With an arrogant expression on his face, Qin Ran slipped into the building before him.
Even while sneaking in, that haughty air made him seem anything but furtive. Instead, he carried himself as though making a grand entrance, yet his stealth remained just as effective.
Pride passed through the gate, crossed the corridor, and entered the building.
After sweeping a disdainful gaze over a squad of fully armed guards inside, he headed straight for the second floor, where the shadow waited.
They were merely a group of men slightly stronger than ordinary soldiers. They were not worth his attention.
Even that shadow would not have warranted a second glance if not for Qin Ran's instructions.
In fact, neither the shadow nor the man in the second-floor study noticed Pride's arrival.
"Understood."
"I will inform my lord promptly."
The man in the room spoke respectfully to the shadow.
He was a middle-aged man whose figure had long since gone to seed. Even his enormous robe bulged around him. The fat on his cheeks completely hid his neck and made his eyes look tiny. Even when he opened them as wide as possible, he still appeared to be squinting.
At that moment, however, his movements were anything but slow.
He quickly wrote a concise letter, then prepared to have it secretly delivered to his lord through the usual channels.
But just as he reached for the letter on the desk, another hand picked it up first.
"You?!"
He stared in shock at Pride, who had suddenly appeared before him.
Before he could say anything else, the shadow beside him was engulfed in black flames and silently burned to ash.
Cold sweat covered his forehead and cheeks.
As one of the earliest leaders to serve that man, Otto knew very well how formidable