Chapter 10: Murder

He glanced at the villagers closing in around him, then at his shrieking so-called aunt. Even with his eyes closed, Kairen could guess exactly what he had gotten himself into.

Given his previous understanding of his aunt’s promiscuous ways, Kairen was certain—his so-called uncle had been murdered by his aunt in collusion with her lover, and they were now framing him for the crime.

As for the lover’s identity, Kairen’s gaze swept over the villagers and lingered on the one most fervently accusing him. He understood now, more or less.

Understanding was one thing, but dealing with it was another. He didn’t even need to look at the villagers’ faces to know that he could expect nothing from them. Since his arrival in this world, Kairen had come to know the people and their ways.

Nine out of ten people in this village lived in hopeless apathy, stumbling through each day with no thought for the next. Unless their own interests were threatened, they would not care, no matter how outrageous the situation before them.

This place was less a village than a refugee camp—a den of beasts without a leader, where everyone survived by cold, brutal rules. These so-called rules were little more than a flimsy veil, barely preserving the villagers’ sense of safety and order.

Murder was technically forbidden here, but that did not mean anyone would seek the truth if a murder occurred. They were a pack of beasts, gathered together but leaderless, with no authority to question or hold anyone accountable. Truth was irrelevant; all they required was a scapegoat—someone to bear the consequences of a broken rule, so they could continue lying to themselves that their laws and boundaries still existed.

That was the way of survival here, beastly and base. Kairen had known this from the beginning, yet could not accept it—could not accept the villagers, their way of life, or being smeared with another’s crimes. So, he chose to defend himself.

“It wasn’t me. I didn’t do it. I didn’t kill anyone, and I did not violate her!”

Kairen’s voice was resolute, but to the villagers it sounded empty and unconvincing. In this atmosphere, his aunt suddenly found the courage to face him directly. She shrieked, clawing the air, her voice hoarse with rage as if she wanted to lunge at him. “It was you! You did it! You did it last night!”

“Where is your evidence? When did I go to your house last night? At what time did I kill John? With what weapon, in what manner? Show me his body! You claim I assaulted you—where, and how did I do it? Tell us.”

“And most importantly, your house is in the center of the village. How could there have been no sound at all during such an attack? Did anyone hear anything? Did anyone see anything? Did anyone try to stop me?”

“These are crucial witnesses. If anyone saw something, let them come forward and confront me!”

Kairen’s mind was calm, his words sharp as arrows, fired one after another. The shrewish woman was left defenseless, her face twisting through several expressions before she collapsed to the ground, pretending to weep and wail.

“It was this demon—he did it! Why are you all just standing there? Drive this demon out of the village! He did it!”

“A demon like this must never be allowed in our village!” As his aunt threw her tantrum, her lover jumped to his feet, shouting with all his might. Only if Kairen took the blame and left would he be free to seize John’s property and wife for himself.

To get rid of Kairen, the lover played his final card. “This demon goes into the forest behind the village every day for hours on end. No one knows what he’s doing out there. We can’t let such a demon stay—who knows what disaster he might bring down on us?”

His words were venomous. At that, even the villagers who had been indifferent grew tense.

No one truly cared whether Kairen would bring disaster, but the mere suggestion was enough. Living as they did, like beasts, the villagers were quick to explode when roused.

Now, they began to close in on Kairen.

He knew then that all hope of reason was gone. The situation had changed—everyone had turned against him.

No, not everyone. There was at least one person still on his side: little Neve. But she could not speak. Her grandmother held her tightly, hand clamped over her mouth, terror plain on her face—afraid that Neve’s words might drag them into this mess.

This was not mere selfishness, but a basic instinct for survival in the face of danger.

Kairen looked at Neve, her terrified grandmother, and the villagers bristling with anger. He could not help but sigh. “Can you calm down and listen to a few words?”

“Enough with your lies! Get out—leave our village, or we won’t be so polite!”

The lover shouted, the villagers echoing his cry.

Seeing this, Kairen’s frown deepened, his sigh grew heavier. “Can’t you just calm down and listen to me for a moment?”

“Get out! Leave our village!” The lover’s furious roar was still ringing out when Kairen moved.

Without hesitation, he struck. The power of his newly advanced Level 4 Heavy Blow surged through him, and with a single swing—swifter and deadlier than ever before—he severed the lover’s head before anyone could react.

A beautiful spray of blood blossomed; the head soared into the air.

The abruptness of it left the villagers frozen, their rage and bravado gone. They stared at Kairen, stunned, unable to process what had happened—unable to believe he could have drawn his blade and killed a man in such circumstances.

“Now, can you calmly listen to what I have to say?”

Kairen’s icy words rang out. The villagers trembled from head to toe.