Chapter Twenty-Nine: Death and Loose Ends

Seeing this, Louis stopped. He no longer looked at Esther, who was on the verge of death, and turned his gaze toward Yulenka, which immediately put her on guard.

Yulenka was also an "evil child" archetype, yet distinct from the likes of *Orphan* or *The Bad Seed*. She was neither a stunted, perverse adult nor someone born with sociopathic tendencies; her malice was cultivated through experience. Combined with her sharp intellect, it made her a truly terrifying child. Her primary goal was to find a man for her mother—and a father for herself. If the man proved unworthy or heartless, she would take action.

Viewed from that perspective alone, she might not seem purely wicked. Yet, perhaps driven by a desire to protect herself and her mother, Yulenka’s nature had turned deeply venomous. Out of simple fear that a classmate might leak her secrets, she drove the child to jump from a building, and she frequently used threats to manipulate her peers into bullying others. Compared to Esther or Emma, she was the type of evil child far more likely to exist in the real world.

Now that she had appeared here, Louis couldn't help but consider the worst-case scenario. Could that poor guy, David, have been targeted by her? Considering David’s luck, Louis could only shake his head.

So, what was to be done? Should he simply end it all and let her perish in the fire as well? A flicker of malice crossed Louis’s eyes.

Seeming to sense the shift, Yulenka immediately spoke up. "I don’t know anything, please, just let me go, okay? I’ve grown up without a father, living only with my mother. If I die, she’ll be all alone. I..."

Louis’s expression remained unmoved. It was laughable; she certainly hadn't considered the innocence of her classmates when she killed them. Besides, whether she was pitiful or not had nothing to do with him.

As Louis opened his mouth to speak, Yulenka’s eyes widened in terror. Her mind, usually occupied with schemes, raced at its limit. Every piece of information since meeting Esther, combined with the clues from Louis’s conversation, clicked together like a bolt of lightning.

"David is already going to marry my mother! I—I can make sure my mother doesn't stay with him!"

The heat was rolling in. She could even hear the sound of her own hair singeing and curling. But there was no agonizing pain. Trembling, she opened her eyes to see the flames rushing past her, then dissipating.

"Congratulations, you’re still somewhat useful. Go on, get out of here."

The commotion had been significant, and the fire was growing rapidly. Surely, someone had noticed by now; he needed to leave immediately.

Louis looked at Madison and Maria. Both girls shuddered, terrified to speak, and instinctively followed him. They had barely left when the fire roared, consuming the doors and windows, the wailing from within growing faint.

A moment later, in the woods behind the school, Louis looked at the three trembling girls, stroking his chin in thought. "Tell me, what should I do with you two?"

Madison understood he was referring to them. She bit her lip nervously, but stepped forward. "If you want to kill someone, kill me. Maria is just a fool; she wouldn't dare say anything."

Louis stared at Madison. Interesting. The loyalty of children was almost enviable.

However, Maria, who had been hiding behind Madison, suddenly spoke up. "Big Brother Louis, can you not kill us? We won't say a word. I can give you our home addresses, and, and..."

Louis looked at Maria in surprise. He hadn't expected that of the two, the one who appeared to be under protection was actually the sharper one. She even knew to offer their home addresses to gain his trust.

In truth, he had no intention of killing them. He was a practitioner of the unorthodox, not a demon. These were real children, not the monsters he had been dealing with. If he killed them, he feared there would be no turning back. Still, a little intimidation was necessary.

*Whoosh!*

He blew a breath of air. The two girls' pupils dilated in fear. Having seen his fire-conjuring earlier, they instinctively closed their eyes, but no wave of heat followed.

"Alright, it's fine," Louis said with a smile. "But I’ve left something on you both. If you talk, well..."

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Three thin needles pierced the trunk of a nearby tree, leaving only half of their length visible, still vibrating. The girls nodded frantically, not daring to draw a full breath.

"Good. Now go, head back the way you came."

The two girls helped each other toward the dormitory building. Just as they turned the corner, Maria looked back at Louis with a look in her eyes that had never been there before. To her, everything that happened tonight was exhilarating. For some reason, her heart was racing, and she felt a strange sensation—as if another, more adventurous side of her was stirring with excitement. Especially that flame... it was so dazzling!

After they left, Louis turned to Yulenka. Emma, watching, looked eager. "Louis, just to be safe, we should just finish her off."

Louis frowned. This one truly never learned. Seeing his reaction, Emma flinched and fell silent; she was genuinely terrified of him now.

Ignoring Emma, Louis addressed Yulenka. "You can go, but you will say this..."

Yulenka nodded repeatedly. For Louis, having Yulenka’s mother break off her engagement with the unfortunate David was only a secondary reason for sparing her. The primary reason was that he needed someone to provide testimony regarding Esther’s death, establishing it as an accidental fire to deter any police investigation.

He knew not to underestimate the authorities. While police in horror movies were often useless, the real world was different. He had to be careful. In this situation, Yulenka, who had been scheduled to go out with Esther, was the perfect witness.

Faced with Louis’s threat, Yulenka agreed to everything. She didn't dare change her story; the sight of Esther’s gruesome end was still fresh in her mind.

Yulenka walked back toward the abandoned classroom, where she would perform her final act. Watching her leave, Louis felt a sense of relief. It was finally over. Killing Esther had taken more effort than expected. That was the downside of the modern world—even without widespread cameras, it was troublesome. If this were ancient times, he could have used a curse or a hex to kill from a thousand miles away without all this fuss.