Wizard Earl

Martinez's heart-wrenching scream immediately caught the attention of the tall bandit, who noticed the short, stocky Martinez under the table in the sentry post. Without a word, under Martinez's terrified gaze, he stepped forward and slapped Martinez, knocking him unconscious.

After knocking out Gagliardini and Martinez, the tall, burly bandit made a fist gesture towards the darkness outside. Immediately, several agile figures darted out of the night and pounced on the warehouse behind the sentry post…

"puff!"

Gagliardini didn't know how long he had been unconscious in the darkness. He felt a coolness on his face and his mouth and nose filled with water. He woke up from his unconsciousness. Although he was still confused about what had happened, he realized that he was in a dark room and was tightly tied to a wooden stake, unable to move. Moreover, a rag was placed in his mouth, so he couldn't say anything.

Before him stood a fierce-looking, burly man, glaring menacingly. The air in the room was thick with the stench of blood. Gagliardini wrinkled his nose and looked towards the source of the smell, a chill running down his spine. It was his companion, Martinez, covered in wounds, lying motionless in a pool of blood.

Seeing such a horrifying scene, even though Gagliardini was a very calm person, he couldn't help but tremble. He didn't understand how he, a warehouse night watchman, had gotten himself into such a mess. What terrified him even more was that he didn't know if he would end up like Martinez.

Just as Gagliardini, filled with dread, met the gaze of the burly man before him, whose fierce expression seemed to want to devour him, a crisp snap of fingers suddenly echoed through the room. The next second, the burly man grinned menacingly at Gagliardini. Thinking he was about to be attacked, Gagliardini's legs went weak, and he closed his eyes in fear, thinking to himself, "I'm finished..."

Gagliardini closed his eyes and waited for a few seconds, only to find something amiss. A rustling sound came from the room, as if something was being dragged. Curious, he opened his eyes to investigate and discovered that the fierce-looking, burly man was dragging Martinez's body, which lay in a pool of blood, out of the dimly lit room like a dead dog. The crimson blood flowing from Martinez's body had stained the gray cement floor of the room with a cruel red stain.

Seeing his colleagues, with whom he spent every day, being treated like this, Gagliardini felt extremely bitter. Even now, he still didn't know what they, the two warehouse night watchmen who only earned meager wages to support their families, had done wrong to deserve such cruel treatment.

Gagliardini couldn't help but sigh as he thought of this. He was speechless, his eyes red and tears streaming down his face. Just as Gagliardini was enveloped in sorrow, a deep voice suddenly appeared in his ear.

"Gagliardini was born in the small town of Frosinone Anzas. He was drafted into the army at the age of sixteen and served in the 8th Banner Regiment of the Northeast Army of the Imperial Army. He participated in the Battle of Lelar and the Battle of Semite. He was wounded in the Battle of Lesta and his right leg was disabled. He was discharged at the age of twenty-five and returned to his hometown. He has been working as a night watchman for the Frosinone Marat Security Company ever since."

Upon hearing the voice, Gagliardini's attention was immediately drawn. Then, when he heard the voice, which seemed to come from nowhere, recite his entire life story, Gagliardini's face was filled with terror.

He began to realize that he hadn't encountered any gangsters or robbers. In all his years as a warehouse watchman, although he'd heard countless stories of warehouses being robbed and stolen from, he'd never heard of any gang or robber investigating a mere warehouse watchman in such detail…

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

Terrified, Gagliardini instinctively asked a question, but he forgot that his mouth was stuffed with a rag, so his words came out as "ah-ya-ee-ya," making it impossible for anyone to understand what he was saying.

Just then, Gagliardini felt a gentle breeze in the room, and the rag stuffed in his mouth fell to the floor. He didn't know why the wind had suddenly appeared, or why it had so coincidentally blew the rag out of his mouth, but Gagliardini didn't care. He swallowed hard, his throat moving slightly, and tentatively asked into the dim light, "Who are you?"

After Gagliardini's voice faded, the room fell silent for a few seconds. Then, the deep voice returned, but this time, the speaker didn't answer Gagliardini's question. Instead, he continued, "Gagliardini, I've seen your file. Although you're a warehouse watchman, what's rare is that you're quite clever and intelligent. Therefore, I'm willing to give you a chance!"

The voice paused here, giving Gagliardini a few seconds to process the information in its tone, before continuing, "Now I will ask the questions, and you will answer. The only advice I can give you is to think carefully before you answer. If your answer does not satisfy me, you should know what your fate will be..."

After carefully listening to every word and phrase of the voice, Gagliardini slowly nodded, indicating that he understood the rules of the game.

"Do you know what's stored in this warehouse that's being guarded?"

Upon hearing this question, Gagliardini's expression froze, seemingly surprised. However, after hesitating for three seconds, he nodded and said with a bitter tone, "I know, it's a batch of wine intended for smuggling into the Odin Empire..."

Martinez had asked him the same question when he was alive, but Gagliardini chose to deceive him and gave him the wrong answer. Now Gagliardini deeply regrets it. If he could turn back time, he would definitely choose to satisfy Martinez's curiosity.