Chapter 53: The Tale of a Shattered Life

In just fifteen minutes, the area was crowded with people, most of them police officers. From the Paladin Association, Captain Edmond arrived, followed closely by Frank, Wina, and Liamond.

Frank took a group of five officers and began patrolling the nearby streets, while Wina and Liamond used spells to search for any clues about the illusionist.

Captain Edmond was in a heated discussion with a man who seemed important, his expression stern and slightly irritated.

Nearby, Rorin and Leo sat beside a wooden chair where Eliza was seated. She was awake but too shocked to speak.

"Who's the man Captain Edmond is talking to?" Leo asked Rorin.

"That's Mr. Harry Altman. He's the Police Chief—a C-rank Paladin and Warrior."

Leo studied the man. He had an average face, short black hair, and sharp black eyes. His tall, muscular build was impressive, though it paled next to Captain Edmond's towering presence.

After a few minutes, Captain Edmond dismissed the Police Chief and walked over to Rorin and Leo.

"We still don't know who that illusionist was," Edmond said, his voice tight with frustration. "Tomorrow, I'll meet with Bishop Oryu. We'll need increased patrols in this district.

His gaze shifted to Eliza, then back to Rorin and Leo.

"Can I speak with you two privately?"

They nodded and went to a corner.

"We sent a group to her house," Edmond said with a sigh. "Unfortunately, no one was there."

"They kidnapped her mother too?" Leo asked.

"That's what i thought as well," Edmond replied grimly. "Being able to cast such a high-level illusion spell suggests the attacker was at least B-rank, if not higher," 

'Why are there so many B-rank and higher individuals in this city?' Leo wondered silently.

"The most likely scenario is that he's a bodyguard hired by one of the noble families," Edmond continued. "But to confirm anything, we'll need Eliza's side of the story."

"She's still in shock, Edmond," Rorin said.

"I know," Edmond agreed. "That's why I think she should rest for now. We can take her to the church's infirmary."

"She can stay at my place, Captain," Leo interjected.

Rorin and Edmond exchanged a glance, their expressions skeptical.

Leo noticed their suspicion and smiled awkwardly. "She's my sister's friend. She's been to our house a few times already. I think she'll feel more comfortable there."

Edmond's suspicion faded and after a brief moment of thought, he nodded. "You're right. Take her with you."

'What did they think I meant?' Leo thought, frowning slightly.

Half an hour later, the area had settled down. Eliza finally stood and quietly followed Rorin and Leo back home.

When they arrived, Leo gave his mother and sister a brief summary of the events and handed Eliza over to them.

"If you need anything, just let me know. I'll keep the Telepathy ring active," Rorin said.

"Okay, thank you,"

Leo stepped in and closed the door behind him. Inside, Eliza was seated on the sofa, Lisa and Rosie on either side, comforting her in silence.

Lisa looked at Leo. "Sweetie, dinner is almost ready. Go and change."

Leo nodded and headed to his room. After one final glance back, he closed the door behind him.

But the moment he turned around, he froze.

Sitting casually in his chair, arms resting on the sides, was the illusionist.

"Hey kid," the man said with a small wave.

Leo's body went rigid, his muscles locking up as if gripped by an invisible force. Panic surged through him, and he instinctively tried to pour mana into his ring to contact Rorin.

But nothing happened.

His breath caught in his throat as he realized the truth—he couldn't even control his mana. It felt as though it was slipping through his grasp, unresponsive and inert.

'Mind control', Leo realized grimly.

"I'm not here to fight," the illusionist said calmly. "I'm here to talk. Now sit down, please."

Against his will, Leo's body moved on its own, walking stiffly to the bed before sitting at its edge. To his surprise Leo find out that he could talk.

"How did you know where I live?"

"Oh, I know everything about you, Leo—where you live, where you work, your surprisingly fast growth."

"Who are you? How do you know all this about me?"

The Illusionist raised an eyebrow. "Oh, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. I am Ryan Alston Law. Nice to meet you."

'That's a long name.' Leo thought.

"And what do you want to talk about, Mr. Law?"

"Please, call me Ryan." He smiled before continuing. "I want to give you details about tonight's incident and I want you to use that information to kill one of the nobles."

"What? Why would you want that? And why should I trust someone who knocked out a kid?"

"Hey, I didn't hit that kid. She just happened to slam her face into the ground after I knocked her out with an illusion. And the fact that you're still alive should be proof enough that you can trust me. Besides, like I said, you're a genius—just like me. Killing you would be a waste."

"Nothing is free. What do you want in return?"

Ryan's smile widened. "You are a smart kid. I want you to kill that noble on your own, without telling the association anything."

"How am I supposed to kill someone who can hire someone as powerful as you?"

"You didn't let me finish. I'll become your teacher and teach you how to properly use illusion spells."

"Why won't you do it yourself? That shouldn't be a problem for you."

"It is a problem. I signed an unbreakable contract with him. If I try to harm him directly, I'll burn to death."

"Isn't helping me to kill him also considered harming him?"

"That's the interesting part. The contract doesn't care about people below C rank."

Leo paused, thinking. "And that's why you can't hire anyone else. If I tell anyone about this, it would count as you revealing it, and you'd burn. Am I wrong?

Ryan's eyes glowed with excitement. "You truly are sharp. Yes, that's exactly right."

"Why would you accept an unbreakable contract from someone you want to kill?"

"I didn't plan to kill him at first. Think of me as a secret agent. My job is to identify corrupt nobles and eliminate them and I needed him to trust me."

"Who are you working for?"

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you that." Ryan paused before continuing, noticing Leo's silence. "Come on, it's not a bad deal. You'll learn a lot from me. I can teach you about the whispers and how to withstand them."

"And if I refuse?"

"You expect me to say I'll kill you and your family?" Ryan laughed. "I'm one of the good guys, kid. I'll just wipe this part of your memory and find another way to save that little girl's mother."

At the mention of Eliza's mother, Leo's eyes widened. "You know where she is?"

"Of course I do. I was there when they took her."

Leo's mind raced as he considered his options. If Ryan was telling the truth, this could be a huge opportunity. But if he was lying… 'Why do I always get dragged into trouble with these powerful people?'

After a heavy sigh, Leo looked at Ryan and nodded. "I accept."

Ryan's satisfaction was clear in his expression.

"Good. I'll contact you soon with more details. For now, I need to leave."

Ryan stood and walked to the window.

"In the fight earlier, why did you act like you didn't know me?"

Ryan turned his head slightly. "If I had acted like I knew you, you would've most likely reported it to your captain," he said. "And he would've put you and your family under the church's watch." He smirked, but there was no humor in it. "And trust me, sneaking into a church unnoticed is difficult—even for me." 

"What rank are you?"

Ryan smirked as he stepped onto the window ledge. "I'm an A1."

Then, without another word, he jumped out and vanished into the night. 

As he vanished, Leo realized he could move his body again, but he remained seated on his bed, lost in thought.

'Now what?'

He could report everything to Captain Edmond and let him burn, but that might mean Eliza's mother would never be found. After some deliberation, Leo decided the best course of action was to first hear Eliza's story.

Leo changed into fresh clothes and stepped out of his room. His mother was setting the table, while Rosie stayed close to Eliza. When the table was ready, Rosie guided Eliza to a chair, but the little girl only sat silently barely touching her food. Dinner passed in an uneasy quiet, with none of them eating much.

Afterward, Rosie took Eliza to her room and Leo decided to leave the matter in their hands for the night. Returning to his own room, he tried not to over think things and fell asleep quickly.

…

The next morning, Leo went through his usual training routine. When he returned, he noticed Captain Edmond and Liamond at the front door, speaking with Rorin. Edmond was dressed in a formal suit, the Church's insignia elegantly embroidered on the sleeves—a stark contrast to his usual appearance. Normally, he wore his armor, or at least some part of it, as if always prepared for battle. 

Leo approached them and placed his hand over his chest. "Captain."

Edmond gestured for him to relax. "At ease. Go wake Ms. Brandon. We need to speak with her if we want any chance of finding her mother alive."

Leo nodded and went inside. His mother was already awake, listening to the voices at the door.

"Sweetie, what's going on out there?"

"Mom, please wake Eliza. Captain Edmond is here to talk to her."

Though hesitant, Lisa went to Rosie's room. About ten minutes later, she returned with Rosie and Eliza. By then, Leo had already let Edmond, Liamond, and Rorin inside, and they were seated on the sofas.

Rosie sat beside Eliza, holding her hand. After a moment of silence, Edmond leaned forward.

"Ms. Brandon, we need you to tell us everything you remember," he said, his tone firm but gentle.

'That's too direct, Captain,' Leo thought, recalling their first meeting when Edmond had been similarly blunt.

Eliza stayed quiet, her gaze fixed on the floor. Edmond stood up, walked over and knelt before her. He placed his hand gently on her head, a warm light emanating from his palm and enveloping her.

"We need you to be brave," he said softly. "Can you do that?"

Eliza slowly raised her head. Tears formed in her eyes, but she nodded.

Edmond smiled—a rare sight that even surprised Leo. He glanced at Liamond and saw the same curiosity reflected in his eyes.

"Can you tell us everything you remember?"

Eliza nodded again. After a long pause, she began to speak in a quiet, trembling voice.

"I was coming home from the bakery when I saw three men near my house. My mom was trying to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I ran to help her, but the smallest man grabbed my arm and stopped me. A moment later, the big man put my mom over his shoulder. Before they threw her into a carriage, she looked at me. Her eyes were telling me to run."

She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Lisa moved to her side and hugged her, calming her slightly.

'That small man must be Ryan,' Leo thought. Edmond's gaze snapped him out of his thoughts, and he nodded in understanding. Pulling a paper with the Calm spell from his pocket, Leo walked over to Eliza, placed his hand on her head and whispered, "Calm."

The spell took effect and Eliza's crying subsided. She looked at Leo briefly before continuing.

"I pulled away from the man holding me and ran. But... everything went black while I was running. That's all I remember."

"Did you recognize any of them?" Edmond asked.

Eliza shook her head. "No, their faces were hidden under cloaks. But the fat man said they were taking us somewhere until my dad paid them back." 

Edmond frowned. "Where is your father?"

"I don't know," Eliza replied. "A year ago, he said he was going on a business trip to another city. We haven't seen him since. My mother filed a missing person report, but the police couldn't find him either."

Tears continued to trickle down her cheeks.

Edmond stood up and placed his hand on Eliza's head again. She looked at him with pleading blue eyes, silently asking him to save her mother. Edmond offered her a reassuring smile, then turned to the others.

He motioned for Liamond, Leo, and Rorin to follow him outside. Once they were out of earshot, he spoke.

"It must be one of the nobles. I'll need to go to the Grand Cathedral."

He issued orders: "Liamond, head to the station and tell Lara to prepare for a meeting with the other captains. Rorin, you're coming with me. Leo, go to the police station and gather all the details you can about Eliza's father."

All three men saluted, placing their fists over their chests.