Noah lost consciousness immediately. For a split second, the room fell silent—and every gaze turned toward Leon.
Leon's gaze was fixed on the woman behind the counter, the one with the scarred hands. They were stretched forward now, a faint, snowy glimmer clinging to her fingers… the air around them faintly chilled
Looking at her appalled expression, Leon figured the person Noah had just killed must have been close to her.
Narrowing his gaze, Leon thought, 'One death was enough to shake them. Perhaps I overestimated them.'
One of the nearest assassins lunged toward Noah's unconscious body.
Before he could strike, a clean red line formed around his neck. A heartbeat later, blood erupted from the wound, widening the gap between the head and the boy until the head finally fell on the floor.
The man Leon had thrown earlier widened his eyes and turned back to where Leon had been sitting.
'What—'
He looked back at where Noah was lying, only to notice Leon standing beside him.
A clean, sliding sound echoed through the room as a sword was sheathed.
The waiter raised a trembling hand to his neck—then blood burst free, spraying across the hall.
Crimson blood flooded the dining hall, soaking the floor until the wood beneath was barely visible.
Amid the carnage, the only place untouched by blood was where Leon stood. His gaze cut through the dim lamplight, unbothered.
Bending down, he picked Noah up by the collar. Noah remained unconscious, eyes closed, mouth slack.
Leon thought with a distant look, 'This is supposed to be my successor?'
Looking around the entire room, he took in the disgusting sight of the dining hall.
Lowering Noah, Leon dragged him across the floor. As he walked, the blood parted beneath Noah's body, leaving a clear trail behind.
Clenching his jaw, Leon murmured, "I hope you give up soon. The world doesn't need someone like me."
He dragged Noah up the stairs and approached his room. Instead of knocking, he simply opened the door. Inside, Tirandel and Alice were standing around a man who was beaten to a pulp.
Before they could even utter a word, Leon threw Noah on the bed.
Alice looked at Noah and said, "My apologies, I should've paid more attention."
Instead of replying, Leon looked at the beaten-up man and asked, "Who hired them?"
She replied, "It seems they were hired by the Gazelle Guild to kidnap Tirandel."
Looking at Noah's bloody appearance, Tirandel lifted a brow. "I'm assuming you were attacked as well. This doesn't look like a coincidence."
Alice furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"
Scratching his head, Tirandel faced the window. "I mean, they went to great lengths to cover their tracks. If we were to track down the main force behind this attack, it would take us a long time. Not to mention, killing us outright was never their intention."
As Tirandel was explaining, Bernard entered the room.
Instead of paying attention to the rest, he simply walked behind Leon and said, "The carriage is ready."
Saying that, he looked at Noah lying on the bed.
"Tch, just how long is he going to sleep?"
Walking over, he hoisted Noah over his shoulder and left the room. The three followed behind him without questioning.
Seeing Bernard's quick response to the situation, Tirandel thought, 'It's as if they were expecting this attack.'
As they descended the stairs, a foul stench made him shudder. When they reached the dining area, Tirandel's eyes widened in shock. The walls were smeared with blood, the floor flooded like a pool.
Alice and Bernard, however, didn't even bat an eye. Seeing their impassive expressions, Tirandel felt a surge of disgust.
'I guess this is normal for the one people call the Emperor's sword. Just how many has he slain to not even feel anything while doing this.'
At one point, Tirandel just had to close his eyes and follow the three out.
Outside, their carriage was waiting, as Bernard had said. Inside, Elira was already sitting with a book in her hands. She regarded them with a tired glance before returning to her book.
Bernard laid Noah down, then took a seat at the back. The others followed, and the carriage soon rolled forward.
Tirandel held Noah by the shoulder to keep him from sliding to the floor as the carriage moved.
All this time, none of them spoke a single word. Tirandel was used to silence, but he wasn't used to slaughter.
No matter what he did, the scene from the inn kept flashing in his mind.
His forehead was covered in cold sweat. 'Have I gotten soft over the years?'
Tirandel wasn't a warrior, nor a fighter. Still, he had seen his fair share of carnage.
The world was cruel. Survival meant choosing the right side before the fight even began— it was something he firmly believed in.
While beasts existed in the world, they were no longer a conscious threat to humanity. But that didn't mean humans lived in peace.
'Normal people crave strength, while strong people crave peace. Just like that, no matter how much humans achieve, they will keep on plundering the world, till there's nothing left.'
He had come to accept this long ago—when he watched his entire clan burn at the hands of other humans.
His sorrowful gaze swept over Noah's face, still covered in dried blood.
'You don't belong here. You're still young enough to choose a path that'll bring you happiness. Yet, you chose the path of destruction.'
No matter how much he thought, Tirandel couldn't help but consider Noah a hopelessly naive.
'The world already has numerous monsters. I hope you grow up to become a decent human instead.'
The carriage moved through the mountains in silence as the silver moon slowly sank below the horizon.