Chương 18: Gift

"Here are some of my personal recommendations." The old woman placed several exquisite pieces onto a velvet tray before Noa, her movements slow, precise, and deliberate. While there were many eye-catching designs spread out, what truly captured Noa's attention was the very last piece. A slim, white-gold cuff formed the base, looking as elegant and sharp as royal architecture.

From the metal cuff hung a delicate silver chain, and at its end rested a diamond-shaped crystal that glowed with the exact shade of Vionette's eyes. It looked like a suspended drop of royal blood frozen mid-fall—as if time itself had decided that even blood could be turned into beauty if it simply refused to touch the ground. Noa turned the piece slowly between his fingers, feeling the cool, solid weight of genuine craftsmanship rather than just its raw material value.

"This one's good," Noa muttered with a light smile.

"Ho-ho! A magnificent choice, young man," the old woman chuckled softly, clearly pleased by his taste. Her eyes softened, looking like someone watching a child select something deeply meaningful rather than just picking the most expensive item on the shelf.

The duke's son, Lucien Blackmoor, stood inside the same shop. Lucien possessed yellowish-brown hair that fell in neat, styled strands across his forehead, contrasting with sharp red eyes that gleamed like polished rubies. He wore a fitted, light-red coat adorned with intricate gold trim over a cream vest and a crisp white shirt. His black trousers were neatly tucked into highly polished leather boots that clicked faintly against the floorboards whenever he shifted his weight.

He was currently walking slowly through the aisles, examining the jewelry like a seasoned hunter searching for the perfect prey.

"What will Elan like?" he muttered to himself, picking up yet another ring from a display.

"Does this old store even have something that fits her?" He picked up several more pieces, turning them under the light to watch how the crystals caught the reflections of his own eyes, only to place them back down with a frown of dissatisfaction. Frustrated, he stopped touching the items and simply scanned the room. That was when his eyes locked onto the specific earring Noa was currently holding. Lucien's pupils widened instantly.

"That's it! That will be perfect!" That color… it's a perfect match for Elan's eyes, he thought, before training his gaze onto the person holding the prize. His clothing is undeniably high-quality, but it isn't decorated with a single family crest or noble insignia. Which means he isn't a noble. Perfect!

"I would like to buy this," Noa declared, handing the earring over to the old woman for checking and packaging.

"It's mine!" Lucien suddenly shouted, lunging forward aggressively. Lucien reached out to snatch the earring mid-air as he stepped in, but with a shift of his weight, Noa pulled his hand back, keeping the earring safely in his grasp. It's Duke Valric's son! Rose, watching the scene unfold from the side, instantly recognized Lucien's distinct features. This is bad…

"Hey, you," Lucien demanded, glaring directly at Noa.

"Give that earring back to me right now." Oh no… Lord Noa is too kind. He will probably just give the earring away to avoid trouble. He doesn't even project any aura either, meaning he can't fight. Rose started to step forward, preparing to intervene. I must stop—"What the fuck did you just say?" Noa turned his head slowly toward Lucien, his eyes wide and his pupils shrunk into lethal pinpricks.

"Say that again. You want to take my earring?"

"!!?" Rose violently sensed a dreadful shift in the air—like a prey suddenly realizing it had stepped right into a predator's territory. She snapped her head toward Noa, only to see his eyes completely filled with insanity.

"I said that earring belongs to me. You will hand it over immediately," Lucien declared, lifting his chin slightly as he tried to project noble authority.

"This is a direct order from Duke Blackmoor's son, Lucien Blackmoor!" a knight standing behind Lucien barked.

"…The duke's son?" Noa repeated flatly. Lucien looked back at Noa with prideful confidence, a mischievous, prideful smile forming along his face. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Sir, perhaps—maybe—his young lordship will forgive your rudeness if you just hand it over," the old woman said nervously, her mind already imagining political disasters unfolding.

"So would you please—""Shut up, granny." Noa extended a finger right near the woman's eye without even looking at her, effectively silencing her.

"Well… this is pretty interesting. Not the shop owner, but the buyer making the decisions, huh? And it's the duke's son, no less." I didn't expect to run into archetypes like this so quickly inside Crimvane, Noa thought, his mind finally calming down. Well, I can't really blame her. She was too busy finding me. Meanwhile, Rose was just staring at him with widened eyes, stunned into silence. Her internal evaluation of Noa continued to shift like a set of unstable scales.

Noa just heard exactly who Lucien was, yet he was smiling. She thought it might be because he was Vionette's partner, but Rose could feel that something much deeper was wrong here. This wasn't political posturing; this was unbridled anger. I thought he was kind… but he's getting this angry over a single earring?

"You knights, put him down and grab the earring!" Lucien ordered, pointing a finger sharply at Noa. At Lucien's command, the four knights moved in unison, but alas, their efforts were nothing but futile. [Blink] The space Noa occupied—the spot Lucien was pointing at—suddenly blurred. His body vanished into thin air. Noa reappeared behind one of the four knights like a ghost, then instantly blurred behind the second, the third, and the remaining two. Snap-crack-crunch-squish-snap!

Five distinct structural sounds echoed almost simultaneously through the shop, sounding like heavy branches snapping violently during a winter storm. With those sounds, the four knights collapsed to the floorboards one by one. Their bodies hit the ground heavily, looking like broken statues whose souls had been violently ripped away before they could even register a threat. This is bad… Rose's breath caught in her throat as she watched the display. And I don't mean it's bad for us. I mean it's bad for them.

With another [Blink], Noa gripped Lucien by the head effortlessly. His fingers tightly clamped around the young noble's skull, lifting his entire body off the ground with raw physical force.

"Uhekk!" Lucien struggled violently, desperately clawing at Noa's rigid wrist.

"Wh-what do you think you're doing?!" Noa flashed a mischievous, dark smile.

"What am I doing? Heh—let's go have a little chat with your father first." Glancing back over his shoulder at Rose, he added, "Rose, pay for the earring." Rose stood frozen, unable to move a muscle. Her carefully constructed image of Noa was currently shattering and being completely rebuilt at the exact same time. Kind… calm… honest… aggressive, arrogant… Then, a specific phrase from earlier suddenly sparked inside her memory. A piece of shit!

"Hey, what should we do with this g—""KYAAH!!!" Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream exploded from the street outside the shop, shattering Noa's words. Immediately after, the ground trembled faintly beneath their boots, as if something massive and hidden deep underground had just taken its first painful breath. Noa and Rose exchanged a sharp glance before rushing out the door, dropping Lucien onto the wooden floorboards without a shred of ceremony.

What met their eyes on the street was a scene of pure nightmare and tragedy fused together. The creatures ramping through the plaza were human, yet something had rewritten their existence. Their bodies twisted and warped like living sculptures carved by madness rather than standard anatomy. Some grew sickeningly tall and disjointed, moving like cracked towers of living flesh. Others crawled low to the cobblestones, moving with alarming velocity while their limbs bent in directions nature had never intended.

Their skin was stained with a dark, shadow-like corruption—as if literal darkness had seeped directly into their veins and replaced their blood. Yet, within those distorted faces—right behind rows of jagged teeth and weeping eyes—was a lingering trace of humanity filled with sadness, fear, and hate. They looked like children who had been completely swallowed by a dark abyss but still desperately remembered the warmth of sunlight. Four of these entities could be seen, but the destruction they wrought was enormous.

Nearby wooden houses caught fire, releasing plumes of black smoke that curled upward into the pale sky like mourning spirits. Desperate people screamed in the streets, scrambling away as they watched other civilians get violently broken in half by the monsters' irregular limbs.

"What the hell is that?" Noa whispered, his purple eyes widening.

"They are the ones I told you about," Rose said, her teeth clenching.

"The ones that gazed upon the void, but were not recognized by it. But…"

"But what?"

"This is... different? Real cases are exceptionally rare; there shouldn't even be two of them manifesting at once. And these things are far weaker than the true anomalies—they can't even be compared. These feel…" She looked at him with seriousness.

"Artificial."

"So… handmade monsters?" Noa deadpanned.

"Most likely." Rose's hand dropped toward the hilt of her sword.

"Rose, wait," Noa stepped forward, stopping her movement with a calm smile.

"Let's just watch them play out for now." Noa had no intention of letting Vionette's citizens die needlessly, but he stopped her because his eyes had just caught sight of 'them'.

"Protect the civilians! Move the injured to the rear and shield the healers immediately!" Four knights stepped forward from the adjacent alleyway, their heavy armor already coated in thick mud and metallic blood, their swords unsheathed and held high. Their leader stood firmly at the front. His dark blue hair, faintly shaded with black, fell neatly around his temples. His face was handsome yet calm, looking like the steady surface of a sea right before a massive storm decides to awaken. It was Kaelen Veythorne.

"But…" Rose muttered under her breath, her brow furrowing.

"Those knights won't be enough to handle this. If we step in and fight together, we can guarantee a victory." Noa reached over and tapped her shoulder gently.

"Don't worry. If anyone's actually about to die, I'll step up." Then why the hell aren't you fighting right now, you jerk?! Rose screamed furiously inside her own mind. They watched silently from the shadows of the storefront as Kaelen stepped out onto the battlefield.

"You three, hold those ones off for as long as possible!" Issuing his final command, Kaelen rushed forward, aiming to handle the strongest of the four entities himself. He could hear them clearly. It wasn't just the ambient screams of the panicking crowd, but the trapped, weeping voices echoing from inside the monsters themselves.

"I will free you from your agony," Kaelen said as he quietly approached the beast.

"If kindness cannot save your souls… then I will willingly become the mercy you cannot give yourselves." He stepped into the chaotic fray like a knight walking into judgment day. The rushing wind carried the heavy scent of burning wood, fresh blood, and something far more ancient— The distinct smell of destiny beginning to move.