"Hm?" Daniel frowned. Even though he had turned all of Aden into ash, the ring on his finger had remained intact.
The reason for his frown was that the power he used could almost destroy everything—except for items stronger than himself.
He picked up the ring from the ground and glanced at it. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a beautiful and splendid ornament.
However, with a closer look, he could feel the dreadful and powerful force hidden within the ring. As much as he wanted to examine it right now, this wasn’t the time. He stored it in his inventory.
Then, casting one last glance at Aden’s ashes, Daniel sighed. Losing such a person was truly a waste—he could have turned him into a Fallen or even devoured him.
But unfortunately, with so many people around, he didn’t want to take that risk. Doing so could reveal his real secrets, and for now, he had no such intention.
His gaze then landed on Mornak, who was staring at him with killing intent and blood-red eyes, his aura fully unleashed.
"I’ll kill you with my own hands, bastard!" he roared, flying up and stopping in the sky above.
All around the battlefield, figures appeared, each releasing powerful auras as they surrounded Daniel.
Every single one of them was at least Rank A, ready to fight at their young master’s command.
"Even if you’re the son of the city lord, you still have to follow the rules. If you want revenge, we can have another duel," Daniel said mockingly.
There wasn’t a trace of fear in his voice. Even though he was surrounded by many peak Rank As, he could kill them all in a single strike.
But if he harmed Mornak, it might draw out his father—the city lord—and Daniel wasn’t in a position to confront such a person.
On the other hand, Mornak frowned, but his killing intent remained. Looking around, he saw anger and scowls in everyone’s eyes.
It was clear that if he harmed Daniel, he would face strong protests from the citizens, and the city might lose its reputation and status. People would no longer trust the city or its laws.
Because of that, the man in front of him was right—he really couldn’t arrest him. But who said he wanted to?
He didn’t care about Aden’s life at all. In fact, he was even a little grateful that this man had killed him. What he wanted was the ring.
"That ring is the last keepsake of my friend. Hand it over, and I’ll let you leave this place. I’ll even forget about revenge." He sighed as he withdrew his aura and suppressed his killing intent.
His voice carried sorrow and grief, sounding genuine and persuasive.
"So you want the ring." Suddenly, it was as if all the puzzle pieces fell into place. Daniel’s eyes shone with realization.
He finally understood why Mornak had protected Aden all this time and even given him shelter. The reason was only and entirely because of the ring.
Daniel’s curiosity toward the ring grew even stronger. At this point, there was no way he would hand it over.
"The ring is my compensation for this duel. If you want it back, the only way is to kill me."
Mornak’s face twisted at those words. He hadn’t expected this bastard to be so stubborn. Worse, he felt that Daniel had realized the ring’s value, and the thought made his expression even darker.
’Looks like in the end, I have no choice but to take it by force,’ he thought. In the worst case, even if something happened, he could find an excuse later and smooth it over.
But for now, the only thing that mattered was the ring.
"I gave you a chance. It’s your fault you didn’t treasure it." He then ordered his subordinates to capture Daniel.
"A chance? How ridiculous." Daniel laughed, then glanced at Marianne and smiled.
"Lady Marianne, we’ll meet again in the future." Without hesitation, he activated Fallen Step and his body vanished from the spot.
"What? Where did he go?" Mornak was suddenly both frightened and enraged when he saw Daniel disappear.
"Young master, it looks like he completely vanished! He must have used some kind of teleportation!" one of his subordinates reported after checking.
"Damn it! Search everywhere! Find that bastard for me no matter what!" Mornak roared in anger, his voice echoing.
Then his hostile gaze fell on Marianne. Based on that farewell, he felt this woman knew the man’s true identity.
"Two of you, escort Lady Marianne to my palace with respect," he ordered his men.
He didn’t want to ruin his relationship with Marianne, but he had no choice. At the very least, he had to try questioning her.
"Ah, what a hassle. Still, this time I’ll help you. You’d better repay me in the future," Marianne sighed softly to herself.
It wasn’t hard for her to see the intent behind the boy’s words. Obviously, he wanted to buy some time and shift Mornak’s attention toward her.
But she said nothing and decided to help him this time. Of course, it wouldn’t be free—she’d make sure to collect the price from him in the future.
Meanwhile, Daniel slowly opened his eyes and found himself inside the ship they had arrived with. One of his Fallen was next to him.
"So, how did it go?" Andreas’s voice echoed from behind him.
"It went well. The mission is complete, and now we can return." A smile appeared on Daniel’s face as the ship started moving.
They had made this escape plan that morning. He knew Mornak wouldn’t let them go and that unexpected events might happen.
That was why he told Andreas to leave the city and return to the ship. He also sent one of his Fallen along so that he could use Fallen Step if necessary.
"Looks like I owe that woman one. If I get the chance in the future, I’ll repay it." He then looked into the distance, his smile widening.