According to Kael, people really had two options in this world. You could either lay low and hope the world didn't consider you as its enemy, or become strong enough to oppose the antagonization of the world.
He sighed and told Stephen, "Elaborate."
Stephen didn't like his current situation, but he decided to gamble anyway since this was his only chance at life.
"Do you know Nanjing Sheng, the Sword Immortal of Cloud Siren City?" Stephen asked.
Seeing Kael nod, he continued, "He wants to upgrade his Class from Rare to Epic and had already gathered the necessary ingredients for the ritual except for one."
He looked at Kiona and said, "The heart of any beast who has an Epic-Stage Fire Affinity. As you know, it's very rare, and even after searching for years, he didn't find any clues to it."
He paused for a second and then added,
"So, he posted a quest in the Adventurer's Guild. Anyone who can find clues about an Epic-Stage Fire Affinity will get a reward of 2,000 Gold coins. And anyone who actually finds and brings it to him will receive the grand reward of 10,000 Gold coins and a mansion in Cloud Siren City."
This time, it was Kael's turn to be shocked, as he just stared at Stephen to see if he was lying. But then he thought about the value of an Epic-Stage Class and felt the rewards were reasonable.
If that man succeeded in upgrading his Class, he would become one of the most valuable people in the human domain. Even the Church of Dawnfire would have to show respect to him.
'Still, 10,000 Gold coins is an insane price.'
One had to know that the average middle-class household in the human domain earned around 200 Gold coins annually, and that was sufficient for them to live a satisfying life.
Increase it to 300 Gold coins, and they could afford a rather luxurious lifestyle, especially if they lived alone.
To earn 10,000 Gold coins, just how many years would one have to work? For a normal middle-class family, that was already fifty years' worth of income.
It was said that one could retire with 4,000–5,000 Gold coins, once again showing the significance of Nanjing Sheng's generosity.
"Master... is it a lot?" Kiona asked after some hesitation.
"It's enough for me to retire and stay away from everyone," Stephen answered instead of Kael. "That was my goal all along. I wanted to get your heart so that I could retire."
"How did you find her?" Kael asked, showing no emotions in his confession. He was mostly confused about this part, since the plane where Kiona's pride lived must have been very far from the human domain.
"I got lucky, nothing else," he answered. "I was hunting and found an injured beastman. Usually, I would've killed him, but I was tired, so I saved him and talked with him. He told me some rumors about her. That's how I got to know of her existence."
He sighed, "Sadly, that man didn't survive the night and died."
'More like you killed him to keep the secret to yourself,' Kael thought. He didn't believe those words.
"I didn't want anyone else to know about it, so after some preparation, I set off to get the heart. My specialty lies with beasts, so I was best suited for it."
Kael nodded, as he could already guess the rest of the story. It all made sense now. Still, he asked Alpha just to be sure.
'Did he lie?'
[No.]
"All right. Do you have any maps or something?" Kael asked.
"I've traveled around this area and made a rough map. It's in my bag," he turned his head to look at the cave in the hill. "You can find it there. It also has some other things, but I'll give it to you to show my gratitude for sparing me."
Kael nodded and said, "Alright, that's all I have to ask. You can leave."
"R-really?" Stephen asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, I mean, I did swear on the Goddess's name that I'd release you," Kael said, glancing down at Kiona.
He caught her fidgeting. She didn't want him to leave, but she also felt it wasn't her place to question his decision, throwing her into a dilemma.
Rubbing her back lightly, he smiled, "Go on. They won't kill you either."
Stephen's eyes teared up as he once again thanked Kael and stood up. It was difficult, as every muscle in his body spasmed, and every bone felt like it would break.
Still, the air of freedom filled his lungs, giving him the strength to move forward. It would be tough to reach the city in his condition, but he had his means to stay alive until then.
As for the rewards, he had already forgotten all about them. He was just happy to be getting out alive. He never expected his enemies to be so lenient.
He had just taken a step outside the valley when he felt a chill run down his spine, as if death had grazed the nape of his neck.
He hastily turned around, only to see a blur before sharp, deadly claws pierced into his chest. His ribs ruptured instantly, and his chest, along with his heart, was destroyed in a single sweep.
His eyes, full of confusion, disbelief, and pain, locked onto Kael's, and found them so dark... so cold.
As those thoughts formed in his mind, Kael ripped out his mangled heart from his chest, and his body collapsed to the side with a dull thump.
His consciousness began to fade, his vision dimming, as he continued to look at his murderer with one question swirling in the final moments of his life.
"Why..."
Before he could get any answer, his mind blacked out and he turned silent forever. Even in death, he didn't know why he died such a death.
He wasn't the only one who was confused. Kiona stood rooted to the ground, frozen as she stared at the scene before her. She couldn't comprehend what her master had just done.
Kael stood over Stephen's corpse and dropped the heart back onto his body, saying coldly, "I kept my promise."