Cindy collapsed onto the ground, the blood-energy on her body gradually scattering into the air. In her eyes, there was only emptiness.
At this moment, the mental defenses of this fourth-rank warrior had completely collapsed.
Leon threw a look toward the shadow guards around them.
Those shadow guards quickly stepped forward and restrained Cindy.
On her hands and feet, they fastened magic shackles that sealed blood-energy.
The instant that massive bullet blasted out, the terrifying sound shook Liya.
Her crashed brain gradually regained clarity, and her gaze refocused on Victor's body.
She stared at Victor, an extremely complicated light in her eyes.
"Miss Liya."
Hearing a familiar voice next to her ear, she turned her head. It was Leon calling her.
Liya shook her head and focused her gaze on the iron cage.
Looking at the pitiful young girls curled up into balls, their tails and ears standing upright, she let out a sigh.
She turned back and looked at Victor again.
Just at this moment, the blue color in Victor's eyes gradually faded, and he slowly walked toward her.
Liya looked at Victor, and with a bit of worry, asked, "You… are you okay?"
Victor stood in front of Liya, lowering his head slightly as he looked at her.
He didn't respond to Liya's question. Instead, he coldly said, "Hand out."
"…"
Liya fell silent for a moment, but still did as Victor said, obediently stretching out her hand.
The next second, she felt a heavy object placed into her palm, still carrying slight residual warmth.
It was the weapon Cindy had just been using.
Even now, looking at this thing still made Liya feel a little afraid.
The silver revolver was still smoking, like it had just cooled down. The barrel seemed completely deformed from the powerful impact.
On the damaged silver-white shell, the red patterns could no longer be distinguished, and the gun body exposed a dull, lightless magic crystal.
Perhaps because it had taken too much magic force in an instant, this weapon was now completely scrapped.
Liya still didn't quite understand why Victor was giving her this ruined thing.
Victor's voice sounded.
"A firearm made by the Lesser family. Should be first-generation. Performance is too poor."
"Go home and find a few craftsmen. Maybe they can replicate it."
She suddenly understood.
The power of this thing called a firearm, Liya had seen it clearly.
Even if Victor looked down on it, Liya instantly understood its value.
For ordinary people, that terrifying attack speed was something they couldn't even see clearly.
If it had a flaw, it was only that its sound was too frightening.
Not suitable for use during stealth operations.
But if the Clavenna family could produce these weapons earlier, and improve their performance, then mass-equip the guards with them…
Suddenly, Victor's warning voice sounded in Liya's ear.
"This kind of weapon can only be given to people you trust."
"Remember, you are an ordinary person."
She paused for a moment, lowered her head, and put the damaged gun into her bag.
"I… I know."
"Oh right, the wound on your chest earlier."
Thinking of the shocking wound Victor had just received, Liya couldn't help but raise her head again, letting her gaze fall on Victor's chest.
She was very close, she could even smell the scent from this older brother whom she used to think was a jerk.
A faint, clean fragrance. Pleasant.
Victor was someone who loved cleanliness. Liya had known that since she was little.
Although he didn't have OCD, he would never allow a speck of dust on his body, or any other strange smell.
But now, there wasn't a single wound on his chest.
Even his clothes looked like they had been freshly repaired.
As if guided by some impulse, Liya slowly reached out a hand and, confused, gently touched around Victor's chest.
Trying to find the wound that didn't exist at all.
No matter how she touched, the feeling through the fabric told her that Victor was completely uninjured.
She could even feel the firmness of Victor's chest.
This puzzled her.
Clearly he was a mage, so why did he have such a strong physique?
"Have you touched enough?"
His cold voice came from above her head.
Liya snapped back to herself, hurriedly pulling her hand away.
Her cheeks uncontrollably turned red.
Though under the night sky, it wasn't too obvious.
Liya quickly turned her head to the side, avoiding Victor's gaze.
"I–I–I… I was just checking if you were hurt."
"You came here because of me. If you got injured, I'd feel so guilty…"
She said that, but the corner of her eye kept sneaking glances at Victor.
As if trying to secretly check his reaction.
Unfortunately, Victor had no interest in paying attention to her.
He stood where he was, magic continuously rising around him.
Countless formations appeared out of thin air.
Those charred corpses lying on the port were wiped away little by little, like being erased by a rubber eraser, dissolving into wind and fading away.
The shattered ground restored itself in the blink of an eye.
The air calmed down, and the sea breeze rose along with the waves, blowing across the silent port.
After finishing all this, Victor finally looked again at the beast-eared demi-humans hiding in the iron cage, long frozen stiff from fear.
"Demi-humans." Muttering their race softly, Victor slowly walked toward the iron cage.
His coat blocked the moonlight. Under the moonlight, the one-eyed crow perched on his shoulder looked especially conspicuous.
The crow's pitch-black single eye shone sharply.
As if a black shadow completely enveloped them, with an absolute, overwhelming aura approaching step by step.
At this moment, the demi-humans felt even more afraid.
They trembled all over, their ears and tails shaking uncontrollably, their fur standing on end.
They weren't blind. They had clearly seen the fight just now.
They could clearly feel that this Victor in front of them was even more terrifying than the man earlier.
If this mage, strong enough to go head-to-head with warriors, wanted to do something to them…
They had no ability to resist.
The demi-humans watched Victor walk closer and closer, but aside from fear, they could do nothing.
Liya also watched Victor radiating such overwhelming presence.
The shadow guards around her revealed wary glints in their eyes.
Few nobles liked demi-humans.
These human-like but not-human beings made them feel dirty and disgusting.
But as free labor, demi-humans were excellent.
They didn't slack off; they would only force themselves to work harder to survive.
At this moment, the shadow guards were scared.
They feared that Victor might be no different from other noble lords.
If, at this moment, Victor ordered them to drown all the demi-humans in the sea, they would have no choice but to obey through gritted teeth.
But unexpectedly, Victor bent down slightly, extending a hand to where he could reach with his palm.
He touched the head of the catgirl closest to him.
And gently rubbed her ears.
The soft sensation flowed into Victor's palm. The girl with cat ears seemed to enjoy it.
Even when Victor stood back up, she still looked a bit regretful, like she'd lost something.
Everyone watched Victor's actions in silence.
His expression remained cold.
But in his gaze… was there a hint of satisfaction?
This confused everyone, including Liya.
Of course they didn't understand.
After all, who would ever refuse a cute catgirl?
Under everyone's gaze, Victor slowly walked out of the iron cage.
He did nothing to the demi-humans.
The shadow guards, seeing this scene, also sighed in relief.
The ears beneath their hoods slowly drooped down.
"You… don't dislike them?"
Liya looked at him, her voice carrying a bit of confusion.
Her question was also the question in every demi-human's heart.
"Why would I dislike them?"
Victor's indifferent voice sounded, and his eyes swept over the hooded shadow guards behind Liya.
They were all captured in his gaze.
Being stared at, they shivered collectively, as if completely seen through.
Soon, Victor's voice slowly echoed, "Aren't they also demi-humans?"
Liya froze a little.
The other shadow guards didn't speak, but their bodies trembled slightly, as if losing their usual composure.
They were even more shocked.
Only Leon stood calmly at Liya's side, without the slightest doubt.
Because she still didn't understand how Victor managed to say her name earlier.
Liya looked at Victor, hardly daring to believe it.
"You… knew all along?"
This act of helping demi-humans, Liya had started doing it when she was young.
When she was just a teenager, Liya had asked the family butler, Halnarsen, to intercept the first ship carrying demi-humans.
After being rescued from the slave ship, those demi-humans could no longer return to their homes.
So Liya took them in.
Led by Halnarsen, himself a demi-human, she taught them assassination and combat techniques.
Rescuing demi-humans, sheltering demi-humans.
It had continued for ten years.
By now, the number of demi-humans Liya had saved was countless.
Many of them had been trained by her and had become the most loyal dark agents of the Clavenna family, handling all the shady tasks.
As a force belonging solely to Liya, they obeyed only her.
And to avoid exposing their race, Liya called them "children."
Yet Victor, the brother who had never cared about her, even knew the race of these shadow guards?
Right now, Liya's confusion was greater than her shock.
But Victor didn't answer her questions. He simply stood beside Liya and patted her shoulder.
"Keep doing the things you believe are meaningful. Keep going."
"I'll always support you."
Liya slowly raised her head, looking at her brother in disbelief.
Her chest felt tight, she couldn't utter a single word.
Liya didn't understand what feeling was rising quietly inside her chest.
"Don't forget what I said."
She looked at Victor without speaking, watching as he extended a finger and infused new magic into her Mage Hand.
"Remember to use it. And…"
Suddenly, the sea wind howled, as if narrating the extraordinariness of tonight.
The rising sound of the waves drowned out Victor's words.
Fortunately, it also drowned out Liya's silent sob.
"I'm back."