As Adrian tried to make sense of the situation, his thoughts began racing through his mind, mingled with astonishment and anxiety. "Strange… I'm certain it didn't take more than twenty minutes or so… What in the name of the Creator of Hell happened?"
Elsewhere, the Great Lord of Magic sat in the darkness, resting his head on his palm and smiling maliciously as he watched Adrian through the circle drawn on the floor of the room.
He whispered to himself, "Just as I expected, this boy is interesting… I manipulated the flow of time itself, yet he didn't realize it… This proves that his body adapts to changes even though he's unaware of it."
He laughed gleefully. "Haha… You say you're merely human? I wonder, if I put that girl beside you in the same situation, would she remain conscious?"
(Note to the reader: Time manipulation is a skill used by those who wield primordial magic. It allows them to disorient their target and cause them to lose consciousness. For example, the human mind might perceive an entire hour passing in a single minute, or a minute lasting as long as an hour. Trying to comprehend this change may cause dizziness, loss of consciousness, and perhaps even madness if the person is weak.)
Lucia and Adrian both waited until midnight before carrying the corpse and heading toward the cemetery.
Adrian threw the corpse into the open grave and knelt down, saying coldly, "Enjoy your immortality… you ugly old woman."
Lucia was puzzled by his words and asked, "What do you mean by that? And why are you talking to a dead corpse?"
Lucia had no idea that the old woman's soul was trapped inside her decomposing corpse. Adrian hadn't told her the truth out of consideration for her feelings. He knew that despite her strength… she was tenderhearted and wouldn't be able to bear such things.
Adrian answered with a calm smile, "I was just talking to myself. Let's close the grave now."
Lucia nodded, and they began covering the corpse with soil until the grave was completely closed.
Lucia sighed in relief. "We've finally dealt with this problem… Will you leave the district in the morning?"
Adrian answered, "Yes, but before that… there's something we need to do."
Lucia placed her hands behind her back and asked curiously, "What is it?"
Adrian said, "The old woman's house… the place with the corpses underneath, the forbidden books filling every corner, and the magic circles scattered throughout… We must burn it down."
Lucia's voice rose with concern. "But that will attract a lot of attention! What about telling people the truth and letting them deal with it themselves?"
Adrian turned and strode forward with determination. "Humans are greedy… When they see books of magic, they won't feel sorrow. They'll simply repeat the tragedy. Therefore… I must put an end to it myself."
Lucia followed Adrian in silence, and when they reached the house, he stopped and looked at her.
"I'll go in alone… Wait for me here."
Lucia nodded in understanding. Adrian entered while she remained outside, watching anxiously.
Adrian headed toward the storage room, where he found some fuel. He took it and began sprinkling it throughout the house. Then he descended to the area beneath the house and randomly poured some over the corpses. He set a piece of paper on fire and threw it onto the ground. The flames began spreading gradually, devouring the corpses and growing more intense. He stood there watching the scene until he was certain the fire was strong enough to destroy everything.
He climbed the stairs and left that desolate place, then headed toward the library. He lit one of the books with a small lighter and threw it among the others, causing the flames to begin devouring the shelves and pages mercilessly.
He whispered inwardly, "If someone gets their hands on these books… they'll certainly lose their humanity. Burning them is the best choice… isn't it, Diana?"
He left the room and set fire to the remaining parts of the house until it began collapsing under the intensity of the blaze. The flames devoured the place as though the house itself had been waiting for this moment for many long years. Once the fire had engulfed everything, Adrian closed his eyes for a moment… then opened them and took a single step forward.
But suddenly, he heard a voice that stopped him. "Thank you… boy."
It was a warm voice, resembling that of an elderly woman. Adrian quickly turned toward its source, but found no one there. Nevertheless, he understood perfectly well that it was the trapped spirit that had remained imprisoned in this house for years, waiting for someone to set it free.
He murmured softly, "May you all rest in peace… everyone."
Then he walked away from the raging flames, leaving behind a story that had come to an end forever.
Lucia stood watching the house collapse and the fire blaze, growing increasingly worried as Adrian took longer to come out. The moment she caught sight of his silhouette emerging from the flames, she rushed toward him.
She spoke with evident concern. "Your Highness! I was really worried… Why did you stay inside for so long?"
Adrian answered calmly, "I had to make sure everything burned. Let's go now."
Lucia walked beside him and asked, "Where are we heading now?"
He replied with slight annoyance, "Out of these strange districts."
Suddenly, a man's scream rang out from a distance. "FIRE!! THERE'S A FIRE!!"
Then he shouted at them, "Wait, you two! What are you doing outside at this hour of the night?!" His expression darkened for a moment before he yelled angrily, "Impossible… You bastards! Are you the ones who started the fire?!"
People began gathering from every direction. Adrian turned toward Lucia and said in a low voice, "You know the way out, don't you?"
Lucia nodded quickly. "Yes."
Adrian immediately said, "Then let's run… now!"
Lucia gasped in astonishment. "Huh?!"
But Adrian had already taken off, so she shouted as she chased after him, "Wait for me a moment!!"
The two began running as the crowd behind them shouted and gave chase.
Adrian exclaimed in frustration, "Damn it! Why are they chasing us?!"
Lucia shouted without slowing down, "Do you really not know why?!"
They continued running for a long distance until they finally managed to escape and leave the slums.
Lucia leaned against the wall before sliding down to sit on the ground, panting and struggling to catch her breath, while Adrian placed his hand against the wall as well, trying to calm his racing breaths.
After a few moments, Adrian straightened and said coldly, "Well… since we're done, we'll part ways now."
Lucia stared at him in shock. "Part ways?!—I mean… Where are you going?"
Adrian looked at her suspiciously. "You… You're not thinking of following me again, are you?"
Lucia quickly raised her hands and waved them in denial with a nervous smile. "Of course not! I would never do that!"
Adrian narrowed his eyes as though trying to detect whether she was lying, while Lucia tried to maintain a foolish, meaningless smile. He turned his head away and closed his eyes for a few seconds as he leaned against the wall.
At that moment, the sound of carriage wheels approaching along the road could be heard. Adrian walked calmly toward the street and stopped the carriage before climbing inside. As he was about to close the door, Lucia stopped him, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
"In this darkness… are you really going to leave me alone? At least let's ride the carriage together."
Adrian furrowed his brows in annoyance, then looked away. "Do as you please."
Lucia climbed inside and sat opposite him, and the carriage set off along the dark road.
After a few seconds of silence, she asked again, "So, Your Highness… where are you going now?"
Adrian ignored her, but she continued insistently, "Is it possible that we're heading to the same destination?"
Adrian remained silent, so Lucia continued speaking. "But… aren't you going back to the palace? Surely the emperor is worried about you. You've been gone for several—"
Adrian clenched his fist tightly and shouted, interrupting her. "Can you just be quiet?!"
Lucia turned her face away in annoyance. "Fine… I'll be quiet."
Adrian sighed with slight irritation, rested his head against the seat, and slowly closed his eyes. Only a few seconds passed before he quietly fell asleep.
Lucia gazed thoughtfully at his sleeping face and thought to herself, "It seems he's finally fallen asleep… He's been awake for days without any rest."
She lowered her gaze and rested her head against the carriage window, silently watching the road.
"Strange… He's definitely weaker than me, but why do I feel as though I'm the one in the wrong? I know he doesn't use magic, but that night… I was afraid of him. Something in his eyes made me realize that he was stronger than me… No, perhaps I don't even deserve to face him. Still, it's just a feeling… In reality, he isn't strong at all."