Chapter 3, Wanted Criminals

As Asa attempted to rise, he barely managed to support himself with his hand on the ground when a sharp, piercing pain shot through his chest, eliciting a cry of anguish. He collapsed back to the ground, the re-broken ribs intertwining painfully, leaving him without the strength to speak. The old man paid him no mind, busily handling the corpse while muttering complaints to himself.

"If I have the chance to escape, I will repay you later." Asa was completely at a loss regarding the situation before him. With such severe injuries, he had inexplicably become a wanted criminal, and the order of "Do not speak, eliminate on the spot" left him no opportunity to defend himself.

The Duke did not blame him; the Duke would never blame anyone or lose his temper with anyone. However, Clovis could not forgive himself for making such a significant mistake, a mistake that could potentially lead to the failure of the entire plan and even jeopardize the safety of the Duke and himself.

"No need, it seems you won't have the chance to leave the city. I can search here as well; I suppose even the women's restrooms in the city have been searched by now. What exactly did you do?" the old man asked.

"Consider the issue from multiple perspectives," the Duke reiterated tirelessly. "It cannot be too obvious; perhaps someone will become curious. This matter can be entrusted to the Guards." After a moment of contemplation, the Duke continued, "The likelihood of a problem arising is minimal; that soldier probably does not understand why he is being pursued and would not dare report it elsewhere. We simply need to do what we are supposed to do. You may return now, and remember to avoid revealing any connection to this fugitive in front of others."

In the solitude of his study, Duke Mralak suddenly felt a sense of fatigue

In the Duke's residence, within the study of Duke Mralak, the Duke rarely furrowed his brow as he listened to the report from the Royal Capital's Guard and the - map - book, which yielded no results.

Wow—' Ugh—' The two soldiers next to the captain finally couldn't hold it in any longer and began to vomit. The sound seemed contagious, prompting several other soldiers to start vomiting in succession.

After a series of footsteps, the large wooden door was knocked upon, and a voice from outside called out: "Is old Sandru in there? Open the door." The old man replied, "Yes, if you want to come in, open it yourself." The door was pushed open, and a dozen fully armed soldiers entered. Among them, a few immediately gasped in low voices upon seeing the furnishings inside.

"Hey, clean up before you leave." Old Sandru chased a few steps, cursed a few words, returned to close the door, and then walked over to Asa, staring at him curiously and saying: "I don't know how you were dragged here by that skinny monkey as a corpse, and still managed to go back and kill him."

The command of His Grace, Duke Mralak? Asaf remained silent, yet he understood clearly. Although he did not know how he had managed to kill all the prisoners and then escape to this place in such a wounded state, he had heard the earlier command, 'Kill immediately, do not speak,' very clearly.

"Hey, come look at this," old Sandru exclaimed as he pulled something from the abdomen of the female corpse, proudly displaying it in his hand as if he had made a remarkable discovery. "I bet this woman never gave birth, but she has had an abortion. I can't believe someone in the royal city would do such a thing"

I am asking if you have seen any suspicious living individuals that you have not encountered before

A squad leader-like figure asked the old man: "Are there any other people here?"

Watching the back of Claudius, the Duke's brow remained furrowed. This is a very ambitious young man, quite capable, diligent, and with a strong determination; he is undoubtedly an excellent assistant, a good subordinate, and a useful pawn. However, he is not likely to be someone who can achieve great things.

Asa quickly raised the left wrist that had been crushed by the werewolf and asked, "What about this?"

Yes

Ambition that is too great and actions that are too ruthless leave no room for turning back. Excess is as bad as deficiency

I do not know what is going on either. Since you know they are looking for me, why not hand me over to them?" Asa asked weakly. With each word, the broken bones in his chest cried out in agony

"I have not seen this one, nor have I seen that one," said the old man Sandru, pointing at several soldiers. The soldiers looked at the finger pointing at them, their faces contorting slightly; it was just pulled out from the belly of a female corpse, covered in blood and other fluids.

"I have not seen any spies, and there are no hidden people here. If you want to search, go ahead." Old Sandru resumed his work on the corpse.

I merely rescued the duke's daughter from the swamp

Asafa stared blankly for a while and weakly replied, "It seems this is the only way. But I need you to find a doctor or a priest first." Due to the immense pain, his voice had begun to grow faint.

"Once I have cured this for you, you must work for me for three months"

Everyone, search carefully everywhere. Remember, it is a male around twenty years old, slightly tall, with black hair and black eyes, and he has an injury on his left hand. Also, keep in mind that once he is found, do not speak to him; immediately eliminate him on the spot. This is the command of His Grace Duke Murlak, and it is likely that this fellow may possess some dark magic, so everyone should be on high alert. The captain issued the command with authority, and the soldiers slowly dispersed to search, with a few still standing in place, fully focused on suppressing their urge to vomit. This is the command of His Grace Duke Murlak, and it is likely that this fellow may possess some dark magic, so everyone should be on high alert. The captain issued the command with authority, and the soldiers slowly dispersed to search, with a few still standing in place, fully focused on suppressing their urge to vomit.

However, in his gaze directed at the floor, there were moments when an uncontrollable anger was revealed

Then, did he happen to sleep with the book and have a child? Or sell it into a brothel? Or give it to a slave trader? The old man's imagination is quite rich

Yes. I will do everything in my power and explore all possible means to capture this soldier

The knight Clovis stood upright beside him. Even in such a state of fury, he displayed not the slightest loss of composure, maintaining an air of majesty and propriety that perfectly embodied the concept of a 'knight'

What? Asa does not understand the old man's meaning

Old Sandrew looked at Asa, reached out, and touched his chest. Suddenly, he grabbed both sides of Asa's ribs and pulled. Asa let out a loud cry, feeling as if several knives had been thrust into his chest and twisted, nearly losing consciousness again. Once he caught his breath and regained some clarity, he realized that the broken bones had seamlessly reconnected, and he felt almost no pain. The treatment that a dozen priests from Brakada had spent the entire morning completing seemed to have been performed by this old man as if by magic, effortlessly restoring him. Although Asa was not very knowledgeable about magic, he could roughly guess that this was a high-level healing spell.

Escorted all the way to Blakada

"Who the hell brought the new recruits?" The captain's boots were splashed with vomit as he jumped up. He watched as the other soldiers began to vomit one after another, then glanced again at the object in the old man's hand, with several tendons still connected to the female corpse. Feeling a wave of nausea, he shouted, "Fall back, fall back, hurry up, hurry up." The soldiers immediately ran out as if fleeing from a disaster.

Old Sandrew unwrapped the bandages and took a careful look, letting out a sigh as if he had found money by the roadside: "At least three years"

"When a person is inexplicably locked away, how can they still have the mood and leisure to chat with others?" Duke Mralak slowed his pace and emphasized, "The most important thing about the book is that you acted without fully understanding the situation. How did that soldier lure the jailer inside? How did he knock him out? How did he escape? If you know every detail clearly, you will surely discover something meaningful." The duke concluded again. "You are too young and too impulsive. You must be patient and consider the problem from as many angles as possible to find more solutions"

The duke's way of expressing gratitude is indeed peculiar said old Sandrew, shaking his head However, I am not interested in the reasons behind it We are in need of manpower here, so you might as well work off your debt After all, you cannot escape This large-scale operation will not ease its vigilance until you are captured

Clovis replied: "I am afraid that soldier has leaked something inside."

The duke suddenly asked: "Why must all the people in the prison be killed?"

The term "corpses" is not entirely accurate, as in addition to a dozen complete bodies, there are also dozens of dismembered corpses, as well as countless organs preserved in glass jars, arranged on shelves and tables of varying heights. This house is essentially a human display museum. Asa lies surrounded by a naked male corpse and several hands and feet, while the old man is performing an autopsy on a female corpse.

As Asa finally saw clearly, this was a rather tall old man, clad in a robe of a cultivator that was so dirty its color could no longer be discerned. His face was obscured by a tangle of gray and white beard and hair, allowing only a limited view of his features. The only thing that was clearly visible were his eyes, which were distinctly black and white, showing no signs of the dullness one would expect at his age

This old man... is like this: today, a prisoner escaped from the city jail. He is a very vicious and cunning spy, and he has killed everyone in the prison, including that fat man and that thin man who often sold corpses to you. The prisoner is still hiding in the city of m.hetushu.com.com, and we have been ordered to search for him.

The best course of action now is to close one's eyes and continue to play dead, waiting to pass through this crisis before addressing anything else. However, the unfortunate reality is that the room is well-lit, making everything very clear, including the bandages on his hands

Living with someone who places excessive importance on fame and fortune is quite burdensome. Such individuals only ever see themselves.

The old man named Sandru nodded and said, "All the people displayed here are human; you can find whatever kind of person you need yourself"

In a room filled with various corpses, an old man who was handling the bodies turned his head to look at Asa, expressing a regretful complaint: "I have long wondered why that skinny monkey suddenly thought of delivering goods today, and even without bargaining. Had I known that cheap goods are never good."

Old Sandrew widened his eyes and retorted in a tone that implied it was self-evident: "Why should I hand you over to them?" He raised his five fingers and shook them vigorously. "You are worth five copper coins to me. Five, mind you."

This young man is also backed by a large family. The Elni family is a prestigious lineage with generations of wealth, holding many high-ranking officials in the court and numerous wealthy merchants in the private sector. He is the eldest son of the head of the family, making him an ideal candidate for a perfect marriage. However, he is certainly not a good husband

Excessive desire can obscure reason. When one pays too much attention to certain things, it becomes impossible to perceive the overall situation and its subtle changes. Being captivated by a single leaf prevents one from seeing the entire forest

After taking a few breaths, Asa laboriously swung his head to look around. This is a very large room, or rather a very large house, with a simple structure, high ceilings, spacious areas, and wide doors. There are several large glass windows high up on the walls, which make the room appear very bright. Every corpse inside can be seen clearly.

Three months, the old man Sandru said