“Where are you?! Show yourself, you coward!” Okel shouted as he thrust his knife forward into the darkness, hoping to land a strike.
Leon stood silently near the stairs, his eyes cold and unreadable.
“You invaded my house,” he said, his voice calm but laced with anger, as he pulled out a knife and pointed it directly at Okel.
“Threatened my family,” he continued. With a sudden flick of his wrist, he hurled the knife at Okel with speed.
Guided by thin threads of mana, the blade cut through the air like a bullet, maintaining perfect balance.
*Stab*
“FUCK!” Okel screamed, staggering back as the blade buried itself deep into his right shoulder. He instinctively grabbed the hilt, his eyes widening in shock when he realized—no one was holding it.
“L-Listen, kid… we were paid to do this,” he grunted, yanking the blade out and tossing it to the floor.
*Tang*
“Who gave you the money?” Leon asked calmly, extending his hand.
The knife jerked up from the ground and flew back into his grip.
*Catch*
Okel’s eyes locked in on the sound. ‘That voice… I need to buy time to line up the throw. One shot. That’s all I need to kill him.’
“A guy from your village…” Okel said, taking slow, deliberate steps forward.
“Who?” Leon asked.
“W-Will you let me go if I tell you his name?” Okel said, tightening his grip around his own dagger.
“Sure,” Leon replied, his tone emotionless.
“He lives four houses to the right of yours…” Okel muttered, slowly raising the dagger with his left hand, his muscles tensing in anticipation.
“The Village Chief,” Leon finished for him.
Okel’s eyes widened. In a flash, he hurled the dagger toward Leon’s voice with everything he had.
*Tang*
The sound confirmed it—a miss.
“Fuck…” he cursed under his breath.
“Fucking dog,” Leon’s voice came—this time, from directly behind him.
“Wha—!?”
*Stab*
Leon drove the knife straight into Okel’s throat in one clean, brutal motion.
Okel’s mouth opened, but no words came out—only a faint gurgle and a stream of blood. His body crumpled to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Elis…” Leon spoke coldly.
*Swish*
Suddenly, Elis appeared in front of Leon, silent and composed.
“Clean up this mess. I have a mistake to correct,” Leon said with a serious expression before vanishing.
“Yes, Master…” Elis responded, bowing her head respectfully.
…
Village Chief’s House…
The chief sat in his office, staring at documents with a grim look.
“How can this be? How can they choose Baron Kael to be the next village chief? That idiot… I need to talk to the Viscount. I must prove that I’m more than capable of handling this village,” he muttered, tightening his grip on the chair’s armrest.
…
Jack was seated at the dining table, devouring food like a wild pig that hadn’t eaten in days.
Olga stood beside him, fear evident in her eyes.
“Bring me more rice,” Jack ordered, barely glancing up at her.
“I-I didn’t cook that much… B-But I’ll imme—” Before she could finish, Jack hurled the bowl to the floor.
*Clang*
“Don’t give me excuses, bitch! Bring me food.
You know what? It’s good that Dad is selling you. I’m tired of seeing your face in this house.”
“B-But… I’m your mother, Jack,” Olga whispered, her voice trembling.
“Not my real mother. You’re just a tool that my father bought from your stupid father with money. So shut your mouth—”
*Knock-knock*
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
“Go answer the fucking door…” Jack snapped, shoveling more food into his mouth.
With a trembling body and tear-streaked face, Olga walked toward the door.
*Click*
She opened it—and a knife was instantly pressed against her neck.
“Shhhh…” Leon stood there, placing a finger over his lips in a warning.
Olga stepped aside silently, letting him in.
“Threads…” Leon muttered, binding her neck with an invisible mana thread.
Olga suddenly felt the tight grip of something intangible coiling around her throat.
“Speak a single word, and I’ll kill you. Where’s your son?” Leon asked coldly, tightening the thread slightly.
*Clench*
Olga said nothing, simply raising a shaky hand and pointing towards the dining room.
Leon didn’t wait. He immediately moved forward—and as he stepped into the dining room, he saw Jack hunched over his plate, eating like a fucking pig.
“Who was at—” Jack started, lifting his head to glance at Olga. But as soon as he saw the figure in the doorway, his eyes widened in terror. Before he could react—
*Swish*
Leon hurled the knife with lightning speed.
*Stab*
The blade pierced straight through Jack’s forehead.
*Thud*
Jack died with fear frozen on his face, his head slamming onto the table. The tip of the knife jutted out from the back of his skull.
Olga collapsed to the floor as soon as she saw this visual, her legs trembling uncontrollably.
Leon raised his hand.
The dagger, still wrapped in mana threads, burst out of Jack’s head and flew back to him.
Without pause, Leon turned and made his way to the chief’s office.
*Click*
“You fucking whore! I told you not to barge—” The chief looked up mid-rant, only to realize it wasn’t Olga—but Leon, his knife stained with blood in his hand.
“Y-You…” the chief stammered, his voice cracking.
Leon walked over and sat in the chair across from him. He placed the knife on the table and gestured for the chief to sit down.
“Y-Yes…” the chief mumbled, sitting quickly with fear in his eyes.
“L-Leon… y-you’re like a son to me. D-Did someone attack you?” he asked, forcing a nervous smile.
“Yeah… two guys broke into my house. They threatened my mom and sister.”
“O-Oh my god… I-I’ll immediately—” The chief started speaking as he immediately stood up.
“Sit down,” Leon interrupted. “Or I’ll ram this knife through your asshole and out your mouth.”
“Y-Y-Yes…” the chief stuttered, visibly shaking.
“I killed one of them. The other one confessed that they were hired by you to kill me.”
“I-I’m sorry, Leon… I-I’ll do anything you say! I’ll even give you everything I’ve saved!” The chief grabbed a bag of coins from his drawer and placed it on the table.
Silver coins spilled out.
Leon stared at them with a blank expression.
“Not enough,” he said flatly.
“I-I won’t take any more tax from your family! L-Look, I’m the village chief—if you kill me, there will be an investigation and you’ll—”
Leon’s eyes shifted to a letter on the desk. He picked it up and scanned it.
A smile formed on his lips.
“Looks like they’re giving your position to someone else,” he said calmly.
“SOMEONE HEL—” the chief began to scream but,
*Stab*
The knife silenced him, slamming straight into his fat neck and killing him instantly.
*THUD*