The Smiling Death-Chapter 354: Convincing Scarlett

Amon walked toward the door after hearing the knock.

The wooden floor creaked softly beneath his steps. For a brief moment he paused, his hand resting on the handle.

’She’s here?’

He slowly opened the door.

Scarlett was standing outside. Her arms were folded under her chest, her posture straight and composed. Her crimson hair rested over her shoulders, moving slightly with the afternoon breeze.

The usual indifferent expression rested on her beautiful face, her amethyst eyes calmly staring at him.

She looked as if she had been waiting for a while.

Amon smiled the moment he saw her.

Scarlett narrowed her eyes slightly. "Why did you call me?... also why did you leave early, not waiting for others?" she asked directly.

Her tone was calm, but there was a faint trace of curiosity hidden within it.

Amon leaned lightly against the doorframe and grinned.

"There was something important that came up. I wanted to show you something... rather introduce someone to you."

Scarlett’s brows furrowed slightly after hearing that.

"Introduce someone?"

Her gaze became sharper.

Amon scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

To be honest, he himself was still unsure how to explain Vetaal to everyone. Even now, he was wondering how the villagers would react after hearing about him.

So he had decided something. First, he would tell the one person he trusted the most.

Scarlett.

If she understood the situation and believed him, then explaining it to Roland and the others would become much easier.

Scarlett continued staring at him, waiting for an explanation.

Her expression slightly impatient, she asked, "Who?"

Amon stepped aside from the doorway.

"Come inside first."

Scarlett looked at him suspiciously for a second before stepping inside the house.

Despite not being too social with the other villagers, she mostly remembered their faces. She was wondering whom he wanted to introduce to her.

Amon closed the door behind her with a soft thud. The room immediately became quiet.

Scarlett’s eyes slowly scanned the interior of the house. Then her gaze returned to Amon.

Her arms still folded, she asked, "So?"

Amon raised both hands slightly. "Before that... promise me something."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Amon took a small breath. "Don’t get shocked... and stay calm."

Scarlett stared at him silently for a few seconds.

Her expression slowly became more serious. "Amon... what are you hiding?"

Amon gave a helpless smile. "Hiding? What can I even hide? Well... you will see."

He turned and began walking deeper into the house.

Scarlett followed him quietly.

As they stepped into the main room, Scarlett suddenly noticed something strange. The wooden floor. Her eyes narrowed. The entire floor was filled with strange drawings.

Complex circular diagrams. There were symbols. Something that even she couldn’t tell what they were about. They looked ancient.

Lines crossing each other. Unknown letters carved directly into the wood. She could tell that some of them were runes, but most were unknown to her.

They looked like ancient runes. Scarlett stopped walking. Her gaze slowly moved across the room.

She wanted to ask Amon what these things were, but she didn’t question him yet. First she needed to see who he wanted to introduce to her.

Then she saw him.

In the center of the room, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

A pale grey-skinned man.

His body was skinny and bony, as if all the blood had dried out from him. His long hair was dry and dirt-black in color, loose on his back.

His corpse-like skin looked unnatural.

Long black nails scratched across the wooden floor as he continued drawing another rune.

He didn’t even bother looking up.

For a moment, complete silence filled the room. Scarlett’s body froze. Her pupils shrank slightly. It felt like she had seen that corpse somewhere.

For a moment she felt something when she saw Vetaal. It was just for moment. Not anymore.

Then a dangerous aura instantly gathered around her.

Her hand moved, and a long sword made of blood formed in her hand.

From the side, Amon smiled worriedly.

Her voice dropped into a cold whisper."...Amon." Her eyes locked onto the strange man. "Who..." Her grip tightened on the blood sword. "...is that?"

Only then did the man slowly stop scratching the floor. He lifted his head.Two pale white eyes turned toward them. A slow grin appeared on his lips.

"Oh?"

His gaze moved toward Scarlett with clear amusement.

"Oh, you came already. The vampire girl with whom Amon keeps flirting every day?"

He tilted his head slightly. "Nice to meet you, girl."

Scarlett’s eyes turned colder. "Amon!" Her tone was now sharp and dangerous. "Explain."

Amon immediately raised both hands. "WAIT WAIT WAIT—!" He tried to calm her down.He stepped between them quickly. "Don’t attack!"

Scarlett’s eyes were still locked on Vetaal. "Five seconds," she said coldly.

Amon gulped. "Okay... so... the thing is..."

He pointed his thumb toward the pale man behind him. "This... is Vetaal."

Vetaal waved lazily. "Yes... I am Vetaal."

Scarlett’s eyes narrowed further.

The atmosphere inside the room became extremely tense. And Amon suddenly realized something. Explaining this was going to be much harder than he thought.

Amon looked at Scarlett nervously. "Listen Scarlett... I know he looks ugly and suspicious... but first calm down and hear me out."

Scarlett looked at Amon’s face for a moment.

Then she exhaled slowly. The sword disappeared from her hand. She straightened her back. Her cold eyes shifted between Amon and Vetaal.

"So who is he? What’s going on here? Why is he in your house? What is he drawing on the floor and walls?" she asked, one question after another.

Amon rubbed his forehead lightly.

"Now listen... he is Vetaal. I found him when I came the first time in this loop, near a cave. You might also have seen him. He was a corpse hanging on the branch of one of the trees... the one with no leaves."

Scarlett narrowed her eyes, her expression looking as if she were trying to remember something that had happened a long time ago.

"I... I think I did see a corpse on a tree... three years ago while exploring around. But he was dead... how is he talking and moving like a living person... yet looks so dead?"

Amon scratched his cheek awkwardly. "He’s not dead... well, kind of... maybe living dead or undead? Yeah, something like that. After that..."

Amon spent some time telling her everything in detail. How he found Vetaal. How he woke up when Amon came near.

Then how he was stuck here. Why they were stuck. Also that he knew a way. He continued to recount everything.

Later, when everything had been told, Amon pulled out a bottle from his storage ring and drank water.

Meanwhile, Scarlett went silent.

She was thinking about everything Amon had told her.

She glanced at Vetaal. He just remained there, sitting calmly. Scarlett spoke with a doubtful tone. "Do... you really believe him? His words?"

Amon nodded firmly. "Yes I do... didn’t I tell you about those towers? It was him who told me about them. When and why they will appear."

She nodded slowly. "But how do you trust him? What if he is lying? Or has some other motive?"

Amon sighed. "I know, I know he looks shady, suspicious, and cunning. But one truth is absolute... he is trapped here just like us. He is beyond weak currently."

"Boy! I can hear you." Vetaal spoke from side.

Amon and Scarlett ignored it. Her eyes sharpened.

"Yes... he is weak since his powers are sealed by this space... but what once we get outside? He will regain his power?" She turned and looked at Vetaal.

"What chances are there... that this guy won’t hurt us?"

Vetaal finally spoke, his tone calm.

"I get where you are coming from, girl. It’s natural for you to be suspicious... but I swear in my name that I won’t harm anyone of you... even after getting outside."

Amon clicked his tongue.

"Tch! That doesn’t make it trustworthy."

Then Amon turned toward Scarlett with a serious tone.

"But we have no choice, Scarlett."

"If we have a chance to escape this place... we need to get his help. We need to try whatever option we have."

Scarlett stared at Amon’s serious eyes.

That expression on him was really rare to see.

She finally sighed. "Okay... I will believe in you... not him." Then she turned her face slightly.

"Now care to explain your plan and also the information?" she said while looking at Vetaal.

The corpse-looking man just smiled and nodded. He started to tell everything he knew.

---

Scarlett went silent after hearing it.

"You have go believe it my words. All I want is to escape this place. Just like you guys." Vetaal said at the end.

Her eyes held hope. "Okay... we need to discuss this with Roland and the others."

Amon smiled widely. "Sure... let’s go... help me convince them now. It was already too hard to convince one person."