I Am the Ruler of All

"A-Armed?" Baron felt like crying. What kind of job did I get myself into? Once they got to the urban village, Baron gathered his
men around and kept telling them to be careful. He told them to never let anyone find out they were on a search for someone.
The fighters nodded.
"Got it, boss. I'll talk to the locals and find out if there are any sketchy guys around."
"I'll go to the Crimson Hall. Leoric, one of Jeanne's guys, is there. This village is his turf."
Everyone split up and talked to their local friends to find out where the Sweoya spy was.
Baron said, "Don't worry, boss. This is a small village where everyone knows everyone. It'll be easy to find a foreigner. They'll
probably find him this afternoon at the latest." He looked around and rubbed his hands. "I heard Nearcity Village has some mean
barbecue. Wanna get some and have a little beer?"
"Nearcity Village?"
"Yep." Baron pointed at the sign beside the road. "This urban village is made up of a few villages. The one in the center's called
Nearcity Village, or Nearcity for short."
Kingsley smiled. "It's alright. I have somewhere I need to be, but you don't have to come with me. Just call me if you need me."
He just remembered that this village was Leroy's hometown. The guy was working on the Nicholson Family Cemetery, and he
kept watch over the site every single day. The last time Kingsley saw him, he was as tan as charcoal. Even so, he refused to
leave the site. Now that Kingsley was at his hometown, he wanted to visit Leroy's bedridden father. If his sister was around, he
could ask her if she had seen anyone suspicious.
He went to the mart and got some fruits and gifts. According to Leroy's file that Daniel sent him previously, Leroy's house should
be on the hill in the northernmost side of the village. It was just a pigsty made out of red bricks. He knocked on the door, and a
girl asked, "Who's there?"
Kingsley thought about it for a moment and lied, "I'm Leroy's colleague. The company just gave us some gifts, and I'm here to
give them to you guys."

A few moments later, the rusty door yawned open, and a young lady peeked outside. She looked clean and was in a bleached
school uniform. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she was lively enough. This was Leroy's sister—Yvonne. She was eighteen
years old and in her senior year. She blinked at Kingsley. "You're Leroy's colleague?"
"Yeah." Kingsley nodded and gave her an innocent smile. He might be the fearsome Ares, but he was only twenty-two, and he
looked handsome. Yvonne let her guard down easily.
"Come in." She let him in and said sheepishly, "But it's a small house. We only have two rooms here. Dad can't move around, so
he's lying in his bedroom. Here, have a seat."
The room was dim. It only had a bed with a metal bed frame and a small desk. The space was not ideal, humid, and hot, and
even the paint on the wall was peeling off. "This is your room?" Kingsley sounded sad. He suddenly understood why Leroy did
not fight back even when Kayla slapped him so hard that it made him bleed. He understood why Leroy was so loyal to him just
because he gave the guy a job. He has a poor family to feed.
Kingsley took a deep breath. "Don't worry. Our boss is a generous one. Leroy's making 4,500 a month. You'll have enough
money to build a new house soon."
"Yeah, Leroy told me about it!" Yvonne nodded. "He said his boss is the kindest, most brilliant, and most handsome man he has
ever met!" She rested her chin on her hand, longing surfacing in her eyes. "I hope I can meet his boss. He sounds like a great
person."
"Ahem." Kingsley looked awkward, as he did not expect Leroy to have praised him that much. "You're still young, so just focus on
your studies. Once you get into a good college, I promise you'll get to see the boss."
"Really?" Yvonne was excited. "Great! I'll work my hardest!"
Just then, someone banged on the door. "Open the door right now! I know you're in there! Don't make me burn your house
down!"