After storing all the bodies of the bandits he had slain into his inventory, Keyzier decided to head toward the cells at the far end of the cave corridor.
A haunting silence blanketed the long hallway leading to the prison at the deepest part of the cave. The atmosphere of the main hall, which had previously been rowdy with revelry, was now silent, leaving only the pungent, metallic scent of blood. From the darkness of the corridor, heavy and rhythmic footsteps echoed.
Every eye inside the prison cells turned toward the darkness. Slowly, Keyzier emerged. His appearance was horrific; his clothes were now grimy and drenched in fresh blood in almost every part, his face smeared with red stains that had begun to dry.
Keyzier's gaze looked vacant yet sharp. The captives, including the professional adventurer party that had been defeated earlier, shrank back into the corners of their cells. Everyone looked at him with sheer terror, as if witnessing death itself walking toward them.
Keyzier stopped directly in front of the cell where Donovan and Novalia were being held. He gazed at his friend, who still looked haggard behind the iron bars.
"Yo, Novan... are you alright?" Keyzier asked in a casual tone, attempting to thaw the frozen atmosphere.
Donovan, who still harbored a seething rage in his chest, did not return the greeting kindly. He stood up and answered sharply.
"What do you care, traitor? I don't consider a bandit to be my friend!" Donovan spat in a cold tone.
Hearing Donovan's words, which cut so deep, Keyzier's jaw tightened. Emotions surged within him at being misunderstood by the person he valued most. Instinctively, Keyzier gripped the prison bars made of thick black iron until they bent under his grasp.
Slowly, Keyzier stepped into the now-open prison cell. He did not speak immediately; instead, he opened his magic storage. Something grisly occurred.
Keyzier began pulling the corpses of all the bandits he had killed out of his inventory. One by one, the bodies fell and piled up on the floor of the cell.
Donovan, Novalia, and everyone held captive in the prison were utterly shocked, unable to believe what they were seeing. The pile of corpses served as undeniable proof: Keyzier had killed every single bandit without leaving a soul alive.
"So..." Donovan's voice trembled as he stared at the mountain of bodies before him. "That sound of clashing swords earlier... was it from your battle with the bandits?"
"No!" Keyzier answered firmly. "I killed those bandits using my assassin skills and my white element magic! As for the sound of clashing blades, well... that was only when I fought their leader!"
Donovan swallowed hard, looking at his friend with a mixture of conflicting emotions. "Then, why did you put us through this? Why didn't you just kill them all from the moment we first met them on the road?"
"Hey Novan, have you forgotten what I wanted from this bandit group?" Keyzier asked back.
Donovan fell silent for a moment. He tried to search his memory through the lingering dizziness. Gradually, he remembered their initial goal that Keyzier had mentioned: money. They needed money to buy proper clothes for Novalia so their disguise in the city wouldn't be suspected.
"Yes, for the sake of their money, I pretended to betray the two of you!" Keyzier explained. "I needed them to lead me directly to the heart of their headquarters without a shred of suspicion."
"Couldn't you have found the location of the treasure if you defeated them and made them talk?" Donovan argued.
"Do you think they would easily spill all their secrets just like that after being tortured or threatened? Can you be certain they wouldn't choose death over revealing where all their loot was kept? Didn't you see the loyalty these bandits had for their chief?"
Donovan was left speechless. He couldn't refute a single word his childhood friend said. Keyzier's logic was cold, yet highly effective.
Following the explanation, Keyzier approached, then cast a healing spell to treat the wounds on Donovan's body and face while whispering softly, "I'm sorry."
Donovan felt the pain in his face fade as Keyzier's magic light washed over him. He stood up straight and took a long breath. "Thanks for healing my wounds, Key! But..."
"But what, Novan?"
Thwack! Bang!
Without warning, Donovan landed a heavy punch squarely on Keyzier's face, sending the grayish white-haired youth flying out of the cell and slamming into the cave wall.
"That's for betraying me and not explaining your intentions clearly to me!" Donovan shouted while rubbing his knuckles.
Keyzier rubbed his throbbing cheek, but he wasn't angry. While enduring the pain, he replied: "Isn't it better to 'betray' my comrade first to protect my precious comrade while conducting a secret mission?"
Hearing that philosophical answer, Donovan's face did not soften. Instead, he stepped toward Keyzier with a dead-serious expression. Suddenly, Donovan released his full killing intent. The pressure of his aura was so overwhelming that it made everyone in the prison shiver with primal fear.
"Hey Key, where did you learn those words? And since when did you understand terms like 'secret agent'?" Donovan asked in a deeply menacing tone.
"Hiiiyyy....!!! I'm sorry Novan, I'm really sorry and I truly regret it!" Keyzier cried out, backing away in terror. "But, could you please stop your killing intent for a moment? Look inside the cells, some people have fainted because of you!"
Donovan was startled and immediately retracted his aura. He glanced back into the prison, and sure enough, the sight was quite pitiful. Several captives had fainted, unable to withstand the intimidation of a killing intent too powerful for ordinary humans.
He immediately bowed and apologized to everyone in the prison, his face flushed with embarrassment.
The adventurer party held in the prison was also consumed by fear. They stared at Donovan with wide eyes. As professional adventurers, they knew they had just witnessed something beyond common logic.
They never expected to encounter an unknown powerhouse who could make people lose consciousness through sheer killing intent alone.
In the now-silent cell, they realized that the two youths before them were no ordinary humans.