Did the villainous professor survive today?

"Excuse me, is this the residence of Professor Klenk Ludwig?"

"Yes, may I ask who you are?"

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Aleil Essien, and I'm a bounty hunter hired by Professor Krenk. We agreed to meet at the back door. Didn't he tell you about that?"

"No... I don't think so. Isn't he supposed to give his inaugural lecture as chief professor early tomorrow morning? He should be asleep by now. Should I inform him or the housekeeper?"

"Huh? Is he asleep? But I remember we agreed to meet at the door tonight. Oh well, I'll just wait here a bit longer. If he's really asleep, I'll come back tomorrow. I won't bother him. After all, he's paying a lot, so I don't mind making an extra trip, hehe."

"How much did he give you?"

"100 pounds! A deposit! Good heavens! A 100-pound deposit! No wonder it's the Ludwig Trading Company, they make so much money, how many wanted criminals would I have to catch to earn that much!"

"So many?! What did he ask you to do?"

"Keep it a secret, brother. You know, the worst thing you can do in our line of work is to reveal your employer's needs and secrets."

"oh oh."

"By the way, brother, although I can't reveal the employer's needs, I can tell you about my usual work. Do you have a newspaper? Any day will do."

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Come on, turn to the last page. Look, look, I'll point it out to you. The bottom right row is full of St. Auster's most wanted criminals. Look at the number one one, the masked killer—'V', with a bounty of 4000 pounds. He likes to cut off people's faces after killing them and make them into masks as collectibles."

"Wow, that's insane. No wonder it's so valuable. Hmm, let me see. Second place, Allier Essien, bounty 800 pounds, hobbies are... um? Wait, you just said your name is Allier..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a fierce arc of light.

Tiny drops of blood splattered on the newspaper, soaking the last paragraph of text.

[He enjoys engaging in small talk with his victims before committing murder, using it as a way to spice things up]

Alaire took out a white silk cloth and wiped the blood-stained knife.

He lowered his head, turned around and glanced sideways to check if his clothes had been accidentally stained with blood.

After noticing the scattered bloodstains on his shiny heels, Alaire rubbed his temples with a headache.

"My new shoes..."

He pulled another white handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped the blood-stained heels, complaining as he said...

"I should have kept my word and not killed him."

Allair's target wasn't the security of the house, but the owner of the mansion.

Professor Klenk Ludwig, the chief professor of St. Auster Magic Academy.

However, sometimes, after killing many people, he likes to have some appetizers before enjoying the main course.

Arle passed the security office and proceeded along the side of the gravel-paved horse trail.

Using the shade of the trees, he evaded the other patrolling guards in the manor, then arrived at the tall mansion and skillfully climbed over into the house.

He glanced around the room. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, the walls and floors were made of marble, and the furniture was made of high-end cherry, walnut and rosewood. An expensive black piano sat silently to one side.

The living room was dark and empty, with only the crackling of charcoal burning in the fireplace, casting a dim, flickering light on the exquisite furniture.

After observing his surroundings, Allier headed straight for the second floor.

He tiptoed upstairs, tapping his fingertips on the handrail, and paused just as he reached the second-floor lobby.

His killer instincts, honed over many years, told him...

There is danger behind me.

At the same time, a very calm voice came from behind him.

"Don't move."

"……good."

Aller said.

He spread his hands to make sure the other person could see his every move.

He glanced at the mirror opposite him out of the corner of his eye, and then his pupils dilated slightly.

Through the reflection in the mirror, one can see a person wearing a white bone mask standing not far behind them.

He held a short knife in his hand, the blade covered in blood, the moonlight from the window flowing across it, vivid and stark.

Damn!

How could it be this madman!

Alaire cursed inwardly.

The man behind him was none other than "V," the masked killer with the highest bounty on his head.

"V," like himself, is someone who takes on assassination commissions on the black market.

However, unlike others, "V" is an extremely arrogant and conceited person.

He could not accept that his employer, after hiring him, would hire someone else to assassinate the target.

In "V's" eyes, this behavior symbolizes the employer's distrust of his abilities, as well as the provocation from other clients.

Once this happens, "V" will not hesitate to kill the assassin who took on the same commission, as well as the employer who previously hired him, after completing the commission.

Over the past two years, "V" has personally killed several people with names on the wanted list, then cut off their faces and hung them on the door of the police station.

People like this cannot be fathomed using common sense.

"Go forward to the master bedroom."

"V" gave the order in a dull tone.

"Um."

Allair closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then started walking, while mentally calculating how to escape.

The air was heavy and still, and the sound of burning firewood in the fireplace downstairs could be heard.

A faint smell of blood wafted out from behind the master bedroom door and entered my nostrils.

"Open the door."

The person behind him gave a calm command.

Yea.

Allair pushed open the master bedroom door, and what came into view was a corpse lying beside the bed.

The corpse was dressed in exquisite pajamas, the skin on its face had been peeled off, and deep red blood oozed from the facial muscles, staining the sheets.

Every corner of the room was covered in splattered blood, and judging from the degree of congealing, all of this had just happened recently.

"Sit on the left," the person behind me said.

Allair turned his head and saw a small round table and two armchairs right by the window.

On the round table was a bottle of rum and two glasses.

A slight thought crossed Alaire's mind, and he chose the chair by the window, hoping that if given the chance, he could break through the window and escape immediately.

"V" sat down in the chair opposite him, placed the dagger on the table, and pointed the tip at Aleil's heart.

Then, he slowly removed his blood-stained leather gloves and folded them next to his dagger.

He took the bottle of rum, filled the glass in front of Alaire with the liquor, and then poured one for himself as well.

As the water level in the cup gradually rose, Ariel suddenly noticed a small hole in the left side of the other person's clothes, with black marks from magical burning around the edge of the hole, emitting a faint smell of burning.

It's obvious that it has been attacked by magic.

Strangely, behind the charred fabric was fair skin, seemingly without any signs of injury.

But before his thoughts could extend further, he was interrupted by the interrogation:

"Please tell me, what is your employer?"

Allair glanced instinctively at the short knife on the table, its blade pointed at his heart.

He knew perfectly well that if his answer was the same as that of the employer who had hired "V," the employer would kill him without hesitation, and then kill the employer.

He stood there with his mouth agape, unsure whether to tell the truth or try to bluff his way out.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally decided to name an employer who absolutely lacked the ability to hire "V":

"The one who hired me is..."

"Don't try anything funny."

"V" picked up the wine glass, leaned back in the chair, crossed his legs, and took a small sip of wine.

Beneath the mask, his eyes revealed a relaxed ease, yet also a chilling coldness, as if he could take the life of the person before him with a single thought.

Cold sweat seeped from Alaire's pores, soaking his clothes. He glanced at the window behind him, already planning his escape route after breaking through the window.

"Have a drink, don't be too nervous. As long as your employer and I aren't the same person, I won't kill you."

"V" said softly, leaning forward and pushing the glass of wine in front of Alaire forward.

"You should know that I am a very principled person."

Smelling the mingled scents of blood and alcohol in the air, Aleil licked his teeth.

Under such high pressure, the tension in his mind had reached its limit.

Even the slightest bit of force applied would cause the string to snap.

He definitely needs alcohol to relieve some of his stress.

He picked up his glass and took small sips.

The cool liquor slid down his tongue and down his throat, seemingly offering a sliver of solace to Aleil's restless heart.

Observing Alaire's expression, "V" stared into Alaire's eyes with his deep blue eyes and asked again:

"Alright, please tell me your employer."

Under immense pressure, Allell dared not play any tricks. He took a deep breath and could only trust that his employer wouldn't be foolish enough to hire both him and "V" to kill someone at the same time. He said:

"The Russell family..."

"I see, I understand."

"V" nodded, seemingly somewhat regretfully, and said...

"It seems to be a misunderstanding. Please leave, Mr. Allell. Oh, and remember to keep quiet so as not to disturb the other people who are sleeping."

"call!"

Allair breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, thankful to have survived.

Alaire stopped talking, grabbed his wine glass, and drank the wine in one gulp. He then stood up, his knees trembling slightly, supporting himself on the armrest of the chair.

He didn't intend to get any closer to the masked killer. Instead, he went in the opposite direction to the balcony by the window, planning to jump down directly.

Alaire gripped the balcony railing, looked down at the steps on the second floor, and was about to jump down and get away from there.

He sluggishly flipped over the handrail, his knees slightly bent, assuming a jumping posture.

The next second, Alaire, whose mind was still slightly drunk, instantly sobered up.

wrong!

The alcohol is problematic!

thump!

With a sharp, jerky heartbeat, Aleille's arm muscles began to twitch.

Without a firm grip, Alaire lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground.

Snapped!

Allair crashed heavily onto the steps in front of the door, the force causing his body to roll down the steps all the way to the bottom.

Intense pain surged from all directions, and Alaire clearly felt that several of his ribs were broken.

But he had no time to care about any of that. He was breathing erratically, sweating profusely, and clutching his chest tightly with both hands, his body convulsing uncontrollably.

He turned his head with difficulty and noticed that the person wearing the white bone mask was standing on the balcony, looking down at Alaire, who was struggling on the ground.

"Why... what about the... principles..."

Allair reached out in despair, perhaps in resistance, or perhaps wanting to die knowing why.

"You seem to have some misunderstanding, so I'd like to clarify that I am not that murderous psychopath who likes to cut off people's faces."

The person in front of him took off his mask, revealing a delicate face.

He had jewel-like blue eyes and a face with features like a marble sculpture, smooth yet with a hint of sharpness.

"you!"

Arleil, panting heavily, looked at the other person in disbelief.

In Aleil's dilated pupils, he could see the man bowing slightly in his direction, offering a graceful greeting:

"Let me reintroduce myself: Klenk Ludwig, Head Professor of St. Auster Magic Academy."