Leave a comment

“B̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲!”

Lord Gregory slapped the frail woman in front of him so hard that she fell to the ground. His eyes burned with anger, like a raging lion.

“How dare you do that kind of thing behind my back, b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲!”
“T-That… kind of thing? What thing? I don’t understand what you’re saying, my dear.”

The frail woman clutched her stinging cheek with a disbelief look on her face. A trail of red blood leaked from the corner of her mouth, and her beautiful long hair was disheveled.

When she saw the furious expression on Lord Gregory’s face, her body started trembling as she had realized the seriousness of the situation.

“You’re going to continue playing dumb?”
“P-Playing dumb…?” The woman averted her gaze.
“B̲i̲t̲c̲h̲! Have I ever treated you poorly? I let you live a life of luxury, allow you to do whatever you please. Accessories, clothes, exotic jewelry, you have them all! Go ask around and you’ll realize that no other women in this town spend more money than you! Haha, I can’t believe I’ve been wasting my fortune on a s̲l̲u̲t̲! You’re a disgrace! I think you’re probably tired of living!”

Lord Gregory kicked the frail woman right in her stomach, causing her to cough up a mouthful of blood. She curled up on the ground and groaned in pain, unable to speak.

The servants in the room lowered their heads, not daring to watch the scene happening in front of them.

“Father, Father!”

A voice came from outside the room.

A handsome young man, who bore resemblance to the woman, came in through the door. His eyes immediately lit up at the sight of Gregory. Without saying a word, he went up to the man he called father and grabbed his sleeve.

“I finally found you, Father! Quick, give me some money. Luther, that b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲, cheated to get my money. He even had the balls to deny it when I confronted him! Spare me some money, Father! I’m going to win my money back and teach him a lesson!”

Lord Gregory stared at the young man in silence.

The young man grew anxious at his father’s silence and said, “What’s wrong, Father? Why are you not speaking? Hurry up and give me money! I left more than a dozen beauties there. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to them if I went back too late!”

It was at this moment, the woman tried to get up from the ground. “Run, hurry!” she cried in pain.

“Run? To where? …Huh? What happened to you, Mother? Who did this to you?”

The young man hurriedly helped his mother to her feet, then angrily asked, “Tell me, Mother. Who beat you up so bad? I’m going to make him suffer!”

The woman’s face contorted as she grabbed the young man’s arm. Tears spilled from her eyes. “Run! Hurry up and run, dumb child!”

“Why do I have to run… AHHH!”

Lord Gregory kicked the young man on his back, forcing his face to come into contact with the ground.

“How dare you come back here, b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲!”
“O-Ouch…”

The young man struggled to sit up. He had a dumbfounded look on his face as he stared at his father, who seemed like he wanted to skin him alive. “What’s the matter with you, Father? I only lost about ten thousand gold coins and a few worthless women. Why did you kick me?” he asked in confusion.

Lord Gregory snorted coldly. “Not only do I want to beat you up, I also want to end your life.”

“W-What…? Father, you’re joking, right? …Oh, I get it now. Today’s April Fool’s! You’re trying to prank us In the spirit of April Fool’s day, right?”

“Indeed, today is April Fool’s, but the foolish of all… is me…”

Lord Gregory unsheathed a sword that was hung on the wall as decoration, then inched toward his son… No, the person who used to be his son.

Although it was a wall decoration, the duke would never display normal objects in his house. The cold glint on the sword almost instantly made the young man feel like he was trapped in ice.

“F-Father… What… did I do…?”
“Shut up! Don’t call me Father, you’re not qualified!”

Lord Gregory mercilessly pressed the blade of his sword against the neck of the child whom he had raised for more than twenty years.

Sensing the clear killing intention radiating off his father, all kinds of fluids came out of the young man. The room instantly stinked. The young man fell to the ground, unable to even speak.

“You mustn’t, my dear! Please spare him! He knows nothing!”

The woman scrambled to the young man, and shielded him with her body.

“Please at least spare our lives, for the sake of our family ties that lasted decades!” the woman pleaded desperately.

However, Lord Gregory’s eyes remained frosty. The tip of his sword lunged toward the woman mercilessly.

To the duke, the bond they shared for the past twenty years was nothing compared to the blow to his ego.

That was the reason why these two must die!

Despair filled the woman’s eyes as she understood that there was no chance she could escape with her life. She could only embrace her son’s head, as she waited for her death.

“Sinful.”

A calm voice rang out and time seemed to be frozen. Colors faded from the duke’s surroundings, everything turned black and white.

His sword was forced to stop in midair.

“Who…?”

Lord Gregory felt like he was trapped in a sticky cement. Even breathing became extremely difficult. He turned his head around stiffly, searching for the owner of the voice that came from the door.

A figure in black slowly and leisurely walked through the door. He was hooded, and dressed in a long robe that was too big for him

He stopped at the door. Although his face was hidden by the hood, the duke could clearly feel his gaze. The man swept his gaze over the trembling mother and son, then on him.

Lord Gregory was not sure if it was his imagination, but the man’s gaze was filled with grief.

“Husband and wife are hurting each other, father killing his son. To think that such terrifying things are happening in broad daylight. This world has indeed fallen sick.”

The black figure sighed, then snapped his fingers in the direction of the duke. Their surroundings returned to normal again, but the sword in the duke’s hand shattered. Its fragments scattered on the ground.

The duke’s forehead was drenched in cold sweat.

Although the security of his manor was not as strong as the royal palace, he had actually invested a fortune in it. How could a normal person enter his manor through the front door like this was his home? The guards at the entrance did not make any commotion either. That meant…

“Rest assured. The guards at the entrance only passed out,” the black figure responded casually. His words were like a spring breeze, but not the kind that Lord Gregory enjoyed.

“Is… that so?”

The duke wiped his forehead. After he realized that this person was not someone he could trifle with, he instantly turned humble and respectfully asked, “If I may ask for your name…”

“My name is not important. Or more like I’ve already lost that long ago.”

The black figure pulled his hood back and continued, “If you insist on knowing how to address me, then you can call me… Number Nine.”

The moment his hood was pulled back, the duke was shocked. Rather than a face, a piece of paper was revealed. A normal sheet of paper that had nothing special about it.

It was stuck on the black figure’s face. It slightly lifted with every breath. On it was a strange letter that the duke could not recognize.

Lord Gregory composed himself, then forced a smile. “What brings you to my humble abode?”

“I am here to stop the birth of a sin.”

The strange man named Number Nine slowly approached the pair of mother and son who were trembling in one corner even though they seemed to have escaped death for the time being.

He crouched down beside them. White light bloomed in his palms. Number Nine placed one hand over the woman, and his other on the young man. A few moments later, the two looked like they were fresh out the shower. Not only did their wounds vanish, even those disgusting fluids were gone without a trace.

Number Nine nodded, as if he was extremely satisfied with his work. One could even hear the smile in his voice.

“Done. I have purged their sins.”

The woman and the young man got up slowly, as if they had been given a new life. However, their faces were stiff and their eyes were lifeless. They looked no different than marionettes.

Number Nine turned his head and looked at Lord Gregory. The white paper on his face shook noisily, even though there was no wind in the room.

With a barely audible voice, he said, “You’re next.”