CHAPTER 19: ALDUIN

"Yo!"

"AAHH!"

The shriek that erupted from Peter was so loud it felt like it was drilling straight into my eardrums. My enhanced senses, which I previously assumed to be a blessing, now suddenly felt like a curse.

My head throbbed, and I couldn’t help but curse inwardly. ’Damn it, is he secretly a banshee?’

I instantly regretted my stupid decision to startle him.

Suppressing the throbbing in my skull, I shot him a furious glare, then clamped my fingers over his mouth, effectively cutting off any further sound.

If Peter let out one more noise like that, I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t knock him unconscious just for the sake of peace and quiet.

"Geez, are gang leaders in this era all this cowardly and delicate? That scream of yours sounded like an old hag getting stabbed; it nearly ruptured my eardrums." I hissed, rubbing my temple.

Peter blinked his eyes at me.

"What? Aren’t you going to say anything? Did I break your larynx?"

He blinked again, this time faster, a high-frequency flutter that seemed to be trying to send a message.

"Cut the crap and start speaking. What’s the use of blinking at me like that? Are you imagining yourself a cute, little girl begging her brother for candy with cutesy eyes? You’re not! Your blinking just makes me nauseous, understand? So drop the act immediately!"

"Mmmph! Mmmhhhh!" Peter protested, the sound muffled by my hand.

"Ah..." I was momentarily stunned, mainly because the very obvious fact of my hand still clamping his mouth had completely slipped my mind.

Naturally, my legendary thick skin deployed instantly. I drew myself up and stated, with impeccable logic: "You know, if you’d just told me you couldn’t speak because my hand was over your face, this whole thing could have been avoided!"

I declared righteously, refusing to take any blame.

Peter’s eyes flashed with indignation, the look clearly saying: ’What a shameless bastard!’

But just as quickly, the brief surge of defiance vanished. His gaze dropped, and the familiar fear settled over his face once more.

I quickly unclamped his mouth and, without hesitation, pulled him toward the edge of the roof, giving him a clear view of the establishment below.

"Good. Now listen carefully. See that?"

Peter first wore a confused look, but then something seemed to click. His eyes became elated as though he had just seen a ray of hope, a change I didn’t miss.

"That’s the bar where Alduin’s staying, right?" I asked.

I saw Peter nod his head instantly.

"I don’t want to cause a scene. I believe you can take me inside quietly, right?"

"Yes," Peter replied without the slightest hesitation.

"Don’t even think about trying to alert the guards unless you want to end up the same as your pet," I didn’t forget to add, watching his face instantly drain of all color, turning from joyful to frightened.

"Let’s go." I patted his shoulder, then started dragging him down the side of the building into one of the quieter alleys.

Peter let out another frightened yelp during the descent, but thanks to the noisy streets below, his sound went completely ignored.

The moment we hit the ground, I didn’t waste time. "Move."

Peter still looked traumatized, but under my urging, he didn’t dare slack off. He moved quickly, leading the way.

We stepped out of the alley and headed straight toward the bar.

As we approached the entrance, one of the four Radhanian bouncers stationed outside spotted us. His gaze swept over us, then paused on Peter’s distinctive hunched posture and face. Recognition flashed across his eyes, and he quickly straightened up.

"Mister Peter!"

Peter gave a small nod in acknowledgment.

"This guy’s with me," he managed after a moment of hesitation, pointing a trembling hand at me.

The bouncer didn’t press for details or show any suspicion; he just offered a wide, professional smile. "Yes, sir. You may enter."

I followed close behind Peter, the smirk hidden beneath my hood, as we entered the bar smoothly and unchecked.

Once inside, my eyes instinctively swept the entire interior, performing a rapid threat assessment under the guise of casual observation.

The inside was just like any bar out there. The only difference was probably the women here were dressed more laciviously and openly.

I couldn’t help but clicked my tongue at the sight of them.

I couldn’t help but click my tongue internally at the scene. ’Tsk, as expected of a bar that also offers prostitution services. Even the waiter is dressed in barely anything. And over on that table, there’s white powder scattered... is that a drug?’

I felt like a curious child seeing a carnival for the first time, intently absorbing every scene presented to me.

I noticed that every person who passed Peter, from the patrons to the staff, greeted him respectfully. Not a single one dared to cast a look of ridicule, despite his abnormal physique. ’Fear is a great equalizer, it seems,’ I mused, keeping my eyes fixed forward.

After what felt like a brief tour through the underbelly of the establishment, Peter finally stopped his hurried stride in front of a heavy wooden door. It had a crudely painted green skull plastered on its center.

Thud!

Thud... Thud...

Thud!

Peter knocked on the heavy door in measured, distinct intervals. ’Is this the secret code between them?’

I mused, watching him intently. ’Had someone knocked incorrectly, would it be not Alduin who greeted me, but a blade?’

As I thought this, a heavy voice boomed from the inside.

"Come in,"

Peter pushed the door open, revealing a private room that was neither too big nor too small. A decorative chandelier was hanging above, giving a clear, warm light to the room.

Sitting in a massive armchair was a man with all of his hair standing stiffly on end. His right eye was covered by a stark black eyepatch.

’Pfft! Is that Alduin? Why the hell does his hair look like that? Was he electrocuted or something?’

Honestly, even though Alduin was clearly meant to be the ultimate villain or final boss at my current stage, and the atmosphere should give me a sense of danger, sinister, and wicked, they all felt strangely absent right now. His appearance almost made me burst out laughing.

His rigid, gravity-defying hair reminded me of the popular belief of what a mad scientist is supposed to looks like. It was ridiculous. The more I thought about that ridiculous comparison, the harder my lips began to tremble, struggling to keep the laugh from leaking out.

The eyepatch didn’t help establish his villain identity, either. If anything, he looked less like a crime boss and more like a failed pirate.

"Peter? How are you back so fast? Have you obtained the thing?" Alduin said casually, not yet looking up. It was only when he finally lifted his head that his visible left pupil constricted dangerously as it took in the sight of me standing partially hidden by Peter.

"Peter, who’s this?" I heard him ask, his tone dropping into a serious tone.

Peter, relieved to finally be safe, or so he thought, immediately scrambled toward Alduin without any care for decorum, bawling like a child. "M-my Lord, help me! It’s Aiden. He came back from the dead and now wants to take revenge against us! He dealt with my underlings and forced me to bring him to you, otherwise, he wouldn’t spare my life either!"

Peter recounted the event with overwhelming grievances and fear. He was spilling everything, holding nothing back, desperate for protection.

After his breathless, tear-filled recounting, he looked up at Alduin with excited, pleading eyes. "My Lord, you will help me, right? You will save me, right?"

"Yes,"

My eyes widened in the next second, watching as Alduin pulled a knife and drove it straight into Peter’s chest.

"M-my Lord... why are you doing this?" Peter collapsed onto his knees, choking on a rush of blood. His face, moments ago filled with hesitant hope, was now etched with utter, pathetic disbelief.

Alduin pulled the knife out with a smooth, callous jerk, the sound of the metal scraping bone sending a shiver down my spine.

"Didn’t you request for my help?" Alduin’s voice was low as he wiped the blade clean on Peter’s already bloodied tunic. "I’m just fulfilling that request. From what I saw earlier, you’re in pain from your broken fingers. It would take you at least a few months, maybe more, to recover completely. So, I’m helping you so that you won’t suffer any longer. Tsk, tsk, Peter, I don’t remember you being this foolish."

"I..."

Peter ended up unable to finish his final syllable before collapsing completely onto the floor, his body twitching once before settling still in the spreading pool of his own blood. His eyes were wide open with disbelief and regret visible on them.

It was my first time watching someone get murdered, and so mercilessly atop that.

Normally, I should have been paralyzed by fear, instinctively stepping back, and screaming. Yet, surprisingly, my emotions were abnormally stable. My breath remained steady, and my eyes didn’t instinctively turn away from the sickening scene.