《The Selfish Demon》


 Prologue

    ¡°No! What is the meaning of this?! How dare you all do this to me?!¡±


    Within the middle of the grassland was a screaming young man encased in ice. Not only was the man completely frozen, every blade of grass around him and every tree off into the distance was all covered in a layer of ice.


    The only three objects that was untouched by the cold were the three beings standing in front of the man. A man, who looked middle aged, was flanked by a man and woman of similar age. The three looked warmly at the man in ice.


    ¡°Our fellow brethren have all turned to dust. There are only the three of us left. We know, if not for you, even we would not have been able to survive this long.¡± the man in the middle spoke.


    ¡°Unlike you, who have not aged a single day since we first met, the three of us has almost reached the end of our time¡± the man on the left added. ¡°And after this is over, the three of us will no longer be able to sustain ourselves¡± As if to prove his point, after the man finished, the three being¡¯s hair greyed.


    ¡°We appreciate you helping us all. After receiving our powers, we never once forgot the favor you have shown us.¡± The woman on the right continued. ¡°This time, it is our turn to help you¡±


    ¡°Then release me! I did not give you my powers to have you turn against me!¡± Roared the man in ice. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    But, despite the man¡¯s angry howl, the three did not listen to him. They only continued their own one sided dialogue towards him.


    ¡°We are sorry, but please understand our actions¡± The woman smiled. ¡°We can not have you eliminating everyone¡±


    ¡°Whether you believe us or not, we are not heroes nor saviors trying to save the populace¡± the man on the left said. ¡°Nor are we trying to save our descendants¡±


    ¡°No, we are much more selfish than that¡± the man in the center added. ¡°We just hope one day, you will understand why we have done all of this¡±


    Willed by the three of them, the large amount of ice formed a spell circle, spanning extraordinary distances, weaved together with the young man at its center. If one looked closely, the complex sigils dictated three different bindings.


    ¡°Stop! Stop this at once!¡± the man shouted.


    As if protesting his screams, the world before him increasingly shone brighter. As the light shone brighter with the light, the bodies of the three beings were slowly crumbling. Pieces of their bodies flowed into the spell circle, which in turn made the light exponentially stronger.


    He tried to move his powers, his body, anything that could be useful, but it was to no avail. As the three started to disappear, he started to lose control of his powers, then his limbs and shortly after, his eyes started to fail him.


    The last thing he could do was stare at their faces. Regardless of the pain they felt with their decaying bodies, there was only a smile as they faced the young man. Against all odds, it was him who was crying. His weeping face had long replaced the angry expression he had.


    Finally, there was only darkness.

 Chapter 1

    ¡°My child¡± were the first words he heard. They were words filled with happiness, but he could feel the anguish behind them. He opened his eyes when he realized his senses had returned.


    Before him was an incredibly frail woman, with crystal blue hair and eyes, who was cradling him in her arms. A blissful expression was all that could be seen on her when she turned to look at his cold indifferent eyes.


    ¡®Who are you? Who are you to treat me like your child?¡¯ He attempted to ask but all he could hear was an indistinguishable noise coming from his mouth.


    He then moved his limbs, attempting to push the woman away, to no avail. He could hardly even turn his head but had still noticed how small his hands were compared to the woman.


    ¡®Those three! How dare they turn me into an infant!¡¯ He roared in his head.


    ¡°My child¡± She voiced out once again. However, this time, he could not feel a single shred of sadness from her voice. There was only an immeasurable amount of joy coming from the woman. With great effort, she forced herself to stand with her feeble body and started walking.


    ¡®Where are you taking me!? Release me!¡¯ He could not help but be agitated. Because he already knew from the prior attempt that it would not work, he did not rely solely on his voice. He forced his surroundings to swirl around the two of them, creating a force strong enough to annihilate everything in its path, and charged it straight at the woman.


    To his surprise, ice had been the element to form, but that did no compare to the shock he received when his attack completely stopped right before it collided with the woman. Before long, shock and awe crept up on his face, replacing his annoyed look as he looked at her.


    As if the woman knew his thoughts, she smiled sweetly at the him. ¡°There is a cabin over there.¡± she pointed forward. ¡°It is almost dark out. Let us rest inside.¡±


    Feeling no ill intent from her words and learning from his prior two failures, he quietly let himself be taken away.


    ?


    When they reached the cabin, the sun had long set. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    He could see from the widows that the entire building was well lit. Peering inside, besides the bare essentials of a household, he only found large amounts of items meant for children, such as cribs, clothes, books, and even toys. Strangely enough, there were three different sets of items, yet there was not a single child in sight.


    The first thing the woman did after entering the cabin was walk towards a large mirror hanging on the wall. Placing one of her hands on the mirror, she spoke, with a strong sense of urgency, ¡°Owen, It¡¯s Elaine. Come here as soon as possible.¡± before she taking her hand off the mirror.


    After completing her task, the woman named Elaine quickly put all her attention on the boy. She first fed him a meal, bathed him, and then clothed him, not once taking her sight nor hand away from the child. Everything she had done screamed of inexperience but had been done with great deal of care. She had been cheerful the whole time.


    Unlike her emotions, there was only a resounding silence between the two. She had not asked him a single question about his prior actions, and in turn, he, who had the body of a child, quietly accepted her care.


    By the time Elaine had finished, it was time for bed. She wrapped the child with a thick blanket, placed him beside her as she prepared to sleep, and cradled the boy tightly in her arms, as if he was unwilling to let go.


    Much to the child¡¯s surprise, Elaine had already fallen asleep. He had thought, with how close the woman had stuck to him, she would have waited until he dozed off before she did.


    As he felt his blanket dampening, he took a quick glance at her sleeping face, only to find tears falling from her eyes. He could not help but stare at the woman who had such a delightful look only to start crying when she slept.


    He probably did not know why himself. Maybe it was the way she had tried her best to care for him, or maybe he felt sorry for the crying woman, but he allowed himself to fall deeper into her embrace, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.


    ?


    ¡°Since when was I this pathetic?¡±


    An ominous voice rang loudly in the boy¡¯s head, waking him up. He looked around himself, finding the woman named Elaine to his left and an unknown man to his right. Despite how big the bed was, the man too, similar to the woman, was sleeping right next to him with a hand over his body, as if afraid he would disappear.


    He gave himself a soft smile before finally pushing himself away from their light grip.


    ¡®I should figure out what they did to me ¡­ yes ¡­ I should¡¯ He repeated, trying to convince himself.


    Willing the air around him, he allowed his body to float away towards a wall. As if the wall did not exist, his body shifted past it with no resistance, bringing him outside.


    It was already dawn. He had spent the entire night resting inside without a single notice of what was happening around him. This just strengthened his desire to leave.


    Because he did not have a set destination, he moved towards a random direction where large amounts of life could be felt and fell back asleep.

 Chapter 2

    Elaine sat beside a lake within the small forest known as the Aliore Woodlands. She would listlessly stare into the lake for such an extensive amount of time that cause anybody who knew her to worry. It did not help that she looked so feeble that a gust of wind could knock her down.


    No one would think such a frail looking woman was Elaine Aliore, known for being as willful  as she was strong. Yet here she was, mourning the loss of her children, for their ashes had been scattered across this lake.


    Three. That was the number of times she was with child and, ever since a year ago, It too was the number of times she had experienced the loss of one. They had all perished before they could experience a single breath of the world. And so, like any other day, she sat there, looking at the lake.


    Before long, she took out a book. Today¡¯s book was a  collection of children''s story filled with bright pictures. She turned to the page of a random fairy tale and started the next story.


    There was only the sound of her voice drifting through the air. As she reached the conclusion of the story, her tone grew sorrowful. ¡°And so, with the knight¡¯s accomplishments, he was able to ask for the princess¡¯ hand in marriage. They were finally able to openly get married with everyone¡¯s blessings ¡­ had three beautiful children ¡­ and lived happily...¡± she could not finish.


    Tears welled up in her eyes.


    ¡°Is this my fate¡­? Unable to ever have a child?¡± She asked, looking at the sky.


    ¡°Do you want a child?¡± A mixture of voices reverberated throughout the air behind her. ¡°If you really wish for it, it is not impossible for us to give you one¡±


    Elaine quickly turned around. As if the world stopped for a moment, nothing could be heard nor seen. Despite that, she knew someone or something was there, and she knew they were waiting for an answer. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Hope welled up in her heart. If anyone asked her whether she wanted a child or not, of course she would answer with a yes. But, at the very least, she was smart enough to know nothing could possibly be this convenient. However, although she hesitated, it did not take long for her to make a decision.


    ?


    When Owen Aliore arrived at his wife¡¯s cabin, he was stunned. This cabin was something she had built for the two of them when they had gotten married, but ever since the loss of their children, it had only been used by her when she wanted to be alone. Thus, when he was told to come to the cabin, he had expected an unknown situation. However, he did not expect his current situation.


    Before his eyes was his wife sitting on her bed, with an unknown baby, which looked eerily similar to him and his wife, sleeping in her arms. Not only did the boy look like their very own child, but Owen noticed his wife¡¯s blue hair and his very own golden eyes on the child. He looked back and forth between the child and his wife in disbelief. Before he knew what to say, she had already started talking.


    ¡°Owen, don''t you think our child is very cute¡± She said happily.


    ¡°Elaine, who is this child? Where did he come from? ¡± He hurriedly questioned his wife.


    ¡°This child¡­ is a gift¡­ yes, He is a gift¡±


    ¡°A gift¡­?¡±He repeated. ¡°From who?¡±


    ¡°He was a gift from the gods. They had taken pity on me and decided to gift a child to me.¡± Before Owen could say anything, she continued. ¡°I can imagine how you must feel, but please believe me. I am your wife! I would never do anything to harm us!¡±


    There was nothing left for him to say. Despite the absurdity of the situation, he was inclined to believe his wife. They had been trying to have a child for so many years even with all their failed attempts, and yet there was one right in front of him without having to do a thing. On top of that, he could unquestionably feel the bloodline connection between him and the child.


    ¡°What are we going to tell everyone?¡± After a long period of silence, he asked his wife.


    She had a grin plastered on her face, as if she had expected his reactions.


    ¡°That is why I told you to come here as soon as possible¡±

 Chapter 3

    Observing the area around him, he determined he was currently confined within a carriage. Unlike a normal carriage, the inside structure which would normally be layered with wood had been replaced with metal in order to stop them from escaping. He had been placed here after a company of slave traders found him early in the morning.


    Every one of them carried an expression filled with greed. When they all took a look at his crystal blue hair, the thought that he was their golden egg came across their mind so they quickly tossed him in a carriage to move and sell him quick before anyone found out they were carrying such a thing.


    Of course the boy did not care about what they thought of him because he simply wanted to keep moving towards populated area in hopes of finding more information and they provided such means for him.


    Suddenly, as the carriage started moving, he heard someone sobbing. He did not pay attention to it before but there was someone next to him. It was a young girl. She looked around ten years old, had light blue hair, and her name was Alicia.


    According to what he heard from the group¡¯s banter, she too was someone they were trying to sell away. However her situation was quite different. Unlike him, she was someone who was sold to the group by her own family.


    He also heard it was because of her blue hair. Apparently people with brighter hair had much more worth, but that only confused him more. From his memories, there was no inherent value people had due to their hair color.


    But, no matter who she was or what her circumstances were, it did not matter to him.


    Unbeknownst of the boy¡¯s feelings, Alicia kept crying. She could not help it. Even if she knew she was sold off, even if they thought the money was more important than her, she still missed her family.


    Time passed agonizingly slow for the two of them. Each bump on the road, each crack the wheels touched, and each obstacle the carriage passed by could be distinctly felt. Neither of them knew where they were headed. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ?


    When it was high noon, the carriage finally stopped moving and its locked door opened. It was a random worker holding what looked like a meager amount of porridge and water.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your food. Girly, make sure you feed the kid too. Eat it else we will force feed you¡± was all he said before leaving behind the locked carriage.


    After the man left, Alicia¡¯s cries which had been dampened due the travel instantly started to strengthen. She did not take a single look at the food despite how hungry she was.


    With such a long journey ahead of them, the boy decided it was better off not hearing a little girl crying the entire way. He wondered how he should keep her quiet but in the end he decided against killing the girl. If it did not work like the last time he tried, it would only make her sob louder.


    Moving his body, he floated across the carriage and landed on her legs. Before Alicia could react, he moved his hand to block her mouth in an attempt to keep her quiet. He stared at her and pointed at the food in hopes it would weaken her cries.


    Looking up, Alicia was startled by the sudden appearance of the boy before her as she had not heard him move towards her. Peering into the infant¡¯s golden eyes, she could see the intellect, understanding, and most importantly, indifference behind them. It calmed her.


    ¡°Do ¡­ you ¡­ want to eat?¡± Alicia said while sniffling.


    She had misinterpreted his actions. However, that did not matter to him. Seeing as her wails had decreased, he did not feel the need to correct her so he went along with Alicia¡¯s misunderstanding and he nodded his head.


    Acknowledging the toddler¡¯s response, Alicia grabbed the bowl of porridge and started feeling him. He slowly ate and drank the porridge and water she put in front of him until he one-fourth of the serving had been consumed. After he finished his portion, his fingers started shifting from her and the food, indicating for her to eat as well.


    Despite the situation Alicia was in, she could not help but feel awed at the baby who was obediently eating before her. He was intelligent despite his young age, did not feel pressured by their current circumstances, and even had the thought of caring for her. She glanced at his hair and eyes and could not help but compare him to herself.


    ¡°It must be nice ¡­ having a son like you. So gentle ¡­ so smart ¡­ and so talented. You would probably never be thrown away like me ¡­¡± Alicia whispered.


    He sat there on her legs, simply staring at her slowly eating the remaining share of her porridge, unable to say anything. Even if his body was not that of an infant¡¯s, he would not be able to say anything. After all, unlike her situation, it was him who had left behind the woman who tried to care for him.

 Chapter 4

    A few days since Alicia and the boy spoke, or rather, since she spoke to the boy. The boy, as per usual, quietly moved to the other side of the carriage right after the two of them finished eating whatever the slave traders had gave them.


    It was eerily quiet. She had never noticed it before but no noise from the outside could be heard, not the sound of the wheels treading the ground nor the chatter of the people moving them. It was as if only the carriage existed in the world and everything else beyond its wall were no longer real.


    Thinking back, she could remember that everyday had been this quiet. But, despite the overwhelming silence, Alicia never thought it was suffocating.


    Whenever Alicia felt distressed at the thought of her family, her situation, or her future, the boy would always appear beside her and light pat her back. She had never thought such a simple action could move her so much.


    She felt the boy was a serene and comforting existence that nothing could trouble and that caused her to be just as tranquil.


    Thus, Alicia walked over towards the opposite side of carriage where the boy sat, putting him in her arms, unwilling to ever let go. Her vision naturally went towards the boy¡¯s face, which displayed a questioning gazing back at her, as if asking, her what was she doing.


    ¡°My father and mother loved me¡­ as did the rest of my family¡± Alicia insisted. ¡°They bought me everything I wanted, let me do anything I wanted ¡­ they really loved me ¡­ so how did I end up here?¡±


    She was seeking for an answer. The boy had never spoke, but, for some indescribable reason, she thought- Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°You can talk, right? This silence is because of you, is it not? If you can negate out sound this perfectly, then certainly, you can create a sound can¡¯t you? If that¡¯s the case ¡­ then ... can you give me an answer?¡±


    ¡°Why ... do you ¡­ want ¡­ an answer ¡­ from me?¡± A voice resonated in response.


    It was awkward. The voice carried no distinctive features which belonged to either genders. It sounded as if someone who had no longer spoken finally made their voice heard again. However, the voice carried a very distinct lonesome tone.


    Although Alicia did not expect an answer, she was neither dazed nor shocked. ¡°Because I want to know ¡­ no ¡­ that''s not right ¡­ I just to hear it from you¡± She responded naturally. Despite being unable to determine which direction the voice appeared from, without a doubt in her mind, she knew its origins must have been the boy in her arms.


    ¡°What if ... I don¡¯t want to give you an answer?¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t. If you really do not want to tell me, then don¡¯t. But, even if you never tell me ¡­ I will still want one from you¡±


    ¡°Then ¡­ don¡¯t expect a response from me¡±


    ?


    Owen looked over to Elaine in confusion. Ever since the boy who was supposed to be their son disappeared, the two of them had been flying all over their territories, without rest, in order their search for him. However, Elaine had thwarted his attempts to contact their friends in order to add them to the search party.


    ¡°Are you sure we shouldn¡¯t involve them in our search? There is only so much we can do on our own¡± Owen asked his wife.


    ¡°It is better this way¡± Elaine replied. ¡°The less who know about him, the better. There is no need to worry, it is impossible for him to be harmed. As long as our people keep us updated, we will find him.¡±


    Although her words appeared calming, Owen could feel the restlessness and impatience radiating from his wife. He complained to himself internally before letting his mind wander, wondering why it was his wife who had inherited such an extraordinary child.

 Chapter 5

    Despite the few days it had been since the two had met, the boy felt it was much longer due to the dull environment they were in. However, even he felt such a dull journey had been cut short too abruptly.


    The carriage suddenly stopped moving and two roguish looking men stepped inside. When they arrived before the two children, Alicia tightened her hold of the boy and tensed up. The men silently grabbed and pulled Alicia outside, along with the boy, into a small crowd of people.


    Unlike Alicia who was only focusing on him, the boy looked at this surroundings. Within his sights were an unfamiliar slave trader to his side and a man in the forefront of the group, all standing in a courtyard, discussing business.


    ¡°Unfortunately City Lord, you are unable to provide enough compensation for the boy. Take a look at his hair and eyes, you are far too mediocre for him.¡± The slave trader gave a mocking smile.


    The opposing man, titled City Lord, glared back at the slave trader ¡°Is this how Occu Conglomerate treats its customers?¡±


    ¡°Is it not enough that I am here?¡± The slave trader laughed arrogantly. ¡°As you had discussed with our middle man beforehand, we are only here to sell you the girl. Heh, Don¡¯t be so angry. Although her eyes and physical capabilities are lacking, her hair shows respectable prospects for a mage. Now, hand over the payment¡±


    The City Lord¡¯s face contorted with anger. How long had it been since someone had held him in no regard, he wondered. If he had the strength to slaughter the person before him, he would have done it long ago.


    He signaled his subordinates behind him and before long, a small dagger made entirely of green crystals were brought to him. ¡°Give me the girl¡± The City Lord voiced as he tossed the dagger towards the opposite party.


    Checking the dagger in his hands, he affirmed it an adequate item and gestured to his men to hand Alicia over. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Alicia, who had been still during the entire conversation, was greatly agitated when two men tried to release the boy from her arms.


    ¡°NO! Don¡¯t let them take me away!¡± Alicia screamed as her grip on the boy increased.


    However, no matter how much she begged, no one would stop because of it. Although they were curious why she was speaking to an infant, they did not care enough to find out why. The men attempted to separate the two, pulling them apart.


    Alicia sobbed, screamed, and struggled, unwilling to let go. ¡°Please! Don¡¯t let them take me away!¡± She continued to plead to the boy. Yet there was no response.


    The men continued their attempts of separating the two apart in vain. Every endeavour they attempted, they halted immediately after due to the fear of damaging their product. They felt that if they had put more force, whether it was pulling the boy away from her arms or separating her arms, either of the two would be injured. That was how firm she held onto the boy.


    ¡°Tsk, this is why working with people who only handle low class goods is so annoying.¡± The slave trader criticized. ¡°Just break her arms, she is not worth a fraction of the boy¡¯s price.¡±


    Noticing the irritable face his customer was making, he continued, ¡°Do not worry dear customer, we will pay for her repairs¡±


    After he saw the City Lord silently accept the outcome, he signaled his men to continue and they forcibly grabbed the Alicia''s arms.


    *Snap*


    It was easy to do.


    No matter how much she struggled to hold onto the boy, they were far too strong compared to her once they no longer hesitated.


    As if to protest their actions, in spite of no longer being able to move her arms, she pushed her body over the boy, covering him. She wept, but not once did she let out a scream.


    ¡°Please¡­ let me stay by your side. I won¡¯t ask anything of you ¡­ please ¡­ I just want to be with you.¡±


    The boy could not understand why she was saying such things. It had only been a few days since they had seen each other and it had even been an even shorter period of time since he had spoken to her.


    It confused him.


    Nonetheless, even with such confusion, he knew one thing for certain. He no longer wanted to continue this farce.


    WIth a wave of his hand, before anyone noticed, their entire surroundings were engulfed in a world of white.

 Chapter 6

    The boy scanned his surroundings. It was a scene he should have seen multiple times before, where everyone around him was buried in a pile of snow, slowly consuming everyone¡¯s life force, yet not a single person had lost their life. Everywhere he looked, people were static due to the crushing weight of the snow he had summoned. But not a single person was harmed.


    He could hear their cries in the background, but to him, it was just the cry of an animal waiting to be slaughtered. Such people were not even people in his eyes. Attempting to take their lives once again, he forced a flaming pillar, a wind blade, and a metal spear to indiscriminately attack the people around him, only to find them dissipating before hitting their targets.


    ¡®I can¡¯t harm anyone anymore? Is this what they did to me?¡¯


    Putting aside his thoughts, the boy took a peek at the one person he did not bury alive. Even though her arms were broken, despite not protecting her, and regardless of not saying the words she wanted, Alicia still smiled sweetly at him.


    ¡®It hurts.¡¯


    That was his only thought.


    From the boy¡¯s respective, the girl before him was insane. Before Alicia worked up her courage to grab hold of him, her emotions fluctuated endlessly between sorrow and joy. He could not conceive any reason why her emotions could change so drastically just from someone lightly consoling her.


    But after Alicia started cradling his infant self, she was always full of joy. He did not whether it was because she had her own agenda or if he had actually turned into somebody special in her mind, which allowed her to be so happy. He cared little about such details. The only thing on his mind was how painful it was to receive such a smile.


    He was unwilling to be to looked at in such a way. Thus, the boy swiftly extended his hand and tapped Alicia¡¯s head, quickly putting her to sleep.


    Even so, he could not stop the anguish in his heart.


    When he looked at her, his eyes were naturally drawn to her broken arms.


    It made him uncomfortable. He did not know why. He thought after all the things he had seen throughout his long life, there was nothing he was not accustomed to.


    Yet, to him, her arms were unsightly, and that made him feel uncomfortable.


    The boy extended his hand once again and lightly tapped the girl. But this time, as if time had been overturned, her brokens arms returned to their natural state.


    Only then did his heart finally calm.


    The boy could only laugh at himself for being hurt by such a gentle look. He knew why such a look caused his heart to ache so much.


    ¡®Those three¡­ what was their plan anyways?¡¯


    He could not help but remember the ones who caused this to happen. Despite persihing into nothingness, they too smiled back at him.


    Together, they once ruled every part of their world, leaving not a single part untouched and controlled who could gain power, wealth, and authority together. No one else in the world could come close to them when they collectively worked together to control the world.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    No, it was not only those three. If he remembered correctly there were others too that helped them on their conquest.


    But he was the one who handed everything to them. When they wanted power, he readily gave it to them. When they desired wealth, he created it for them. Finally when craved authority, he provided it for them. No matter what their hearts desired, no matter how delusional or how absurd, there was not one thing he failed to hand over.


    Yet, He was alone. Once again, just as if he had never met any of them, all alone.


    When was it that they no longer looked for him? When had they decided that they no longer required his help?


    ¡®When was it¡­ that they started smiling at me like that?¡¯


    Then finally, one by one, they slowly withered away. But even so, they never once came in front of him again.


    Only those three came before him.


    But whether it for an extension to their withering lives, preserving the lives of their descendants or at the very least, questioning what he was trying to do, they had not asked him a single question.


    They simply came and sealed him.


    ¡®How is this not forgetting my favor? How is this helping me? How could doing this to me possibly help me¡­it¡¯s so painful¡¯


    ?


    Floating down together from the sky, Elaine and Owen landed on the one spot that was not covered in snow.


    They could see the baby, who was gifted to them, covered by an unknown blue haired child. Both of them were asleep.


    Elaine was the first to walk up to the boy and lightly removed him from the girl, putting him in her arms. Slight tears could be seen forming in the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°Geez, he got himself a girl while we were searching for him so desperately¡± Elaine lightly teased.


    ¡°...Is that what you are going to comment on?¡± Owen could only shake his head.


    He examined the area around him and determined they were standing in the courtyard of the City Lord¡¯s manor. All the land within the boundaries of his estate, except the small piece of land they were standing on, was blanketed in snow, while everything beyond the gates were left unscathed.


    Unsurprisingly, Owen found numerous people within the courtyard, but he was shocked to find all them alive and well despite being buried alive. He knew his wife certainly detected such a phenomenon but she just did not put them in her eyes, only caring about the baby she was holding.


    Owen searched through the snow, looking at the people trapped underneath and recognized a small amount of notable figures.


    ¡°Looks like a manager from the Occu Conglomerate and the City Lord is trapped around us. Are we going to kill them? Or should we put them in our debt?¡± Although he already knew what she was going to do, he still asked.


    Elaine gave her husband a slight smile. Waving her hand, numerous types of weapons appeared one by one, all formed by ice. Before anyone noticed, the entire sky was filled with an innumerable amount of deadly yet beautiful crystals of ice.


    ¡°We can¡¯t have people figuring out that it was our son who did all this. Besides, you shouldn''t think about making money all the time¡± Elaine sighed.


    She walked a small distance away and poked her hand into the snow. After her hand seized something from within, she tore it out and tossed it to her husband.


    ¡°This is the only thing worth anything here. Although it isn''t much, but at least it¡¯s better than nothing, right?¡±


    Owen evaluated the item in his hand. ¡°Tsk, how did this even get in their hands? Such a large nature crystal yet they dare turn it into a dagger. What a waste¡± Despite his discontent with the dagger, he fastened it to waist in order to sell it later on.


    Elaine chuckled at her husband¡¯s miser like action.


    Waving her hand, all the weapons descended upon the snow, taking the life of everyone confined within.


    Naturally Elaine had not attacked Alicia. She thought that If the boy did not trapped her along with everyone in the courtyard, he must have wanted her to be safe. Thus, Elaine summoned a gust of wind to carry the girl.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back¡± Elaine gestured to her husband.


    No longer having anymore reason to stay, with child in arm and girl in tow, the couple fly away.