Wildness and Masks

"Relax, Thran. Fear never helps anyone, not even a little."

The man in the white robe held a lantern in one hand and placed the other on Thrandic's shoulder.

With that touch, Thrandic's body miraculously calmed down.

"Teacher, I just..." Thrandic paused for a moment, finally ready to find the right words.

"No need to explain, just don't let it happen again." The man in the white robe walked in front of Thrandic, carrying the lantern.

"Follow me," he said unhurriedly.

Thrandic opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing, responding with a hint of fear, "Yes..."

...

Compared to the noisy and dirty streets, the area near the clock tower was noticeably cleaner and quieter.

But at this moment, Ogre had no interest in observing his surroundings. His mind was preoccupied with Thrandic's unusual behavior.

"That smell..."

Ogre's innate ability, the Ogre Lunchbox, after awakening, only directly enhanced one aspect of his body—his instinct to find food.

This ability increased Ogre's appetite and heightened his sensitivity to food.

After carefully recalling and comparing, he was horrified to discover that the scent he detected on Thrandic was an urge to eat!

'No... no, that's not right! How could this be?'

Ogre instinctively wanted to deny his suspicion, but deep down, he couldn't help but connect it to one person.

Yard!

'Teacher... what exactly did you do to Thran?'

In an instant, upon linking it to Yard, Ogre immediately thought of the pulsating "living flesh"—the Taishui.

'That thing, there's definitely... definitely something wrong with it!'

Although Ogre didn't want to doubt Yard, after eliminating all other possibilities, he had no choice but to accept the truth, no matter how unwilling he was to believe it.

'And what about the clock tower? Is there something wrong with it too?'

Ogre took out a silver badge.

At this moment, Ogre made a decision; he would enter the clock tower ahead of schedule!

However, before that, he had some matters to deal with regarding the person following him.

Think and act.

This was Ogre's consistent principle.

Touching the long spear on his back, Ogre quickly disappeared into the deserted street.

"Damn it... lost him. How did he end up here?" A scruffy, hunchbacked man cursed as he looked at the empty alley.

When Ogre killed Will in public, someone had set their sights on him, hoping to trade his information for profit.

This man was one such opportunist, tailing Ogre to obtain his whereabouts and sell the information for money.

Whether selling it to Viscount Bordel or his illegitimate son, it was a good choice.

If Ogre decided to secretly leave the city to hide, he could make a fortune and even change his status, shedding his servant identity.

Yes, he had planned to betray his "master" from the start.

He saw it as a rare opportunity.

But what he didn't expect was that Ogre kept circling around and never left.

Following him, he ended up losing track.

"I need to report this to..." The hunchbacked man, seeing he had lost Ogre, immediately prepared to report the information he had to his master.

His plan to change his status was now dashed.

"Report to your master, or Bordel, is it?" A voice appeared behind him.

The hunchbacked man turned around, instantly collapsing to the ground, "You... you!"

"Following me, is it fun?"

Ogre's voice echoed in the cold alley, sounding particularly eerie.

"You, you... if you dare kill me, you'll be provoking the city guards, you'll be..."

Although the hunchbacked man was also an apprentice, facing someone like Ogre, who dared to kill nobles, he was undoubtedly terrified.

But before he could finish his sentence, the tip of a spear was already at his mouth, silencing him.

If Ogre wished, he could end his life with a single thrust.

"When you bully commoners, why don't you think about the Empire's laws?" Ogre kicked him to the ground.

Then Ogre shifted the spear tip from his mouth to his neck, "Tell me, who sent you to follow me?"

The hunchbacked servant was nearly scared to death, not doubting for a second that Ogre would kill him—after all, this was someone who dared to stab a noble's son to death, and this alley was deserted.

"It was Pr—!"

But just as the servant was about to reveal his master, an arrow suddenly pierced his neck, taking his life.

"Who!"

Although Ogre had guessed there were other followers, he didn't expect the attack to come so quickly and decisively.

"Killing a noble's servant in the city triggers the Empire's laws, you—damn it!" A person holding a bow stood on a nearby building, looking down at Ogre on the street.

The person first accused Ogre, then drew the bow again.

'Not good... this guy was just bait, someone from Bordel's side... no, it might even be Bordel's rivals. These nobles act so fast!'

Ogre glanced at the dead servant at his feet and immediately understood the situation.

'These guys have no shame!'

They used a life just to create an opportunity to act.

Even Ogre didn't expect these border people to use such lowly and despicable means and excuses, and to act so quickly.

They hadn't even fully left the Church of Truth's jurisdiction yet.

But no matter how unexpected, Ogre had no intention of explaining—it was pointless.

Ogre would never willingly fall into their rhythm.

After dodging several arrows, Ogre aimed for the nearest sewer entrance, pried it open with his spear, and leaped inside.

Before coming to this city, Ogre had investigated the sewers, which had once been a safe haven for his father in human society.

Ogre did all this just to ensure he could escape at any time.

Always leaving a way out was one of Ogre's survival rules.

Even the magic rabbits and goblins in the Demon Beast Forest knew to leave several escape routes in their lairs.

"This guy..." Watching Ogre escape, the archer narrowed his eyes, not expecting Ogre to be so cunning.

He didn't even fight back before fleeing.

He was so skilled it didn't seem like it was his first time.

He had thought that someone daring enough to kill a noble's offspring would at least have some courage, at least fight back, right?

"Do we need to issue a warrant, Captain?" A fully armored knight stepped out beside the archer.

"No need, this kid is very cautious. I'm worried it might backfire..." The archer waved his hand.

At this distance, it wasn't convenient to pursue Ogre.

"Keep a close watch on all parts of the city. Report any news of him to me immediately. Also—return that servant's body to Viscount Presna. If I can't use him, neither should they."

The archer slung his bow over his shoulder and walked back into the room.