Chapter 92: We’ll handle this later

Chapter 92: We’ll handle this later "The noble clan. Let’s leave here." Grace’s clenched fist trembled with suppressed fury. ’’The nobles,’’ Eva muttered under her breath, her mind raced as she tried to search for their information. ’The book only briefly mentioned the City’s noble clan—where the female lead stayed during a party she was invited to. There was hardly any information about them. Eva frowned, finding no clues. Her fury flared—she wanted nothing more than to end them. Eva was snapped back to reality by the warm hand wrapped around her waist—she felt her feet leave the ground, and then she was placed on Ethan’s beast. Ethan and Julian have gone silent ever since they heard it was the noble clans. Their expressions turned solemn at the mention of that word—it stirred memories they wished had stayed buried. They knew the old man wasn’t behind the attack—he was too proud, too noble. Striking from the shadows was beneath him. He preferred to face his prey head-on, delivering death only after making his intent clear. Ethan and Julian held relief in their hearts at that thought; Ethan knew if his father attacked, they would have died even if they had Eva’s space. That’s how scary the old man is. Julian shared a look with Ethan before Grace’s battered bus rumbled out, heavy with chunks of rock on the roof. Grace was fortunate it started on its own, or they would have to walk back. "Follow me back to my place, first," Grace called out to Ethan and the rest through the bus window. Ethan and Julian responded by riding side by side with the bus, matching its pace. Eva leaned into Ethan’s chest; she wasn’t in the mood to start any conversation—her mind was on getting the noble clan information from Grace. Ethan noticed, but his thoughts were elsewhere. He simply pulled her closer as his beast ran alongside the empty, bloodstained streets. The scientist, Stone and Dean stared grimly at the corpses and shattered shops lining the street. They heard about the city chaos from Madam Grace’s lips, but seeing it for themselves was a different thing altogether. "We have to do some with the bodies and fast. This corpse can contaminate the air...we don’t want a pandemic on our hands." Stone said in a serious tone. Even when there was electricity, they never buried the dead; cremation was immediate, and purifiers kept the breathfordge clean. But now, things were different—there was no electricity to turn on the purifiers, and if the air became contaminated, a pandemic would consume the whole City. It was barely holding on as it was, waiting for a solution. "I’m aware of this, but it seems the other junior administrators have been dealt with as well." Grace’s last words came out as a whisper. Ever since the start of the attack, she knew things weren’t safe on their end since the enemy could easily find out she was alive. They would have gotten the message from those speed users’ lips; she could only resort to using her husband’s men and Ethan for this. Stone nodded to her words, and the bus fell silent as they continued their journey—everyone’s expression was down, and exhaustion pressed on their brows. The gentle rocking of the bus lulled Stone and the scientist to sleep, exhaustion finally overtaking them. Some time passed and they got to their destination—the bus drove through a secluded estate gate before coming to a stop in front of the mansion. "Eva, wake up..." Ethan gently nudged her shoulder. She frowned in her sleep, eyelids fluttering before she finally stirred awake. He helped her down, and she staggered, still groggy. For a few moments, Eva leaned against Ethan’s wolf, steadying herself. She rubbed her face on its fur, tempted to sleep again—until the thought of the noble clan jolted her awake. "Let’s go." She muttered to no one specifically as she followed Ethan and Julian who were waiting for her at the side. Eva’s eyes flickered. Something about them felt off, though she couldn’t quite place it. She pushed the thought aside—for now, something more pressing demanded her focus. They followed Grace as she unlocked the door. Grace opened the door—and footsteps thundered down the stairs almost instantly. It didn’t take long before they saw Leo’s figure—Leo glanced at Grace from top to bottom for any signs of injury, forgetting the part that she could heal herself. "What happened? Why are you covered in dust?" Leo asked, his gaze filled with concern as he brushed the dust lightly from her hair and tiny stones rolled out. "I’m alive due to Eva’s help. The scientist guild was bombed to the ground." Grace said as she motioned to Eva with sincere relief on her face, without her, she wouldn’t be able to see her husband or son ever again. "What?!" Leo’s shout thundered through the mansion. He froze, searching her face for any hint of a joke—but Grace’s eyes were deadly serious. Fear and white-hot fury rippled through his lungs, releasing an oppressive aura which put Ethan and Julian on high alert. Eva watched the older man’s reaction and nodded in approval in her mind—for some reason unknown to her, she didn’t feel any danger under his oppressive aura. "Okay, calm down, we’ll go after them later. I need your men, especially fire and ice users to clean up the corpse in the city." Grace soothingly held his hands but spoke in a serious firm tone. Leo felt his inside churn painfully as he suppressed his rage. He wanted nothing but to go after them immediately, but Grace’s words were important at the moment. "Is it the noble clans?" He asked, already confident they were the ones. Seeing her nod, he marked them in his mind for later. He turned to the green-haired young lady his wife motioned to earlier, and he was stunned again. Leo froze, staring at Eva’s face. He knew that face—he lived with her older version. "Grace..." He trailed off but shook himself awake, then glanced back and forth from Eva to Grace till his neck numbed. "We’ll handle this later," Grace whispered in his ear, drawing his gaze away from Eva. Eva’s tensed shoulders loosened; she was nearly spooked out by Leo’s heated gaze—she felt like husband and wife were cut from the same cloth—both staring at her with unreadable emotion. "Mm... I’ll go get them for you," Leo muttered and left quickly, almost stumbling over his feet in his distracted mind. Grace would have laughed if the situation was serious, turning to Ethan, she asked for his help. Ethan nodded and settled into the chair with the others, waiting patiently for Leo. "Wait for me to get back before we go after the nobles, okay...?" Ethan waited, upon seeing Eva’s nod, his mind settled down a bit. He shot the quiet Julian a warning glance, knowing how vengeful he was. If Eva wasn’t here, he would have teleported a long time ago after collecting their information. Julian felt Ethan’s stare, and his lips pursed in irritation, but he nodded subtly, showing he would wait. Eva, who had planned to leave as soon as Ethan left, couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment—she laid her head back and closed her eyes to rest. ... Leo walked deeper into the estate, stopping at a hidden section behind a rocky wall. Inside, a clash of weapons and booms of shattered rocks rang in the air. Men and women in black uniforms trained, whether by duelling or firing targets from far away with their powers. Buildings lined the area, and every stride showed discipline—proof of their training. They paused slightly in their actions at the sight of their boss but continued whatever they were doing. All except a tall, skinny man who approached Leo. ’’Sir, you’re here. What do you need me for?’’ he asked respectfully, knowing Leo only appeared when something important—usually a mission—was at hand. "I need everyone to assemble in ten minutes, we are setting out to clean the whole City," Leo ordered, his eyes a sharpened glint. Though surprised and confused by the order, the man obeyed without question. "You lot! Gather here in ten minutes!" the man barked, loud enough for those inside to hear. The area fell silent for a moment—then erupted with the rush of footsteps and the clang of bus doors swinging open. Leo departed as swiftly as he had arrived, making his way back to the mansion. Just as he neared it, the roar of engines caught his attention—ten buses rolled into the clearing, packed to capacity with his men. Grace heard the sound from outside and set her cup of water on the table. She rose to her feet and strode out of the room. ’’Lord Ethan, come with me,’’ she called as she reached the door. Ethan stood, casting one last warning glance at both Eva and Julian before following her out.