Eliza's blue eyes shimmered with a dangerous light, signifying a vast chasm of rage and madness that could engulf anyone who dared to gaze directly into them.
Eliza turned her gaze towards the blond man and the group of men accompanying him.
"This is danger!" they thought in unison as their bodies shuddered under Eliza's stare; it was akin to beholding a being beyond themselves.
The blond swallowed hard and was about to speak when suddenly Eliza vanished and reappeared in front of him, pressing the double barrels of a rifle against his forehead.
His heart stopped for a moment, never having seen a weapon like this, yet his instincts screamed that any movement meant death.
None of the men with the blond could react; Eliza had moved with a speed their eyes couldn't follow.
"Make one move and your brains will be blown out," Eliza spoke with an icy voice that halted the men, who had their hands on their sword hilts, in their tracks.
"Where is my Christopher?" asked Eliza.
"My Christopher?"
"Wait—there's been a misunderstanding! We're not criminals! We were initially here to capture these men and dismantle their human trafficking ring, but you... everything here, please lower that, okay? Let's talk," the blond man pleaded nervously, the barrels of the weapon pressuring his forehead intensifying his fear.
Eliza saw truth in his words; reading people was second nature to her, a flicker of body language sufficient to discern a falsehood from truth. This skill was part of her assassin training in a past life, essential when interrogating a target.
Lowering the rifle, Eliza watches as the blond man exhales in relief and the others relax somewhat.
"Who are you?" demands Eliza.
"Let me introduce myself," replies the blond, "My name is Leon Windel, Crown Prince of this empire, and tonight, after months of investigation, we intended to strike a decisive blow to end this organization. But it seems that won't be necessary... I doubt you've left anyone alive..."
Leon explains as he surveys the carnage around them.
"It truly is a savage massacre..."
"No, this has concluded," states Eliza, capturing everyone's attention.
"What do you mean by that? This is the main base; if it's been destroyed along with all its members, surely it's impossible that—"
"Are you foolish or what?" Eliza interrupts, glaring at Leon with irritation.
"What?" Leon asks, taken aback.
"He just called me foolish?"
"This isn't even the location where they hold the kidnapped children; this place is merely these bastards' residence," Eliza reveals, shocking everyone.
Upon seeing their reactions, Eliza feels her wrath seep out once more.
"Damn it!" she curses, kicking a corpse at her feet in frustration.
"They're all so clueless!"
Eliza strides past the men to leave the area.
"I must find Cris soon... I don't understand what's happening, but I feel an overwhelming power surging through me. As those bastards neared finishing me off with their torture and laughter, something inside me snapped explosively, and I freed myself. I felt the power coursing through me, and, in that moment, what I most desired materialized in my hands— a weapon. I was astonished but had no time to ponder and quickly understood I now possessed the power to summon firearms, an integral part of me from my past life. Not only that, my physical abilities have markedly improved... I don't know what's befallen me or if I'm still human, but of one thing I am certain... now I have the necessary power to save Christopher and myself from all this shit..."
How this happened eluded her, but with this newfound power, she could now protect Christopher and herself from all the impending doom written in their fates.
"Wait, where are you going!" protests Leon, grabbing her arm, only for Eliza to immediately retarget the rifle at his forehead.
"Let go," commands Eliza, and Leon promptly obeys.
"You can't just leave like this. Now that we're here, we can aid you. Plus, it seems you have valuable information. You can't disappear on us," he implores.
Eliza ponders then responds, "If you truly wish to assist, lead me to the casino, now."
According to the novel, the casino was merely a facade; in reality, it was the auction house where the kidnapped children were sold. The intelligence she had extracted from the criminals indicated that tonight, the auction would take place, including Christopher, who was destined to be bought by a sick pedophile.
"But now I have the power to prevent it and, in the process, destroy all those sick bastards..."
"To the casino?"
"Tonight, every abducted child will be auctioned there, and I must stop it," Eliza declares, astounding the men.
"They're beginning to realize they've done nothing..."
With frustration, Leon covers his face with his hand.
"It seems this is grander than we thought... Neron, stay here with the men and handle the rest. Inform the other two groups to immediately convene at the exit; we're heading to the casino now!" Leon commands.
"As your Highness commands!" Neron and the rest of the men reply in unison.
"Let's go!" exhorts Leon, starting to run, followed by Eliza.
"Now that I think about it... isn't this guy the male protagonist of the novel?... I hope meeting him doesn't complicate matters, though at the moment he's quite useful, so I'll make use of him a bit..."
The two quickly exit the mansion to meet the other two groups, who have already been briefed by Neron.
"Let's go!" shouts Leon, as they proceed at an inhuman pace befitting the empire's strongest knights, astonished that Eliza keeps up with them.
"She truly is the lost princess..."
Her resemblance to Leon was uncanny, and according to Neron, she had just experienced her awakening as a witch, confirming she must be the lost princess.
It takes them roughly half an hour to reach the casino, located on the empire's outskirts, serving as the main entertainment venue for noble society.
"Alright, let's enter from the back and split up to find the children quickly!" Leon instructs, and they all nod before commencing their infiltration.
"Just hold on a little longer, Cris, I'm coming for you..."
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