Making the connection that these people were likely personally connected to that Royal Candidate, most likely powerful guards, judging by their aura, Mahito made the executive decision to tail them on his own.
Of course, he knew Luke would probably get worried or even disapprove of this, but that was a problem that was not applicable to him.
'Idle Transfiguration. ' Grinning, Mahito split his own soul in half. His body seemed to split into two; the sight was like a shape of clay being pulled apart and yet still remaining perfectly identical.
According to his belief, the shape of the soul shaped the physical body itself. So by splitting his soul, this creation of a clone could become possible.
Sharing the same consciousness like a hivemind, the clone Mahito did not need to ask any questions or share any words.
He chuckled and ran back towards the direction of the local barracks to rejoin Luke, while the original one would resume his stalking.
"Papa, Mimi really wanted to play with that funny-looking dragon... we could've given it as a gift for mama!" Mimi whined as she was being carried like baggage by the larger wolf.
"Heh, I reckon ya just wanted to get favour from the missy so you could eat more hamburgers, right~? Hetaro, do ya think your sis deserves it?" Ricardo teased, now addressing the other small twin cat.
Mimi and Hetaro looked basically the exact same, with the only visible difference between them being that they were brother and sister.
"Captain, please lower your voice! We can't look like loud hooligans right before the Royal Selection. It will tarnish Lady Anastasia's reputation!" Hetaro waved his arms, frantically trying to reason with him while also trying not to look funny himself.
"Bwaha! You pups need to lighten up. Lady Ana ain't going to lose her support because of some noise!" Ricardo disregarded Hetaro's suggestion, much to his irritation.
Their walk continued on, their voices loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to know what they were arguing about. The only reason nobody looked at them sideways is because of their reputation as The Iron Fangs.
Even without Anastasia Hoshin's backing, the Iron Fangs were an extremely popular and powerful mercenary group that operated mainly in the Karagiri-City States, consisting of Ricardo Welkin as the leader and the three Pearlbaton triplets.
Their reputation had spread to all four kingdoms, and combined with the stature of the Greatest Knight, Julius Juukilius, they brought even more soft and hard power to the position of Anastasia Hoshin in the race.
However, none of this mattered to Mahito, who had enacted his own plan to ensure that this girl and whoever that Russel Fellow was, would not think of the three otherworlders as pushovers who could be threatened and manipulated.
'Walk faster; my unlimited time is pretty precious..' Mahito grumbled, as he internally wanted to gag at their happy family time interaction.
He swore he was going to have his much-needed feast today.
Back with Luke, he was still standing in the general area, occasionally browsing and looking through some shops, happily taking advantage of the discounts he was receiving.
His mood had become noticeably better after the talk with Hans. There was a change in his mindset, but it was not yet clear what it was now. The current problem on hand is how to deal with the constant spying.
'If I kill them directly, that would be the dumbest move of all time. If Mahito kills them for me, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out who the invisible killer is, and the suspicion would still be on me regardless...' Luke contemplated in his mind as he bought a few appas, beginning to eat them.
"Thank you, Sir Luke, for your service! My little girl, Plum here, would have been lost if it wasn't for you knights. She looks up to you every day." Kadomon Ritsch said after giving Luke the bag of appas, thanking him for his personal service in the short time he had been here, as well as for the knights in general.
Plum, his daughter, who was attending the stall with him, bowed shyly, but there were clear stars in her eyes. The desire to become strong. It was in their bloodline itself, Luke would know; he had just recently met their relative, after all.
'Cute. This is the part where I should say to never let Yuta meet her if he ever comes here.' Mentally nodding at his own joke, Luke thanked the duo and went on his way.
'Where the hell is Mahi- oh, speak of the devil.' Luke was almost about to complain when he saw that familiar figure bouncing towards him, a joyful vibe around him.
"Oh, Luke~ I just found some very interesting people. There was this long line of caravans entering the gates, and apparently, they're all under the name of 'Hoshin'. Ring any bells~?" Mahito casually snatched an appa from the basket and juggled it in his hands.
"I'm not exactly stupid, so yeah, it probably is about that Royal Candidate. What of it? It's exactly what Priscilla said; Hoshin is probably just expanding her company." Luke responded.
Unbeknownst to them, on a slightly distant roof, there seemed to be nobody. But in reality, if you looked closer, you would see a slight distortion in space.
"Sir, I have confirmed visual contact with the Spirit in Luke's immediate vicinity." A female voice could be heard on that rooftop.
"Good, White Sheep. Keep continuing your surveillance. We can't be sure what their true purpose might be in this kingdom." A cold and intellectual voice came from the metia she was holding.
"Roger." She responded as the call cut, and she resumed her watch, still somewhat fascinated by what she was seeing. 'That Spirit's invisibility is even more potent than my Cognitive Disruption Cloak. Could they be related?'
Going back to the real Mahito, they had arrived at a surprisingly large and wealthy-looking building. For being in the Commercial District, they still took the time to make the Commerce Guild look especially lavish.
Entering inside, you could see numerous merchants, rich and poor, talking and exchanging information. It was as stereotypical of a guild as you could get.
Even the loudmouthed Ricardo and Mimi turned down their antics. Just a little.
"Heya boy, where is the missy right now? Still upstairs? Is Julius with her?" Ricardo asked the man at the reception.
"Mr. Welkin, indeed the lady is still upstairs but she made a strict order to not let anyone into her room at the moment. I'm afraid she didn't tell us the reason why." The receptionist answered awkwardly.
Surprise, surprise. In such fine establishments, there was always room for racism. After the Demi-Human War, so many people started having a negative view of demihumans. The only reason the trio weren't already being discriminated against was because of their status.
Upstairs, there was a high-end room reserved by Anastasia, and it was firmly locked from the inside. Not even sound could come out of the room.
That is because inside the room, Anastasia wasn't exactly alone.
"Phew... my head is absolutely spinning, Eridna. Russell Fellow is a proper mosquito. Trying to squeeze a fair shipping rate out of that man is like trying to wring water from a stone." She draped herself on the sofa as she relaxed.
She rubbed the fluffy fox scarf around her neck as she spoke, an activity that would always provide mental relief to her.
"You shouldn't underestimate the treasurer of the Commerce Guild, Ana. His eyes see the world, the same way you do, through value. Though I suppose he met his match in a greedy little girl from Kararagi." The female melodic voice spoke directly in Anastasia's mind.
She chuckled a bit and pulled the scarf closer around her face, enjoying the warmth it gave.
"Hah, praise from an old Spirit? I must be doing somethin' right then. But tell me, what do you think of Karsten's recent moves? I don't reckon the gal is orderin' so many weapons and armour for nothin'." She said.
"The Duchess is preparing to hunt a fog that once killed a great hero, Ana. A grand, foolish gamble. If she succeeds, she wins the kingdom's hearts. If she fails... well, the Karsten assets will be yours for the taking at a fraction of the cost." The voice said.
The voice talking was actually the scarf around her neck. According to her, Eridna, she was an artificial Spirit made by someone. But she had no memories of her past. She only had her magical and intellectual expertise.
Which is why Anastasia had kept her a secret all this time. Not even Julius and the Iron Fangs knew.
The two's relationship was special. She did think of her camp as her own family, with the triplets essentially being her surrogate children. Eridna was the only person she actually considered an equal and was also basically her surrogate mother, you could say.
Whenever they were alone, they would discuss strategies and information about the other candidates.
Also, since Anastasia was pitifully weak, Eridna also served as a layer of protection.
For some time, they discussed about the other candidates. Karsten was actually the public favourite and her most competent rival in the race, which is why Crusch demanded the most attention.
On the other hand, Priscilla was capable, but her personality and attitude made it difficult to realistically imagine the possibility of the public willingly voting for her. Her own villages, however, did actually idolise her a lot since Priscilla genuinely developed the lands in her domain so well after the death of her late husband.
Finally, Emilia was a joke. There was no way anyone would ever vote for a half-elf. Especially one who looks so similar to the Witch of Envy, not to mention the fact that Emilia has nothing special going for her.
And now, the final unexpected variable...
"That new Spirit Knight who recently emerged. Luke Arkwright. Ya reckon the rumours are true about his Spirit?" Anastasia asked.
"I would have to check for myself if those rumours are facts, or just boasting of arrogance from the young boy. Currently, there's nothing much we can speculate on." Eridna responded casually.
Groaning tiredly, Anastasia went to her bed and lay down to rest for the time being. Due to the proximity of the start of the Royal Selection, she had been constantly busy with expanding her company to Lugunica and bringing important assets here. She was understandably mentally exhausted.
"Wake this gal up when someone comes to inform me that Fellow has arrived." She closed her eyes peacefully as she spoke, receiving a mentally refreshing feeling in response.
Downstairs. Or more specifically, in the basement was where Russel Fellow currently was.
The guild functioned as both the official Merchant and Commercial guild of the kingdom, but also doubled as a convenient station of the Six Tongues.
The entrance was, of course, kept a secret, and the place itself was heavily trapped and guarded to prevent any unauthorised entrance or leaks.
Russel had just ended the call with White Sheep and leaned back in the chair in the main office room at the back of the basement.
"First that Astrea boy, and now this Spirit Knight. Is this a profitable opportunity to acquire a useful asset for Lugunica, or just a trap by the Beloved Children? I trust Melty can handle it and provide conclusive evidence." Russel assessed the situation to himself, calculating the pros and cons.
Unbeknownst to him, however, the entrance had already been compromised. The defensive metias with their anti-magic capabilities couldn't disable the biology of a Cursed Spirit.
A guard standing right by the entrance was immediately met with a blade right through his mouth, from the back of his head.
"BROTHER! WHAT HAPPE-" The other guard, presumably his brother, also met the same fate. With blood gurgling in their mouths and the life leaving their eyes, they perished instantly. Their bodies disappeared as Mahito finished.
"Humans need to contain their negative emotions... I could feel this place from a mile away~"
With the death of the two guards, the alarm system silently activated, alerting all agents but not alerting the people above.
Licking his lips, Mahito grinned and sharpened his arms, now turned into saw blades, enthusiastically. This is what he had been waiting for.
What happened next could only be described as a slaughter. Being a sadistic being, Mahito grew tired of his blades after the first few brutal kills.
So he mixed and diversified a bit. Sometimes he turned them into wrecking balls and turned them into basically liquified porcupines. Sometimes into whips and tore massive amounts of flesh from the agents. And sometimes into just normal hands.
The biggest problem was obviously sight, which Mahito took full advantage of. The agents paced anxiously, trying to anticipate where the next attack would come from.
"PLEASE MERCY! IDON'T WANNA DIE-" The irony of such an agent begging for mercy was short-lived as Mahito grabbed him by the neck, whistled, then threw him towards his friends.
The body convulsed and launched fleshy spikes in every direction, impaling 2 of the agents through their stomachs.
The braver ones who deduced Mahito's position based on the grab attacked at the space where he most likely was, but they still hit only air. Or you could say they only hit the midsection of his now split torso.
It didn't matter anyway. None of them could hurt him no matter how much they tried.
The attacker was then turned into a slug, dropping to the floor, wriggling around a bit before being crushed beneath Mahito's feet.
And then there remained only one. Most likely the newest recruit who stayed all the way at the back. Anyone could tell he was scared.
He blinked and blinked, turning in every direction. Every part of his body was filled with adrenaline, his mind completely convinced that he was going to die.
The feeling was so intense that it finally happened. He could see it. He could see the person who had just slaughtered all of his friends.
"Took you long enough~ It's a shame that I have to meet your boss; I would've loved to chat for longer~" Mahito licked the blood off his hands.
The new recruit, Ted, looked towards his friends, all dead and bloody, if not exploded into numerous body parts. Thinking of his family back at home, his fear was replaced by courage.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" Truly a classic line of determination, spoken as he rushed forward to attack. Unfortunately, he was not the main character of either story.
The next thing Ted could remember after rushing Mahito was the sight of the surroundings looking unusually massive. He himself couldn't get up or move, like his body didn't have legs or arms. Even as he tried to crawl, he heard disgusting sounds of what sounded like slime as he moved, which also actively impeded his movement.
"Spend these last moments thinking about the family you love so much~ I personally would worry about how quickly I can kill myself~ Later~" Mahito went on his way; his giant feet, from Ted's perspective, looked like a cruel joke.
The tiny blob of meat was left there alone, practically impossible for a human to notice. The only way to show him mercy now was if a person accidentally stepped on him or if a gracious rat came in and ate him.
The rest of the bodies, Mahito didn't forget to make use of them. Never waste food.
Based on the seclusion and location of the final office room, Mahito guessed that this was where the leader of this place was.
Entering, there he was. Mahito saw the calm Russel Fellow sipping a drink.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Russel was not spiritually attuned, so he only saw the door opening, then closing.
But the screams he heard were horrific, equal to or above the noises the people he had given permission to torture before made.
'Invisibility?' Russel thought, but on the surface, he looked perfectly in control and calm.
For a while, there was no sound nor voice, not that Mahito was actually speaking. He was currently observing what type of human Russel was. Because that would make the next step much easier.
'I see. You need to be given an ultimatum, this one~' Mahito smiled, then snaked behind Russel, putting a hand on his back.
Russel could feel a hand touching him from behind, but he didn't turn. He knew what his place was right now, and he would cooperate until he could find something to exploit.
Then suddenly, he felt something about him change. Like a feeling that his heart had become heavier. But more importantly, he could now hear something.
"Can you hear me now, one, two, three~?" Mahito spoke childishly in his ear, having given him the ability to hear his voice temporarily.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Russel asked.
"Nuh uh, you don't get to be the one talking here~ All you have to do is listen and say yes~" Mahito cheeked out.
He received a silent nod of acknowledgement.
"Good~ Now, I assume you're that Russel Fellow, the one those guards occasionally called out to? The same guards who don't exist anymore~?"
Russel did not get mad at the clear provocation. He was far above falling for such low-level bait, and also because he did not care at all for those agents.
"Boring. Anyways, all I ask is that you stop pursuing the residents of the Astrea house. ALL of them. You may talk now~"
"What happens if I don't agree to your request?" Russel bravely tried to assert himself.
But his expression hardened, and his body stiffened as he felt the most uncomfortable sensation of his life, like his back had been pulled out. More specifically, like someone was pulling his spine.
"Oooh~ I can feel your spine there~" Mahito touched the now-exposed spine of Russel, lightly grazing it before firmly grasping the bone.
Being a major part of the nervous system, any light touch felt like nauseating pain. Even Russel couldn't bear the pain, and so he quickly agreed to the demands.
The weird, unnatural feeling of a distorted body vanished as Russel noticed the door opening again, most likely Mahito leaving.
"Bye-bye~ We better not see each other again. Actually, that's only for you. I would love to meet you again~" Mahito joked as he cheerfully exited, his voice gradually disappearing from his hearing.
The day then went as normal. Luke returned back to the Astrea mansion at night and slept peacefully, never having realised that the Mahito he was with was a clone. The two spirits merged back together once he was asleep.
The slaughter in the basement and the attack on Russel Fellow was never publicised for obvious reasons, and all spies were pulled from the residents of the Astrea household.
How did Mahito confirm that? Oh well, the fact that the transfigured parasite attached to Fellow's heart hadn't activated yet meant that he did follow through.