“Is that?!” Osric exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at a hooded figure hanging upside from the ceiling as if doing some weird acrobatic maneuver.

Elysian was taken aback as if caught in some compromising situation. “Hey, are you done already?” he asked nonchalantly, letting himself fall to the ground. He then ordered the hood of the shroud to fall to his back, or more precisely, it flipped to his back before separating into long strips of cloth and moving as if there was a strong wind in the hall. It was eerie when he first saw it, thinking that it was alive. Coupled with the random movement of the shroud’s edge, who could blame him for making such a childish assumption? Actually, being foolish sometimes pays off. He accidentally learned this little trick of his when he was fooling around, thinking that he was some kind of hero.

Both Brand and Osric’s eyes widened at what they saw. Their mouths were slightly open, trying to make sense of it all.

‘Why the hell am I embarrassed now? Tsk, these b*stards are overreacting as if I’m doing some weird sh*t.

Whatever. I look cool.’

“Yeah,” Bran finally responded while he kept on staring at the noble and the shroud. “What are you doing?”

“Just trying some new stuff I’ve learned,” Elysian responded as he walked closer to them. “Isn’t that too early? Usually, it would take you until mid-morning before you’re done.”

“Yeah, well, the soldiers are doing early and more patrolling around the city,” Osric said, sighing. “It seems the city is becoming quite dangerous.”

Elysian noticed some sadness in Bran's eyes when he heard the mention of Ironspire’s current situation. Sighing, he apologized, “As both of you know what truly happened, I’m sorry for my actions that caused the chaos in the city.”

“It’s not your fault, young master,” Osric said, looking him straight in the eyes. “You’ve done what is right. Those b*stards deserved what happened to them.”

“I know,” Elysian responded, trying to smile, though it was clear there was a tinge of regret and melancholy in it. “I don’t regret one bit what I did to them, but it can’t be denied that this made the lives of the soldiers harder. If a fight is to take place, some might lose their lives.”

“I’m a soldier too,” Osric replied as he tried to ease the worry of his lord. “This is simply part of the job. It’s our duty to protect this city, so you don’t have to feel sorry for us. We already accepted that we might die doing our duty.”

“Yeah, but it won’t make things easier,” Elysian muttered softly before he continued, “Also, some civilians might die because of me.”

“Yes, they might die, and it's your fault,” Bran suddenly remarked, earning him a surprised look from everyone for his blunt opinion. “But if you did nothing and they killed more people, it would also be your fault. So, it’s better that you kill them so that there are fewer people who are killing the good people,” he continued, smiling at them. “But, young master, I haven’t yet forgotten how you quietly manipulated me into killing someone. I know you mean well, but I don’t like what you did.”

Elysian’s internal turmoil over his resulting actions was suddenly forgotten, replaced by a more personal one. “I didn’t know you would notice,” he finally said, sighing in resignation as he carefully studied his servant’s expression.

“I know I’m slow, but I’m not stupid, young master,” Bran responded, looking down the floor before frowning and glancing back at the young noble. “What you did to me is not nice.”

“I know, big fella. I know,” Elysian muttered with a melancholic smile. “What I did is inexcusable and bad, but if I am put in that situation again, I will still do it, big fella. Do you know why?”

Bran just shook his head.

“So that you would survive,” Elysian said honestly. “If you are going to follow me on my journey, it’s unavoidable that you will kill people. That is simply the hard truth. In a fight of life and death, a slight hesitation might result in your death. It’s better that you get used to killing someone now than later when it's dangerous, and I can’t guarantee your safety.”

“I understand… but I still don’t like it,” Bran responded solemnly.

“You shouldn’t like it. Taking someone’s life is never easy, my friend,” Elysian stated, patting the huge boy on the arm. “Even though I believe what I did was necessary, it doesn't mean I’m not sorry for what I put you through. I will warn you, though. I will still do stuff like I did if I believe it's for your own good. I would like to apologize in advance,” he said honestly, studying the unhappy face of his servant. “Do you hate me, big fella?”

Looking straight into the noble’s eyes, Bran shook his head and answered, “I don’t hate you, young master. I understand what you’re doing, but I’m upset about it.”

“Never easy?” Osric suddenly spoke after quietly listening to the conversation between the two. When he saw the noble’s eyes looking at him, he continued, “You told me before that you wanted me to speak my own mind and that I should be honest with you. Is that still true?”

“Of course. Always. You are my companion, and I consider you my friend,” Elysian answered, smiling at the older boy, whose expression softened a little. “If you wouldn’t be honest with me, who would? You can reprimand, shout, or even insult me. I won’t take it personally. I will just consider it a discourse between friends. However, I hope you will also not take it personally if I shout or insult you back,” he remarked, raising a brow in challenge.

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Osric laughed at that and said, “I’m happy that I’m under you, young master. Do you know how terrified I was when I first served you? You have such an infamous reputation. I thought I’m going to be beaten and insulted all the time.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Elysian chuckled at that uncomfortable memory. “And Osric, please don’t be like that again, okay? You’re not the only one who’s embarrassed by that whole ordeal. I suffered a lot too.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t even if you force me to,” Osric responded before immediately changing the unpleasant memory. “Since you want me to be honest, I will be honest then.”

“Go on.”

“You seem to enjoy it as you slowly kill that thug. I know we had this discussion before, after you killed that one in the alleyway. No matter what happens, I will still serve you, even if you become the most evil person on the continent. I made a promise that day when you saved my sister… my family,” Osric said, pausing for a moment as he gritted his teeth. “I owe you everything. So at the end of the day, nothing will change, but as a loyal servant, I will tell you honestly that what you did is too cruel. You don’t need to torture that man; you could have just killed him instantly and been done with it.”

“You’re right,” Elysian responded honestly, sighing. “I regret the man I killed and tortured in the alley.”

“You did?”

“I will be clear, I regret what happened to that one, but not with Grimscar, which I have done worse,” Elysian clarified as confusion returned to his companion’s faces. “Whether you believe me or not, at that time, I didn’t know I was unknowingly being influenced by BloodShade.”

“BloodShade?”

“I mean the cursed knife.”

“Ah, that one.”

“Yeah, that one.”

“So that means, young master, you’re not a killer but just possessed by the knife’s ghost?” Bran asked with a terrified look on his face.

‘Sigh. We’re back again with the ghost thing. Well, he’s not really completely wrong.’

“Well, that’s not entirely true, big fella. I wasn’t possessed then. I was just influenced,” Elysian clarified. “What I mean is that I’m already capable of such horror. It wasn’t the first time I did something like that…”

“When did you do something that gruesome, and how many times?” Osric asked, narrowing his eyes.

‘Sh*t, I misspoke. What should I tell them, I come from the future? Tsk, I can’t do that. Well, not now at least.’

Sighing, Elysian said, “I can’t tell you right now. Maybe in the future, I will. But believe me, I didn’t do it here or in this life. I know it's confusing, so let’s forget that for now and focus on just this, okay?”

“Okay.”

“As I was saying, I killed those men. I won’t give any excuses for that,” Elysian said, looking them straight in the eyes. “However, my threshold for cruelty and violence was greatly increased. The most clear example of that was the man I painfully killed in the alleyway. If I had been myself, I would have just killed him instantly. I agree with you, Osric, he needed to die, but not that horrifically.”

“Then, what about Grimscar?” Osric asked, his expression softening a little.

“Well, he deserved to die like that and more,” Elysian said with venom in his voice. “The only thing I regret is that he died too soon. He should’ve suffered more for the way he raped and tortured those poor women,” he continued as hate radiated from his eyes. “Someone like that should suffer for all eternity in pain and damnation, and I made sure he got just that.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s better that you don’t know,” Elysian remarked pointedly, instantly ending that area of inquiry. This confused the older boy, yet it made him swallow hard at the possible implication of those words. Sensing the discomfort in the soldier’s face, the young noble sighed and continued, “I’m sorry if I got emotional. I just hate people like Grimscar.”

“After I learned what he did to Amara’s friend and the other women, he deserved to die. Someone like him doesn’t deserve to live,” Osric responded, nodding his head in agreement.

“But,” Elysian muttered, sensing where this was going.

“But why not kill him, and be done with it,” Osric continued, looking the boy straight in the eyes. “I know you hate him, I do too, but you’re just a boy. If you keep doing that, you will just corrupt your mind and soul. You’ll destroy yourself in the long run.”

‘What’s there to corrupt when I’m already corrupted from a long time ago? Regressing doesn’t equal having a new soul or purifying myself. It’s still the same, spoiled and broken.’

“With all the death and pain he has caused, is death enough? Death is just a sweet release for vermin like him,” Elysian stated passionately, though it didn’t seem to convince the older boy. “Just think of all the horrific things he has done. How he raped those poor women repeatedly while slowly torturing them as jerked off to it? With all that he did, if he were to just die quickly and painlessly, where is the justice in that? If I were one of those women, I would feel even more injustice. Why should such a vile creature be given a reprieve and not them?” he asked as the older boy looked down. “Is that even right? Would you just sit down there while allowing such an injustice?”

Osric was left speechless, unable to answer.

“However, I’m not stupid,” Elysian continued, sighing again as his fury slowly dissipated. “It doesn’t mean I will just sacrifice my life or the lives of my people to correct an injustice. I’m not an avenger of vengeance or any of that. I know I’m just a lowly son of a baron who just took his first step in cultivation,” he stated as the soldier glanced at him again. “If I were to see the king beating a child or killing one because he did not like the way he looked, I would just stay quiet, grit my teeth, and do nothing. However, if it is within my power to act and correct something that’s wrong, more so in my own territory, isn’t it my duty to dispense justice and correct what’s wrong?”

“I understand,” Osric finally said, nodding his head. Even though he did not like it, he couldn’t find fault in the young noble’s conviction.

“I know we might have differing opinions on such matters, but I hope you understand where I stand and respect them?”

Osric and Bran nodded silently.

“And don’t worry that I will get corrupted and turn into someone like Grimscar. You are with me, advising and warning me so that it will never happen,” Elysian said, smiling at them. After they nodded resolutely, he continued, “Well, that's some heavy stuff we talked about. I think we need to put an end to that and focus on why we are really here.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you think this is a perfect time to step into cultivation?”