.
“Hey, hey! This is a joke, right?! You—you can’t do this, we’re all nobles of the same country! What you’re doing breaks the rules, it goes against the code between nobles! And if you kill me, my father and Lord Cain won’t let you get away with it!”
“Who’s breaking the rules?” Robert said in surprise.
“The one breaking the rules is that bastard.
He’s the one killing you, isn’t he? What does that have to do with us?”
“Oh, let me think.
Right, by the time we get here, all that’s left are the corpses of Lord Cain’s subordinate nobles.
Out of respect for our fellow Papal State nobles, we unite in outrage and execute the unruly bastard on the spot, to comfort the souls of these three unlucky colleagues.
How’s that for a story?”
“You!…” Whether from fear or anger, the man’s lips trembled nonstop.
He never expected Robert to be so ruthless, willing to kill a fellow Papal State noble like himself.
“Isn’t this a bit much?” The crossbowman noble frowned slightly, asking Robert for his opinion.
“It’s fine.
Only the heavens, the earth, and we know about this.
No one else will ever find out.
Besides… don’t you think Cain’s lackeys are getting a bit too numerous?” Robert sneered.
“Isn’t this a great chance to weaken his power?” The crossbowman fell silent, tacitly agreeing with Robert.
Just then, the sword-and-shield noble’s blade came down, and the noisy voice was cut off instantly.
Another headless corpse lay on the ground.
“My, my, this bastard really is beyond redemption, using such cruel means to kill my three colleagues.” Robert stood up, putting on a look of deep sorrow.
“Totally unfit to be a noble.
As expected, bastards like him should never inherit a title.”
On the other side, Mo Li, nearly fainting from the pain in his bones, finally regained a bit of consciousness, only to take a heavy blow to the stomach.
“Ugh!…” Mo Li doubled over, clutching his gut where the spear shaft had slammed into him, dry heaving nonstop.
That hit made him feel like he was about to throw up everything he’d eaten for dinner.
“Heh, kid, how’s that feel?” The spear-wielding noble grinned viciously.
“Cough, cough… What, you didn’t eat or something? That’s all the strength you’ve got?”
“Oh?” The spear noble was stunned for a second, then his grin turned even more savage.
“Good, good kid, got some backbone! I like tough guys like you—makes it more fun to break you!”
With that, the spear noble drove his weapon straight through Mo Li’s thigh, blood gushing out instantly.
“Ugh!…” Mo Li’s face went pale, his teeth grinding together.
“Aiden, don’t go too far.
If you kill him too quickly, it won’t be any fun.” Robert sat on a makeshift vine stool, sipping tea as he watched the scene unfold.
“Don’t worry, young master, I didn’t hit anything vital.
He won’t die that easily.” The spear noble swung the shaft and smashed it into Mo Li’s face.
“Bang!” Like a polo ball, Mo Li’s head was knocked to the side with a crisp crack.
“You don’t look too awake.
How about now, feeling it yet?” The spear noble laughed, grabbing Mo Li’s hair and yanking his head up.
“After all, we’re looking for a little fun tonight.
If you pass out, we’ll all be bored, you know? Hahaha!”
“Hahaha!” The rope noble and the sword-and-shield guy laughed along.
“Where’s all that attitude from before, kid? Oh, still glaring at me…” The spear noble squinted, noticing those violet eyes quietly watching him under the moonlight—no hatred, no resentment, just staring.
For some reason, the spear noble felt a chill run down his spine.
“Tch, still got some fight, huh? Fine, kid, I’ll keep beating you until you don’t.” He swung Mo Li around, flipped his spear, and started beating him with the shaft.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!…” This wasn’t some wooden stick, but a refined patterned steel shaft forged by the Papal State’s best smiths—heavy enough to smash bones even without the spearhead.
But what really surprised them was that, after dozens of blows, Mo Li was still standing, even though his cloak was soaked in blood.
“You little shit, fine! Let’s see if your bones are tougher than my spear!” The spear noble gathered all his strength and smashed down on Mo Li’s shoulder.
“Bang!” Unable to take it anymore, Mo Li dropped to his knees, head hanging limp.
“Hey, did we just kill him?” The rope noble walked over and poked Mo Li’s head.
No response.
“Young Master Robert, you should loosen the restraints.
Looks like this kid’s dead.”
“Dead already?” Robert frowned, looking a bit disappointed.
“I thought he’d last a bit longer.
Didn’t expect him to die so soon.”
With that, Robert released the restraints, and Mo Li’s body collapsed face-first to the ground.
“Tch, dead already.” The spear noble poked Mo Li’s head with the butt of his spear, looking bored.
“What a buzzkill.
I was just getting warmed up…”
“Alright, give him a few more hits to make sure he’s dead, then let’s go.” Robert ordered coldly.
“Got it.” The spear noble raised his weapon, aiming for Mo Li’s head.
Just as he was about to strike, the figure on the ground suddenly reached out a bloody hand and grabbed the spear tip.
“What the…?” The spear noble froze, not reacting in time.
In that instant, Mo Li climbed up the spear and bit down, his sharp fangs snapping it in two.
“My spear! How is that possible?!” Under the moonlight, the boy’s black hair gradually turned cherry white, then began to grow longer…
