Reincarnated in the Astral World

*BONG* *BONG* *BONG*

The great bell in the tower at the center of Lakeview's square tolls, signaling danger, an imminent catastrophe: The Viscount is dead, he and his entire family.

"How is that possible?"

"Who could kill a Champion?"

"Who would attack the powerful Whittlee family?"

"Count Whittlee's wrath will fall upon them!"

"What about us?"

"Will our small town survive this??"

Chaos erupts through the streets of Lakeview, nobles and commoners in panic, some leaving the city, others aiding the guard who can barely contain the citizens, let alone understand the kind of massacre that happened at Emilio's mansion.

Currently, guards are entering and exiting the Viscount's house; everyone outside is very curious, but as soon as they enter, it doesn't take a whole minute before they come back with green faces and vomiting.

"DAMN!!!" The captain of the guard exits quickly after reaching Emilio's room. "What the hell happened in there?!?"

"Captain! Captain!!" One of the guards quickly approaches the captain and speaks in a low tone. "I brought her..."

An expectant gleam appears in the captain's eyes as he looks toward the crowd outside the mansion's walls. "Bring her."

"Yes, Sir!" The guard runs back to the gate and brings a slender, hooded figure to the captain.

"Good morning, Captain," the voice of the figure is feminine and sounds friendly but with an ironic tone.

"Good morning? What's good about this fucking mess?!" The captain loses his patience and points to the house. "The blood of our beloved leader and his family is scattered inside everywhere; there are guts even on the damn ceiling! This place is a human slaughterhouse!!"

"Damn..." The other guards shake their heads, despair, and fear in their eyes. "What kind of monsters would do something like this..."

"This is insane! I've never seen anything like it..."

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"Demons, it must have been the work of demons!!"

"There are no demons on our continent, Lieutenant." The hooded figure speaks to the guard in a calm tone, and her eyes fall on the house. "But there are many types of monsters..."

"Can you tell me who did this?" The captain quickly asks.

The hooded figure looks at him. "I haven't even entered the house yet... but you know the rules, if you want my services..."

A flash of fear appears in the captain's eyes while the other soldiers remain confused, but the man holds his ground. "I know what I need to do."

"Is Count Whittlee okay with this?" The woman asks.

The captain signals for the woman to come closer and speaks more quietly. "I've already sent messengers to the Count; he'll be here soon... but I have nothing; I have no idea what this bloody mess means!"

The woman just nods slowly, and the captain continues talking desperately. "I need something to give him! A culprit or at least an explanation... but my mages find nothing. Damn, they can't even stay inside the house for more than a minute without vomiting their own guts out."

"I see…" The woman continues to act calmly.

"Can you give me something, right?" The captain asks in a hopeful tone. "Your organization has special resources and members to deal with this kind of thing, right?"

"Hehe…" The woman lets out a low chuckle and then pulls a small object wrapped in black cloth from her leather bag, something that looks like a small black rubber stamp. "Let us handle this, Captain."

Hesitation flashes in the man's eyes for a second, but then he looks at the house and knows that this is out of his skill, so he extends his arm to the woman. "Go ahead."

"Alright," she quickly removes his gauntlet and pushes his sleeve up, revealing his wrist, where she presses the rubber stamp.

A small hissing sound echoes along with the smell of burning flesh; the captain clenches his teeth but doesn't complain about the pain as the woman places a mark on his skin: the mark of a skull with an old crown.

"It's done," the woman pulls the captain's sleeve down, quickly covering the mark. "Now, you can't disobey our organization, Captain."

"You don't need to tell me the rules," he speaks in a calmer tone. "You will solve this, right?"

"Of course," the woman responds confidently as she walks into the house. "We have a reputation to maintain. Don't worry, Captain, we will take care of this…"

The captain feels slightly calmer seeing the woman entering the house, and the other guard approaches him. "Who is she, Captain?"

"If you don't know, it's better to keep it that way…" He responds with clear fear in his voice. "These damned are everywhere, and now I belong to them… But what else could I do?"

"Tell the truth to the Count?" the guard suggests.

"Tsk…" The captain clicks his tongue. "Say that I saw nothing and know nothing? How could something that seemed like a war happen right in the center of my town, and I didn't even hear a damn noise?"

"If I don't give anything to the Count, I'd just be seen as a traitor, and my head would be on a stake before I could think about fleeing." He sighs. "The League is my only chance…"

The guard remains confused and curious, waiting next to the captain, who keeps his eyes on the door through which the woman had entered. For a full hour, he just stares at that door until the woman comes out again with an expression equally curious and especially impressed.

"So?" The captain quickly approaches her with expectant eyes. "Did you see?"

"Oh, I saw quite a bit…" Her tone clearly shows some admiration. "What impressive work! I've never seen anything like it."

"Shit!!" The captain clenches his fists. "So you don't know who could have done this?"

"Not yet," the woman shakes her head. "I found no hair, no trace of magic, nothing... I would say it was the work of a very skilled mage or an assassin so professional that…"

"That it could only be a member of your group?" The captain asks.

"Hmm…" The woman ponders. "That's impossible; no job can be carried out in this region without my knowledge."

"What does that mean??" The captain gets nervous again. "I need something! You said you would help me!!"

"Keep cool, Captain," the woman remains calm. "Our organization does not make mistakes, just that this is... too much for my skills alone. I could call my friends from Quilveron and from King's Passage, but given your urgency, I will notify my own Master about it…"

"Your Master?" A different kind of glint appears in the captain's eyes, a mix of respect and fear greater than he could ever have for Count Whittlee. "You mean… her?"

"Yep," the woman nods. "I'm sure she will be interested in this…" The woman looks towards the house with a curious expression. "And in whoever did it- heh… our little town will again be of interest to Master; that makes me happy."

The captain can see the woman's excitement, but he only grows more concerned. "Thank you for considering calling your Master, but what should I do in the meantime?"

"Do your job, Captain," the woman quickly responds. "Ask around, investigate everyone… speaking of which, has anyone suspicious arrived in town recently?"

"Anyone suspicious?" The captain ponders this and quickly shakes his head. "I don't remember anyone noteworthy."

"I see," the woman nods. "Then I suppose the next step is to investigate the other noble families, especially the Whittlee rivals? We all know the Viscount had many enemies lurking in the shadows."

"I guess so…" the captain muses and quickly nods. "I know who I need to talk to."

"Do that." The woman speaks in a commanding tone as she leaves the mansion. "As soon as my Master arrives, we will look for you. For now, report anything interesting to me,"

"Good," the captain nods, visibly desperate for a resolution. "Do whatever you have to do, but we need answers—and soon. We can't have the Count arriving and finding us empty-handed."

"Also, until then, keep the scene contained and secure. Don't let anyone in or out. We can't risk contaminating the evidence any further. My Master will need everything as it is to unravel this," she instructs firmly and finally leaves.

"Alright," the captain responds respectfully, leaving the other guards even more puzzled.

The lieutenant again approaches him with a hesitant expression. "Captain… why didn't you mention that trio we saw early yesterday?"

"Which trio?"

"Don't you truly remember?" The lieutenant press, his concern evident.

"What the hell are you talking about?" The captain's frustration becomes clear.

"Captain… you greeted them at the gate, a guy so handsome and two women… there was also a child."

"Really?" The captain couldn't recall anything; after all, Aria's subtle little spell had made him forget about them completely.

"Are you okay, Captain?" The guard asked, concerned. "Yesterday, you slept all day and woke up confused… then this happened, and now you don't even remember those people…"

"Bullshit!" The captain exclaimed, upset. "I'm fine! If I don't remember these people, it's because they weren't remarkable. And what's with this thing about a handsome man? Are you gay?!?"

"No, Captain, of course not!" The guard quickly regretted mentioning that.

"Then move that gay ass of yours, and let's go talk to the other noble families!" The captain quickly summoned other guards and headed toward the gate.

"Who are we visiting first?" Another guard asked.

"The Drummonds, of course," the captain responded promptly. "Wasn't the Viscount at their house yesterday? Whatever happened here, it happened right after he returned from there…"

"Do you think the Drummonds are involved, sir?" The guard inquired.

"I don't know," the captain shook his head.

"That shouldn't be possible," the lieutenant quickly commented. "I have some reports that say no Drummond left their house last night, not a guard, not a servant, not even a damn bird."

"So, who could have done something like this?"

"A demon, I've already said, this is the work of some kind of sadistic devil…"

"Did you see how they painted the walls with blood and guts?"

"Yes… it must be a psychopath!"