Kahn couldn't believe what was happening in front of him as he held Jessica's cold body in his arms. He vividly remembered how this archer girl from the Diamond adventurer group was one of the people he saved in the forest from those bandits. And also how he saved her again from those Kobolds.
He himself had taken her to the clinic and looked after this woman for a time being. So he had a sense of familiarity with her.
He had a good impression of Jessica because even when she was surrounded by enemies, instead of cowering in fear or giving in to fate, she always fought fiercely with all of her strength till the last moment.
He noticed that the once extremely beautiful and charming face of this girl was now all bruised up.
Her fingernails were pulled out and there were multiple cuts on her wrists. The lively face of this redhead was now pale white as if she had lost a lot of blood..
Jessica was.. tortured to death.
Kahn picked her body in his arms and started walking towards his house.
"Hey you, stop!" just then a couple of city guards walked towards the scene and saw Kahn taking the dead body with him. However, Kahn wasn't in the mood to do any explaining or reasoning with the guards or the onlookers.
He activated War Dominance and walked with a lifeless expression on his face. The extremely heavy and dense pressure from his aura put all the onlookers and the guards on the ground.. Majority of them falling unconscious in seconds.
"Stop you bastard!" shouted the guard.
"Wait! Don't you know who that is?" asked the other guards as they were both kneeling on the ground under that suppressing pressure.
"Who?"
"That's Kahn, the one who killed the minotaurs by himself and is rumored to be a Grandmaster Swordsman." said the other guard.
"But.." before the first guard could continue, the second one stopped him.
"We will report this to higher-ups. He's not someone we can provoke." said the other guard.
Kahn returned to his bungalow and placed Jessica on the sofa in a sleeping position.
He activated his Hunter's Intent and started checking her body for any clues he could find.
With this skill, Kahn's senses were at their peak and he noticed multiple whip marks, some marks made by being hit with a bludgeoning weapon and stab wounds on her thighs and calves.
[Whoever did it, took their time and wanted to interrogate her.] concluded Kahn after checking the body.
He started checking her pockets and her small pouch that was attached to her belt. Yet he found nothing.
Just as he was about to stop, his senses picked up a round metal object. He pulled it out from the back of her belt where it was deliberately hidden.
"Jerome! Bring me something to cover her up. And prepare for a funeral." he shouted and ordered Jerome, his housekeeper.
"Yes, sir. I'll contact the morgue." said Jerome after he brought white sheets and left the house. He too was baffled after Kahn suddenly brought up a dead body in the house but he knew it wasn't his place to meddle in or ask questions given the furious look his employer had on the face.
He gently picked up her head and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"I'm sorry.. You got mixed into all of this because of me." spoke Kahn as small tear droplets came from his eyes.
Because the round metal object he found was something familiar to him. It was an emblem which he had seen previously during his dungeon hunts.
The Scarlet Lion Adventurer Guild.
Kahn now had hints for the cause of Jessica's death. It was caused by the people of this guild and as for the reason.. He already understood what it was as he gazed at the space ring in his hands.
They wanted the ring.. The one which Kahn had picked up after their team was wiped out by the silver kobold and later landed in his hands.
The materials and weapons inside the ring indeed cost a fortune and Kahn had greatly benefitted from selling just half of these to Nikola.
What these people wanted was the ring and everything in it. And as for why they tortured Jessica.. Because they must have found out that she was the sole survivor of that massacre.
And she must have kept her mouth shut about how she survived or give up on Kahn's name. Hence, she was tortured during interrogation.
Kahn could only conclude this much based on what he found logical and made sense. He would find the whole truth sooner or later.
"It's all because of me! I'm the one responsible for her death!" shouted Kahn in regret as he clearly understood that it was because of him that an innocent person like Jessica died as collateral damage. He grabbed the nearby chair in a fit of rage and threw it on the wall.
His wrathful gaze landed on the metal emblem as he clutched it in his hand and broke it in half.
The guilt welled up in his heart as he made a resolute vow to himself at this moment.
"They're going to pay.. They're all going to pay. Every single one of them!!" declared Kahn as his eyes filled with rage and his violent aura burst out of his body.
He covered her body under the white sheets and started wearing his gear for hunting.
There was no more need to hide this anymore. Their biggest mistake was they messed with him after he had achieved his current strength.
So anyone who was involved in Jessica's murder was going to experience the living hell.
Kahn suited up in his usual attire and left to find the main headquarters of the Scarlet Lion guild.
Kahn had decided that whoever it was.. He would inflict pain 10 times more than what Jessica had endured before she died miserably, scared and alone.
After spending half an hour to find the location, Kahn kicked the main gates and entered inside.
He stared at the people in the main hall and shouted loudly.
"Come out you fucking bastards! I'm here!!"