Part 1 - Coup d'État
It had been 19 hours since the "Incident". Morning light shone through the wide window in Rico and Aaron’s bedroom. They had slept over at Ronald's skyscraper. Well, they barely slept. Aaron had just woken up from his brief slumber and realized that Rico was no longer in his bed, an airconditioned cylinder with a soundproof window.
Ronald was their only relative left. Having a medium-sized beard and long ginger hair, Ronald Amon was two years younger than Daniel Amon. He also hadn’t slept, being extremely busy with the investigation.
He was patrolling the hallways when suddenly, his magic all-purpose watch unrolled from his wrist and covered half of his forearm. Along with the voice that appeared in his head, the screen indicated:
[Incoming call: Jacob R.]
"To call me at this hour, this must be important," Ronald answered the call and heard a man’s voice in his head. It was Jacob Raider, the vice-leader of the Amon guild.
"Hello, Ronald Amon. I am calling to update you on the investigation."
Ronald sighed. He wished things could go back to the way they were. "Hey, Jacob. I’m guessing this is about the maid. Did you confirm that she was the one who poisoned my brother and Miss Elis Leon?"
"Yes. This means that there are likely other traitors within the guild. And since this is the largest guild on the West Continent… Oh, right! I wanted to tell you that we have put a bounty on the three culprits from yesterday. The first one is 'Explo' which left behind two of her 'red magic cannons' that she possessed.
"Then, there is 'Crow.' He is a dark magician whose unique power allows him to turn his limbs into air currents. This makes him very fast and dangerous. Moreover, he seems to be a swordsman.
"Finally, the last one is 'Zomb'. We do not know anything about their powers, but they appear to be the weakest."
As Jacob finished his sentence, Ronald spotted a trail of blood on the hallway’s floor. "...Blood?! Jacob Raider! Send backup ASAP! I think someone’s infiltrated my home!"
“I will, trust me!” Jacob hung up.
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Following the trail, Ronald found himself in front of a familiar room. "Wait, this is Rico and Aaron's room! Where are the guards?!" He quickly realized that the door was locked.
*Crackle~ Crack~ Bang!* Ronald's fist smashed the door open, surrounded by a layer of solid mana that acted as a hard glove.
His all-purpose watch, while capable of conjuring a spear, could also create many other things. It functioned by transforming a human's mana into solid form. Since he was a wind elemental mage focusing on quick movement, Ronald Amon did not need too much mana to fight. As such, he relied on this when battling.
"Oh." Inside the room, Ronald found a figure wearing a half-green and half-brown mask pointing a pistol at Rico's head!
"So we meet again! You can call me Zomb, by the way." Zomb planned to threaten him by holding his nephew hostage.
"I can't hesitate," thought Ronald. He hid both of his hands behind his back.
"Huh? Why are you so silent? Mister Ronald, let me explain to you what is currently happening. You see, I’m holding Rico hosta-"
-SLASH!
In under a second, Zomb's head was completely pierced by Ronald's secretly conjured spear. Because of Ronald's quick dash, Zomb didn’t have time to react. This was the power of wind magic.
His blood splattered all over Rico and stained Ronald’s sleeve.
"Rico, go wake your brother up and hide! There may be more of them."
"Okay!" Rico hid in the corner of the room, beside Aaron’s bed as the older brother was too scared to get up.
Ronald called Jacob Raider, pacing impatiently around the dead body.
"Hello. This is Jacob Raider, vice-master of the Amon guild. Oh? It's you!" Jacob finally answered the call.
"Yeah, it's me. I just killed that 'Zomb' guy. I'm in Aaron and Rico's room - number 1705. The guards are missing, so I might need some help over here!"
"I told you that the Amon HQ was safer, yet you still decided to bring them there. Hmmm… Wait! Mister Ronald, did you get some of his blood on yourself?"
Ronald looked at his arm. The stain had disappeared. "I thought so, but I guess I didn't. Why does it matter?"
Jacob felt relieved. "Oh! Never mind then. I was just worried about your clothes getting dirty, that's all."
"Huh? You aren't making any sense right now… Forget it! Is the help coming or not?!"
"Yes, it is on its way, but I am afraid that the help is not coming to help you. In fact, it is quite the opposite." He laughed arrogantly. "By the way, are you sure that Zomb is really dead?"
Knowing Zomb's power, and realizing that the blood on Ronald had disappeared, Jacob knew that his trusted agent was still alive.
Zomb's body, which had been lying on the floor, was an illusion!