"No—don't kill me! My lord, I'll tell you everything!"
The middle-aged baker's wife — a plump woman — was so terrified by the bloody scene before her that she went completely pale. When she saw Pablo's bloodstained sword, her legs gave out and she collapsed to her knees.
"It was about a month ago," she stammered. "A maid from the castle came to us. She said she had a special spice — just one drop in the dough would make any dish taste divine. We were… we were foolish, and spent a fortune to buy that bottle."
"Oh? A spice, you say?"
Hearing that, the light in Pablo's eyes sharpened.
"Since the one who sold it to you was a maid from this castle," he said mildly, "you must remember her, don't you?"
"I do! I remember her— even if she were turned to ash, I'd still recognize her!" the woman cried, almost hysterically.
Pablo nodded, then ordered his men to take her to the group of women from the castle for identification.
The process was quick. The woman, desperate to prove her worth, studied each face with wild, frightened eyes as they passed. Her heart pounded harder with each step — what if she failed to find the maid? That knight behind her… he'd cut her down without hesitation, just like he did to her husband.
Fortunately, when they reached the end of the line, her eyes lit up in recognition. She pointed and shouted excitedly:
"It's her! She's the one who sold us the spice!"
The person she pointed to was a small, frail girl with purple hair — a little loli, her face pale and thin from malnutrition. She wore an oversized, patched dress — not the uniform of a maid, but an old, ill-fitting gown, clearly once belonging to someone of higher status.
"Oh? That's her?"
Pablo smiled kindly, trying to sound gentle.
"Don't be afraid, little one. I'm not a bad man. I just want to find a criminal who ran away. Can you tell me where that bottle of spice you sold came from?"
"I… I…"
The girl trembled so hard she could barely speak.
Seeing this, Pablo gave a faint chuckle and glanced at Alec, signaling him with a wave of his hand.
Alec walked up, grabbed the girl by the collar like a kitten, and dragged her to the large cross planted in the ground. Then he forced her small hand onto the cross.
A faint violet light began to glow from its surface.
Meanwhile, west of Cinnamon Town, in Scone City — the largest city in the northern part of the Dessert Kingdom — stood the headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild.
It wasn't built in the royal capital because the legendary adventurer Axel Walpurgis lived here.
At over a hundred years old, Axel was still in his prime, though time had long worn away the fiery edge of his youth. Towering two meters tall, he now spent his days buried in paperwork as the Guildmaster — a life of quiet order that he had come to enjoy.
He set down the document in his hand and sipped his tea. But just as he lowered the cup, something in his breast pocket began to burn.
His expression changed instantly.
"Oh no…"
He stood abruptly, reaching into his jacket to pull out a small stone — glowing red-hot. Without hesitation, he rushed toward the guild doors.
But as soon as he reached them, he ran into the one person he least wanted to see.
"What's wrong, Axel? What's got you in such a rush?"
The speaker was an old man with snow-white hair, sitting casually by the entrance like a watchman, sipping tea in the evening breeze.
"Old Dessert… it's late. Don't you ever go home to sleep?" Axel said, exasperated.
This old fossil had been haunting him for decades — always watching, always following. Whenever Axel tried to leave the guild, the old man would somehow appear and tail him like a shadow.
He'd hoped the man would only show up after he left Scone City — then maybe, with enough experience, he could shake him off. But now, he hadn't even stepped out the door before the old man was already waiting for him.
"You know my job, Axel," the old man said with a lazy smile. "It's to watch you — wherever you go, whatever you do, I must know."
"Seriously? After all these years, you're not tired of this?" Axel sighed.
"Tired? Of course I am. I'd love to spend my remaining years in peace."
The old man's tone suddenly shifted — his eyes sharp as a hawk's.
"But you, Axel Walpurgis… your name carries a curse. Your sisters — your family — were all forbidden beings. So tell me… who's to say your daughter isn't one as well?"
Axel's heart clenched at those words — like a knife to the chest — but he forced a bitter smile.
"Heh… you really know how to twist the knife. I ended their lives with my own hands long ago. I have no family left. And I haven't touched a woman in sixty years."
"Yes, that's the only reason you're still alive," the old man replied coolly.
Then his next words made Axel's blood run cold.
"The young magi from the Royal Capital sent word — the astrologers at the Tower of Stars have seen the threads of fate. A new member of the Walpurgis line is about to awaken her accursed blood. But justice will come for her — the holy knights are already on the move."
"So tell me, Guildmaster Axel…" The old man's voice softened, almost mocking. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Could it be… that you've learned your descendant, wherever she is, is in danger?"