In the divine realm, the administrator watched everything unfold with a smile.
Back in the baron's estate, as soon as Kael used Spatial Transfer to switch places with the sentry and escape, the guard who appeared on the ground recovered from his shock in an instant and fired an emergency flare into the sky.
Boom!
It illuminated the night sky, alerting everyone.
"Intruder!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Immediately, guards rushed out.
"Someone escaped using some weird magic," he announced.
The captain of the guards frowned, a bad feeling settling in his gut. He immediately issued a command.
"Protect the Madam and the others! Someone, go check on the Young Master!"
"Understood!"
Two guards ran toward the underground dungeon. Abass's hobby was no secret to most people in the manor. They quickly arrived at their destination and discovered blood on the door. Their expressions fell. Unsheathing their weapons, they cautiously stepped inside, discovering the first corpse at the bottom of the stairs.
"Jack!" cried one of the guards, sorrow filling his eyes.
They passed the corpse, checking Kael's cell to find it empty. They headed to the special room but found it sealed; forced to break through, they were met with a scene of horror: their young master impaled on the inclined table, with a guard lying dead on top of him.
"Shit!" they swore, exchanging a look of dread.
They immediately headed back to inform the captain. A pursuit group was formed shortly after, throwing the manor into chaos.
The little maid, hearing that Kael might have escaped, could hardly believe it. She secretly hoped he wouldn't be caught.
°°°
Kael, meanwhile, ran as soon as he used Teleportation to escape. The manor was on a mountain overlooking the town below, surrounded by a small forest. He had appeared in these woods and ran without stopping. Perhaps the adrenaline from his successful escape was pumping through his veins, giving him a boost. He knew they must have discovered the corpses by now and would immediately form a group to chase after him, so he couldn't rest. Once he reached the town, he could find somewhere to hide before leaving this place for good.
The silver lining in all this was that they didn't know his face. With his long black hair obstructing much of it, not many details could be seen. Only his dead master and the two guards who had accompanied him when he was bought had seen his face clearly—and they were now dead. There was also the little maid who often cleaned his injuries. Even if they were to create a portrait, it would be far from accurate. His most striking features were his green eyes and black hair, but he was planning on dyeing the latter.
Although they must have seen the corpses, they didn't know if he had done it all by himself or had help, so they would probably be searching for a group. He could use that to his advantage.
Kael ran until he found a road. Under the cover of night, he slipped into the small town and hid in an alley. Using the stolen scissors, he cut his long hair short. The cut was messy, but it didn't matter.
The town was well-maintained, with brick houses and lively streets filled with people chatting and laughing. Using the darkness as cover, he moved stealthily, searching for a house with an open window. He soon found one. After ensuring no one was nearby, he climbed up and slipped inside. Back on Earth, he had done this several times in houses far more guarded. Once inside, he could hear the sound of running water; someone was taking a bath.
It was a bedroom with a modest bed, a drawer, and a table with a mana lamplight.
Kael tiptoed to the drawer and gently opened it. Inside were women's clothes and some male attire. Fortunately, the owner didn't seem much bigger than him. He snatched a pair of pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of sandals before leaving through the window the same way he had come.
Once back on the ground, he slipped into the darkness and changed into the more comfortable clothes he had just stolen. The sandals were too big, but they were better than running barefoot.
He knew he couldn't go to an inn; it would be the first place they searched. They would ask about any new clients and interrogate them, so he would have to sleep on the street that night.
After making this decision, Kael walked toward a darker alley, clutching his knife and scissors. The gesture made the few thugs he encountered decide not to mess with him. A mad dog could recognize another. Nobody wanted to mess with a mad dog.
After finding a relatively safe spot in a broken-down house to pass the night, he decided to rest. He crouched in a dark corner. He wasn't alone; he could sense the presence of two other people, probably homeless. They didn't bother or acknowledge each other.
It was time to check his rewards. As soon as he had left the manor, a notification had rung in his mind, announcing a new achievement.
[The Unbound: You who refuse to be chained are now free. Spread your wings and soar; a vast world awaits.]
[Rewards: Two Large Experience Books (Already used. Two more and you'll reach the next level. Large Experience Books are used to level up. They are extremely rare, often found in dungeons. Completing achievements sometimes grants one.) A new spatial spell acquired.]
[You have learned Spatial Magic: Spatial Tear Lvl 1]
[Spatial Tear (lv.1): Consumes 200 mana to tear the space around the target, causing injury or death due to spatial chaos. Range: 7 meters.]
It was incredible—an offensive spell. Kael clenched his hands in excitement.
[Kael]
[Mage Level: Rank One]
[Magic Affinity: Elemental (Low), Space (Perfect)]
(Levels are Low, Medium, High, Super, Perfect; higher levels mean more efficient cultivation of that magic series)
[Learned Spells: [Teleportation Lv1] [Spatial Transfer★] [Spatial Tear Lvl 1]]
[Mana: 100/1000]
[Items: None]
[Achievements: (The One Who Didn't Break) (The Unbound)]
[Achievements Overview (viewable)]
He was almost out of mana. A good night's rest should replenish it, he thought upon seeing his status.
His stomach growled, but he chose to ignore it. Tomorrow, he could eat to his heart's content. He had amassed—well, stolen—a small fortune: four gold coins, three silver, and five copper coins. The money system was simple: copper, silver, and gold. One silver equaled twenty copper coins, and one gold equaled ten silver.
Suddenly, Kael exclaimed, remembering something important. Lifting his shirt, he checked his chest where the slave crest should have been. Fortunately, it was gone.
What a relief—it had vanished when his master died. A wave of relief washed over him as he closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.
•••
Outside, the city was on lockdown, with guards searching everywhere. But they couldn't scour the entire town that quickly. They soon abandoned the full-scale search but kept the gates locked. They returned to the manor to produce a portrait of the escaped slave, hoping it wouldn't be too inaccurate.
The bedridden baron, upon learning what had happened, fell unconscious, his already fragile health deteriorating further. The Madam fainted. Abass's fiancée did as well. The only one who remained conscious was his younger sister, and it was she who ordered the city locked down and posted wanted posters with a reward of ten gold coins for the fugitive.