Chapter 264

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Tazmi had missed dinner since he was out during the day, so he only had two pieces of bread before retiring to his room to rest.

It's also possible that he was feeling overshadowed by Abel's good looks.

Being a country bumpkin taken in by the same household, he felt outshone in every aspect.

His little scheming quickly dissipated.

Obviously, the kind-hearted Miss Aria had no such designs on him, which left Tazmi feeling a bit disheartened.

He had heard plenty of stories about poor country boys and beautiful noble ladies falling in love and had even secretly indulged in such fantasies himself.

Now, with his fantasy shattered, he figured he better start thinking of ways to stand out in the Imperial Capital and earn money to help build up his hometown.

Unbeknownst to him, coming home late that day actually saved him from disaster.

In the room, Abel lay in bed, fast asleep.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

"I'm Aria, Abel, are you asleep?"

No response.

So Aria walked in directly, followed by two guards.

"Miss Aria is being overly cautious. With such a large dose of medicine, not only this country boy but even battle-hardened soldiers would be knocked out for at least a whole day and night."

"You know nothing. Get on with it and take him to the backyard and tie him up. Later, I intend to pamper him in my own special way."

Aria, gazing at the handsome face illuminated by moonlight, couldn't help but reach out to caress it while saying in a sickly tone, "A mere rustic having a face more attractive than mine is unforgivable."

"But if I were to peel it off and keep it as a collectible, the jealousy it could provoke in those bitches like Alice..."

"Ah, I can hardly wait any longer."

Aria squeezed her legs together, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Her alluring appearance nearly made the two guards at attention falter.

But recalling that this seemingly innocent, kind-hearted noble girl was actually a sadistic, heartless young lady who enjoyed tormenting people with various instruments of torture, they dared not harbor any improper thoughts.

They didn't want to end up hung like pigs on a hook, screaming in endless agony as they died.

As for the handsome country youth lying in front of them, it was his misfortune. Before laying eyes on him, Aria had already chosen her prey, but his handsome face made her change her mind on the spot.

Just as they were about to carry the sleeping Abel to a secret room in the backyard, they failed to notice a pair of bright eyes watching them.

"Just because I look better than you, you want to peel off my face, huh?"

Aria, startled, quickly withdrew her hand, turning towards the guards with annoyance and anger, "Didn't you say he definitely wouldn't wake up?"

"It might be a matter of constitution, but it doesn't matter, he won't escape."

Since the drug failed to work, they decided to simply knock him unconscious. The guards didn't take Abel lying on the bed seriously and smirked as they tried to restrain his limbs.

But in the next moment, they realized the person in bed was gone.

Thud!

Abel, expressionless, grabbed each of their heads with his hands and smashed them together.

Their heads burst like two watermelons, their insides splattering onto the face of Aria who stood by, seemingly petrified, prompting her to let out a shrill scream."Not good, there's a killing intent!"

Tazumi suddenly awoke, leaped from the bed, and grabbed his weapon before rushing out.

The entire castle estate seemed to be in chaos, filled with noise and endless screams.

Tazumi ran faster, the air becoming more pungent with the smell of blood as he got closer.

Corpses lay broken in the hallways, as if they had met a force akin to a super-dangerous species.

He saw several headless bodies and immediately recognized that 'something' had punched their heads to pieces.

When he finally reached the hall, he saw living people.

Dozens of guards lay in pools of blood, and a noble couple, seemingly the true owners of the castle estate, were huddled together, trembling in fear.

In front of them stood a tall, handsome young man. The young man was unarmed—no, his left hand was clutching a woman's hair.

That was

"Miss Aria?!"

Tazumi's appearance seemed to reignite hope in the otherwise expressionless Aria.

"Tazumi, save me. This devil has killed everyone, and now he's going to kill me and my parents."

Furious at her plea, Tazumi drew his sword.

"You're called Abel, right? I saw you when you came back last night. Miss Aria's family kindly took you in when you had nowhere to go. How could you repay kindness with such malice?"

Abel turned around, looked at Tazumi as if he were a fool, and without warning swept out a kick.

Aria's parents instantly became headless corpses, collapsing to the ground.

"No!"

"Damn it!"

Enraged, Tazumi charged forward, his sword poised for a thrust.

But in Abel's eyes, the attack was too slow and full of openings.

Snap!

With a casual flick of his hand, Abel struck Tazumi's face, sending him flying, his sword flying out of his grasp.

Then Abel, holding Aria who was filled with resentment, said, "I'm a man of my word. When I say I'll kill your whole family, I'll leave no one alive, not even a dog."

"Rest assured, you will be the last person to die at my hands."

"I will never forgive you, even as a ghost!"

"Don't be silly, you won't even have the chance to become a ghost with me."

Finished speaking, Abel continued dragging her by the hair, mercilessly killing anyone they encountered.

The persistent Tazumi, still trying to stop Abel's rampage, was yet again slapped across the face, leaving it swollen like a steamed bun, his teeth loosened.

And this was still the result of Abel holding back, not wishing to kill him.

Soon, the estate fell into a deadly silence.

Abel used his Observation Haki to confirm there were no more survivors before dragging Aria, now like a walking corpse, towards the backyard.

Not long after, the battered Tazumi once again blocked Abel's way.

"Are you sure you want to pay with your life just to save this woman?"

"I don't know why you're doing this, but Miss Aria is innocent. You can't kill her."

Unable to contain himself, Abel burst into laughter. "Is someone automatically a good person just for giving you food and shelter?"