Chapter 50. You Have Two Choices.

Rand, lost in thoughts about his next steps and plans, headed back to the village. Walking through the dense forest, which was not much different from the thicket, Rand tried to move only along animal trails. Although these trails often twisted, forcing Rand to occasionally go for some time in undesired directions, they generally allowed him to move to where he wanted. This path saved him considerable time and effort, as he didn't have to push through dense undergrowth, which always posed an obstacle for people traveling through forests. This simple knowledge was taught to him by the hunter Galik during their relatively recent journey through the Dalaran Forest.

Rand wasn't thinking at all about hunting the fox, the killing of which he and the others had taken on as a mission from the sect, and whose lair, according to the village elder, was supposed to be nearby. His chances of finding it on his own without the necessary techniques and artifacts were minimal, making the current search for the fox completely pointless. It was easier to pay the fine for failing the task.

A few hours ago, he considered the possibility of sending the Serpent for the fox's head. The mighty beast, at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage with numerous techniques for detecting prey, could probably find the creature wherever it was hiding. But Rand quickly abandoned this idea, as he felt that the few hundred spirit stones he would get for completing the mission weren't worth distracting the Serpent from its main task. Moreover, if Rand managed to catch and kill the fox, it could create additional problems. For instance, Eyron or even his master Byron might immediately have questions about how he could alone catch a crafty beast so quickly that an entire village couldn't handle. And he wouldn't have a good "truthful" answer, other than, "I was very lucky."

By noon, the former prince had covered most of the way to the village and reached more familiar territory. That was when he smelled a strong scent of burning in the air and realized that his guess about where the main part of the wolf pack had gone was probably correct.

But to be completely sure, Rand decided to get closer and step out into a clearing located on a small hill, which provided a pretty good view of the village below. And as soon as Rand reached his destination, he was faced with a scene of total destruction and desolation.

The settlement, which was home to hundreds of people not long ago, had turned into a lifeless cemetery. Throughout the village, as far as the eye could see, lay torn and dried bodies, both human and wolf. Every house, from the smallest hut to the elder's dwelling, was engulfed in flames, and as a result of the fire, a huge black column of smoke rose high into the sky, resembling an enormous tombstone.

It was clear that a fierce battle had recently raged here, ending in a complete defeat for the local peasants and hunters. The main part of the fight took place near the wall, where the villagers stood their ground and fought for every meter. This conclusion was confirmed by the several hundred wolf bodies lying near the walls, pierced with arrows, torn apart by spears, and destroyed by combat techniques.

But even such warrior valor didn't save them. In the end, the village wall was breached in several places by brute force, after which their defense was broken, and the defenders were pushed back into the village, where they were destroyed along with the rest of the villagers during what must have been a disorganized retreat.

The surprising thing about all this was that after winning the battle, the wolves instead of feasting disappeared. Also, the fires, as far as Rand could judge, started after the battle had ended.

But Rand didn't dwell too much on these details, only making certain conclusions in passing. Because at that moment, his gaze was truly captivated not by this scene of horrific cruelty, but by a tall, muscular figure standing near the village. This figure stood in a huge puddle of blood, with a human skull tied to its belt with a rope, and held a scepter familiar to Rand. From the moment the young man appeared at the edge of the forest, this figure had been staring directly at him without looking away. And this figure was none other than Eyron.

Rand walked slowly towards him, and as soon as he was ten meters from the giant, also stepping into the bloody puddle, Eyron, with a broad but slightly nervous smile on his face, greeted him:

"I'm glad to see you here alone, Oberin. How do you like the local scene? Not bad, is it?"

Rand smirked and voiced his opinion:

" Not a bad sight, you say? I'd call it pointless and extremely short-sighted. You shouldn't have stayed here, and certainly not enacted your so-called 'village destruction plan' after our 'conversation' in the forest. This action has created numerous problems for you, and to be honest, it has disappointed me. It would have been much wiser for you to simply return to the sect."

At Rand's words, the smile vanished from Eyron's face, and he immediately became much more serious.

"Pointless and short-sighted... Oh no, you're wrong on both counts. Nothing here was pointless. Thanks to what happened here, I've already gained a lot, and in the future, I will gain even more.

These deaths will secure me a leading position in my family, ensuring I have no shortage of resources and artifacts for years to come. Trading the lives of a few hundred trash for my bright future... I think that's an incredibly profitable exchange.

As for short-sightedness... You mean if someone important in the empire finds out about what happened here, they'll label me and my entire family as 'demonic cultivators' who kill innocents, and we'll all be finished soon after? And that destroying a village isn't worth the risk of such a possibility?

But for that to happen, someone has to tell what happened here and, most importantly, prove my family and I were involved. Only you might be able to do that. But do you really think I'll let a threat like you leave here alive? It was very foolish of you to approach me; perhaps your only chance of survival was to start running the moment you saw me."

After listening to Eyron's speech, Rand laughed for a moment, making the atmosphere of their conversation even more eerie given the surroundings, before replying:

"Ha, Eyron, I don't think you're in any position to speak to me like that. And I think you already understand that since you're trying to maintain this pointless conversation with me instead of immediately attempting to kill me with the Blood Beast which you are hiding in the bloody puddle beneath us. And I even know why you're so afraid to use it against me.

After you used your backup Wolf `s Bane potion to attract wolves to the village and signal the start of the attack, you quickly noticed that the wolves were attacking the village too chaotically, with no one controlling them. You immediately realized that something had happened to your family's handlers because they couldn't just leave the pack uncontrolled. And you immediately linked my 'appearance in the forest' to their 'disappearance.' But you couldn't understand how it happened. After all, I'm only at the second level of Qi Condensation and couldn't have infiltrated the wolf's lair and killed two people at the seventh level of Qi Condensation on my own. Yet, these two 'disappeared' at the most opportune moment for me, without the wolves suffering any noticeable losses or scattering. And the more you thought about it, the scarier it became for you."

At this moment, Eyron, whose face had turned slightly pale, interrupted Rand:

"You shouldn't be capable of such a thing."

And Rand, taking up his words, agreed with him:

"Oh yes, you're right, I'm not capable of it. Even with the powerful artifacts and talismans my master gave me, with my cultivation, such a task would be impossible. And reaching this conclusion, you logically deduced that someone helped me, someone strong enough to silently infiltrate the wolf's lair and quietly eliminate two practitioners at the late levels of Qi Condensation. And to do all that in less than an hour…" Rand paused briefly, then continued:

"Alright, I won't torment you with these deductions any longer, and I'll tell you how it is. Eyron, you didn't think the sect elder would send his favorite disciple, whom he has high hopes for and dreams of making his heir, on his first mission without an escort, did you? Naturally, my master sent an experienced and loyal practitioner at the Foundation Establishment stage to ensure my safety, all while trying not to reveal himself or interfere with my first mission so that I could gain experience on my own. He has been following us all this time without being seen.

Oh, Eyron, you now suddenly look so pale, are you feeling unwell? Ah, I get it, it's because of our 'matter with Weed'. You don't need to worry about our plan to eliminate him; the senior of course knows about it already but doesn't care about disputes among juniors, so he won't tell anyone anything.

But let's return to our main conversation. After I told him that your family was behind the attack on the village, he kindly agreed to my request to eliminate those two idiots.

And yes, you're right, he's still watching us and only refrains from intervening because I asked him to, and because I'm not in immediate danger. You never had a chance to eliminate me and bury this story about the village's destruction.

"And how can you prove that someone is watching us right now? Maybe you're just making this up," Eyron asked, gripping the scepter so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"I'm not going to prove anything to you, Eyron. You have two choices: believe me and surrender, or hope I'm lying, attack me, and die. Consider this a small test of your intelligence. Make your choice."

"And what if I agree to surrender? Will you hand me over to the sect?" Eyron felt there might be a chance to save himself and tried to get more details.

"Of course not. You're definitely a bastard who deserves to die for what you've done. But you're lucky, I believe you and your family can be useful to me in the future, which is why I'm taking the time to talk to you. If you agree, I'll spare you and let you serve me. In this case, no one will learn of your crimes or your family's. If you refuse, I'll tell the sect everything you've done. My words will be verified, and when everyone realizes they're true, you and your entire family, as you correctly assumed, will be labeled as demonic cultivators and subjected to one of the highest punishments. Most likely, it will be the third punishment, which means you'll all be turned into pills alive. A horrible fate.

After Rand's last words, there was silence, broken only by Eyron's heavy breathing. After several dozen seconds, Eyron gathered his thoughts and asked:

"You want me to become your slave? So that I, the son of a noble family of cultivators, would follow your orders?

"Interpret it however you like. I think I've said enough, make your choice already. I give you ten seconds; I'm not going to wait any longer or tell you anything else.

"It seems I have no choice. I submit," Eyron said after a few seconds almost without hesitation.

While Eyron's fate was being decided, a lone hunter was lying in the bushes about half a kilometer away, unnoticed by either Rand or Eyron. He had been observing the young sectarians' conversation all this time. As the novices finished speaking and started to leave, the hunter allowed himself to rise slightly and whispered:

"Bastards, sooner or later, I will avenge the destruction of my village, no matter what it takes."