Bonus chapter thanks to @Joe Smith and @Jr194 from Ko-fi!
Morion, being a gathering place for the most dangerous criminals, naturally experiences frequent incidents and accidents.
Consequently, there are many deaths.
Bodies found in Morion are transferred by the corpse disposal team. They contact the deceased's family to inquire about funeral arrangements before proceeding. If there are no family members, cremation is carried out.
Renzo, having no family, it was decided to have his body cremated within Morion.
After cleaning up the solitary cell where Renzo had been confined, he was moved to the morgue in preparation for cremation.
"…You wish to see him? Renzo?"
There was a visitor looking for Morion.
A woman wearing an elegant outfit and a wide-brimmed hat that concealed her face.
As she walked, the click-clack of her high heels was a sound rarely heard in Morion.
"I've always thought I must repay him someday, but then I heard he suddenly died."
The receptionist looked troubled.
Renzo had been classified as one of the most dangerous criminals within Morion, hence he was locked in solitary confinement.
He was to remain there until his death. Naturally, visitations and phone calls were prohibited.
So, if someone wishes to meet Renzo, it would require either his escape or a commutation of his life sentence awaiting release. Both are virtually impossible.
"I've been clinging to the slim hope of seeing him again one day. Can I at least see his face?"
The woman said, her voice breaking. Tears welled up in the captivating eyes visible beneath her hat. She brushed them away with her hand as if to hide them.
"Excuse me, but what is your relationship with Renzo?"
"…It’s hard to say he had a good heart. He seemed like someone who just did whatever he wanted."
That would be accurate. A very accurate observation.
"However, it's because of his do-what-I-want nature that I was saved. Did you know? In the Dustar region, slavery is still rampant."
The woman nodded as the staff member seemed to shorten their words.
“He saved me. Of course, to him, it was just something he did in passing, seeing a calamity he couldn’t leave alone. I was just caught up in it. But it’s clear I was saved thanks to him.”
Indeed. The staff member nodded. It was just like Renzo.
“We’ll take you to the mortuary. Three instructors will accompany you. Is that alright?”
“Of course. I’d be satisfied if I could just see his face.”
The woman nodded, and the staff member reported the situation over the phone.
After a short while, three instructors approached the woman and one of them spoke.
“We will show you the way. This way, please.”
The woman accepted the protection and guidance of the three instructors.
Upon reaching the mortuary, the instructor in the lead opened the door.
Currently, only one corpse was laid out in the mortuary. The instructor moved the one lying on the wheeled bed to the center.
The face of the body was covered with a sheet.
The instructor approached the body’s face.
“Then, I will remove the sheet.”
As the instructor removed the sheet, Renzo lay there, his face already cold.
The woman covered her mouth with both hands and muttered as if lamenting. She approached Renzo with unsteady steps.
“Oh, what has become of you? Poor Lord Renzo……”
The woman’s fingertips touched Renzo’s face. The corners of the instructors’ eyes twitched, but they refrained from stopping her.
As she said that, the woman extended her hand.
For a moment, the instructors didn’t know what she meant. Shake hands? A high-five?
The index, middle, and ring fingers of the woman’s hand pointed at each instructor respectively.
The instructors’ heads were pierced. In an instant.
The fingers that had transformed into tentacles retracted, and the woman shook the blood off her fingers.
“Hmm, my fingers do get a little sore when I don’t use my aura. But thanks to that, they didn’t even notice.”
When humans face each other, the most cautious aspect is the operation of aura or mana.
A human not using Qi has limitations to their power.
Therefore, humans tend to let their guard down around those who do not use aura, offering an inadvertent advantage.
Moreover, if that being isn't truly human, but merely masquerading as one, the danger becomes even more fatal.
"Shall we begin then, Lord Renzo."
The woman's face writhed. Something seemed to crawl up from beneath her neck, squirming until her face transformed without so much as a sound of bone.
Her completely changed face was androgynous, identical to that seen in the auditorium of Constel. It was Kraken.
"This face really is more comfortable."
Being able to freely change from face to entire body, why insist on returning to this form? Kraken questioned its own actions. Perhaps, even in human form, there's an original appearance.
"Well, leaving that aside, we have work to do."
Kraken moved its hand towards Renzo's chest, who was lying down.
As expected, the heartbeat had completely stopped. The Renzo here was undoubtedly dead.
To gain a life, one must lose a life.
A technique only Kraken could perform. No, this was more akin to a taboo than a technique.
Just then, the mortuary's alarm blared loudly. No, perhaps it was an alarm ringing throughout all of Morion. They've noticed the anomaly here.
"As expected, they're quick. But it's already too late."
A hole opened in Kraken's palm. Something twisted inside Kraken's body rushed forth. It burst out of the open palm and plunged into Renzo's chest.
Kraken's entire body pulsed. That pulsation traveled down its palm, eventually suffusing Renzo with it.
Blood trickled from Kraken's mouth. Yet, Kraken remained smiling, enduring the excruciating pain.
Eventually, when Kraken removed its hand from Renzo's chest.
Renzo's eyes snapped open.