Zrash!
Wolvin stabbed the left side of the man's back with his dagger.
The thrust instantly tore through his heart and pierced out of the man's left chest. Fresh blood immediately seeped out, staining the clothes he wore.
The stabbed man gasped violently. His breath was instantly cut off in his throat. With his remaining consciousness and his vision beginning to blur, he looked down, his eyes widening as he saw the tip of the dagger's blade protruding from his chest.
He had absolutely no idea when the dagger had pierced his back. He did not even hear the sound of footsteps. Everything simply happened in the blink of an eye.
"Stasis!"
At the exact same fraction of a second after Wolvin stabbed his target, Calian activated the 'Stasis' authority of his [Time Loop] blessing.
The movements of the man named Dio, who stood only a few spans away from his colleague, completely froze on the spot. The man turned into a living statue, trapped within the halted flow of time without even having the chance to realize what was actually happening to him, let alone realize that his colleague had just been stabbed right next to him.
Meanwhile, the man whose heart had been pierced by Wolvin slowly began to lose his balance. The lifeless body started to sway forward and was about to collapse onto the floor.
However, right before the man's body completely fell and the blood from his chest splattered onto the floor, Calian reactivated his Stasis authority.
Instantly, gravity seemed to lose its meaning. The dead man's body froze in mid-air in a tilted position, suspended right in the middle of his fall, creating a horrific yet breathtaking diorama of death.
Eralio, who witnessed the instant execution from his sofa, felt as if his heart had stopped beating. He was deeply in shock, his eyes widened completely.
Good heavens... Eralio uttered inwardly, his pupils trembling as he saw what Calian and Wolvin had just done to the two men. Even though I already knew both of their blessings, seeing them in action right before my own eyes like this... it truly gives me goosebumps.
If Eralio was in a state of profound shock in his seat, the exact opposite was being felt by Calian. His face appeared calm, even though he actually still felt quite exhausted because the effects of his actions to free Arlen from slavery just moments ago.
Restraining two men in the shackles of his Stasis authority added a slight burden to his stamina, but he could still control it well.
Calian shifted his gaze toward the desk in the room.
"Arlen, come out of your hiding place!"
Hearing the command directed at him, the brown-haired boy who had been hiding all along began to crawl out from under Eralio's desk.
Upon seeing Arlen's tiny body finally out from under the desk and standing straight looking at him, Calian gave a gesture by waving his right hand.
"Come here!"
Without hesitation, Arlen took small steps and walked toward Calian, the hem of his trousers dragging on the floor.
However, when he walked close enough to the sofa area, the brown-haired boy's steps abruptly stopped as if his feet were nailed to the floor.
His eyes widened in horror when he saw the two men standing frozen near the sofa Wolvin had previously occupied. One of them was frozen in a standing position, while the other had a stab wound piercing his left chest, his body leaning over as he fell forward, as if the world's gravity did not touch him at all.
W-What is actually happening here?
"Arlen, you want to know why your body suddenly returned to the form of a little boy like that, and you want to know my true identity, right?"
The question he had just heard immediately jolted Arlen and brought his consciousness back from the shock. He quickly tore his gaze away from the two men and looked straight at Calian, who was currently looking back at him.
Driven by an immense curiosity to answer all the questions constantly swirling in his mind, Arlen immediately nodded.
"My name is Calian Wallfend Zien Da Erthland." the purple-haired youth said, introducing himself. "I am the one who will become the Emperor of this empire in the future."
Arlen's eyes widened completely, his mouth slightly ajar. He truly never expected that the purple-haired youth sitting in front of him right now was a core member of the Erthland Imperial family.
No wonder Mr. Eralio called him as 'Your Highness'! Arlen thought in shock, his heart pounding rapidly. Feelings of awe, trepidation, and admiration exploded all at once. He is real! A real prince! I have just been saved by the future of this empire!
Ignoring the shocked expression clearly displayed on Arlen's tiny face, Calian continued his words.
"And regarding your physical form suddenly returning to that of a six-year-old little boy, it is because of the blessing I possess." Calian continued in a calm tone.
"Y-Your Blessing?" Arlen repeated curiously. "What kind of blessing do you possess that can alter the laws of nature like this, Your Highness?"
"[Time Loop]!" Calian answered, revealing his blessing without the slightest hesitation. "I can manipulate the flow of time around me as I please, just like what is currently happening to the two petrified men beside the sofa."
Arlen stood rigidly in his place, looking at the purple-haired youth's face with an almost vacant stare.
[Time Loop]? Manipulating the flow of time? the boy repeated in his mind. This is insane! Truly insane! No wonder he could manipulate my age and turn my form into a six-year-old boy like this.
What happened next was that the awe and admiration within Arlen's chest grew even more explosive. The brown-haired boy increasingly admired the figure currently sitting calmly on the sofa.
I truly never expected that in this world, there would be a human born with a power rivaling the absolute authority of a God. And that person... is now sitting right in front of me!
However, amidst that euphoria of admiration, Arlen felt very bewildered and confused by the Prince's rash decision to openly reveal such a God-like power.
"B-But, Your Highness..." Arlen gathered the courage to ask. "Why would you just reveal the secret about your blessing so easily to someone you only met a few moments ago?"
Calian stared straight into Arlen's purple eyes, a faint smile carved onto his lips.
"Because I want you, Arlen." Calian answered to the point. "In the future, I want you to become an Alchemist working under the protection of the empire. I want you to continuously innovate and always support this empire in every way with your alchemy. In return, you will receive full backing and security that will guarantee your safety."
Hearing the offer made directly by the Imperial Prince, Arlen's breath hitched. He had never even dreamed that one day a prince would personally offer him a comfortable and respected job in a very safe place, without ever having to fear being kidnapped by that slave-trading syndicate again.
This kind of offer will never come a second time! Arlen told himself inwardly. I feel that my meeting with Prince Calian is not a coincidence, but destiny coming to pick me up.
Without a second thought, the brown-haired boy nodded enthusiastically.
"I am willing, Your Highness!" Arlen answered, his light purple eyes sparkling with absolute resolve. "It would truly be a great act of foolishness in my life to refuse a request from my savior."