Reincarnated in the Astral World

After taking out the two guards at one of the back doors of Emilio's mansion, Arthur steps inside. The interior resembles Josephine's home with its detailed and luxurious architecture, long hallways adorned with wallpapers, and spacious rooms throughout.

The Whittlee family employs far fewer servants than the Drummonds, and they are not treated as well in comparison. Since it's already past midnight, there shouldn't be many servants inside the house, but there are more due to the commotion caused by the severe condition of Emilio's health.

Several servants carry buckets of clean water and towels while others wash those that come dirty from upstairs. There are also servants carrying all kinds of medical items and tools, all heading in the same direction upstairs.

'They must be trying everything to heal the injuries your mother inflicted on the Viscount,' Nyx comments in Arthur's mind as she reports the position of servants and guards near Arthur inside the house.

'They seem to be struggling with it. I need to be quick and reach him before they have any success in healing so I can end him with my own hands,' Arthur's eyes gleam coldly as he takes his first steps inside the house.

There are both normal and magical lamps throughout, making the interior of the house well-lit. Arthur must sneak through the corridors cautiously to avoid being seen. Fortunately, the servants and guards seem too preoccupied on the first floor to notice him.

Since Arthur entered through the back door, the first rooms he encounters are a large kitchen and a hall with several doors. All the servants coming from upstairs with buckets of dirty water and blood-stained sheets enter one of those doors and go down a staircase.

'What's down there?' Arthur wonders with Nyx as he watches the servants from a corridor.

'There are no guards there, just weak servants,' Nyx quickly responds. 'It must be a laundry or something similar.'

Arthur grasps one of his curved daggers from his belt and slowly approaches the door, his senses on high alert.

'Are you going to kill the servants too?' Nyx inquires, while Aria, invisible behind Arthur, ponders the same question.

'Yes,' Arthur responds to Nyx as he grabs the first servant to exit the door, a middle-aged woman. He surprises her from behind and covers her mouth before dragging her into the kitchen, which is now empty.

"Mm-mm-mmm…" The woman tries to struggle, but it's impossible for someone without cultivation to scratch someone with Arthur's strength.

He doesn't prolong her suffering and cuts her throat as soon as they are away from the corridor, killing her instantly. Blood splatters on the wall, furniture, and Arthur's clothes, and the gleam in his eyes becomes more pronounced.

"I can't be sure how loyal these people are to the Viscount," he whispers, both for Nyx and Aria to hear. "I also can't let them see me and start a commotion, nor can I leave any survivors to connect us and Josephine to this."

Aria feels no pity for those servants despite knowing that many of them would prefer not to be serving Emilio's family. However, she also does not enjoy killing people who pose no real danger to her family.

Yet, she harbors no doubts about it, and her voice sounds to Arthur as always, sweet and loving. "Do what you must do, darling~; I'm here with you."

Nyx's response only sounds in Arthur's mind and is more direct. 'Kill them all!'

The dark gleam in Arthur's eyes intensifies, and he acts as quickly as lethal, taking down, one by one, each of the servants who descends or ascends the stairs alone. He also catches some guards patrolling alone and kills them all in the kitchen, turning the place into a sea of blood and corpses.

After an hour, the pile of bodies had grown colossal, and silence reigned supreme on the first floor of the house. Arthur edged closer to the main hall and stole a glance at the door leading to the laundry room. "Is anyone else down there?"

"Just one more," Nyx quickly reports.

"Hmm…" Arthur lingered by the door for a minute, but there was no sign of the last servant ascending the stairs. As he prepared to go downstairs after the last servant, voices echoed from the staircase leading to the upper floors of the house.

"Where are the fucking maids?"

"I hope they're not resting while my father is in such a state!"

"Oh, someone's definitely getting a beating today!"

The youngest son of the Viscount descended the stairs flanked by two guards, both elite warriors. Arthur recognized that voice as belonging to Esmond, the Viscount's first son who had faced him in the arena and also the man who had tried to flirt with Aria.

Arthur quickly ducked behind the stairs and watched the trio. Those elite warriors were clearly Esmond's private guards, as they never strayed a full meter from him.

'Damn!' Arthur cursed silently as he watched the trio searching for servants and other guards, particularly heading toward the kitchen. 'Looks like the easy part's over…'

He plucked a needle from his belt and dipped it into a vial of paralyzing toxin also on his belt. Aria had crafted the vial's cap so that Arthur could easily soak the needles in its contents without spilling a single drop.

Arthur pulled out the needle, now soaked with the toxin, and threw it toward the Viscount's son; he charged the needle with a bit of his Intent, which hit Esmond's neck.

*Ziiip*

"AH?!" Esmond felt a slight sting at the back of his neck and quickly lost control of his body, collapsing to the floor.

"Young Mast-"

Both his bodyguards tried to catch him, leaving their backs vulnerable to Arthur, who didn't miss the opportunity.

*Shoosh*

Swift as a shadow, Arthur reached behind the guards and wielded both his curved daggers, infused with his Intent, in a dual strike.

*Crusssh*

Thanks to his sharp Intent, each blade pierced a guard's skull, their tips emerging from their agape mouths.

*Thud*

Arthur steadied the bodies of the guards, but the Viscount's son hit the floor with a loud crash.

He quickly turned Esmond's body over, seeing his shocked and paralyzed expression. "Shhh..." Arthur put a finger to his own lips with a smirk. "Did you think you could get away with just a beating?"

'FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!! FUCK YOU, BASTARD!!!' Esmond tried to shout, but his body no longer obeyed any of his commands. He began to convulse and vomited blood until he died within seconds.

Arthur watched the man's final moments without masking the satisfied expression on his face. "That's what you get for going after my mother."

Beside him, Aria watched and listened with a shy but happy expression. 'He knows I'm here but doesn't hide his possessiveness and cruelty… what a hopeless son… fufufu~'