Chapter 148: Made Him Watch
Roaming quietly around the area as he watched the situation inside Viola’s main residence, a sudden thought entered to Cillian.
’Why the hell is Fergus alive?’
It doesn’t make sense.
For a moment, he wasn’t being particularly trashy and didn’t want this mini-villain from the academy arc to die like that. He was just really curious as to why Fergus had been given a chance to stay alive, unlike the other people whom Cillian assumed were directly related to Viola.
After all, logically speaking, if they truly wanted to put an end to the entire Viola Family, Fergus should have been among their victims.
Now, he was living witness throughout this whole event.
That’s why his curiosity got the best of him as he got closer to the people conducting the investigation, allowing him to overhear their conversations. It wasn’t that they were unwilling to hide this sensitive information because they didn’t pity Fergus. In fact, it was the complete opposite.
They just couldn’t believe what they were saying themselves.
Cillian heard some information.
"Those Shepherds made Fergus watch as they took their sweet time killing Khalish. But before that, they forced him to watch his entire family get slaughtered. They cut them apart limb by limb until it was finally Khalish’s turn."
Cillian shuddered.
"This... It’s sickening to watch your whole family go just like that, especially when you can’t do anything. I heard that he... he can’t even close his eyes. They forced him to keep them open, you know?"
"Unbelievable. Especially since it was a White Shepherd with purple eyes. A White Shepherd. This is nothing like the attack on the Academy, where only Black Shepherds were reported. Who would’ve thought there were White Shepherds as well? And judging by their strength, they seem to be much stronger than the previous ones. Could we assume that they have some sort of ranking within the group?"
Cillian backed away from the group and roamed around for some more time, listening to see if the conversations he had overheard earlier were the same as those of the other people.
Eventually, he came to realize that they were all saying the same things.
’They made him watch... That...’
It wasn’t really something Fergus had directly said to them. He had just been screaming at his dead family for who knows how long, but those were the same words he kept repeating.
Yet it made everyone here realize that this was indeed what had happened. Evidence was scattered everywhere. Even Cillian was able to spot a few severed limbs, making him realize just how crazy this organization was.
"Those crazy bastards... Even I wouldn’t stoop that low as to make him watch. One by one, he witnessed his family being killed. Then, a woman with purple eyes, along with two other Shepherds, showed it all to him before killing them all."
Cillian almost choked as he pieced everything together.
’Those Shepherds again?!’
The White Shepherd with purple eyes, in particular, was someone Cillian wouldn’t want to face right now because of the difference in strength. Heck, Cillian knew that woman was even more powerful than Troy’s older brother, who was also a White Shepherd.
It was the first time he had fought a higher-ranking member of the organization, and he almost lost if not for his plot armor called luck boost.
Though Cillian knew he really couldn’t rely on such a confusing and unreliable power every time. It didn’t guarantee anything, especially since it had posed several risks before, such as its unreliable tosses and the dangerous inconvenience he was experiencing right now.
When they met again, which Cillian knew would happen, he’d have to be ready.
But before that, Cillian knew he had to get through the two other Shepherds who were always with the White Shepherd woman.
And just because they might be weaker compared to the White Shepherd with purple eyes, that didn’t mean Cillian would underestimate the other two.
’It seems the three of them are a trio. The one that sticks together through thick and thin situations?’
Cillian mused inwardly before looking toward Fergus, whose complexion didn’t look good.
The way he looked... if he were given a knife, he might not hesitate to off himself. After all, after witnessing such a devastating scene, that might be the only way for him to find peace right now.
’Seriously, the person is grieving, and I’m here thinking that he should be given a blade to end his misery.’
He couldn’t help but feel pity for this person. In a way, Cillian recognized the expression, similar to the one he had worn back when he probed his Death Flag to see the situation.
This situation was no different from what had happened back then. The only difference was that his family was still alive this time.
For Cillian, that’s all that mattered when it came to the family side of things. After all, he wouldn’t have to worry about the future where they were gone.
Right now, at least.
’I have to get stronger faster. I don’t want to suffer in a similar situation to Fergus looking so pathetic like this.’
Cillian pondered inwardly before giving Fergus his condolences in his mind. He felt pity for him, but that didn’t mean he had to approach him himself.
Grieve all he wants. Cillian wasn’t affected by these emotions since he’s not directly related to Viola, even to the Lord.
That’s why, after taking one last look towards Fergus, he immediately left the main residence. His initial shock from one of the great family Lords dying in the hands of the Shepherds slowly subsided.
After all, there’s always a winner and a loser.
And Cillian always promised himself to be the winner... even if he had to fight everyone for it.
’What’s there to complain about if I’m winning while also having fun?’
Cillian left while a playful smirk appeared on his lips.
Right now, Cillian decided to head toward the hole the Hidden One had created, where the shrine he had used to summon himself was located.
Cillian had lost Mouthful Eye there.
It was now the perfect time to retrieve his first-ever artifact, which was also his valuable helper.
...
The news regarding the attack by the Shepherds on the Viola territory had become widespread. On the first day, it was only the nearby territories and free cities that managed to get hold of this news until it was spread across the whole continent after a week.
The headline was called "Shepherds are bringing chaos throughout the whole world."
Many discussions broke out here and there. People were beginning to take the matter seriously, as they didn’t know if their lands would be the next target.
One of the main topics of discussion regarding the Shepherds was the return of the Sorcery Academy students to their classes after such an attack.
It was worth noting that the academies of the six families had also halted their operations for the same reason. If not for the fall of one academy after the Shepherds’ attack, they might still have been able to convince the students to continue attending.
However, many parents are doubting the security of the Academy that promised it in the first place.
How could they send their own child if they had to think about their well-being from time to time?
That’s why the Sorcery Academy made drastic changes to its rules. As if they were scratching their previous rules just to prove that they’re listening to the complaints of the people.
"Oh wow..."
Cillian, who was reading the news in a newspaper, couldn’t help but look at these changes with slightly widened eyes.
There were so many of them that even "a lot" might not be enough to describe how much the Sorcery Academy was willing to change its rules. And they made these changes just two weeks after the devastating attack on Viola.
’Damn... I guess it wouldn’t be too long till all the students who survived Viola’s Sorcery Academy’s attack will return as well.’
School arc’s not done yet.
’Cliche...’
"Hey, Cillian. You’re up."
Dressed in formal clothes, Cillian, whose mental load had returned to zero after being pretty busy over the past two weeks, stood up and walked forward.
Right now, he was receiving his Medal of Honor for stopping the Shepherds’ attack from completely annihilating everyone in Viola.
Cillian is really not a fan of receiving a medal.
However, he had to make an exception for this one.
After all, Cillian will receive tons of money for accepting such a reward.
’Ah, fuck. There’s no way in hell I’m going to be able to hide that I’m such a skilled, handsome fighter from everyone after everything I did. Talk about wanting a secret manipulator being gone just like that.’
However, Cillian didn’t hate it.
After all, this kind of attention was enough. As long as it wasn’t too much to handle and didn’t choke him, he would gladly accept it with open arms.
Even better, they were giving him money for it, which was why Cillian didn’t hesitate to accept it.
’All right, let’s aura farm.’
Cillian’s mouth twitched.
Soon, the awarding started.