Savor had a strange look on his face while he rode inside his carriage, with his sales boy seated at the other side.
While the boy indeed looked young, he still had the aura worthy of being the assistant of a Merchant Guild Master.
There was one thing he did notice though.
Ever since they left the Guild House to call it a day, Savor had a rather evil smile on his face, like he was constantly thinking of something.
The assistant tried to ignore it as much as he could, but eventually, he gave in, finding it was something he could not fully look away from.
After all, when such a look sets on the Guild Master’s face, it mostly always meant they had made a lot of profit.
"Guild Master, did something happen? You’ve been smiling a lot since we left."
Savor looked towards him, and even then the smile on his face remained.
"Excellent question. I am glad you asked, because quite frankly, I have been dying to tell someone about it. Would you like to hear?"
The assistant chuckled a bit.
"I am your assistant after all, should I not have known this if it’s related to the Guild?"
"You make a good point. Very well, I’ll tell you."
Savor leaned back, rubbing his jeweled rings together.
"A few moments ago, a bunch of fools walked into my office looking for the chance to trade a rather unique item they discovered. It must have been from some hidden quest or such. If I am being honest, it was indeed a spectacle to look at. Let me ask you something: when was the last time this world has seen a market-breaking product?"
The assistant was quiet for a while.
"We haven’t exactly got any since we chose to carry out our in-game roles and all. Why? Was their product that amazing?"
"Indeed it was. The game created a problem, and that very item will solve it. They came to me looking to sell it for 100 Cens. Idiots. That item would cost nothing less than a thousand Cens and that in itself is a generous offer. I accepted their meager wants, of course."
There was silence for a while, making the only thing echoing inside the carriage be the sound of Savor’s finger tapping on the carriage’s wooden frame window.
"I will buy the artifacts from them in bulk, with a different company name. Being their main supplier means they will always bring the product to me first. Then, while I buy it from them for 100 Cens, they will be sold for 1000 Cens to the public. Genius, right?"
"There you go extorting people again, Mr. Savor."
"Hahaha! They let it happen! Thinking such a valuable item could be sold for such a small amount. I am merely helping their case here if you think about it. They are still getting the profit they deserve nonetheless."
"Yes, yes, I can’t change you. Let’s just hope they don’t find out about it before you finalize the paper."
"I doubt that. They are just naive adventurers."
...
Moments after that, Savor had arrived at his home and was slowly approaching the entrance after the carriage drove off.
His house was big and far away from most buildings; as such, it stood out, having separate lights scattered across the entire estate, making it hard for anyone to get lost in the dark.
However, just as he got to the front of the door, he noticed something: the front door had been slightly opened.
He paused for a while.
"Honey? Did you leave the door open by accident?"
No one answered.
Savor stepped into the house. The lights were on, so he knew his wife still had to be around the house somewhere. She wasn’t the type to leave the lights on at night if she wasn’t there.
So, he moved upstairs, hoping there was the chance she was simply sleeping upstairs and forgot to switch off the light.
Or so he hoped.
Upon reaching the first floor, the first thing he saw immediately put a dent in his chest.
Lying dead on the ground, their skins completely peeled from the inside out, were his maids and his butler. Their bodies were stuck to the wall like glue, painted in crimson.
His face convulsed in fear as he stared at the bodies, almost to the point where he forgot he knew them and wanted to puke on the spot.
Although, that thought soon left his mind when he remembered his wife was also somewhere in the mansion, and there was a chance she must have met the same fate as well.
Immediately, he ran forward—
"Honey! Honey!!!!"
His voice echoed throughout the entire place.
Who could have done this?
Why would they choose to attack him on that particular day?
Savor had a lot of enemies, most of which were merchants like him who were jealous of his success. That said, even they wouldn’t dare to make such an attack on him.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally stood before his bedroom, the only place in the mansion where he felt his wife would be.
After all, merely standing there, he could see the trail of blood leading all the way into the already slightly opened room.
In that moment, two things bothered the scared man.
One was his nightmare coming to pass, and walking in there to see his wife dead.
Second was the fact the killer could in fact still be there. Unless he was mistaken, the aura oozing from that very room was unlike anything he had ever felt.
Eventually, he steeled himself and walked into the room.
And there he saw her.
Carlotta, sitting on the wooden chair at the far corner of the room, closer to where the window was, which allowed the radiant moonlight to shine on her dark dress.
But even more so, the evil grin on her face almost forced him to run away in that moment.
If that wasn’t enough, he noticed something else as well.
At first, he had thought it was simply a round object, something the killer would have used as some kind of weapon.
But upon a closer look, he froze.
The killer was holding the severed head of his beloved wife, stroking its hair gently.