Chapter 9: Rose Lounge (2)
The middle-aged knight approached quietly the three men who were supporting each other as they slowly made their way toward the hallway. Why would the lord suspect these three? From any perspective, they were just a few indulgent youths who had drunk too much. Although the man on the left was somewhat skilled, he was likely far from matching the knights of the Rema Knight Order. As for the other two, who could barely walk steadily, he saw no reason to suspect them. Yet he always admired the captain’s perception skills. Even though he couldn’t detect anything amiss, he still approached them calmly, using his experience and detection abilities to carefully assess them.
As a natural talent for magic, although he had learned a vast amount over these three years—something that brought many side effects, such as being mediocre in almost every area with no particular strength—there was one thing he believed he had mastered well: the ability to defend against enemies and conceal himself. When the faint magical energy from the approaching middle-aged knight reached him, Komer knew the other party had become suspicious, though not certain—just a vague detection attempt. He took a quiet breath, hiding his already weak magic deep within his body, trying to blend it with the rhythm of his blood flow. At the same time, he relaxed his body to mimic the state one would exhibit while drunk, as if a ray of sunlight gently brushed over him, circling several times before finally leaving. Komer struggled to control his body; he could even feel itching all over, but he dared not show any signs, instead continuing to walk slowly toward the door with his drunken gait, his left foot leaning on his right.
The middle-aged knight was finally disappointed. He had thoroughly scanned the three men from head to toe, inside and out, but found no signs of anything suspicious about any of them. Although the burly man possessed a high level of martial skill, that actually made him the least likely suspect. It was possible to master both magic and martial arts, but achieving a high level of proficiency was already extremely difficult, let alone reaching mastery—most people ended up as mediocre individuals. This burly man clearly had a certain level of martial skill, and he had even carefully examined him with his spiritual sense, detecting no trace of magic. As for the other two, the thin one was clearly an ordinary person unskilled in martial arts or magic, with no reaction from his spiritual sense. The man beside him, on the other hand, seemed the most suspicious. Yet no matter how carefully he scanned him, aside from detecting a slight level of combat ability, he saw nothing suspicious. Could it be that the regiment commander was simply too tired from the search efforts or overly suspicious, to the point of seeing threats everywhere?
Still, he wasn’t planning to let go of these three men. He stepped forward quickly, his tall frame flashing to the staircase at the end of the corridor. “Three of you, please stop.”
The burly young man halted abruptly, his furious gaze fixed on the middle-aged man standing in front of them. “Who are you? How dare you block our path? Have you grown tired of living?” Although his companions had hinted earlier, the rough-minded Ilot never expected this to be related to the stranger before him. He swung his massive fist at the man’s face in rapid succession, the shadow of his fists creating gusts of wind with each strike, looking extremely fierce. Unseen by others, he quietly kicked out a deadly blow.
Even though the middle-aged man had seen much in his life, he never expected the other man to resort to such ruthless violence just because he had disturbed him. While dodging the powerful punches, he didn’t anticipate that the seemingly rough young man would secretly deliver a fatal strike. It was only when the silent kick came that the middle-aged man realized that beneath the man’s rough and irritable appearance lay a cunning and malicious heart.
But this didn’t mean Eilot could get away cheaply. Though it was unexpected, such tricks wouldn’t allow the cunning opponent to gain an advantage. While deliberately stepping aside to let the other’s punch come through, the middle-aged man casually pointed, sending a wave of icy energy straight at Eilot’s legs. The piercing cold made Eilot immediately realize the situation was dire. He stepped back, and the sword tied around his waist flashed out effortlessly. At that moment, the thin Puber also quietly set down Komer he was holding, pulling one hand back into his wide sleeve, seemingly fiddling with something. Komer appeared drunk, but he too was sweating secretly.
“I’m sorry, gentlemen. I have no ill intentions; I just want to ask something,” the middle-aged man thought to himself, smiling calmly as he greeted them. Though these brats used despicable methods, it was precisely such shameless tactics that had become popular in today’s world—regardless of means or methods, only results mattered, as if that had become a standard for many people. That thin guy’s hands in his sleeve were surely concocting some vicious weapon or trap. From his restless eyes, it was clear he had no good intentions. As for the drunk man, although he showed no obvious reaction, anyone who hung around with those two was surely no good either.
“Asking questions? Is that how you ask questions? You uncivilized lowling, get lost!” Although he sensed the other wasn’t an ordinary person, Eilot’s arrogant habits, ingrained since childhood, hadn’t changed much even after military training. His slanted eyes flashed with violence, and the flexible sword in his hand suddenly stiffened as internal energy flowed into it. The sword tip gleamed like a venomous snake’s fang, ready to strike.
Faced with such arrogant and abusive remarks, even the best-behaved man couldn’t help but get angry. But his good manners kept him from losing his composure. With a faint smile, he said, “Oh, I may have been presumptuous. But I indeed have a few things I’d like to ask you.”
Seeing that his provocative words hadn’t had the expected effect, surprise appeared in Eilot’s violent gaze. The other’s calm yet resolute attitude made him realize this matter wasn’t as simple as it seemed. Especially the hidden strength the other displayed made Eilot wonder about his identity.
“Hmph, it seems you’re determined to cause us trouble.” Although Eirot already sensed that this extraordinary-looking guy wasn’t easy to deal with, he was also someone who refused to yield easily. Before seeing the opponent’s true strength, he didn’t want to give up so quickly. The tip of his sword, which had been wavering, suddenly emitted a faint glow—weak, but extremely striking. With a rapid shake of his sword, he created a shimmering barrier that cut through the air, accompanied by a low humming sound, and surged toward the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man sighed inwardly. He hadn’t expected that even by being accommodating, he would still provoke such an overreaction from the other party. If he had known this, he would have shown overwhelming strength from the start to avoid so much trouble. Skillfully stepping back to avoid the peak of the opponent’s attack, he lightly tapped his waist, causing the dagger hidden in its sheath to fly out. It struck the sword barrier sliding past him, using the force against it to instantly neutralize the opponent’s powerful move.
“Heh, you still have some skills.” An odd, sinister expression appeared on Eirot’s horse-like face. With swift sword energy and precise wrist movements, he suddenly pulled back. The shadow sword barrier, which had been deflected by the dagger, accelerated back instantly, even emitting a strange refracted light. Accompanied by immense force, it spun back with a rumbling sound—it seemed determined to fight to the death.
The middle-aged man frowned slightly. Solving this guy was actually simple, but it would surely bring serious trouble here. It was clear that this tavern was a place frequented by the upper-class nobles of the city. If a disturbance arose, it would definitely draw the attention of the city’s knight order or hired mercenary forces. The Rema Knight Order belonged to the Church of Light, and the Church of Light in Sepulus City wasn’t uncontrolled.
As a free-trade city founded on commerce, Sepulcus was home to people of various ethnicities from across the continent, not just from the Kingdom of Nicosia; many other races also lived there. Philip, the ruler of the Homer region, held little regard for the Light Church in terms of religious beliefs and even showed a provocative attitude. Ten years earlier, he had angered the Light Church hierarchy and its followers due to the desecration of its sacred relics. Fortunately, the Light Church followers in the Homer region were not in the majority, so it didn’t cause too much trouble. Yet this incident strained relations between Philip and the Light Church hierarchy. Philip even banned Light Church priests and missionaries from preaching in the Homer region and expelled several important bishops of the Light Church from there. In response, the Light Church openly encouraged its followers in the Homer region to resist tyrannical rule and the rule of pagans who did not believe in the Light Church, leading to some unrest in various villages there.
The situation was tense and on the verge of explosion. Thankfully, the kingdom intervened in time. Howard, the highly respected chief minister of the kingdom’s Privy Council, and Hestings, the archbishop of the Light Church in the capital of Nicosia, Jazair, visited Marco and Sepulcus, the headquarters of the Holy Church, and managed to calm both sides down so they could discuss the matter. After more than half a year of mediation, an understanding was finally reached. However, this agreement did not elevate their relations to a new level. The Light Church still resented Philip’s acts of desecration, while Philip continued to restrict the Light Church’s development in his territory, either openly or secretly. Fortunately, Tullus, the bishop of the Light Church in the Homer region over the past decade, was a shrewd and cunning man who managed to maintain good relations with Philip. No major conflicts arose between the two sides during these ten years. Yet the Light Church’s once thriving development in the Homer region was suppressed, even showing signs of decline, which caused great frustration among its leaders.