For a few more seconds, Sévon's gaze stayed fixed on the prisoner.As if trying to piece together another lie, the man's lips trembled and he continued to tremble.
"I've told you everything," he muttered feebly.
After a moment of silence, Sévon let out a quiet breath.
"I understand."
The air began to ripple faintly. A thin blade of compressed wind flashed across the prisoner's neck before he could even react.The man's head tipped slightly as his breathing completely stopped, and his body went limp after a brief moment of stiffness.
Kiichi gave a single blink.
Then he rubbed the back of his neck and sighed deeply.
"Man," he whispered. "And here I thought he would finally break."
He gave Sévon a sidelong glance.
"Why murder him?"
There was no response. Sévon was already looking the other way. He walked silently toward the door, his steps as steady as though nothing important had just happened.
At last, Tasia looked away from the window. Her gaze shifted from the corpse to Sévon's back.
She said softly, more as a conclusion than a query, "He was useless."
Kiichi gave a tongue-click.
"But that was quick."
After exchanging a quick glance, neither of them heard back, so they followed him out.
Yorna exuded style outside.
Nobles strolled down the stone-paved streets dressed in elegant clothing; some wore traditional hanfu layered with pricey silk and gold thread, while others wore modernized kimonos with embroidered crests and sharp tailoring.
Cherry blossoms floated through the air and paper lanterns swayed softly above the walkways, as though the district itself refused to acknowledge the ugliness concealed behind closed doors.
Kiichi's arms were slightly extended.
He muttered, glancing at a passing noble carriage, "Man... hard to believe people like that live here."
Calmly, Tasia adjusted her sleeve.
"This is Yorna,where, behind etiquette, beauty and filth coexist."she answered.
Sévon remained silent. His eyes shifted to the noble sector farther down.
Tasia maintained a forward-looking gaze, a calm and straight posture, and measured steps more akin to those of a trained noble than a field worker. Finally, Sévon raised his head a little at the front. He looked up at the sky. The sun was already farther to the west than it should have been. There was a slight furrow between his eyebrows.
"Tch."
He paused his gait for a brief moment before speaking in a quiet, low voice.
"We're running late."
Kiichi blinked.
"Already?"
Tasia's eyes narrowed slightly as she quickly mentally calculated the time while following his gaze toward the sun.
"You're right," she muttered.
After adjusting his sleeve, Sévon started to walk again, but much more quickly this time.
"We squandered more time than anticipated."
Their footsteps made a gentle reverberation against the elegant stone streets.
Following a quick exchange of glances, Kiichi and Tasia both accelerated to keep up with Sévon as the three of them ventured farther into Yorna's noble sector.
A hard slap reverberated through the room in another section of Yorna. Every servant in the room was silenced by the volume of the sound. In an attempt to maintain her balance, a young woman staggered to the side, her cheek turning red at once. She looked down, too scared to say anything, her hands shaking.
The room's temperature appeared to drop. With a look of panic on their faces, two attendants rushed forward and firmly but gently grasped her arms.
One of the men bowed his head slightly and restrained her, saying, "Lady Yasukoi, please refrain from your actions."
However, they were violently shook off by the woman.
She screamed, her voice shaking with rage, "Let me go!"
Her breathing became irregular as her nails dug into her palms.
"My husband was killed by that rodent!"
The servants tried to talk Yasuko Shirai out of the matter, even if she was mad about it.
The woman who was slapped by Yasuko Shirai gazed down, her face darkened. One would even believe that maybe she was reflecting on her actions and that Yasuko Shirai was telling the truth. But she was doing the complete opposite of that very thing.
While her face was still facing down, something curled up slowly. A faint smirk curled at the corner of her lips gone in an instant, but not fast enough to escape Yasuko's eyes.
In fact it looked like she enjoyed it the most.Yasuko Shirai saw the sly smirk on the woman's face and wanted to go attack yet again but her servants restrained. She yelled to be released but her servants did not listen.
Eventually Sévon , Tasia and Kiichi arrive at the compound where the confrontation was taking place. As they were trying to enter, a man stopped them and asked for their identities.Sévon just showed them the Sweepers logo. The man showed a disgusted expression before letting them inside.
Sévon was the first to walk in, Kiichi and Tasia followed after. They all witnessed the ongoing commotion. Kiichi was surprised by the amount of people who were there. The number was not much but still enough, an estimated count would be over twenty.
Kiichi then walked next to Sévon's left side and asked,"What's going on here?Why are there so many people?"
Sévon gave him a simple side eye and sighed for a bit.
"Outside when I said we were late, you spoke like you knew where we were going."
Kiichi laughed nervously and apologized.Sévon accepted his apology and started explaining.
"So apparently the owner of this estate…Masao Shirai was murdered in his own bed while cheating on his wife. And as you can see over there is the main suspect."
Kiichi and Tasia look at the so-called suspect. Her appearance was, without exaggeration, no wonder why would a normal noble man take interest in her, even if she looked young and Masao Shirai was a little bit older. Her appearance was, without exaggeration, breathtaking.
Soft brown hair flowed down her back in smooth layers, each strand meticulously kept, catching the faint glow of the lantern light. A few loose strands framed her face, giving her a gentle, almost harmless appearance that sharply contrasted the tense atmosphere around her.
Her eyes were a muted gray calm, observant, and impossibly steady.
"Her name…Esyn Lantana."
Esyn wore a refined hanfu of pale ivory layered with subtle silver embroidery, the fabric pristine despite the chaos unfolding around her. There were no visible stains, no signs of struggle, no wrinkles that suggested panic or resistance.
If anything, she looked as though she had stepped out of a noble portrait.
One of the servants nearby whispered something under his breath, but even that hushed voice trembled slightly, as if speaking too loudly in her presence would be disrespectful.
Meanwhile, Lady Shirai's breathing remained uneven, her glare fixed on Esyn like a blade that refused to lower.
"You…dare to stand there so calmly?"