Trouble at Emberfell town (2/3)

The explosion erupted with a deafening roar, sending guards flying and enveloping the area in a cloud of smoke and fire. Laura caught at the edge of the blast, stumbled backward, and fell to the ground.

Kael rushed to her side, pulling a healing potion from his bag. "I'm sorry, Laura," he murmured, tipping the liquid into her mouth. "I had no choice."

As the healing potion absorbed into her body, Laura's injuries were healed instantly. She stood up and looked at Kael with a mixture of admiration and exasperation. "You know how expensive those potions are, right?" she said, her voice weak but teasing.

Kael gave her a soft smile. "What good are potions if I can't use them to protect you?"

Her cheeks flushed, and she reached up to touch his face. "You're impossible," she murmured before leaning in to kiss him without a care that they were in a public place and dozens of eyes were locked on them.

Some spectators gasped at the sight; some closed their eyes as the sight of the couple's romance was too blinding for them, and some murmured in curiosity about their identities.

The explosion had left most of the guards incapacitated, except for the nobleman's bodyguard who was the only Tier-7 in the impacted region, and Roselyn herself was on the ground, clutching her face where burns marred her once-flawless skin. She staggered to her feet, her expression twisted with rage.

"You'll regret this, bi*ch!" she screamed at Laura, her eyes reddened. "I am Roselyn Sinclair, and I swear, in my family's name, that I will have my revenge on you and that peacock of yours."

She stormed off, her attendants scrambling to follow her, leaving Kael and Laura alone in the wreckage of the marketplace.

"Forget about her. She'll come to terms once she realizes who we are. Let's continue the exploration, hubby," Laura shrugged, not taking Roselyn's words seriously. Kael nodded, and they resumed exploring the town, throwing the memory of the incident at the back of their heads.

As the evening fell, Kael and Laura returned to the inn. Exhausted but grateful for their survival, Laura leaned on Kael's shoulder as they climbed the stairs to his room. That night, their shared passion burned brighter than ever, as they found comfort in each other's bodies again. Laura drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep, her body depleted of stamina.

In the quiet stillness of the night, Kael abruptly opened his eyes and sat up on the bed. Ensuring Laura was sound asleep, he slipped out of bed and dressed quickly. His movements were deliberate and quiet, his expression unreadable in the dim light.

Without a word, he left the room and exited the inn, disappearing into the shadows of the sleeping town.

Meanwhile, at the Sinclair mansion, the noblewoman, Lady Roselyn, slept soundly in her lavish bedroom. The soft glow of moonlight filtered through the grand windows, casting faint shadows across the room.

Suddenly, Roselyn stirred, her breath pulling as a heavy weight pressed against her stomach. Her eyes fluttered open, panic setting in when she saw the dark figure looming over her. A hooded man sat atop her, his face partially blocked by the shadows.

"W-who are you? Guards!" she gasped, her voice trembling.

The figure raised a finger to his lips, silencing her with an unsettling calm. Then, he slowly lowered his hood, revealing his face.

Her eyes widened in recognition. "You... from the morning?"

Kael's expression remained cold and unyielding. "You shouldn't have attacked my wife. But you did, and in return, you got what you deserved. But then, you dared to threaten her," he said, his voice low and menacing. Without giving her a chance to scream or retaliate, he drew a thin blade, glinting faintly in the moonlight. Tears abruptly formed in her eyes due to fear.

Before she could plead for her life, he slit her throat with surgical precision, her blood soaking the soft sheets. Roselyn's lifeless body slumped onto the bed as Kael calmly carved the metallic object with the shape of K into her forehead—a symbol that had haunted many across the imperial city.

With a final glance at the corpse, Kael slipped out of the mansion undetected, blending into the shadows as easily as he had arrived. By the time dawn broke, he was back in the inn, lying next to Laura as if he'd never left.

The morning light brought a facade of normalcy to their lives. Kael, Laura, and Seraphina sat together at a wooden table in the common area, sharing breakfast. Kael sipped his tea in silence as Laura and Seraphina chatted idly.

Outside, however, chaos reigned. The town was in an uproar over the gruesome death of Lady Roselyn Sinclair. Rumors of her murder by the infamous assassin K spread like wildfire, and the streets buzzed with fear and speculation.

Everywhere in the inn, adventurers were talking about it, and it didn't go unnoticed by Kael and his two wives.

As they ate, Seraphina gave Kael a pointed look. "Strange, isn't it?" she said, her tone nonchalant but her gaze sharp. "The infamous assassin K strikes down a noblewoman, and it just so happens that she's someone who offended us yesterday."

Kael didn't flinch, his face an unreadable mask. He focused on his tea as if her words hadn't registered. Laura, however, interjected with a small laugh.

"It's not strange at all," Laura said, casually slicing her bread. "That woman was arrogant enough to make enemies wherever she went. It's no surprise she caught K's attention. Besides," she added with a sly smile, "this town is the closest one to the Darkwood Forest. Maybe K was planning to come here all along and just happened to help us on the way."

Seraphina studied Kael's face for a moment longer but said nothing further. She remembered a vague memory from the previous night where she saw Kael returning after midnight from somewhere in disguised clothes. However, she didn't speak of it and faintly smiled, taking a sip of the tea.

Not long after, the calm of breakfast was shattered by the sound of heavy boots pounding against the wooden floors. The inn's doors burst open, and armed soldiers flooded the room, their swords drawn.

"Everyone, hands where we can see them!" barked the lead soldier, his voice echoing through the common area. The adventurers seated at nearby tables instinctively reached for their weapons, but the soldiers quickly surrounded them.

The adventuring team Kael hired got up from their table, their weapons drawn out. Laura and Seraphina exchanged tense glances as Kael's expression remained composed, though his grip on his teacup tightened.

A man dressed in fine, authoritative attire entered behind the soldiers. A familiar-looking guard of Roselyn from the earlier day scanned the room before pointing her fingers at Kael and Laura. The man charged toward them. "You are hereby under arrest," the man declared, his tone resolute. "For the alleged murder of Lady Roselyn Sinclair, daughter of Baron Sinclair."

The room erupted into murmurs, with some of the adventurers protesting the accusation. Kael, Laura, and Seraphina slowly rose from their seats, their movements deliberate.

The soldiers tightened their grip on their weapons as Aisha, the adventurer, stood up and snarled. "You know the identities of the people you are pointing your weapons at? Are you afraid of living?" She growled, preparing to attack.

Tension crackled in the air as the room seemed poised to explode into violence. The inspector raised a hand, signaling the soldiers to stand ready, while Kael simply sighed and stepped forward.

"Let's not make this messier than it needs to be," he said, his tone calm but firm. "We'll go with you and resolve this misunderstanding."

Laura opened her mouth to protest, but Kael shot her a subtle, reassuring look. Reluctantly, she nodded, her hands slowly lowering. She gestured for the adventuring team to lower their weapons. Seraphina tagged along with the two of them as they were escorted by the soldiers.