NOVEL NEXT Chapter 142: Prime Suspect
A few minutes had gone by, and Mirelle returned to the group with a darkened expression.
Given that she returned alone without the assassin, it was clear that they had escaped from her clutches.
She wanted to say something, but was promptly signaled by Caroline to stay quiet.
It was only then that Mirelle noticed the atmosphere seemed oppressive.
Her eyes soon trailed to Leonard, who was holding on to Irene with a silent expression.
Although there was nothing expressive on his face, it somehow gave people a feeling of extreme dread and anxiety.
Sometimes, the silence spoke louder than words.
Not a single soul in the area dared to make any sound, afraid of suffering an intense berating from Leonard.
While they became terrified of approaching him, Shirley took a deep breath.
"Master… you shouldn't blame yourself." She clenched her fist and expected to be harshly scolded for the words. She knew that anyone who spoke to him would be burned, but she also knew that if nobody did anything, then Leonard might be lost in the abyss.
She would rather get scolded or punished severely than let him continue on with this state.
Finally, Leonard made a small movement. His action prompted Shirley to quickly shut her eyes and steeled herself for the upcoming scolding.
But contrary to Shirley's expectation, Leonard didn't get angry at her.
"There's no need to console me, Shirley." He calmly said and looked at her with a somewhat grateful look.
He knew what kind of courage it would take for her to speak to him at this juncture.
He was proficient in controlling his emotions, but he also knew his control was currently failing.
The fury that he felt, especially when he could sense Irene's body was gradually turning cold, was like a constant reminder to him. Their interaction may have been brief and short, but her death still caused him a bitter lingering of regret.
Unlike Meagan's death, which was merely a passing event of a tragedy, Irene's death involved her sacrifice to safeguard him.
The barrier that he thought could easily dispel all danger ended up being his moment of carelessness.
The assassin managed to have a relic that could bypass his barrier and nearly took his life. Even he had thought his life was over at that moment.
Yet it was at that critical juncture that the one who came to rescue him was not some powerful person. Instead, it was a fragile and malnourished woman, who wanted to thank him for the earlier food, which he treated as nothing, that saved him.
It was already stated that Irene had no mana whatsoever.
But her gratitude couldn't be denied because it was thanks to such emotion that she was able to be close to him during that time of danger.
"Thank you for saving me from the mistake I've made," Leonard murmured, his eyes staring at Irene.
Despite knowing she was dying, she still managed to flash a warm smile.
For anyone who had to experience the Slave Coop, smiles were something that long faded away from them. So to see her having a smiley death caused Leonard's emotions to run amok.
"Master, we shouldn't stay here for much longer." Shirley once again advised when she sensed the foul stench was spreading to them.
Nodding in agreement, Leonard lifted Irene up and said, "We should return to the hotel."
Sometime later, he ignored the others and began carrying her away from the Slave Coop.
He had no intention of burying her in this hellish place. Instead, he planned on burying her in a place where it was colorful and full of life.
When the others saw Leonard's actions, they were stunned on the spot.
"Was he always this sentimental?" Caroline raised an eyebrow and asked Mirelle. It was difficult for her to believe Leonard would suddenly change into such a warm person when he had only displayed cruelty, pragmatism, and self-centered behavior.
"I don't know…" Mirelle answered honestly. This wasn't the first time they had witnessed death, especially those who swore to protect him.
'Why does the Crown Prince care so much?' She wondered silently. It would have made sense if she were the one behaving in such a manner, but when it comes to Leonard. This particular action didn't resemble him one bit.
"Whether the Master is sentimental or not, we will only follow him." Amidst their conversation, Shirley intervened and commented.
"Big Sister is correct. The woman died to protect the Master, and the Master reciprocated their actions. This is the kind of Master we always hoped for." The timid Sophie chimed in. She was impressed and admired Leonard's reaction.
"It would be our honor to serve him," Sirena echoed and hurriedly followed Leonard.
As the Rosalia Troupe followed behind, Cheryl and the other survivors also did the same.
'It seems like the Master is really different from the others.' Cheryl thought to herself. She could resonate with Irene's death because she knew she would have done the same to repay Leonard's favor after being rescued from the banquet.
When almost all of them followed behind, Mirelle knew she had to keep up with the pace, lest there might be another assassin.
With that done, only two people remained in the scene.
"You should probably be prepared for the future." Caroline turned her attention to Claudia and warned softly.
"If I'm not wrong, the assassin must have identified his status because of your outburst at the Research Facility." She continued. Based on the assassin's decisive attack and prompt retreat, Caroline reckoned they were of platinum rank in the Assassin Syndicate.
Otherwise, they couldn't possibly have a relic possession that would temporarily bypass any magic.
Upon receiving the warning, Claudia's expression turned ugly.
Since Caroline knew about this aspect, how could Leonard not know about it?
The mere fact that he didn't blame anyone randomly made it clear that he knew who the prime suspect was.
"Your cleverness resulted in the death of an innocent woman, and you might just have unleashed a fury that nobody could fend off." Caroline lightly said and wished her luck. She had no intention of involving herself in this incident.