The young man stared up at me from the ground. For the first time since this encounter had begun, he was looking at my face clearly. His eyes lingered on my features, trying to identify me, trying to understand who I was and why I had targeted him. However, the longer he looked, the more confused he seemed.
There was no recognition in his expression. The person he had crossed paths with at the festival and the person standing before him now appeared to be two completely different individuals. The face he remembered belonged to an ordinary-looking inn worker. The face before him now was my true one.
No matter how hard he searched his memory, he would never find a connection between them. I simply looked down at him in silence, offering neither an explanation nor a hint of my identity.
The young man's breathing became increasingly frantic as he stared up at me. Panic was beginning to take hold of him, and it showed in every movement he made.
"Don't do this," he said hurriedly. "Do you know who I am? My father is..."
The words poured from his mouth one after another as he desperately tried to regain some control over the situation. He continued throwing out threats, warnings, and the names of influential people, clearly hoping that something would make me hesitate. However, none of it mattered. I listened in silence, completely unmoved by his attempts to intimidate me.
Without saying a word, I slowly reached down and grabbed his right hand. The moment my fingers wrapped around his wrist, his expression changed completely.
"W-wait!"
The panic in his voice intensified the moment he felt my grip tighten around his wrist.
"You don't understand who you're messing with!"
His words came out almost as a plea now. The threats and warnings from earlier had completely lost their force, replaced by desperation as he tried to pull his hand free. Unfortunately for him, it was already too late.
I ignored his words and tightened my grip further before twisting his wrist without hesitation. A sharp cracking sound echoed throughout the alley as the bone gave way beneath the force.
"Aaaaaagh!"
A bloodcurdling scream tore from his throat as agony shot through his arm. His entire body convulsed from the sudden pain, and tears immediately welled up in his eyes. Instinctively, he clutched the broken hand against his chest while writhing on the ground. The pain was so intense that it robbed him of any coherent thought, leaving him capable of little more than screaming.
The three injured young men could do nothing but watch as the scene unfolded before them. Each of them remained where they had fallen, clutching their injuries and struggling through the pain. None of them attempted to interfere. After witnessing everything that had happened tonight, they understood exactly how powerless they were against me.
Meanwhile, the young man continued writhing on the ground, clutching his broken hand as painful screams escaped his mouth.
"Why?!"
His voice was filled with pain and confusion.
"Why are you doing this?!"
I gave him no answer. Instead, I raised my hand and struck him across the face. The impact snapped his head to the side, and before he could recover, another slap followed, then another and another... the sharp sounds of repeated impacts echoed throughout the alley as I continued striking him without saying a word.
The young man repeatedly tried to speak, perhaps to threaten me again or perhaps to beg for mercy, but every attempt was cut short before the words could fully leave his mouth. As time passed, his voice gradually weakened, and even his screams lost much of their strength. By the end, all that remained were pained groans as he lay helplessly on the ground.
Only after his face had swollen noticeably and turned bright red did I finally stop. By then, the young man was sprawled across the ground, trembling uncontrollably. His lips were split, faint traces of blood stained the corners of his mouth, and one side of his face had swollen badly from the repeated blows. Even attempting to speak seemed difficult now. Every breath he took was uneven, and the pain was clearly written across his battered features.
I slowly rose to my feet. The simple movement caused the young man to flinch instinctively. His body tensed, and he instinctively tried to pull himself farther away, as though afraid of what I might do next.
Looking down at him, I finally spoke. "If you bully people again, you can say goodbye to this life."
My voice remained calm and steady, devoid of any anger or emotion. Yet that calmness only made the warning more frightening. There was no shouting, no rage, and no attempt to intimidate him. It was simply a statement of fact.
The young man's body shuddered. Then I turned my attention toward his three friends.
The moment our eyes met, all three visibly stiffened. Their expressions immediately became tense, and the atmosphere around them seemed to freeze. Not a single word left their mouths as they watched me in silence.
Satisfied, I turned around and walked away, leaving the four young men alone in the alley behind me.
Behind me, the alley gradually fell silent, with only the occasional groans of pain breaking the stillness. None of the four young men called out after me. None of them tried to stop me.
I continued walking through the city, leaving the alley and its occupants far behind. The excitement and energy that had filled Astravia during the festival had long since faded. Most of the city's residents had already returned to their homes, leaving only a handful of people scattered throughout the streets. The occasional figure could still be seen in the distance, but compared to the crowds from earlier, the city now felt almost deserted.
After putting a good distance between myself and the alley, I carefully observed my surroundings while continuing through the quiet streets. The few people still outside were either heading home or minding their own affairs, and none of them spared me a second glance. Once I was satisfied that nobody was watching, I reached inside my shirt and retrieved the face-changing mask. The artifact settled smoothly against my face.
Almost immediately, the transformation began. My original features gradually shifted and changed, disappearing beneath the artifact's influence. The process was smooth and familiar by now, requiring only a few moments before the transformation was complete.
When it ended, the face looking back from a nearby window belonged not to Arthur, but to the ordinary-looking young man who worked at the inn. Only after confirming that my disguise was fully restored did I continue walking toward home.
As I continued making my way home, a group of city guards eventually came into view. They were patrolling the streets, moving at a steady pace while keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. The sight wasn't particularly surprising. This was Astravia, the capital city of Elysis, and security throughout the city was naturally far stricter than in most other places.
Each guard carried a sword at their waist, and from the energy I sensed from them, they appeared to be low-level cultivators. While they weren't especially powerful, they were more than capable of dealing with ordinary criminals and maintaining order within the city. Their disciplined movements and alert expressions made it clear that they took their duties seriously.
I paid them little attention and continued walking at a normal pace. There was no reason for me to act suspiciously. As far as anyone could tell, I was simply another citizen returning home after a long night.
Unfortunately, just as I passed the guards and took several more steps, a voice suddenly called out from behind me.
"You there. Stop."
My footsteps immediately came to a halt. Without allowing any emotion to appear on my face, I slowly turned around. The guards were already looking in my direction, and one of them had begun walking toward me. His expression remained calm, but there was a sharpness in his eyes that suggested he was carefully evaluating everyone he encountered during his patrol.
A few moments later, he stopped directly in front of me. The guard studied me from head to toe, taking in my appearance before finally speaking.
"What are you doing out here this late at night?"
I lowered my head slightly in a respectful manner. "Returning home, sir."
The guard's eyes narrowed slightly. "From where?"
"The night festival."
"The festival ended quite a while ago."
His gaze remained fixed on me as he continued questioning. "So what have you been doing until now?"
"Just strolling around the city."
The guard remained silent for several seconds, his eyes carefully examining my face as though searching for any sign that I might be lying. For a brief moment, neither of us spoke. Eventually, he seemed to reach a conclusion.
"Leave." His tone was calm and direct.
I showed no reaction to the decision. Instead, I lowered my head slightly in a respectful bow.
"Thank you, sir."
The guard gave a small nod in acknowledgment.
With the brief exchange finally over, I turned around and resumed walking, gradually leaving the patrol behind as I continued making my way home.