"Everyone's rooms have been arranged, and it's getting late. You should all rest early."
"Tomorrow, I will take you all to the academy for the assessment. Even if you fail, don't be disheartened. You are all outstanding talents who have initiated your 1st Soul Pact before the age of twenty, and I believe the Military Department will also welcome you with open arms."
The noblewoman named Anlina spoke in a gentle voice, calming the somewhat anxious young people.
Suddenly, someone stood up, his face flushed as he spoke, "Please forgive my presumption, Miss Anlina! May I ask if your residence is in need of servants?"
Anlina was momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered. Covering her smile with her fair hand, she said, "We aren't lacking servants for the time being. However, if you're willing, I do happen to need a personal guard..."
"It would be my honor to become your guard!"
The young man exclaimed, his face flushed, his words drawing envious glances from those around him.
They all came from poor, remote regions on the border. Because they were found to have excellent soul aptitudes with the potential to become Beastmasters, their clans had pooled funds to send them to the great city of Resa for better opportunities.
Whether it was passing the assessment to become students at the Beastmaster Academy or joining the Military Department to receive training, both were among their goals.
Of course, joining a noble's household and being highly valued there was also a good option—and indeed, many of the young people present couldn't help but cast burning gazes at Anlina's graceful figure, covertly swallowing their saliva, their hearts filled with jealousy and envy for the fortunate individual who had spoken first.
That was a personal guard, meaning they could be with Miss Anlina day and night. With some luck, even winning the lady's favor wasn't an impossible dream.
Alas, someone had spoken up first and snagged the sole vacancy, so the other restless young individuals could only suppress the impulses in their hearts.
Anlina seemed unaffected by those unabashed, fervent stares. Smiling, she scanned her surroundings and gently raised her wine glass.
"Then, allow me to offer everyone a final toast."
Her words were soft and sweet, as if imbued with some unknown magic power, settling the restlessness in everyone's hearts as they followed her gesture and lifted their glasses.
It's like watching a field of vibrant green leeks, all lined up, just waiting for the scythe...
Observing the passionate gazes directed at Anlina from all around the hall, Shiayar looked at them with a hint of sympathy.
Even though this world has Pet Beasts and magictech, the general level of enlightenment is still stuck in the medieval era. It's clear these people have never been burned by 'pay-for-success' schemes or suffered the devastating losses of online scams; they have no inkling of such an obvious 'pig-butchering' trap set before them.
Thinking about it, developing an anti-fraud app in this world might actually have some prospects.
As he idly mused, Shiayar's spirit stirred slightly.
In the next moment, a petite, silver-white figure appeared silently on Shiayar's shoulder.
That small silver-white form faded soundlessly, merging with the night outside the window, unnoticed by anyone.
After accomplishing this, Shiayar also raised the crystal goblet in his hand, the ruby liquid flowing down his throat.
Although over the years, using his intellect as a transmigrator, he had plagiarized, run success-guru type marketing schemes, and generally scammed his way to considerable wealth, even secretly controlling some industries, most of the money Shiayar earned was poured into completing that accursed mission. Just to uncover the location of the Azure Garden Dukedom's ruins, he had hired archaeological expedition teams of nearly a hundred people multiple times, leaving him perpetually short on funds.
Therefore, although bounty hunting wasn't his primary goal, Shiayar naturally wouldn't miss an opportunity that came his way.
There's no help for it. Having fallen into the money pit of archaeology, even a wealthy household would run out of reserves.
「...」
"It's getting late. Let me lead you all back to your rooms to rest."
Surveying the room and ensuring every person at the banquet had drunk their wine, Anlina then softly spoke again.
Despite her words, her figure didn't move an inch, and her sweet voice seemed tinged with a forcibly suppressed, restless emotion.
A few breaths later.
THUMP—
THUMP—
These were the muffled sounds of bodies hitting the ground.
It wasn't an isolated incident; in an instant, the chaotic noise of tables and chairs crashing and scattering echoed throughout the entire hall.
"The wine contains a paralytic poison, Miss Anlina! Someone is plotting against you!" a hoarse voice cried out. It came from the 'lucky one' who had first spoken up to secure the position. He was now lying immobilized on the ground, yet he still disregarded his own safety to shout a warning, clearly having already assumed the role of a personal guard.
The response he received, however, was an indifferent and icy gaze.
And a fine steel dagger that tore through the skin of his neck, freezing all his expressions into a rigid mask.
Blood splattered, casting an unnatural crimson sheen on Anlina's originally gentle and beautiful face.
She pulled the dagger from the slumped corpse and looked down at the figures sprawled haphazardly across the hall floor, her eyes flickering with unconcealed madness.
"To have formed your 1st Soul Pact at such a young age... you were all considered geniuses and elites in your hometowns, with high hopes placed upon you, weren't you?"
"It truly is enviable... To think that a group of lowly commoners like you could possess such jealousy-inducing talent."
Behind her, black smoke silently billowed, coalescing into a shape resembling a butterfly.
Its wings, formed from the black smoke, bore horrific patterns resembling white bone Skeletons—a stark contrast to the butterflies people imagined fluttering among flowers.
"But, the more talented they are, the more delicious their indignation and despair during their death throes, isn't it?"
The entire hall fell eerily silent. The paralytic poison in the wine had spread; now, they couldn't even control their vocal cords.
All they could do was watch in horror and despair as the noble young lady, once kind and benevolent in their eyes, approached them step by step, wielding the fine steel dagger.
Behind Anlina, the black butterfly with withered-bone patterns on its wings flapped slowly. Wisps of black mist drifted from the fallen figures on the ground, all of it merging into the Nightmare Butterfly behind her. A look of intoxication spread across Anlina's pretty face as her soul, connected to her Pet Beast, reveled.
The Nightmare Butterfly fed on the souls of others and negative emotions like fear and despair.
Such an evil Pet Beast was, naturally, not tolerated by the world.
But in the face of the thrill of gaining power, worldly laws, or even things like noble honor, had long been cast aside by Anlina.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone to such lengths to feign a benevolent appearance, taking in batch after batch of exceptionally talented Apprentice Beastmasters who had deliciously pure souls but lacked influential backgrounds.
During this time, she had constantly suppressed her true nature, striving to maintain a façade of goodness.
And now, the moment of harvest had finally arrived.
They're just a bunch of bumpkins from remote villages. Even if they go missing, nobody in Resa will care.
With this thought, Anlina, no longer suppressing her true nature, found her once elegant stride becoming increasingly brazen and disdainful.
She approached another fallen figure, the raised dagger poised to strike.
But then, something in the corner of her eye made her movements freeze in mid-air.
「...」
Anlina silently turned her head and looked at the black-haired young man leaning against a dining table, idly cracking sunflower seeds.
"Who are you?"
Among this batch of prey, this black-haired young man hadn't stood out; he had only left her with a vague impression of being quiet and reserved.
However, he had undoubtedly drunk the wine just moments ago; she had seen it with her own eyes.
Even a High Order Beastmaster, without summoning a Pet Beast for physical enhancement, shouldn't have been able to withstand that drug.
Yet, here he was, unhurriedly cracking sunflower seeds with an elegant air, seemingly unfazed by the shocking turn of events.
"Appearing to drink a lot while actually not touching a drop—that's a basic skill for nobles. Clearly, you've never endured the trials of drinking culture."
"Back in my day, if you hadn't mastered that skill, you'd end up as a 'little candy person' before you hit thirty."
As if he had read Anlina's thoughts, Shiayar stopped his actions.
He tidied his clothes and pinned a badge to his chest.
"Sorry, I'm a cop."