"Isn't it obvious? He wants everyone else to die except you, young master Leriat."

Like a child's play, Leriat tried to trap Anthony by displacing his summoned barrier to his position. But for Aron, who had trained Leriat and other bodyguards assigned by Leriat's father, reading such a move was effortless.

He knew every trick in the book. As he watched the futile attempt, a smile crept upon his face, knowing he would soon teach his student a valuable lesson.

Aron snickered after lunging back. "Woah, calm down, Young Master. Don't worry, your father won't be mad about you running away."

Leriat just hissed at hearing such crap. He unsheathed his iron sword alongside Anthony, who joined beside him.

"Three versus one, Aron. You are too cocky," Anthony exclaimed. With Vis that he had gathered, Anthony prepared some flying rocks around him.

"We'll see about that." Aron smirked.

Using his Vis to morph fully into a cheetah, Aron wasted no time charging ahead relentlessly. This time, his eyes and gallop direction fixated on Teres.

The Visbeast's frightening speed alarmed the heavily wounded young bodyguard. Teres had no time to channel Vis and there was no way he could outrun him. Not even Anthony’s rock barrage was able to hit even once.

"NO!!!"

Anthony and Leriat both shouted in unison as they tried to catch up to Aron. But their efforts were in vain as a deafening cry pierced the air, followed by the gruesome sound of powerful fangs sinking deep into flesh.

Without hesitation, Aron then dragged Teres into the dark, lifeless forest, leaving Anthony and Leriat behind, struggling to keep up with him on a bloodied trail.

***

As soon as the four had moved away from the horse carriage, a woman in her twenties emerged from her hiding place amongst the dense trees and bushes. This was the moment she had been waiting for, and she couldn't let anything get in her way. Leriat's formidable Vis of Praesidium posed the greatest obstacle to her plan. Now, there was nothing between her and Claire.

"Hello, Granny." She pushed her glasses up the nose bridge. Her face twisted in a scowl as she stepped forward, her brows furrowed in displeasure.

She didn't like this moment at all, and it showed on her face. Despite her best efforts to hide it, her expression gave her away, revealing her deep-seated disdain for the situation at hand.

Contrastingly, Claire was not that surprised. But the truth that this moment was inevitable still weighed her.

She let out a breath before gently mentioning another Leriat's bodyguard name that worked under his son.

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"... Giori ...."

Although Giori had prepared for this moment, steeling herself to the coldness of a bottomless abyss, memories of her time living alongside Leriat and Claire spoke otherwise.

Giori's heart grew heavy as she spoke, her voice shaking with regret. "I'm so sorry, Granny, for things to have turned out like this ...."

Her eyes grew cloudy as she tightened her grip on her wand, aiming at the old lady's chest.

Claire was too old to put up a fight. So she sat still.

Giori raised her wand, but her hands were trembling. Tears finally went down her cheeks.

"Granny, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry ... that I couldn't rebel against his wishes. My father, mother, and sisters' lives were at stake, and I had no choice but to comply." Her words were filled with pain and regret.

"I know, my dear. I know," Claire replied, her voice filled with understanding. "So long as you take care of Leriat for me, that would be enough." Her wrinkled face broke into a gentle smile, a testament to her unwavering love for her grandson.

Giori hesitated for a brief moment before clenching her teeth and focusing the blue Vis of Aqua towards the tip of her wand. She took a deep breath and whispered her final goodbye.

"Goodbye ... I will always love you."

With that, she released the condensed Vis in a powerful burst of energy, sending a small water drop penetrating Claire's chest. The impact was so intense that it even broke the cushion behind her, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

The water jet-shot sound echoed in the silent forest with clarity. Anthony and Leriat could not help it, but were concerned about it while on top of worrying about their opponent, who had Teres as hostage.

Aron in his cheetah Visbeast form had a distinct impression. He was sneering. One of their main objectives had been cleared.

The Visbeast then opened its jaws, and with a sickening crunch, it released the gravely injured young bodyguard, dropping him to the ground like a rag doll. Leriat watched in horror as his friend's body tumbled to the earth, blood puddling around him.

"T-Teres! Hang on!" Leriat shouted, his heart pounding with fear and desperation. He could see his friend's life slipping away before his very eyes, and he felt utterly helpless. Teres's eyes flickered open, and he struggled to speak, his voice barely a whisper.

"L-Leriat ... I-I'm sorry …."

Later, as Anthony and Leriat stood helplessly, the sound of footsteps behind them sent a chill down their spines.

Out of the darkness stepped a figure. Its face wore a grim expression underneath a set of glasses. The womanly figure approached them slowly, her leather boots footsteps echoing through the silence as her wooden wand gripped tightly in her right hand.

"S-sister Giori ...." Leriat trembled in his word. Both of him and Anthony did not expect her to show up here.

"Giori?! Why are you here?!" Anthony added.

Despite their surprise, Giori just remained silent. She then tossed a silver necklace laced with blood in front of them.

Leriat's eyes widened in recognition, his heart pounding in his chest as he stared at the necklace. He knew exactly to whom it belonged.

Suddenly, Aron's voice slipped in, interrupting the tense moment. "Hehe, seems like you did your job well, Giori," he said with a hint of amusement in his tone.

Leriat's heart sank as he gazed at the necklace that Giori had thrown. It was his grandmother's beloved possession, laced with her blood.

A sickening realization dawned on him, and he knew that Giori had killed her. The grief and devastation that he felt were overwhelming, and he struggled to keep his composure as tears went down.

"How could you?" he managed to choke out, his voice filled with rage and disbelief. "She was my grandmother! H-how could you d-do something like this?"