Mortals can’t resist the might of a Wizard.

Despite Quill’s ferocious determination to fight to the death, the outcome was inevitable.

He never even got close to Kate before a Light Spear pierced his chest. Sean and Charles distinctly heard his heart explode. Thick blood mixed with organ fragments spilled from Quill’s mouth. He glanced down at the spear impaling him, then struggled to look up at Sean, that same sick smile spreading across his face.

The scalpel fell from his hand. Even in death, his eyes remained wide open, as if he could not rest in peace.

It was a gruesome sight.

But no one pitied him.

"To die at the hands of the Light Attendant... for a guy like Quill, his life was worth something after all," Charles remarked. "Not every Witch Hunter has the honor of being struck down by a High-tier Wizard like Kate."

It was a clever remark, a subtle piece of flattery for Kate disguised as an objective observation.

Kate glanced at him but coldly ignored him. He kicked Quill’s corpse aside, dispelled the Light Spear, and said to Sean, "All done. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back?"

He glanced at his watch as he spoke. "My flight is at seven."

Kate’s tone was casual, as if killing more than a hundred policemen and Quill was a trivial matter, something to be taken care of before getting back to his busy schedule.

"Leaving in such a hurry?" Sean said. "I was hoping to treat you to a meal."

"Next time," Kate said. "I’ve been here too long. The company will fall into chaos if I don’t get back. Those old geezers are always after my position as the boss."

He was referring to the company’s board of directors.

This was casual small talk. One moment, he was on a killing spree; the next, he was chatting idly with Sean. It proved that Kate hadn’t given Quill and the others a second thought. But to Charles, this conversation sounded very different—

’What the hell is this damn author’s background? For the Light Attendant to actually make small talk with him?’

"Should we destroy the security cameras?" Sean asked Kate.

From Kate’s earlier conversation with Quill, Sean had pieced a few things together. Even someone as powerful as Kate, a Tier Five Wizard, had troubles he couldn’t easily deal with.

"They’re already destroyed," Kate said.

He had specifically disguised himself as a police officer and infiltrated the group to solve this very problem. The cameras on every floor appeared to be untouched, but they had actually been disabled since early this morning.

In this day and age, surveillance and the internet weren’t yet widespread. Without any video evidence, even the city’s police department would have a hard time tracking his movements.

"Okay. Then this is for you." Sean tossed an autographed book to Kate.

Kate caught it, a rare smile appearing on his usually impassive face. "*Moon and Knight*... I like the name."

It’s romantic, and fitting. In his eyes, Lord Blake himself was the very epitome of romanticism.

This wasn’t just about romantic love or sentimental affairs. Anything pursued to its absolute limit could be called "romantic"—and that, of course, included scholarship.

It was just that most people could never reach Lord Blake’s level, so they couldn’t possibly understand the concept of "academic romanticism."

Sean hadn’t given Kate the book to express his gratitude—after all, how much could one book be worth?

He was trying to tell Kate... Everything for Lord Blake!

It was a unique understanding between them, two of Lord Blake’s loyal followers. Like old friends bumping fists when they meet or part, everything was understood without a word.

Charles, of course, didn’t understand. When he saw Kate smile, he assumed he was also interested in Sean’s book and asked tentatively, "Are you a fan of Sean’s as well, Lord Light Attendant?"

Kate’s face immediately hardened. "What’s it to you?"

His pleasant demeanor was reserved for Sean alone.

Charles: "..."

Kate snorted. "Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t be asking."

Charles quickly replied, "Yes, yes."

’What’s he so arrogant about?’ he ranted internally. ’Just because he’s Tier Five and has a special title? The tables turn. Sooner or later, he’d show Kate what it means to "respect the dead"—by making him one!’

Sean stepped in, smiling, to smooth things over. "Alright, let’s get out of here first. We can talk more once we’re outside."

There were still many police officers outside. Quill hadn’t called for backup, but the sound of gunfire would have traveled. If they didn’t hear anything for too long, they would surely come in to investigate, and another vicious fight would be unavoidable.

Kate nodded. "Follow me."

He led Sean and Charles down the emergency stairwell and into the parking garage on the second basement level.

"I’ve bribed the officers at the exit," Kate said. "We can just walk right out."

’These officers can be bribed?’ Charles wanted to ask. But then he remembered Kate’s drastically different attitude toward him versus Sean, and he resentfully clamped his mouth shut, trailing behind Sean like a lackey.

Sean was curious about that too. "Aren’t they afraid of getting caught and punished?" he asked.

"They’re afraid. Of course they are," Kate said. "Colluding with the enemy is a capital offense in any organization, let alone for the Witch Hunters, whose internal regulations can only be described as brutal. It’s just that they didn’t have a choice."

If they take my money and get caught, they’ll die.

If they don’t take my money, they die right now.

Any fool knows which to choose.

"Besides, these officers are different from a Witch Hunter like Vincent. Most of them are just responsible for surveillance, tracking, and intelligence gathering. They generally won’t get their hands dirty unless ordered to, and not all of them are even willing to do that—for what they’re paid, is it really worth dying for?"