Chapter 64: Leaving the Underground  

"Ugh!! Why do I have to do this?" Viper grumbled. 

Due to the Magic seal inside her, she couldn't refuse Aron's orders no matter what, and honestly she didn't even try. Viper understood what kind of man Aron is. He won't hesitate to kill her, and she values her life above all else. All she could do is to shut up and obey.

'Hah!....At least I'm alive,' she sighed and continued carrying the books and journals Aron needed.

"You! Come here," Aron's voice echoed loudly in Viper's mind, startling her. She scrambled to her feet.

BOOF!

"Y-Yes Master, Right away," she stammered, her heart pounding with fear. Viper knew that Aron was not someone to be trifled with, especially after witnessing his display of brutality when he killed Red.

With hurried steps, Viper immediately headed to the large hall, and she didn't even understand how she knew that Aron meant this place specifically or the fact that he was there; little did she know that it was all because of the magic seal.

Upon entering the large hall, Viper saw Aron standing tall, surrounded by the children and his companions, with a blond girl clinging to his back.

Aron's crimson eyes locked onto Viper as she approached. He held up a hand, gesturing for her to come closer. Viper swallowed nervously and stood before him, keeping her head down in submission.

'Keep it calm! Keep it calm! Don't do something stupid, Viper!'

"Did you find what I asked?" Aron spoke calmly, but his gaze was intense.

Viper nodded quickly and handed the stack of books and journals she was carrying to him. "H-Here, Master."

Aron raised an eyebrow, muttering to himself, 'Master again...sigh.'

Aron took the materials and skimmed through them briefly. These were the documents he was looking for, evidence of the Rats' illegal activities and connections. He also wanted to learn more about their plans and any potential allies they might have, more specifically the alchemists. 

"Tell me, the people that were going to receive the children when they are going to arrive?" Aron inquired.

Viper hesitated for a moment, her heart pounding in fear. She knew she had to answer truthfully, more specifically she had no choice but to answer.

"We don't know; they were supposed to arrive two days ago, but no one has shown up yet."

"Hmm~ I see."

Aron's crimson eyes narrowed as he processed the information. The fact that these hooded men didn't show up as planned was both surprising and concerning. It meant that they might be more cautious and cunning than Aron had anticipated.

"Did they offer any explanation for the delay?" Aron asked, his voice still calm but tinged with suspicion.

Viper shook her head. "N-No, they didn't give any reason. We were just told to be prepared for their arrival, but they never came."

Aron contemplated the situation carefully. The unanticipated delay in the hooded men's arrival was indeed suspicious.

"Keep your eyes open and report any suspicious activity to your commander," he ordered.

"Eh?" Viper was taken off guard at the mention of a commander, but she has none now that Maxwell is dead.

"My commander?" she asked with a worried voice she didn't know if she was allowed to ask or not.

Aron nodded. "Yes, from now on, you answer to this beautiful lady here, she's your new commander," he pointed to Scarlett, who flinched when he called her beautiful.

"You'll do whatever she says, you'll start by organizing what remains of your previous faction, have them remove the Rat tattoo, and get better gear."

Viper was speechless for a moment; her brain stopped working. What Aron was asking her was too much work in her opinion, and there is also the fact that most of the Rats are men and they don't like to be ordered by a woman.

"What if they refuse to obey me?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.

Aron's gaze intensified, releasing some of his Aura on Viper.

"I think you misunderstood something; the only reason for not burning you all alive is because you're still useful…slightly. If I see that someone is not useful to me anymore, well, I don't need to tell what's going to happen."

Viper's heart sank even further at Aron's words. She knew he was right, and that her life was hanging by a thread, entirely dependent on her ability to carry out his orders.

"You'll force them to obey; I don't care how. Those who don't, cut off their heads because if you don't, well, your head will no longer stay above your shoulders, understand?"

Swallowing her fear, Viper nodded, trying to steady her voice. "Yes, Master. I'll do as you say."

Aron added, "Oh! One more thing, ensure they clean themselves. They smell like dead rats.""

Viper nodded, and surprisingly, she agreed with Aron on the cleaning thing. She always complained about how bad they smelled, but no one listened to her. Now she has a chance to force them, and they couldn't even refuse.

Aron didn't care about the Rats or what remained of them, and if not for Scarlett and Kasumi needing to use them, they would have been dead already.

Aron glanced at what Viper brought with her; it was only three books and two journals. He placed them in a leather bag, and surprisingly, Mia volunteered to carry that bag.

"Leave it to me, Mister Aron; it's the least I can do to repay you for helping us."

Aron didn't think too much about it and allowed her to do as she liked. He turned to the girls and the children and smiled.

"Shall we?"

They all nodded, and soon they embarked on their journey back, leaving this damn place for good.

The journey back was way easier and took less time, all thanks to the maps that the Rats made about these underground tunnels.

While walking, Pethra clung to Aron's back, not wanting to descend, which didn't sit well with Raum and Kasumi, and Luna was too shy to ask, but deep down she wanted the same thing as Pethra.

Scarlett was busy planning for her new faction while carrying Freya, the werewolf still dizzy and couldn't stand without help.

"Hmm?..." Aron saw from the corner of his eye how Scarlett struggled to carry Freya, slowing her down. He stopped and walked back to her.

"Give her to me; I'll carry her," he glanced at Pethra. "Little witch."

"Tsk…" Pethra clicked her tongue but she knew she had to get down, which she did with a frown on her face.

Aron positioned Freya comfortably on his back, then he placed his hand on Pethra's head, messing up her blond hair a little.

"Don't worry, little witch; I have a gift for you later, okay?"

"Mm…" Pethra completely melted under his touch, completely forgetting about Freya taking her spot, and with the mention of a gift she was overjoyed. With Pethra now happy, the group resumed their journey; it didn't take them long to reach the exit.

Aron chose to exit from the same spot he entered these tunnels, all because when he checked the map it was the only one inside the town and he didn't want to take a path that leads outside the town just to avoid the guards and unwanted eyes.

"Hmm?..." Aron sensed that someone grabbed his hand; he looked down and saw that it was the little girl of the pinky promise.

"Hehehe~" the little girl smiled innocently as she held onto Aron's hand tightly. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she looked up at him, radiating pure happiness. Aron couldn't help but smile back. Despite the hardships she faced, her innocent smile was still there.

Reaching the exit, Pethra did the same thing as before, unlocking the passage using the incantation on the map. Magic runes appeared forming a circle and revealing the exit.

Aron was the first to pass, raising his head and glancing at the sky.

"The sun is about to rise."

He turned around to the rest of the group. However, at that moment, Aron's senses warned him about danger.

"!!!" Immediately he summoned Python and took a defensive stance. He pulled the little girl behind him as he stood with his back against the underground exit.

"What's wrong, Master?" Kasumi tried to approach him, but Aron quickly ordered her to stop.

"Stay back and guard the exit."

He fixed his gaze on a particular spot in the ground, moments later. Light.

A pure golden light descended on that spot revealing a young man in a white robe with golden details of the sun, a blindfold, and a golden rosary in his hand.

"We meet again."