Nobility!

"Mom, how is she doing?" Leonard's voice was quiet, but the concern was evident.

Hamilton hesitated, his expression clouding. "Your mother is… not well," he finally admitted. "She's been sick for some time."

Leonard frowned, his tone softening. "Sick? Have you called a doctor?"

"I did," Hamilton said with a sigh. "He said she needs proper treatment. But that's not the worst of it."

Leonard's eyes darkened as he caught the shift in his father's tone. "What's the biggest problem, then?"

Hamilton glanced at him, his voice heavy with despair. "Ava… Ava was taken."

Leonard's steps halted abruptly, his face unreadable. "When?"

"Yesterday afternoon."

"By who?"

"Two men. A neighbor recognized them; Zerom and Cyrus. Thugs from the slums."

Leonard nodded slowly, his hands slipping into his pockets as he turned to his father. "Take the money back home for now," he said evenly, his tone calm but cold.

---

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room, Golden Tooth sat brooding in his chair, a bloodied old drunkard kneeling before him. Two burly bodyguards, Pansen and Ford, flanked the trembling man, their grips firm on his shoulders.

"You know how much gold I lost because of your idiocy?" Golden Tooth snarled, his voice like gravel. "Thirty-two coins! Thirty-two!"

His rage boiled over as he grabbed an ashtray and smashed it against the drunkard's head, the sharp sound echoing as blood trickled down the man's temple.

Just then, Leonard's voice drifted in from the doorway, calm yet piercing. "Oh my, have I interrupted something?"

Golden Tooth froze mid-motion. His expression shifted instantly, anger melting into a wide, false smile. "Leonard! My dear friend. What brings you back? Did you forget something?"

Leonard smiled faintly but didn't bother with pleasantries. "I need your help finding two men. Zerom and Cyrus from the slums. They're small-time thugs, and with your network, I'm sure it'll be easy."

Golden Tooth chuckled, eager to please. "Consider it done! Men!" he barked to his crew. "Anyone who finds Zerom and Cyrus will get a gold coin. Spread the word!"

The yard erupted into a chorus of voices. A wiry man with a Mohawk spoke up, "Boss, I've got some friends in the slums. They'll know."

"I lived there for eight years!" another chimed in. "I know every corner."

Golden Tooth grinned, satisfied. "Good. Get moving."

---

An hour later, Zerom and Cyrus, freshly emerged from a casino, were ambushed. Hooded, beaten, and dragged away, they found themselves in a damp, moldy basement.

Cyrus blinked in confusion as his mask was yanked off. Across the room, a pale, sharp-eyed boy sat with an air of cold authority.

Leonard spoke, his voice low and controlled. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Leonard, and the girl you abducted yesterday? She's my sister."

Cyrus's blood ran cold as Leonard leaned forward. "I don't have time to waste. Zerom has already told me everything, but I need to confirm it with you. If your answers don't match…" Leonard's smile was razor-sharp. "Let's just say I'll take a finger for every inconsistency. Zerom assures me he's truthful. Let's see if you agree."

Cyrus's eyes widened in sheer panic. "W-Wait! What? Why do I lose a finger if our answers are different?!"

Leonard leaned back, his gaze unyielding.

Desperate, Cyrus clung to his last shred of hope. "It wasn't us! The girl, she was taken by nobles! I swear, it's the truth! You have to believe me!"

His voice cracked as he pleaded, his desperation filling the damp, oppressive air of the basement. Leonard stared at him in silence, his expression unreadable, before rising to his feet.

"We'll see," he said coolly, the promise of judgment hanging heavy in the room.

The room seemed to shrink as Leonard leaned closer to Golden Tooth, his voice quiet but laced with authority. His piercing gaze locked onto the man's, holding him in place like a predator cornering its prey. "I need your help finding someone," he began, his tone deliberate and measured.

Golden Tooth's bravado faltered under the intensity of Leonard's stare.

"He's an older man," Leonard continued, his words as sharp as the description he painted. "Fifties or sixties, thin, like he hasn't eaten in days. His face is sharp, with a hooked nose and blue eyes that seem to pierce right through you. About my height. Oh, and he wears a cloak. Always."

Leonard let the silence stretch after the description, watching Golden Tooth absorb the details. Before the man could respond, Leonard's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "And listen carefully," he said, leaning back slightly, his tone sharpening. "If you find him, you don't talk to him. Don't even let him know you've noticed him. This man isn't just dangerous, he's lethal. Notify me immediately. Understood?"

Golden Tooth swallowed hard, his usual air of confidence cracking. "Understood, sir," he managed to reply, his voice steady but his mind racing. Dangerous? Lethal? Who was this man Leonard was hunting, and why did he matter so much? Could this be a rival? Or someone who posed a threat to Leonard himself? The implications churned in his thoughts, unsettling him.

Leonard didn't miss the flicker of doubt in Golden Tooth's eyes. His gaze turned colder, his sharp features unreadable. "Good," he said simply, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. "Do your job well."

Leonard straightened and added, almost as an afterthought, "One more thing. I hear your dock has a lot of meat available. My little friends have, developed a taste for fresh flavors, preferably fish. They're done with human flesh; say it's sour." He said this with such nonchalance that it took a moment for the words to fully register.

As if summoned, one of Leonard's iron earthworms slithered up from the ground beside him, its metallic head gleaming ominously in the dim light. Moments later, a second worm appeared, its smooth, deliberate movements mirroring the first.

Golden Tooth felt the blood drain from his face. His earlier confidence was now a distant memory. He had seen what these creatures could do; tearing through flesh and bone as if it were nothing. The memory of a victim split in two by one of these monsters resurfaced vividly, sending a shiver down his spine. He forced a smile, though it barely masked his fear. "Of course, sir. It's… all a misunderstanding before, really."

In a desperate bid to appease Leonard, Golden Tooth reached into the pouch at his waist and produced a leather bag. The faint jingle of coins could be heard even before he loosened the drawstring. With practiced ease, he tipped the bag, letting its contents spill into his hand; high-purity gold coins, their luster unmistakable.

Hamilton, standing silently beside Leonard, couldn't hide his reaction. His eyes lit up at the sight of the gleaming coins, betraying a mix of awe and desperation. Without a word, Leonard took the bag, gave it a cursory glance, and handed it to Hamilton, who accepted it with wide eyes and trembling hands.

Leonard turned back to Golden Tooth, his tone curt. "We'll be in touch."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode away, his movements deliberate and composed. The iron earthworms, as if sensing their master's departure, burrowed back into the ground, leaving only faint impressions behind.

Golden Tooth watched Leonard leave, his false smile slowly fading. The foreboding weight of the encounter settled heavily on his shoulders. As Leonard disappeared into the shadows, he muttered under his breath, "This man… he's playing a game I don't want any part of."

---

As Leonard walked away, his thoughts were already racing. Sparing Golden Tooth had been a calculated decision. It wasn't mercy, it was necessity. Hamilton, standing so close to the man's operations, made retaliation too risky. If Leonard were to strike, he would need to wipe out every one of Golden Tooth's subordinates, and the timing wasn't right for that level of escalation. For now, the warning he'd delivered would suffice.

The gold Golden Tooth had offered was paltry compared to what Leonard had at his disposal. The broken golden door, with its hidden wealth and dormant iron earthworms, was a treasure trove far beyond the reach of petty gangsters. Leonard had only recently uncovered the door's true purpose and the power it concealed.

As he strode through the dimly lit streets, Leonard's mind was focused. He knew the man he was hunting; older, cloaked, and dangerous, would not be easy to find. But Leonard wasn't a man to be underestimated, and with the power of the iron earthworms at his command, he knew he held the upper hand.

This city would give him what he wanted. And if it didn't? He'd take it by force.