The city of Scarlet woke up earlier than most others. It was a place busy with people who traveled to the capital day in and out, after all.

That meant along with the city, its residents had to be quick to wake as well.

Shawn too, being a shopkeeper, woke up earlier than others. He stretched in the morning, cleaned up his house, and freshened his appearance before heading down to his restaurant.

The proudly opened Shawn’s Skewers he had built after spending every penny from his fortune as an adventurer. Those were the days.

Now, he just looked at kids that continued the spirit.

The morning was early. There was still fog in the air and chill in his every breath, yet more people walked out than one would expect.

Shawn quickly opened the door to his shop. The first thing he noticed was that the window was slightly open.

His gaze hardened at once. Was it a thief?

Shawn’s mana flowed through his body as he slowly pulled out a dagger and slowly walked ahead. That was when his eyes fell on an unfamiliar object on the counter.

He walked over to it and turned on a lamp. There was a pouch on it.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Shawn carefully opened it up and saw money.

“The hell?”

This was the first time he had heard of a thief who left money instead of stealing it. With a guess in his head, he spread the coins out and started counting them.

His guess was correct. Shawn sighed in relief.

The amount matched exactly the amount one little brat named Ian owed him. A chuckle left Shawn.

“That kid has grown bold…” He still remembered how shy Ian was just three months ago. The transformation was big and also warm. Shawn couldn’t help but feel like a big brother for the Evans party and had a soft spot for Ian who looked like a lost cat.

With a smile, he returned to his work. He had to clean up the restaurant and make some morning prep. As soon as it was done, before opening the business, he had somewhere else to be.

Shawn grabbed a coat and rushed out of the restaurant. His feet carried him through a path that he had traveled many times.

Soon, he found himself at the only Church of the Septet in the city.

But this time, a crowd had gathered outside the church.

“Did something happen?” He muttered to himself. There were even the knights of the city lord standing around.

Shawn squeezed himself into the crowd, driven by his curiosity. It was difficult with his frame, but he managed.

“Excuse me… just a second…” He pushed himself through the crowd and finally emerged on the other side.

His eyes fell on the church’s doors that were wide open, and then inside.

A statue of one of the goddesses stood right at the center of the place. The statue of the eldest amongst the Septet.

Shawn suddenly felt his breakfast rise from his stomach as he lowered his gaze.

In her outstretched hands was a head. The head of an old farmer wearing a straw hat.

And behind the statue on the walls, written with blood was one word.

[REVENGE]

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PART 1: YOU DON'T DIE ONCE—END

image [https://i.imgur.com/TrXPom3.png]