Marauder

Baron Percival smiled calmly and said:

"Why not, Saul? He has a point. Even if the advancement fails, it was his own choice. We would lose one potion at most.

"Of course, we still need to make the necessary preparations.

"Go back to Backlund and bring some men over. Have them lie in ambush nearby tomorrow. If he loses control and turns into a monster, eliminate him immediately.

"Also, have someone deal with the trouble in the East Borough as soon as possible. In particular, find those pickpockets who escaped. Keep them as backup candidates for taking the potion."

"As you command, Baron."

Saul, the man in the black hunting outfit, bowed and left the study.

Through the ornately carved window, Baron Percival watched his figure recede into the distance. He lifted his Queen's Black Tea, took a sip, and silently thought:

In fact, the real loss would be even smaller than I just said. If his advancement fails, the potion's main ingredients will separate out from his corpse.

This is knowledge of mysticism that most Beyonders know nothing about.

This is the accumulated heritage of a centuries-old family!

As the Percival Family's sole heir, even though he was only an ordinary man, he had ample channels through which to learn about the Beyonder world.

"The family..."

Baron Percival murmured softly, pain welling up in his blue eyes.

He closed his eyes slightly, as though he could see the regret in the dying eyes of his father, his grandfather, and generation after generation of Percival ancestors.

Their steadily diminishing title, the departure from their ancestral residence, the sale of their properties... This was the pain every member of the Percival Family had borne from birth.

No matter how hard they tried, they only continued to sink further.

"Five days!

"Only five days left!

"The long-dormant Percival Family will stop wagging its tail and begging for scraps, and return to the kingdom's political stage with an entirely new image!

"Percival will rise again in my hands!"

Baron Percival took a white handkerchief from his pocket and gently dabbed at the damp corners of his eyes. His blue eyes shone with a piercing brilliance!

It was a man's ambition and aspiration!

Meanwhile.

In a particular guest room in the manor.

Lorry lay on the soft bed with his eyes open, unable to sleep.

Although his ropes had been removed after he entered the room, he could still only passively accept their arrangements and wait for Baron Percival's next command.

The windows here had been sealed shut, leaving only a single door through which to enter or leave.

And outside that door...

Lorry's spiritual intuition told him that at least six people were standing guard outside.

Not only was he an incomplete Marauder, but his Serrated Dagger and revolver had also been confiscated. All he had left was False Face, which had gone undiscovered in his pocket.

Even if his strength had remained entirely intact, escape would have been impossible.

There's no point overthinking it.

All I can do now is take things one step at a time.

Luckily, I'm of some use to Baron Percival. Otherwise, I'd already be a Beyonder characteristic in the Percival Family's collection.

Lorry thought self-mockingly, finding what comfort he could in his misery.

Reviewing what had happened, he felt that he was still far too inexperienced.

From the investigation into Bird's Beak's buyer, he had merely noticed that something seemed wrong with Baron Percival's actions and felt that staying in Backlund might be dangerous. It had never occurred to him that the baron had already deduced something from Cyril's disappearance and used Old Jack as bait to set a hunting trap.

Also, the lack of information was one of the key reasons I became the prey... That useless Cyril knew nothing, yet still dreamed of becoming a lord...

If I'd known beforehand that Baron Percival's bodyguard belonged to the Hunter pathway, I would definitely have been more cautious and watched out for traps...

A skilled Hunter is terrifying... He must have worked out that I was the killer by examining the scene of the deaths in Koyar Village. Then, based on Cyril's disappearance and someone investigating Baron Percival, he guessed that I was out for revenge and prepared an ambush in advance...

As for the final factor... At this thought, Lorry could not help sighing inwardly. "An omniscient perspective can get you killed," he muttered.

"When I read the novel, Hunters never seemed all that powerful. All I knew was that the protagonist cut through his enemies like vegetables, no matter what Sequence they were."

"Who knew a Sequence 8 would almost be my undoing?"

"Luckily, at least..."

"For now, all I can do is endure and accept Baron Percival's arrangements. Once I regain my freedom, I'll find a way to escape his control."

He had a vague feeling that this matter was not as simple as he had imagined.

Although today was his first time meeting Baron Percival, even that brief glimpse had revealed that the man was an extremely meticulous thinker.

-There would certainly be measures to keep him under control.

Phew... Forget it. All of that is secondary. The most important thing right now is to pray to the gods that I successfully advance tomorrow...

At that thought, Lorry felt both excited and apprehensive.

He also marveled a little at the unpredictability of fate. He had never imagined that the Marauder potion he had dreamed of obtaining would come from Baron Percival.

After spending most of the night dealing with everything, and with little natural light in the room, Lorry slept until nearly noon. He only got up when the guard outside impatiently pounded on the door.

He quickly washed up in the small washroom and was much more awake when he came out.

By then, the man in the black hunting outfit-Saul, Baron Percival's Beyonder bodyguard-was already standing outside the door with an icy expression. The other guards were nowhere to be seen.

"You'll take your Marauder potion in this room."

Saul pointed at the table and spoke impassively.

Lorry followed the direction of his arm and saw a transparent cup already sitting on the table, filled with a deep blue-black liquid.

-It looked like some dark concoction thrown together by a novice bartender. Its texture was thick and cohesive, making it difficult to decide what measure word could even describe it.

He had seen it once in the fragments of his predecessor's memories.

But this one was slightly different.

This potion's color seemed deeper and more lustrous.

"If you regret it, you don't have to drink it. That would save us wasting this potion."

Saul snorted, his smile devoid of warmth.

Lorry shrugged slightly, ignoring the taunt. After taking a deep breath, he strode over, picked up the cup of dark blue liquid, and drained it in one gulp.

Bitterness exploded in his mouth, then slid straight down

his throat into his stomach, giving him the sensation of swallowing a large chunk of jelly whole.

The next second, Lorry felt a chill surge from his stomach and began to shiver.

At the same time, a succession of buzzing sounds rang in his ears, as though someone were continually muttering under their breath, or a swarm of mosquitoes were circling nearby.

"Ah!"

A spasming pain tore through his head, and he could not help letting out a low cry.

Through his gradually blurring vision, Lorry saw boil-like lumps continually erupting on his hands. They appeared and disappeared, darting about beneath his skin.

Outside the door, Saul's pupils abruptly dilated at the sight of this abnormality.

He immediately turned and barked in a low voice:

"Guards!

"Prepare to handle an anomaly!"

At the same time, he took out a blow dart and placed it in his mouth, ready to strike at any moment.