Remember to Bring Wine

"Got it."

Curze nodded and headed for the administrative district in the area.

It was mainly a district for mid-level administrators, populated entirely by villains and criminals.

Swish!

Squelch!

A perfectly good head was severed by a sharp piece of metal. Curze appeared behind the corpse.

"All right, now for step two. Flay his skin off. I'll teach you exactly how."

"What?"

Curze froze.

"If we want to deter them, we need to make them feel fear. It's a necessary measure."

"Only by taking this first step toward deterrence can we bring new life to the entire planet!"

"Looks like you're the kind of evil spirit Dad talked about."

"No wonder you call yourself the Night Haunter."

"What?" The Night Haunter froze.

"I said you're a Xenos beast."

Curze clearly remembered Han Mingxuan saying more than once that all people were equal in life.

No matter what a person had done while alive, once he was dead, what remained was no longer Curze's concern.

He could display his achievements, but he couldn't torture someone to death. That was no different from what a beast would do.

Anyone who did that was either a psychopath or a Xenos.

"Insolence!"

"You're the ridiculous one! Death is enough for a villain. He wasn't beyond redemption."

"Crushing bones for their marrow, flaying skin and tearing out tendons-only a thousand-year-old monster or a Xenos would do that."

"And you still claim you're not a Xenos!"

"You... what do you know?!"

"They have to know fear before they'll stop doing wrong."

"This planet is beyond saving, and so are the people here!"

"You're the one beyond saving, you Xenos!"

"Fool! Everyone here has an innate wickedness. They'll never repent!"

"That's why they need to be taught."

"Wh... what?" The Night Haunter was stunned by Curze's words.

"They need to be taught how to be human, so they're no longer beasts in human skin. They need to learn propriety, understand the law, and know reverence."

"If you have the strength, you should challenge the strong, not turn your blade on the weak."

"Since you say you want to bring new life to this planet, you should give most people a chance."

"A world born anew needs people of sound character, not puppets ruled by fear."

"Sentimental foolishness."

"There's no point talking when we don't see eye to eye."

Curze spent the rest of the time bathing the place in blood.

The Night Haunter didn't say another word during it all. He just watched.

When Han Mingxuan woke early the next morning, he found that Curze wasn't there.

Could he have gone to the mine already?

It was possible. Curze's stamina had been improving, so perhaps he had left first.

I'll go take a look.

Han Mingxuan arrived at the work area of his mine. The efficient, bustling scene was gone.

Silence had taken its place.

This was...

A mound of severed heads?

Curze!

One look at it told Han Mingxuan that Curze had definitely done this.

Han Mingxuan was the only one who had ever told Curze about mounds of severed heads.

"Remarkably effective, boy."

"Shut up, you Xenos."

Curze had built the mound to tell Han Mingxuan he was all right.

Now that the district's management had been killed, mining had been reduced to a minimum, and most people had found somewhere to lie low.

The Adeptus Mechanicus had to investigate everyone one by one.

Some of the dead had been members of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

After all, mining worlds were directly under the Adeptus Mechanicus, not the Administratum.

Within the bounds of its own holdings, its people had been killed for no reason, without anyone noticing.

It was a slap in the face to the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Han Mingxuan underwent questioning by the Adeptus Mechanicus, then went to the mine once he was cleared.

Over the next few months, the same thing happened every day.

Whenever the Adeptus Mechanicus got mining operations back on track, another group of administrators would be beheaded.

After this happened a few times, mining at Mining Hive Three ground toward a halt.

The Skitarii launched a frenzied, large-scale manhunt for Curze, vowing to find him.

As for the miners?

They could only starve to death.

Yes, starve to death.

No work meant no food, and without food or reserves, all they could do was wait to die.

Han Mingxuan looked at the extra nutrient blocks and knew Curze had left them before he went.

"That boy's ready to fly on his own."

Han Mingxuan had stayed in the mine all this time. He was waiting, waiting for Curze.

But Curze never came.

Han Mingxuan wasn't worried. He knew that as long as he was still here, Curze would surely come.

Finally, on the third day after all mining operations at Mining Hive Three had come to a complete stop, at some hour that could have been day or night,

the lamp in the mine went out completely, and Han Mingxuan sensed someone appear behind him.

Thud!

"Father."

Han Mingxuan took out the spare lamp he had prepared long ago and looked at Curze, who was kneeling before him.

"Curze?"

"Father, it's me."

"Good. You've grown taller and stronger these past few months."

Han Mingxuan didn't ask Curze what he had been doing. He simply helped him to his feet.

"Father, I..."

Han Mingxuan shook his head and took out a book, if it could be called one.

It had been pieced together from scrap taken off mining machinery and bound with wire.

Characters had been densely engraved across it with a carving knife.

"The Art of War?"

"That's right. I don't know how far you've gotten, but I believe in you."

"This is something I put together during this time. I hope it helps."

"Father..."

Han Mingxuan waved a hand and looked at Curze as he was now.

He was tall, dressed in well-fitted light armor and carrying weapons.

Tall and valiant, he was clearly an outstanding man.

"Good boy. You haven't brought shame on me. You're clean, and so are your eyes. Very good!"

"Father..."

Seeing that Han Mingxuan had no intention of blaming him, Curze wondered whether to tell him about the Xenos in his head.

But then the Night Haunter began screaming inside his mind.

"Shut up! Don't say anything reckless. He mustn't know I exist!"

Fine.

"Stop acting like a girl. What did I tell you back then?"

What was wrong with Curze?

He didn't look much different, so why was he being so hesitant?

Could there have been a problem with the way I raised him?

"Yes, Dad! I wanted to ask, if a Xenos works for me, but..."

"Can you control it?"

"Of course I can. Absolutely."

Han Mingxuan nodded.

"If you think you can control it, then I won't say anything."

"I'll just give you one warning: those who are not of our kind must have different intentions. You can use them, but you can't trust them."

"At the slightest sign that something is wrong, wipe out their entire race immediately. Remember that."

"I understand, Father."

Han Mingxuan nodded, then motioned for Curze to leave.

"Father, come with me. I can protect you."

"I know that, but you're only just starting out. I can't go and get in your way."

"If you feel bad about it, remember to bring me some wine next time. Just not anything too strong."