‎Everyone was gathered at the campfire, 50 Black Hands, a unit that Erglade believed to be able to destroy a nation in a single night. Rasmus stood there and looked at each one of them, remembering their faces under the morning sun that seeped through the leaves.

‎Before Rasmus could say a word, a thick black smoke appeared behind him. All the Black Hands knew what it was, and they were anxious about it. They had seen that black smoke roaming around the forest in the past decade. They knew it was the spirit that guarded the forest, the one that allowed them to stay in the forest.

‎Rullein showed her human form for the first time to the Black Hands. They were petrified and in disbelief when they saw the face of the Lady that had married their former master, Erglade. They were shocked when they saw Aristoria’s face, the same beautiful, gentle, and friendly face.

‎The lingering black smoke that seeped through Rullein’s head, shoulders, and back made everyone tremble. She looked like a ghost, a bad omen that would not only bring bad luck, but also death.

‎”What? Am I not allowed to be here?” Rullein raised her brows as she stared at Rasmus, who seemed confused by her presence.

‎”No, not at all…” Rasmus closed his eyes as he shook his head, and then when he opened his eyes, he saw Aris and Yur coming from the corner of his eyes.

Rullein didn’t need to turn around, and she already had a wide smirk on her face when she felt Aris’s cold gaze that pierced through her nape. The amount of dark energy that she produced had increased, looming over the forest. The surroundings became dark as black smoke covered the air, preventing sunlight from piercing through. The Black Hands could feel the immense tension in the air when Aris and Rullein were in the same place.

Rasmus cleared his throat, taking the Black Hands attention back to him. He then pulled out the documents from the spatial ring and began to read them one by one.

“Based on the report that Ayla had gathered, the Refenus Kingdom and the nobles are still one of the vessels of the Zevrathi. It seemed my father’s rebellion went to waste, close to pointless,” Rasmus said with a stoic expression as he read the documents in his hands. “Now I understand why they have been trying to look for me. I encountered them when I was hiding in the forest two years ago…” he continued, remembering the assassins who tried to kill him. “The Wraiths…” he muttered, and found out that the Wraiths existed in the report.

The Black Hands were surprised when Rasmus had encountered The Wraiths. They had gathered enough information about them in the past decade, and found out they were one of the extensions of the low-table. They didn’t expect Rasmus to be able to escape from The Wraiths’ grasp because those people were trained assassins.

“I have a task for all of you to do,” Rasmus put down the documents in his hands. “Gather as much information as you can on Viscount Heward and his merchant guild the Silver Platter,” he said as he looked at the Black Hands in front of him.

“I need a few of you, the ones that are fit for another task. I need you to gather information about the ceremony of Princess Amarylis’s coming of age. I need all the lists of the guests that are invited, and point out which of them that are a part of the low-table,” Rasmus continued as he looked at Ayla. “I need all the information to be send to me in 3 days,” he said with a serious look.

None of the Black Hands looked away or stole glances at each other. They received the order loud and clear, and there was no uncertainty in their gazes. However there was one person that raised his hand, and it was the man with the scarred face.

“My Lord, if I may ask, what are we going to do with this order? We would be able to make your plan even smoother if we knew what my lord was planning to do with the information,” the scarred faced man asked.

“I’ll make them all disappear,” Rasmus answered, staring right into the man’s eyes.

There were only raw emotions that the Black Hands showed in their eyes and expressions. They had never thought of the day of seeking revenge to finally come true. They could see the confidence in Rasmus’s eyes that only fueled their desire to kill the people who had used Erglade and the Blackheart family like a tool, and then executed them all in front of the public. There wasn’t a greater feeling that they could feel at that moment, the bloodlust, the killing intent, they were felt in the air.

Rullein was exalted, she was grinning from ear to ear as her eyes began to glow. She could taste the delicious taste of human emotions. She could devour them all in their current states that were enough to satiate her needs for months. However, she didn’t want to do it, and by smelling their emotions was enough to bring the appetite to devour humans.

“Today will be the last day that all of you living in this forest,” Rasmus said as he looked at them with a serious expression. “Feast and drink all you want because from tomorrow and onward, all you’ll see is only chaos and death. If there’s nothing else, you all may enjoy your peaceful day for one last time. We will meet again at the Drunel Town at dawn of the 4th day,” he continued as he nodded his head.

All the Black Hands bowed their heads and began to prepare their belongings. They didn’t need to indulge themselves in worldly affairs. They had long abandoned those needs, only necessity.

Rasmus went into the cabin where all the records and archives were stored. He touched them all with his fingers, putting them in the spatial ring. The messy and preserved cabin became empty, leaving only empty shelves and dust that lingered on the back of the shelves and on the walls.

Rasmus only went inside the cabin for a few minutes, but when he came out, he was surprised when he saw that all the Black Hands were ready to leave. They were waiting for him, and they were ready for whatever they were going to face to gather the information that he wanted.

“My Lord, we will take our leave now,” the scarred faced man said.

“You, what’s your name,” Rasmus asked.

“Herman, My Lord,” the scarred faced man answered as he lowered his head.

“Good luck, to all of you,” Rasmus said as he looked at the others, knowing he needed to know everyone’s name.

All the Black Hands bowed their heads and immediately left the forest. There was no sound when they ran, and they didn’t leave any trace on the ground when they pressed their feet on the grass. It was enough to tell how skilled they were at moving like shadows in bright daylight.

Rsamus looked at Aris, sitting at the campfire while Yur, in its child form stood in front of her. He noticed the frown on Yur’s face as Yur stared at Aris, and he decided to join in and ask what was happening.

“Am I really going to stay here?” Yur asked, looking at Aris.

“She’s not going to be here, you don’t need to be scared of her,” Aris answered as she stared at Rullein, staring down at her with a smug look on her face. “This place won’t be scary for you. There are so many spirits here, and this place is good for you and the other spirits to live in,” she continued.

Rasmus could understand immediately where Aris failed to understand.

“Yur wants to stay by your side, Aris,” Rasmus pointed out as he looked down at Yur’s shy gesture by playing with its tiny fingers while pouting.

Aris raised her brows, didn’t expect Yur to get attached to her because she thought that Yur feared her. She felt warmth in her chest when she saw how Yur wanted to stay by her side, and it gave her happiness, something that she had never felt before.

Rullein was a bit disturbed by that happiness that Aris felt because it reminded her of Aristoria. She remembered how happy and caring Aristoria was whenever she visited her.

“Is there any Great Spirits here, Rullein?” Rasmus asked as he looked at Rullein’s gaze that was cold toward Aris.

“Yes, there are three Great Spirits here. There are three territories here that I allow them to rule over,” Rullein answered, her gaze still pointed at Aris.

“Then it’s settled. I think you can let go all the spirits here and let the other Great Spirits take care of them while Yur can follow you,” Rasmus said as he crossed his arms.

Yur pleaded with its eyes at Aris, hoping that she would take Yur with her. Suddenly, Aris smiled softly at Yur and carried Yur in her arms like a plush toy. They both looked so happy together, and Rasmus could have Yur around since Yur had shown how useful Yur could be.

“Where are we going now?” Aris asked, looking at Rasmus with her brows raised.

“Well, let’s meet those people that have been following us ever since we left the Holy Nation…” Rasmus answered as he pulled out his suit from the spatial ring and put it on. “It’s our turn to follow them now…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep