Ryan had no time to complain about how stingy his Grimoire was. Beneath his black mask, his mouth suddenly opened wide.

  Several chips glowing with a dark red sheen and radiating scorching heat materialized out of thin air. They were the ultra spicy chips he had exchanged for three thousand Origin Value.

  Without a moment of hesitation, he bit down hard on them.

  Instantly, Ryan's eyes turned completely red.

  It was not fear. It was the terrifying heat of the chips spreading across his tongue, burning its way into his chest. Tears streamed down uncontrollably, rolling down his cheeks.

  He wanted to gasp for air to relieve the pain, yet he held it back on purpose. His lips pressed shut while his teeth stayed slightly apart, producing a strange expression.

  Only his reddened eyes and trembling shoulders showed how pitiful he looked.

  "Evelyn, I… I killed someone.c

  Ryan stared blankly at his right hand.

  The very next second, he suddenly turned around and grabbed Evelyn's shoulders, his voice thick with sobs.

  Evelyn froze, caught completely off guard. Even the Binding Magic she had been preparing halted mid-gesture.

  She lowered her head to look at Ryan clinging tightly to her arm. Moments ago, when he had stood beside the dead body dazing off, she thought he was examining the loot.

  But now it seemed… he was scared?

  Evelyn had seen many spellcasters kill for the first time. Most would fall into confusion or retch uncontrollably. But someone collapsing into tears this dramatically was truly rare.

  Especially since Ryan had acted quickly and decisively. Marius had not even had the chance to defend himself.

  It was the execution of someone who had no hesitation. Why would he suddenly be terrified?

  She had no way of knowing that when Ryan stared at Marius's corpse earlier, he had not been hesitant. He had been sensing the remnants of magical traces.

  They contained the cries of thousands of tormented souls. It was the aura of carnage soaked in blood.

  Marius was only a Journeyman Mage. Under normal circumstances, he could not possibly have accumulated this many deaths.

  Even during times of magical war, a Journeyman Mage's kill count was limited, unless he specifically targeted unarmed civilians or low-ranking apprentices.

  Not to mention that during his escape earlier, Marius had tried to ambush Evelyn. The malicious magic he released was something Ryan recognized instantly.

  A man this wicked gave Ryan no psychological burden at all. He had lived through eight lifetimes; countless evil spellcasters had died at his hands. He had long since developed a heart of stone.

  Even through the stealth outfit, Ryan could clearly feel the softness of her arms. For a moment, he lost focus.

  But he quickly collected himself, letting his shoulders tremble harder, his crying sound even more genuine.

  "Evelyn, I really killed someone. What should I do now?"

  Evelyn stared at him.

  The mask revealed only his tear-filled eyes, his wet eyelashes clinging together, making him look pitiful and helpless.

  And yet, something felt wrong.

  When he killed Marius, there had not been a shred of hesitation in his eyes. His strike was clean and precise, nothing like a novice killing for the first time.

  Could he be lying to me?

  The thought had barely surfaced when Ryan's increasingly convincing sobbing temporarily pushed it aside.

  With his tear-streaked mask and trembling voice, he truly looked like he needed comfort. It softened her suspicion slightly.

  But the heat of the chips continued to rise like a raging fire burning down his throat.

  Ryan's voice grew even more unsteady, his sobs thicker, tears dripping endlessly from beneath the mask, making him look even more pitiful.

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  At that moment, Evelyn suddenly snapped back to clarity.

  Something was definitely wrong.

  She remembered clearly: the last time she killed that middle-aged city lord, Ryan had been standing beside her, eyes gleaming with excitement.

  There had not been the slightest hint of fear.

  Evelyn abruptly pulled her arm free and took a step back, cold light flashing in her eyes.

  Her voice was ice as she said,"When you saw me kill that city lord last time, you looked quite happy. So why is it that after killing a wicked thief with your own hands today, you are suddenly terrified?"

  Ryan was stunned on the spot.

  He had been too focused on pretending to be a fragile novice who killed for the first time and completely forgot that, in this life, he had already witnessed a killing before.

  "But that time it was you who killed him. This one was killed by me. I..."

  Ryan quickly looked at the dead Marius lying on the ground.

  Marius's eyes were still wide open, staring straight at him. Ryan instantly stumbled back two steps. Whether intentional or not, his foot slipped.

  He fell hard onto the ground, hugged his knees, curled up into a ball, and stared fearfully at Marius's unblinking eyes. His tears poured even harder.

  His voice trembled violently."Look at him. He is still staring at me. I have never seen a corpse look that terrifying."

  Evelyn followed his gaze.

  Marius's twisted expression was indeed unnerving.

  Watching Ryan shaking so badly, her suspicion wavered.

  Maybe he was not afraid of killing.

  Maybe he was simply frightened by the sight of a corpse that died with its eyes open.

  Most novices only trained in simulated arenas, where corpses were conjured by magic constructs and vanished after the battle. Few had seen death so real.

  She unconsciously shifted her feet, using her body to block Ryan's line of sight.

  Her voice softened."Do not be scared. He is completely dead."

  Ryan sat hugging his knees, red-eyed and tearful, looking pitifully up at Evelyn.

  At this moment he looked exactly like a frightened and delicate girl, which instead made Evelyn, tall and cold-tempered, appear like the calm and reliable one.

  Seeing him like this, Evelyn finally softened.

  She stepped forward and loosened the Binding Magic on his wrist.

  "Enough. I will not tie you anymore."

  "Evelyn, are you not afraid I will run?"

  Ryan forced down the burning sensation in his throat and tried to speak in a timid tone, looking up at her with teary eyes, pitiful beyond measure.

  Her hands paused for a moment.

  Her voice grew slightly gentler, carrying an almost unnoticeable warmth."I am not afraid."

  Her power far surpassed Ryan's. Even if he tried to run, he could never escape her magic domain.

  Besides, after everything that happened, she vaguely felt that although he was sly, he was not someone truly wicked.

  "Come. We need to leave now."

  Evelyn put away the Binding Magic and turned toward the ventilation opening.

  But Ryan was still sitting on the ground.

  "What is wrong?"

  "My legs are too weak. I cannot stand."

  Ryan continued crying.

  Evelyn frowned, her brows visibly tightening.

  Looking down, she saw the boy sitting there with the cloth over his face soaked in tears, leaving only a pair of red eyes exposed. He did look genuinely pitiful.

  Footsteps echoed outside the door. The situation was rapidly becoming dangerous.

  Ryan thought to himself, If you still do not help me up, I am getting up myself. This woman really does not understand the hint!

  He was just about to reluctantly stand on his own when Evelyn suddenly crouched down and turned her back toward him.

  "Get on."

  Before he could react, she grabbed him and lifted him onto her back.

  Without any hesitation, Evelyn gathered strength under her feet and shot out of the armory like a ghost, landing silently on the tiles of the roof.

  Ryan lay on her back and almost let out a pleased sound.

  The tight shadow suit she wore was smooth and cool to the touch, outlining her graceful figure.

  He could feel the warmth of her body through the fabric, and the faint scent of Evelyn's hair lingered at his nose.

  Ryan felt unbelievably comfortable, and for reasons he could not explain, strangely at ease.

  Even the burning heat from the ultra-spicy chips lingering in his throat seemed to fade.

  Ryan quietly activated the Chaosforge Arcana, letting magic circulate around his throat, washing away the heat again and again like cool spring water.

  Only when the sting had almost disappeared did he finally stop his tears, leaving behind only a faint redness around his eyes, perfectly maintaining the image of someone still shaken and not yet recovered.

  Evelyn moved across the rooftop with him on her back, her steps soft and weightless. The tiles beneath her feet did not make a single sound.

  "Conceal your aura."

  Evelyn's eyes were fixed on the patrol guards quickly moving below the roof.

  They wore armor engraved with runes, carried enchanted spears, and had detection crystals hanging at their waists. The crystals emitted a pale golden glow, sweeping around to sense magical fluctuations.

  Ryan reacted instantly, compressing his magic to the limit until he felt like a shadow melted into the darkness.

  Below the palace roof, squads of guards rushed past. Their faces were grim, clearly aware that the armory palace had been robbed.

  What caught Ryan's attention was that their search area was extremely wide. It did not look like they were targeting only the armory; instead, it seemed as if multiple areas of the royal palace had been plundered.

  Most likely, before his death, Marius not only stole weapons from the armory but raided other treasure vaults as well.

  "That bastard really knew how to cause trouble," Ryan muttered inwardly.

  "That Grimoire must have devoured a lot of good stuff. There is no way Marius's storage space was worth only fifty thousand Origin Value."

  All the way through the palace, Evelyn carried him like a whisper of wind. Sometimes she lay low in the shadows on a rooftop, avoiding the gazes of patrolling guards.

  Sometimes she hid behind the beams inside a hall, and occasionally slipped into empty rooms.

  Most of those rooms were spare guest chambers of the palace, furnished simply, and perfect for temporary hiding.

  The footsteps of the guards thundered past them again and again. Each near encounter was nerve-wracking, yet Evelyn's movements remained calm and steady, never showing the slightest panic.

  At last, their room appeared ahead.

  "Get down."

  Evelyn stopped and gently lowered Ryan from her back.

  When Ryan touched the ground, he deliberately staggered, his legs trembling as if he might collapse at any moment, flawlessly continuing his fragile-apprentice act.

  He quickly reached out and pushed the door open. Once Evelyn slipped inside, he immediately shut the door behind them and said,

  "Hurry and take off your clothes!"