Chapter 544: Chapter 546: New Grudge A few hours after leaving the village, a long caravan of travelers already larger than when they’d left Little Town came to a stop. It was still a few hours until sunset, but they paused to bid farewell to the ascendant who had carried them through trials and tribulations. There was a straight path ahead for their journey; however, Damon was heading towards the border of the Holy Empire. For that reason, he was going his separate way. This road led to the center of the Ravenscroft domain. It was the only official route. However, Damon reasoned that if he went through the more dangerous, uncharted areas away from the Golden Roads, he could meet Lilith Astranova on time. Staying with them would set him a few weeks behind schedule. Unnoticed Singularity and his party stood next to Damon. "You really won these people over with manipulation..." Singularity remarked, his tone dry. Damon smiled, shaking his head. "I like to call it selectively honest..." Twilight narrowed his eyes. "You’re nicer than I thought, letting those people live... I couldn’t do something like that..." Damon smiled faintly, making sure his voice carried far enough for the caravan to hear. "If I killed them, the number of killers in this world would stay the same. And if I killed the adults... what about the children?" His tone was loud enough for almost everyone nearby to hear. Saint chuckled. "You didn’t have to say it so loudly..." Damon smiled again. That was true. He raised his hand for a handshake. "You guys are unusual, but I had fun. Our journey was interesting, and I learned quite a bit from you all." Singularity took his hand. Damon leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Where are you guys heading now?" Singularity smiled lightly. "We actually found a clue to leave this world—far under the Vuldren, the Sky Continent. This might be the last time you see us." Damon nodded, feeling a trace of sadness. "I see... I hope you guys succeed in getting out of this shitty world. Farewell and safe travels—except Dred. The bug can die." Dred chuckled. "That’s not very nice, brother-in-law. If I don’t leave this world, I’ll marry your sister." Damon pulled out his dealer’s hand, the blade gleaming sharply. "I don’t mind... I taking you out of it now." The others chimed in. "We can help. We’re tired of his shenanigans." Damon sighed, taking hold of his stag’s reins. With a nod, he set off, waving to the caravan. The people tossed flowers into the air and sang songs in his honor as his figure disappeared down the distant road. A few minutes later. A tremor traveled through the earth. On the horizon, a black sphere of destruction hung in the air, dust and smoke billowing upward. Singularity narrowed his eyes. "That’s the direction of Little Town." He turned to look in Damon’s direction, but the ascendant was already gone. "That bastard just gave himself an alibi..." Even if someone passed by Little Town and saw it destroyed, no one would suspect Damon—the benevolent savior of the caravan. After all, it was impossible for a person to be in two places at once. "At this point, I’m not even sure how he did it..." Singularity muttered. It didn’t matter. Many miles away, the sun had set. Damon sat perched in the branches of a tree, gazing toward where his village had once stood. On his shoulder rested a raven, and a red squirrel lounged lazily on his head. Damon sighed, bitterness twisting in his chest. His village was gone now... he had wiped them all out. He wasn’t quite sure how to feel. On one hand, there was his clone—an extension of himself acting out Damon’s darkest impulses. On the other, there was his main body, left to feel the melancholy. "Now that they’re dead... I suppose I should figure out how to move in with Grandpa..." Damon winced. Saying it out loud made his skin crawl. But even if he couldn’t let go of his paranoia, his mother had trusted her father with them—that was enough. In fact, it was plenty. The problem was Damon didn’t quite know how to approach the old Duke... or if he truly wanted to. "Luna’s treatment is expensive, but after the war games, I can get her a permanent cure in the World Dungeon." Still, that wasn’t the only reason. Damon didn’t know if anyone might come after Luna. Trouble coming for him was fine, but he couldn’t protect both Luna and Iris at once. If he moved in with his grandfather, he would secure the protection of one of the most powerful people in the Empire—and the world. "I can also get some much-needed breathing room to focus on other things..." He closed his eyes, seeing the world from two points of view—his own, and that of his shadow clone. His clone was already heading toward the center of the domain to assassinate the son of a Duke and celebrated war hero. Killing him quietly would be difficult... so Damon decided he wouldn’t be quiet at all. No plan—he’d figure it out when he got there. He jumped down from the tree. The level up requirement had been for him to kill his whole village, but he hadn’t done it for leveling. No—he had done it because he wanted to. It was his choice. He had also gained a new skill—one far more useful than he’d first thought. Seeing its potential almost made him feel vindicated for all the suffering he had endured because of his shadow. He was about to sit and examine the skill when the ground trembled beneath him. Damon narrowed his eyes. It was close. Spreading his shadow perception, he located a group of heavily armed knights escorting a moving convoy of carriages. They bore no crest, but the knights’ movements marked them as Valtheron-trained. Damon’s gaze sharpened—it was clear they were on a secret mission. Quickly, he led his stag into the bushes, blending into the shadows as the convoy passed through the uncharted land. He felt powerful auras among them, including some in the Fourth Class Advancement. When they passed by, one knight stopped, turning toward the bushes. With a casual wave of his hand, he slaughtered Damon’s stag. Damon’s brow furrowed. His steed collapsed beside where Damon had already melted into shadow. The knight scanned the area. "An elven stag... hmm. No rider..." He was about to dismount when another knight called from behind him. "Sir, if I’m not wrong, this must belong to the elven assassins we were updated about. Reports said they perished—this must be one of their mounts." The first knight nodded. "I see... lowly elves shouldn’t be allowed to act so boldly in the Empire." "Send a search party. If there is anyone who has seen us... eliminate them." Damon stayed still, acting like any normal shadow. Still, his heart was filled with bitterness and a nascent grudge.