Chapter 218 [Hollow Town] [Prelude]


    [Three monthster.]


    [Daqan Town, Victoria City.]


    [Eastern End Of Pargoina Empire]


    .....


    "My heart has now known madness~"


    In the dusky, old kitchen filled with wooden equipment, a boy moved around while humming the song ying in the background.


    "Is my world now lightened up~"


    His eyes, heterochromatic—one blue and the other purple—looked at the ingredients ced on the counter.


    "This new, new bride of mine~."


    Picking up a bowl, he hummed as he mixed different ingredients with care.


    Some ingredients spilled around, but the apron he wore didn''t let them stick to his clothes.


    "When did she turn my madness—."


    His humming abruptly stopped as someone tugged on his pants.


    He turned around, his gaze moving down as he looked at the little girl.


    She looked only three years old, not even reaching his knees, her long straight ck hairbed properly while her crimson eyes stared at him.


    "Don''t sing, father." She said, her voice cute, matching her face, "You are really bad at it."


    Azariah ced his hands on either side of his waist, looking down at the girl who blinked innocently.


    With a sigh, he picked her up and made her sit on the counter. He grumbled, "What a nice way to kill your father''s confidence."


    "But you are really bad." The little girl replied with a straight face while making herselffortable on the counter.


    "And you had to rub it in my face, didn''t you?" He replied as he shifted his body to open the gas line.


    "Yes."


    "Let me be." Azariah grumbled while mixing the water in the bowl, "Do you know how long I was waiting for Echo''s new song?"


    "I don''t." The little girl replied.


    "Yeah, you''re only a month old." Azariah replied, nodding his head, "Herst song came out around eight months ago."


    "Why do you only listen to her songs?" The girl asked as he whisked the batter, "Do you like her?"


    "I like her songs, not her." He replied gently as he took a spoonful of the batter and brought it close to her, "And stop acting like Christina''s little spy."


    "I am not—." Her words halted as Azariah fed her a spoonful. She munched on it, "A little bit more sugar." She added.


    Azariah nodded as he added a little more sugar.


    Lighting up the gas, he started to make a simple pancake while listening to the song ying in the background.


    It didn''t take him long to finish and ce them on the te.


    "Let''s go." Picking the little girl with one hand, he said, moving out of the kitchen.


    A simple room greeted him with all the necessary things ced.


    His gaze moved towards the side as he said sternly, "Willis, stop jumping on the sofa ande here."


    The boy, who looked no older than six with dark blue hair, looked at him with hisvender eyes.


    He jumped down from the sofa as he ran toward him.


    "Where is the new girl?" Willis asked, his voice tinged with a little distance as he sat on the chair, "Why is she not clinging to you today?"


    "That new girl is your sister." Azariah replied as he ced the little girl on the chair while cing the te on the table, "...And she is sleeping today."


    "Brother is jealous." The little girl said, looking at Willis.


    "I am not." He grumbled in reply as he started to eat the pancakes.


    It only took them a few minutes to finish the meal while Azariah quietly looked at them.


    "Are you going to be busy today?" Willis asked, looking at him picking up the tes.


    "Yep, we arrived here for work this morning." Azariah replied as he looked at the wall clock, "I should finish it quickly and go home."


    Willis nodded as he turned into a cluster of white before entering his body to rest.


    Azariah moved back to the kitchen while the little girl followed him.


    "Do you need anything?" He asked, cing some pancakes on a te as she stood around him, staring at him quietly.


    "Hug me." She said, stretching her arms wide.


    Azariah smiled as he kneeled down in front of her, giving her a gentle hug.


    She lightly patted his back as she whispered softly, "Everything is alright."


    Azariah nodded as he broke the hug before standing up.


    "I will see you soon, father." The little girl said, looking up at him.


    He smiled as he replied softly, "Thank you, Olivia."


    Olivia smiled gently as her body turned into a cluster of crimson.


    Azariah turned, moving towards the door while the cluster returned to the tattoo embedded on his side.


    Extending his hand, he opened the door.


    .....


    .....


    .....


    I blinked my eyes to let them adjust to the outside light.


    The gloomy clouds of winter covered the ce, my gaze moving around the wooden corridor of the building.


    Shifting my body, I moved towards the main door.


    "It''s fucking old." I mumbled as I noticed the creaking sound as I walked.


    ....But it makes sense because it''s an orphanage that has been running for over a hundred years.


    [You did your research for once.]


    "I had to." I mumbled as I turned towards the front garden, "...I don''t trust that woman, especially when ites to the missions she gives."


    Thest time I got a mission from her was to kill In?s, and I fucked it up.


    This time she sent me to investigate the orphanage and this town, and even though I did my research, there wasn''t much special about this ce.


    The only thing that stood out were the cases of kidnapping.


    And apart from that, I have no clue what the hell I''m supposed to do here.


    I wasn''t told a single thing about this mission, and I have nothing but my brain to work with.


    ...But it will be worth my time.


    Because for once, I managed to bargain with that woman.


    "Let''s just finish it early." I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head.


    Entering the garden, I looked around and quickly found the obsidian-haired boy sitting on a bench, surrounded by little girls.


    I walked towards him with a light smile.


    "Aren''t you famous with the girls?" I asked as I stepped closer.


    He looked up at me, and the girls surrounding him quickly ran away.


    "You are one to talk." He replied as I stood in front of him, "You had to disfigure your face just to not attract girls."


    "It''s not that." I grumbled, passing the te to him. "My face just finds itself in the spotlight."


    "Yeah." Aimar replied as he took the pancakes, "Are you sure I should be here?"


    "Just y around with the kids." I replied as I looked around the ce, "I will take care of my business quickly."


    He nodded while taking a bite, "...Did you talk with Christina?" He asked.


    "Nope." I replied, shaking my head, "...She is in Akasha, so it''s hard to contact her."


    "Why?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I don''t know." I replied quietly, "I never asked why she had to go with Avril."


    "...I see." He whispered, taking another bite, "...That''s bad."


    "Fuck off." I grumbled as I started to move, "I will see youter."


    "Yeah."


    [Why are you in a hurry?]


    ''I don''t like this ce.''


    It''s not the orphanage that is making me ufortable but the town itself.


    ...Because its history is anything but good.


    [...Just don''t rush.]


    ''hmm.''


    Looking around, I noticed the children who were ying quickly running away.


    They looked at me strangely, with fear in their eyes.


    And as I walked towards the director''s office, I caught a glimpse of my reflection.


    Pristine white hair, eyes that didn''t match, and a scar that ran through my eyes.


    Quickening my steps, I arrived at the ce in no time.


    Knocking once, I walked in.


    "My lord."


    An old man sitting at the main desk stood up, his voice filled with gratitude as he bowed down towards me.


    "Thank you for visiting this ce."


    ''Respect, huh?''


    "Thank you for taking us in without many questions."


    "It''s our duty to help." He replied, politely.


    Walking past him, I said out loud, "Who am I?"


    "Pardon?" The old man asked, confused.


    "Do you not know who I am?" I asked back, calmly.


    "Yes, yes." The old man replied politely as I picked up the file ced on the desk, "You are the youngest royal guard, Azan, sent here to investigate the missing people."


    ''That''s a convenient name and fake identity.''


    "Why here?" I probed further, "From what I know, a lot of people were kidnapped from different ces, so why was I sent to an orphanage?"


    "Because....." The old man quickly returned to his seat as he picked up a file, passing it to me, "it was a child from our ce who was first kidnapped."


    I took the file from his hand while I observed him deeply.


    Whitish-grey hair, dull eyes with thick sses covering them, and a wrinkled face that oozed kindness.


    "Shouldn''t guards be able to take care of a normal kidnapper?" I asked as I opened the file, reading it, "Why contact the royal guards?"


    "It''s not humans who are doing it." The old man replied, his voice filled with fear, "...It''s a God."


    I peered my gaze away from the file as I asked softly, "...Have you seen that ''God''?"


    "Yes, he wasst seen beside the jungle." The old man replied fearfully, and I smiled.


    "Good, let''s see which God it is."