Elmer wasn’t one bit surprised as to what Patsy’s reaction was, but for a moment he hadn’t been able to prevent his heart from sinking as he was reminded of all he had done leading up to his current point in life.

But that was all—it had just been for a moment since he quickly recomposed himself.

There was no turning back time now—at least not that far back—so all he could do was live in the present as who he had become.

He’d long made his choice.

King broke out into a wheezing laughter. “You killed him?” He eyed Elmer from head to toe. “You?”

Elmer narrowed his eyes with a pinched expression. He wished he could punch the dwarf right this instant for looking down on him, but he reined his anger in and asked calmly, “Do I not seem the part?”

“Killing one of ours isn’t an easy task,” King snorted. “But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Tell me who it is, or rather, was.”

Elmer couldn’t fathom why King was putting the abilities of those working within this cartel on such a high pedestal. For one, Patsy worked here, and she was just a normal human; or had something changed about her?

He looked at his old friend, and her staring back at him with a rumpled face layered with both curiosity and sympathy made him discard the thought he’d had.

There was no way someone who was looking at him in such a manner had gone through some kind of significant change similar to his.

Regardless, Egor Mason had been rather easy to kill, and Hanky and his family had not really been that hard to handle. So what was with the whole hype King was feeding his cartel with? Was he overestimating their strengths, or was it just something like an obligation he was required to uphold in order to make his workplace and its employees more dangerous than they seemed?

Elmer glanced at the doors in the corridor. Maybe the supposed high ranked staff aren’t as strong as I thought them to be either.

“Cat got your tongue?” King snapped Elmer back to him.

“Now I wonder how strong Sir Redgrave is,” Elmer muttered with a hushed tone, then sighed. “Egor Mason,” he added, those words for King. “That’s the name of the man I killed to be here today.”

“I see,” King downturned his lips as he seemed to spiral into his thoughts. “Egor, huh? Oh. That chocolate—” Halting his own words himself, King suddenly jerked his head backward with a gasp, and a second later a dazed look was planted on Elmer. “You. What did you just say?”

His tone was strained now. Elmer understood why. He had planned for it to be this way after all.

Hanky had known who he was and what he’d done, and that meant everyone in the Underground Cartel knew that as well, most especially the high ranked staff.

Since their boss was most likely someone who was at least an Echelon 7, and still somehow had ties to the Church despite his illegal dealings, information about something such as supernatural serial killings would obviously reach his ears.

And even if that wasn’t the case, and the boss of this cartel was actually a corrupted one just like him, Elmer believed that to handle such an organization where even high class patrons visited he’d need a certain degree of power. One that could get him the information he needed on what was going on in the world of Ascenders, and most of all, what had happened to one of his own people.

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Elmer had been sure before, but he’d confirmed it now. He was popular within this organization, and not for a good reason.

He scoffed softly. “You heard me loud and clear, didn’t you?”

A tender hand from his left grabbed a hold of his then. “Wait. Don’t tell me… You? El—”

The name didn’t need to be called completely to spark some sort of rage in Elmer. As soon as he’d noticed what was coming he shot a glare at Patsy, seizing her lungs with his eyes and causing her shoulders to drop in whatever realization she had not had prior.

Her grip on his arm shook, but she didn’t loosen it regardless.

Tsk. I hate this.

He had not once thought that someone who was roguelike and could afford to work in the midst of so many enslaved people could be so soft. All in all, Patsy was no longer someone he should be close to.

Elmer wrenched his arm free from her grasp. If only his disguise had worked he wouldn’t have had to go through all of this.

King on the other hand was no longer as smug as he’d once been. His brows were narrowed, and deep beneath his brown eyes was a growing emotion he was forcing back.

“Say it again,” King insisted.

Elmer was tired—frustrated even.

He felt it had already most likely been hours since he’d left his home at around 10 A.M., but still he was yet to achieve anything of note. Regardless, he chose to oblige. After all, he needed to make it past this point to make something of his day.

“Egor Mason. Owner of Mason’s Dark Chocolate Factory. Black eyes. Deep brown hair. Has a trademark of a ferocious goatee,” King’s eyes widened as Elmer let his mouth run wild. “I killed him.”

King’s breath was so audible now that even the workers walking past took moments to try and figure out what was going on. They didn’t have more than seconds though.

“What did you say your name was?” the dwarf asked in a serious tone.

Elmer huffed a smile. “Floyd Edgar.”

King held his teeth tight together. “How do I know you aren’t lying?”

This was it, Elmer deduced, the deciding point. It was here that his risky plan would bear fruit.

Would King try to kill him on his own here and now, maybe with the help of the other staff, or would he report the appearance of the one who had murdered a member of their cartel to his boss?

“That is up to you,” Elmer answered. “Believe what you want, it doesn’t change who I am or what I did.” That reply of his had as well been directed to one other person. He hoped she got the message.

“Remain here with him, Miss Baker,” the latter of the options it was, “I’ll only be a moment.”

Despite receiving no audible response from Patsy, King was off and into the peculiar door at the end of the hallway.

Elmer, on the other hand, had a nonchalant expression, but deep within a huge smile was on his face.

He would finally be able to double his wealth.

Although, he knew that the path he’d taken now would increase its difficulty. He’d have to appease the anger of the boss after all.

Anything for money, though. Anything.

“What happened?” Elmer’s joy was instantly siphoned away by Patsy’s unnecessary question.

“King went to meet your boss,” he replied even with his evident displeasure.

“That’s not what I’m asking about.”

“Then I’m afraid nothing noteworthy has happened.” Patsy grabbed his arm again, but this time Elmer didn’t turn to look at her. “You seem to have taken some sort of interest in me. But I’m afraid I have to reject you now. I do not want to be in a relationship with anyone at the moment.”

Patsy grit her teeth. “What’s with all the disguise? What have you been up to? What is this about you being the serial killer?”

Elmer heaved out an exasperated sigh. “I doubt my personal business is any of your concern.”

“Mabel…” Elmer’s chest tightened as soon as his sister’s name was mentioned. “What about Mabel?”

He finally turned to look at her. What he was about to say hurt him, but he resolved himself to say it regardless.

“Mabel? Who is that?”

Evident shock appeared on Patsy’s freckled face, and her hold on his arm loosened seemingly instinctively. “You…”

The sound of the door to the end of the hallway opening up found its way into Elmer’s ears, and he immediately turned around to glimpse King standing there as though waiting for them.

“That’s our cue to come, I suppose.” He sighed and took his arm away from Patsy’s hand—softly this time—leaving her behind him as he approached his currently most sought out destination.