Chapter 201: I Will Always Find You

The hall fell silent after Elias’s warning, leaving the two deacons and Benjamin exchanging uneasy glances.

The old priest remained seated for a while before finally rising from his chair and adjusting the white stole draped over his shoulders.

"I understand your worries, Sire Elias," Mekah said calmly. "Which is why I am leaving that object to you. Examine it yourself and determine whether it is dangerous."

Elias glanced at the dark lantern resting inside the wooden box, then looked back at the priest before nodding.

"All right. If I find that it is safe, I will have Monica examine it and let you know the results."

A warm smile appeared on Mekah’s weathered face, and he nodded. "Good. I believe that is a reasonable arrangement."

After performing the customary farewell, the old priest and his attendants departed from the manor, leaving the young nobleman alone with Benjamin and the strange object they had brought.

Elias remained seated, his gaze fixed on the dark lantern lying in its box, while Benjamin stood beside him with his hands folded behind his back.

"Is there anything you wish me to do, My Lord?" the old butler asked.

Elias shook his head before answering, "Nothing. Just make sure no one finds out about this object."

"As you command, My Lord."

Benjamin bowed respectfully, and Elias rose from his chair before carefully lifting the lantern out of the box.

He examined its dark surface for a moment, then carried it upstairs without saying another word.

While walking down the corridor, he stored the lantern in his Inventory and immediately checked it.

His gaze moved toward the final slot, where the newly acquired artifact was displayed, and he focused on its image.

An orange holographic screen flickered before his eyes.

[Pursuing Wisp’s Lantern]

[Grade: S]

[A lantern forged from longing and desperation.]

[Currently, it is sealed by spiritual talismans.]

Elias furrowed his brows as he read the description.

’So it is searching for someone...’

His gaze sharpened as he wondered, ’Why would a monster look for a person?’

After contemplating the matter for a while, Elias dismissed the screen and sighed.

’Not that it matters.’

A few hours passed as Elias attended to his usual responsibilities, first bathing Monica and helping her get ready for the day before joining Natasha and Young Stella for breakfast.

The meal proceeded peacefully at first, but the atmosphere changed when he mentioned that he intended to leave the manor for a while.

Young Stella immediately stopped eating and looked at him with widened eyes.

"You are going outside?"

Elias nodded.

"No! You cannot go!"

Her sudden reaction left Natasha staring at her in confusion. She looked at Elias and asked, [Why is she acting like this?]

Elias rubbed the back of his neck, realizing his mistake. After a few moments, he reluctantly answered her.

[Yesterday, she wanted us to go out, but I stopped her because the city is dangerous right now. The rift has reached Stage Two.]

Natasha’s expression changed as she processed his explanation, and her brows gradually drew together.

[Dangerous?]

She looked at him with genuine confusion, struggling to understand why he was treating the situation so seriously.

As far as she knew, the rift was Grade One, which meant its guardian should be no stronger than an Exalted being. Elias had entered it and returned within mere hours despite being only a Warrior at the time, so why was the city still in danger?

[What do you mean by dangerous?] she asked, her golden eyes narrowing. [Is there something you have not told me?]

Elias paused, and the brief silence that followed was enough to make Natasha’s expression darken further.

[Answer me.]

He sighed, knowing that he could no longer avoid the question without making matters worse.

[The rift is actually Grade Two. I told you it was Grade One because I did not want you to worry about me.]

Natasha stared at him for a long while. Then she slowly withdrew her hand from the table, rose from her chair, and walked away without saying another word.

Elias watched her leave with a troubled expression.

He turned toward Young Stella, who had remained seated with a worried look on her face, and gently patted her head.

"Can you look after your big sister Natasha for me?"

Young Stella hesitated, glancing toward the doorway through which Natasha had disappeared before looking back at Elias. She clearly wanted to remain beside him and make sure he did not leave, but after a moment of uncertainty, she finally nodded and hurried after Natasha.

Elias watched her disappear around the corner, then lowered his head and sighed.

"Well done, Elias."

After leaving the dining room, Elias walked through the manor’s gates and entered one of the narrow streets winding through Kilmir.

Once he had moved far enough away from the estate to avoid drawing attention, he took out the silver robe with black borders, and it appeared over his shoulders.

The robe settled around his body, and his appearance began to change.

His crimson hair turned black, his black eyes shifted to gold, and his fair complexion darkened to a rich chocolate shade.

"Let’s see."

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the faint spiritual mark connecting him to Lastbane, searching for the familiar presence somewhere within the city.

He knew that the sword had been taken to Olide’s underground hideout, but he did not remember the precise route to the ordinary-looking house that concealed the entrance.

After several moments of concentration, he finally found the direction in which the sword lay and began walking.

He moved through the narrow streets without attracting much attention, occasionally turning into an alley or passing between buildings as he followed the faint pull of the spiritual mark.

A few minutes later, he stopped before an ordinary wooden house that stood between two unremarkable buildings, its appearance so plain that anyone passing by would have little reason to look at it twice.

Elias smirked.

He stored the silver robe in his Inventory, allowing his appearance to return to normal, and stepped inside the house.

After closing the door behind him, he approached the wooden floor and pressed down on the plank at its center, triggering the hidden mechanism.

A quiet click echoed through the room before a section of the floor shifted aside, revealing the staircase descending into the underground hideout.

Elias summoned Berman’s sword, which the System had identified as Red Hound’s Sword, and gripped its hilt before beginning his descent.

The air grew cooler as he moved deeper underground. Eventually, he reached the bottom of the staircase, where the underground passage opened into a broader area divided into several corridors and rooms.

He did not hesitate over which direction to take because Lastbane’s spiritual mark continued to guide him toward its location.

Following the presence, he passed several doorways and turned down a corridor until he finally reached Olide’s room.

Two heavily armored knights stood guard outside the entrance, but their attention shifted toward him the moment he approached. Both men immediately drew their swords and pointed them at his chest.

"Halt!" they shouted simultaneously.

Their sudden movement caught the attention of the merchant inside, who had been examining Lastbane with considerable interest.

Olide turned toward the entrance, and the moment his eyes settled on Elias, his expression changed dramatically.

His eyes widened, and the color drained from his face.

"L-Lord Elias, why are you here?" he stammered.

Elias ignored the knights’ weapons and looked directly at Lastbane, his expression turning cold as he took in the sight of his sword lying on the table.

"Do you really need to ask?" he muttered.

Olide’s gaze shifted between Elias and the sword before he released a weary sigh.

"Unfortunately, I do, and unfortunately, I cannot return it to you." He straightened his back and met Elias’s gaze. "You are not worthy of it."

Elias stared at him for a moment before chuckling, his fingers tightening around the hilt of Red Hound’s Sword.

"A thief calling the master unworthy," he remarked as crimson water began flowing over the blade, coating its surface with a shifting layer of Aura. "You really are an obnoxious merchant."

Olide’s expression darkened, and he opened his mouth to respond.

"It seems—"

Before he could finish, Elias swung his sword in a swift horizontal arc, sending a crimson streak through the space between them.

The knight standing to the left of the entrance barely had time to register the movement before his companion screamed in agony.

The second knight stumbled backward, staring in horror at the severed arm lying on the ground, its fingers still wrapped around the hilt of his sword.

Blood poured from the stump of his shoulder, staining the armor and splashing across the floor. His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground with a heavy thud as his eyes rolled back.

"If you had intended to make an enemy of me, you should have at least asked that woman about my strength," Elias said coldly.

The other knight stood frozen for a moment, his weapon still raised but his confidence visibly shaken by how quickly and easily Elias had struck down his companion.

Olide, meanwhile, looked at the unconscious guard before turning his gaze toward the dark room opposite his own. His expression grew somber as he answered.

"I did not think you would find us."

"That is the thing." Elias took a step forward. "No matter how much you run or hide, I will always find you."

"Stop him!" Olide shouted.

The remaining knight finally snapped out of his stupor and charged forward, raising his sword above his shoulder before bringing it down toward Elias.

At the same moment, the darkness inside the room behind him shifted, and the woman dressed entirely in black lunged from the shadows with a dagger in each hand.

Both blades gleamed with faint yellow light as she attacked from behind, aiming to catch Elias off guard while the knight’s sword descended toward him.

Elias smirked.

"Good. I also wanted to know how strong I have become."

He met the knight’s charge with a swift kick, coating his boot in Aura just before it struck the man’s chest.

The impact landed with tremendous force, lifting the armored knight off his feet and sending him hurtling backward through the room until his body crashed against the wall with a deafening thud.

Elias pivoted toward the woman and raised Red Hound’s Sword to intercept her daggers. Metal rang against metal as the weapons collided, and the force of the clash pushed the woman backward by half a step.

However, Elias’s attention immediately shifted to the yellow Aura coating her blades, and his brows furrowed as he muttered, "A heretic?"

The woman sprang backward and landed lightly on her feet, keeping both daggers raised while watching him warily. Olide, however, scoffed at Elias’s accusation.

"Swordsmen really have a very limited way of seeing things," he remarked, his voice carrying a trace of contempt. "Wanting to carve one’s own path does not make someone a heretic!"

A golden dot suddenly appeared at the center of Olide’s forehead, glowing faintly beneath his skin as he raised one hand toward Elias.

Before the young nobleman could react, a green light flickered an inch away from the merchant’s fingertip, gathering into a small projectile that shot forward with a sharp whistle.

Elias immediately leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the wind bullet as it tore through the space where he had been standing. The projectile slammed into the wall behind him, scattering fragments of stone and dispersing into a harmless gust.

"A mage," Elias muttered, his eyes narrowing as he landed.

The woman took advantage of his brief distraction and rushed forward again, bringing both daggers down toward his shoulders.

Elias’s mood had already soured, however, and he had little patience left for prolonging the fight.

He coated his free hand in Aura and drove his fist directly into her abdomen.

The blow landed with a heavy impact, folding her body around his fist before the force sent her flying backward. She struck the wall hard enough to shake the surrounding stones, and a strangled cough escaped her lips as blood spilled from her mouth.

"Grenta!" Olide shouted, his composure finally breaking as he took a hurried step toward the injured woman.

Elias moved before the merchant could reach her, placing Red Hound’s Sword against Grenta’s neck while she struggled to catch her breath. The crimson Aura coating the blade flickered dangerously close to her skin, forcing Olide to halt in his tracks.

Elias looked at the merchant with a cold smile.

"Do you feel like talking, merchant?"