Chapter 8: The Perfect Crime

Lucian wanted the wolves to eat the body.

Before luring them, he erased all traces of the fight. He burned the sticky substance he had used.

He chose this substance on purpose—when burned, it left no marks and didn't spread fire to the ground.

Then he picked up fishing-wire-like strings from the ground and began pulling them.

Suddenly, arrows started coming out of the river. They were the same arrows he had shot at Rayne. He had tied them down to avoid anyone finding them during an investigation.

The only problem left was Rayne's sword. The sword showed clear signs of the battle.

It was even possible to tell which marks were new and which were old.

Of course, Lucian would never have touched Rayne's sword if he didn't know the material was blackwood steel.

That's one of the downsides of being rich—a sword that doesn't break or show wear is great for the owner…

And even better for the killer.

From beginning to end, everything was perfect.

He scared Rayne with a trap, provoked him while he was angry, tricked him into thinking Lucian was weak, lured him in, pressured him, blocked his way back, and made him feel physically stronger so he wouldn't run.

He also knew Rayne might suspect poison, so Lucian didn't use any. He didn't want to risk leaving traces in the wolves' stomachs.

After checking the body again, Lucian dragged out an unconscious man from the trees. The man wore clothes similar to Lucian's. The only thing missing was a mask.

Lucian gave him his mask, then slit his throat and laid the body near Rayne's corpse.

Then he took out a piece of meat, similar to the one used to lure the wolves.

He raised it, alerting the wolves, and began walking toward the river's mouth. The wolves followed.

A few meters ahead, a tree stretched across the river like a bridge. The wolves used it to cross.

Once Lucian made sure they were on the right path, he returned to Rayne.

He stored the meat in his bag, jumped into the river, and swam to the other side.

The wolves reached Rayne's body and tore it to pieces.

Lucian looked at the scene and laughed.

"The crap coming out of this meal will be high quality. Hahaha!"

Then he turned serious again.

There was still a small problem…

The little girl.

She probably ran to the city. A Stoneheart guard could arrive at any moment.

But Lucian didn't care. He wasn't going back.

He wasn't sure he could erase all of the Stoneheart family's doubts about their son's death.

And if he returned, they would catch him.

Because that's simply what would happen.

A murder with no clues?

They'd round up everyone who entered or left the city—one of them must be the killer.

No one would believe that someone had gone out into monster territory willingly.

But guess what? Lucian was crazy enough to do it.

Everything he did from start to finish was beyond madness, and he would keep going.

He was ready to take the risk just to kill one person from the ten great families.

Hatred, revenge, and rage—that's what drove Lucian.

Fear would not stop him.

Now that he was outside, he would speed up his plans and head straight to the ruins of the ancient sect.

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Days later…

A group of soldiers arrived at a camp in the forest.

The man in front entered a tent.

There was someone sitting inside. When he saw the man, he quickly stood up and asked:

"Did you find anything?"

The man looked down and shook his head.

The person inside grew angry and flipped the table. "Damn it! Damn it!"

After calming down, he noticed the man hadn't left. He had something to say.

"What is it? A report about the wolves?"

"Yes, sir. We found traces of blue boar meat. That meat has a strong smell that attracts rot-wolves."

"So that explains why they were there. What about crossing the river?"

"There was a tree connecting both sides."

"Our findings suggest the tree might be a coincidence, but the presence of blue boar meat raises suspicions."

Another man sitting in the tent, likely a scout too, added:

"Oh, and about the meat—we found a boar's body nearby. Seems like it ran toward the river. The wolves were probably chasing it."

Silence fell inside the tent.

"And the hunter's body? Did you identify him?"

"Yes, sir. His family is being questioned. They claim they knew nothing about him wearing a mask."

The angry man spoke again:

"Something's not right. Why would Rayne cross the river after some useless hunter? Why didn't he try to run from the wolves? And why are the wolves unharmed?"

"I understand your doubts, sir. But Rayne was still just a boy. After what happened to his sister, it's possible he chased the hunter out of anger. As for the wolves, rot-wolves are known for attacking silently."

The tent fell silent once more.

"What about the interrogation?"

Another man responded, "Sir, despite constant torture, we learned nothing. We followed your orders and used brainwashing when torture failed."

"In the end, we got nothing. Twelve people died from the brainwashing. No one is left to question."

"Have you questioned everyone who left or entered the city the day Rayne died and the day before?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Then expand it. Question everyone who left or entered during the whole week."

"Yes, sir!"

"Now leave me. I want to be alone."

Everyone left, and he sat in silence.

He covered his face with his hands. Tears ran down his cheeks.

"Rayne... I'm sorry."

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