"It will be interesting to hear the rumors circulating after what happened last night," Dylan thought as he arrived in the lobby where his parents and sister were waiting for him.
His sister ran up and took Dylan's hand. He just smiled and gently took the hand his beautiful little sister offered him.
They all walked out of the mansion and got into the carriage where the coachman Ryan was waiting to take his masters to the town of Viscounty.
The carriage moved forward, and Elena peered carefully out the window while Dylan watched over her.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the best part of town where the buildings were less gloomy, as the viscountcy was not the most prosperous region of all. When a nobleman was stigmatized, he lost much of the support and resources offered by the kingdom of Acadis. Another point was that the current territory was not Dylan's father's territory; his territory had been seized by Marquis Voltariet, who coveted the commercial area that the Gray family had created more than a century ago.
The current territory of the Viscount was previously administered by a baron who had been reduced to commoner status.
The territory was known as a stigma given to those nobles who were about to lose their titles. That is why in that territory, only strong commercial organizations, regardless of their activities, had the best locations.
When the Gray family got out of the carriage, they walked through the seemingly quiet streets.
As they walked, Dylan, who was walking hand in hand with his mother, sharpened his sense of hearing.
"Yes, that's what I heard."
"So they closed the hotel?"
"The Ascan Guild is investigating. It must have been a pretty crazy bastard."
Dylan was not surprised by the comments, and he could even notice how people seemed entertained by the rumors about the macabre event that had taken place in the viscountcy.
"The discomfort of others is medicine for the souls of the unfortunate; it is the only way to carry their heavy burdens," Dylan concluded calmly in his mind.
The reason is nothing more than the ability to seek one's own well-being or follow the orders dictated to you. That was one of the conclusions he had reached in his previous life, in which he devoted himself to pleasures, in the same way he wanted to do so again.
An adventurer of apparent middle age, dressed simply, approached the viscount with a steady gaze.
"Wait here a moment," Demian said to Anelia.
Demian walked a few meters away to talk privately, but Dylan cautiously sharpened his hearing to listen to the conversation.
"Viscount, it is very dangerous for you to walk around the city with your children at this time," warned the adventurer.
"What happened?" asked Demian with a steady gaze.
"A madman entered the city and killed all the guests at the Marfil Hotel. It was a very gruesome scene, with human remains everywhere. Even a couple and their children were not spared", The adventurer replied, and a drop of cold sweat ran down his face, as they did not know how strong the criminal was, and that uncertainty made the crime even more terrifying.
"They shouldn't give me Perverse Points for instilling fear in the community," Dylan thought mockingly.
The Viscount's face turned grim and cold.
"Send an adventurer to protect the surroundings of my mansion. I will pay 15 gold coins during the day and 30 during the night," Demian requested of the adventurer who informed him of the crime.
Then Demian returned with his wife, and so as not to frighten his children, they headed to the only colorful building in town. They went inside, where there were shops offering different types of products. Demian led his children to a toy store.
Inside, the place was quite cozy, with yellow walls, a white floor, and cute drawings on the ceiling. Elena chose a pink rabbit-shaped stuffed animal. Dylan, on the other hand, sighed, as he wasn't very interested in toys and didn't know what would be ideal. In the end, he chose a nutcracker soldier in an elegant uniform.
"At least it's aesthetically pleasing," Dylan thought as he pretended to be happy with the toy in his arms.
After visiting the toy store, they went to a candy store where Dylan was satisfied, as the owner was a high-level 1 Moon wizard who made delicious ice cream using ice magic.
"I think this magician must live a long life; a delicious dessert never hurts," Dylan thought as he walked with his parents back to the car, watching his father look in different directions.
"Don't worry, Dad, the impostor is on board and isn't hostile toward your family, unless..." Dylan joked in his mind as he climbed into the carriage that took them back to the Gray family mansion.
Shortly after midnight, Dylan woke up, freed himself from his comfortable blankets, put on some slippers, and left his room. This time, he didn't head to the area he usually went to; instead, he went to the perimeter of the mansion protected by the cunning-faced adventurer who had received gold coins from his father.
The adventurer was sitting in a chair at the entrance to the mansion's perimeter wall.
"It's a nice night, don't you think, friend?" asked a man wearing a tattered gray hooded robe.
"Who are you?" asked the adventurer as he picked up a spear lying on the ground.
"I am what I am," said Dylan, and then laughed, as he found it a rather strange answer.
"Are you crazy? Get away from here," said the adventurer with slight disgust, even though cold sweat ran down his body.
"I think you're pretty smart, and you already have an idea of who I am, right?"
After the man in the tunic asked the last question, silence fell, and the moment a cold breeze blew, the man in the tunic raised his hand, and the adventurer mistakenly turned his full attention to him, and at that moment three drops of water the color of Perversion Red pierced the adventurer's back.