Chapter 73: The Abandoned City, Ventoris (IV)

“You… you plan to rob Sassen’s troop convoy heading to Galic?”
Allen could hardly believe his ears—that was an army guarded by two to three thousand knights!
Seemingly coming back to her senses, Tami roared in fury, “Who is this kid? What’s he doing here?” Her eyes flashed with hostility as she instinctively drew a dagger from behind her waist.
“Stop, Tami!” Vif shouted loudly, “He’s just a kid living with me…”
“But this kid heard us! He heard everything!” Tami interrupted Vif angrily. Her bull-like strength enabled her to grip the dagger with her right hand as she glared at Allen and said in a low voice, “Kid, it’s your fault for hearing things you shouldn’t!”
“Tami!”
She pushed aside Vif, who tried to stop her, licked her lips, and stared at Allen. Seeing him instinctively raise his hands in defense, she sneered viciously, “Oh, kid? You want to resist? Hey! Let me see those fire-spewing tricks of yours!”
With that, she rushed forward, reaching out with her left hand to grab Allen’s collar. But to her surprise, her arm was seized tightly by him.
“This…” Feeling the grip on his left arm, Tami stared at Allen in disbelief.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know those so-called fire-spewing tricks. But then again…” A slight crackling sound was heard as Allen’s muscles swelled suddenly. Grinning at the man before him, he said, “When it comes to strength, I won’t lose!”
“Is that so?” Madness flashed in Tami’s eyes. Under Allen’s astonished expression, she pushed him hard into a corner and then thrust the dagger in her right hand downward with force.
Watching the dagger gleam with a cold light, Allen felt a chill deep in his heart. He quickly tilted his head to the side, and the seemingly dull dagger pierced deep into the wall.
“Strength? Hmph?” Breathing heavily through his nose, Tami glared viciously at Allen. Just as he pulled out the dagger to strike again, a loud *pop* came as flames erupted around Tami’s waist. The intense blast sent her flying backward, crushing the only table in the room.
“Brother Tami!”

“Tami?” The people inside, including Vif, were shocked by what they saw. Then they turned their heads and saw a boy with dark golden hair standing at the end of the wooden ladder, on the attic on the second floor, slowly lowering his right hand.

“Wow, my clothes…” Allen quickly extinguished the flames on his body and glared at the wooden ladder, then at Jiang Zhe above the attic. With a sigh, he said, “Dude, even though you did it to save me, could you consider my situation? And these clothes—I’ve only had them for two days…”

“Shut up!” Jiang Zhe snapped, frowning, as he saw the burly man named Tami slowly getting up from the ground, glaring at him unhappily.

“Is this magic?” Tami tore off his already tattered and now completely burned vest and threw it aside. With his muscular upper body exposed, he stretched his limbs and said threateningly to Jiang Zhe, “Kid, I think you’re challenging me? The number one warrior of Ventorius…”

No way?

Stunned, Jiang Zhe looked at Tami’s slightly reddened but unharmed waist and instinctively glanced at his own right hand.

Come on, even though he had deliberately weakened its power, it was still Flare Flash. This guy…

Taking advantage of the standoff between the two, Vif stepped forward quickly, grabbed Tami’s hand, and said sternly, “Stop it, Tami—if you still want my help!”

After giving Vif a deep look, Tami let out a long sigh and said to Jiang Zhe, “You’re lucky, kid!” Then he ordered the young men behind him, “Go, capture those two kids and the ones upstairs!”

“Tami, what are you doing?”

Shoving Vif’s hand away, Tami growled, “Don’t you understand, Vif? If those kids run and tell on us, our plan will fail!”

Blocking the restless young men, Vif said seriously to Tami, “These kids are my friends. They’ve earned my approval. I won’t allow you to hurt them!”

“Friends?” Tami laughed heartily, then stared intently at Vif. Seeing his firm attitude, he lowered his head for a moment before saying, “Fine, I promise not to hurt them, but I need to lock them up temporarily—I don’t trust them!”

Hesitating for a moment, Vif nodded reluctantly, then looked at Jiang Zhe and Allen with apology, “I’m sorry, Thos and Allen. I guess I’ll have to trouble you for now…”

Staring intently at Tami, who was glaring at him threateningly, Allen took Jiang Zhe’s hand, shrugged, and said, “This is really troublesome… Well, wait a few minutes. I don’t want you to disturb the beautiful ladies sleeping on the second floor…”
“Hmph!” Tami crossed her arms and threatened, “I’d rather you take them and run away so I can impale them one by one on spears!”
“Shut up, Tami!”
A few minutes later, under the surveillance of a dozen Theralanders, Allen, Jiang Zhe, and the bewildered girls were locked inside a low-room.
“Clang!” The iron door of the room was locked.
“Sigh,” Ravia covered her face in exasperation and glared at Allen and Jiang Zhe, “Alright, gentlemen, can you tell us what’s going on? Why were we locked up here? And stop resisting…”
Looking through the iron door at the outside, Allen turned back, shrugged, and said, “Unfortunately, I just remembered I needed some water, and then I overheard their plan…”
“Plan? What plan?”
“Do you know?” Allen glanced at the girls, licked his lips, and said with interest, “They plan to rob the weapons and food that Sassen is sending to Galik!”
“What?” The girls were shocked.
“That’s Galik’s military pay,” Ravia said, frowning at Allen in surprise. “If I’m not mistaken, such a large shipment would be escorted by at least two thousand knights… This isn’t robbery—it’s an attack, a surprise assault! They’re attacking an imperial army!”
“Oh no,” Lelira, pale-faced, clutched her knight puppet anxiously. “What should we do? Will they kill us?”
“Probably not?” Lisa said uncertainly, biting her lip as she looked around the even dirtier and worse-off room than a prison. Huddling in a corner, she puffed out her cheeks and said, “If we had known they were up to no good, we should have given them a good beating. Hmph, we’re magicians!”
“I’m sorry, but there are only six of us, while there are thousands of Theralanders here,” Allen shrugged helplessly, patted his chest, and smiled. “But as a knight, I’ll protect you, ladies!”
“Come on, even your knight sword was taken away. What will you use to protect us?” Ravia sneered disdainfully.

“Alright, alright,” Allen was clearly used to Raviya’s mockery. He glanced casually at Jiang Zhe and saw him frowning in thought. Smiling, he said, “Hey, buddy, what are you thinking about?”
“Mm,” Jiang Zhe replied softly, frowning as he looked at his right hand. “You know, Allen, I used Flare Flash just now. Although I deliberately weakened its power, that guy… didn’t seem to suffer any harm at all. It’s strange. He’s not a magician—how could he withstand the power of Flare Flash?”
“I can explain that,” Allen said seriously with a grin. “He’s a warrior, a Sos! A warrior who masters [Fury]!”
Staring at Allen in shock, Jiang Zhe asked in confusion, “Fury? What’s that?”
“Fury is an advanced skill belonging to warriors,” Allen began to explain, but before he could finish, Raviya spoke in a low voice, “In the history of our humans, magicians created magic, while warriors mastered the use of Fury. By inducing negative emotions like anger to stimulate themselves, they could gain strength far beyond normal levels. By controlling their inner anger, powerful warriors could endow themselves with great power—enhancing their strength, speed, and physical durability. But mastering Fury is extremely difficult; it’s not something that can be achieved just by allowing oneself to feel angry indefinitely. It seems we were right not to resist. At that distance, a warrior who masters Fury could easily kill us one by one…”
“Really?” Looking at Raviya’s serious expression, Jiang Zhe was clearly skeptical. After witnessing the power of magic, he couldn’t believe that an ordinary-looking warrior could harm, let alone kill, those mysterious magicians.

“It’s true!” Raviya said in a low voice, without any mockery. “Fury originated among gladiators during the Age of Chaos, around the same time as magic. Back then, nobles enjoyed watching condemned prisoners fight against wild beasts for entertainment. Faced with fierce beasts, one prisoner exerted extraordinary strength due to fear. Something similar happened to mercenaries in dangerous situations. But this power derived from fear was unstable. So warriors devised a way to replace fear with intense anger, and that eventually evolved into fury… For warriors who knew no magic, though the power boost from fury was far less than that of magic, it was still a way to enhance their strength. As history progressed, warriors declined just like knights, and few could master fury anymore. The Magic Encyclopedia states that warriors in a state of fury can reduce the damage from magic—magic below level three has no effect on them. Even Flare Flash, if its power is deliberately weakened, is at most a level three spell!”
“My god…” Jiang Zhe shook his head helplessly. In his mind, how could warriors compare to mages?
“Is it just about controlling inner anger?”
“I know what you’re thinking, but fury only boosts physical strength and is of no help to us mages. Moreover, mastering fury requires constantly suppressing anger within, otherwise one will be completely overwhelmed by it and lose their sanity. That’s why even knights don’t choose to master fury. Only warriors of lower status, without superior weapons, would reluctantly resort to it. It’s a cheap technique, yet also a highly advanced one. Historical records show that humans first truly used fury by learning from barbarians. Barbarians controlled their anger and stimulated their bodies to cope with harsh climates and environments, and used it in battle… Have you never heard of barbarian berserkers?”
“Berserkers…” Jiang Zhe shook his head speechlessly, then turned to Allen. “I remember there should be magic teleportation arrays in big cities, right? Why not use them to transport supplies? Does Galic not have any magic teleportation arrays?”

“It’s very simple,” Ravia said matter-of-factly before Allen could speak. “Activating a teleportation array requires continuous use of the mage’s magic power, and this method is highly unstable—it’s easy for the transported goods to get lost in spatial gaps. So, it’s generally not used unless absolutely necessary. Of course, if Gallek is caught up in the rebellion and chaos ensues, then Sassen will not only activate the magic teleportation array but also use it to transport troops—of course, the hard-to-train royal knights will never be transported this way!”
“Okay, I think I understand…”
And so, the kids waited in boredom for what seemed like an eternity. After several hours, Vif came to see them alone.
It was clear that this man with a thick beard felt deeply guilty, even too ashamed to make eye contact with Jiang Zhe and the others.
After promising to ensure the children left safely later, Vif left with a sigh.
The next time they saw him, it was already early in the morning the following day…
It was still dark outside, with the moon dominating the sky. At that moment, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, Vif appeared before the children, holding a torch in one hand.
Compared to the previous day, Vif now reeked of blood, all from the wounds tightly wrapped with torn cloth around his waist. Looking at his injuries and the fatigue on his face, it was evident he had been in a fierce battle.
“Click!” The chains on the iron door were removed. Holding the torch in one hand, Vif looked apologetically at the children who had been awakened by the noise and said, “I’m sorry for having you stay here for a whole day and night…”
Standing up and staring in shock at his injuries, Allen licked his lips and said awkwardly, “Hey, man, you look pretty bad…”
Hearing Allen’s words, Vif instinctively glanced at his own wounds and said with a bitter smile, “I’m not going to die!”
Shaking the dust off his clothes, Allen asked hesitantly, “Did you… succeed?”
After a long silence, Vif shook his head and said seriously, “No, we haven’t succeeded… because what we truly want isn’t yet in our hands. But we haven’t failed either… We won’t fail until the last Thelandian falls!” He paused, then pointed outside and said, “Let’s get out of here quickly. Your carriage is right in front of my house… Follow me!”

A few children exchanged glances and followed Vif out of the house, still somewhat wary, as they couldn’t be sure whether they could trust the man before them—even Jiang Zhe and Allen couldn’t guarantee it. But in truth, Vif hadn’t deceived them; the carriage was intact, parked right in front of his house. Aside from Jiang Zhe’s carriage, there were several other carriages of unusual design parked on the road… The imperial insignia stamped on those carriages made it clear they belonged to Sassen’s convoy transporting military rations to Galic… There was no need to guess, as the throng of Theralanders frantically stuffed the grains from those carriages into their mouths, even the children—food was as vital to them as life itself! Yet despite their frenzy, there was no joy on the Theralanders’ faces, for in the ruins at the center of Ventoris City, the bodies of their compatriots who had sacrificed their lives for these rations piled up like a mountain. These provisions were fought for with their blood and lives! “Vif!” With a firm and powerful call, Jiang Zhe and the others saw once again Tammy Sampford, the top warrior of Ventoris. This warrior, in control of his fury, walked toward them step by step, holding a blood-stained spear. “Tammy,” Vif said, frowning as he stepped in front of Jiang Zhe and the others to block Tammy’s path, “if you hurt them, Tammy…” “Don’t misunderstand,” Tammy replied, tossing his spear to a companion behind him. He stepped forward, his expression wild, and stretched out his hand. “We succeeded!” Glancing at Tammy, Vif shook his head and sighed. “No, we haven’t succeeded yet!” “But we have food! We have weapons!” “But those were obtained at the cost of our compatriots’ blood and lives!” “So what?!” Tammy shouted, looking around at the dense crowd of Theralanders. “Rather than surviving under the empire’s oppression, I’d rather die on the battlefield! Brave and honorable Theralanders should not submit to the empire’s iron cavalry!” “Hah!” Theralanders from the city gathered around, raising their right hands in agreement with Tammy. Glancing at the carriages bearing the imperial insignia, Vif let out a long sigh and shook his head. “We’ve declared war on the empire. We have no way back. Hopefully, we haven’t led Theraland to destruction…”

“No! Vif, we’re changing Theland!” Tammy shouted, pointing at the carriages. “We not only have food now, but also weapons—weapons for fighting! We can resist the Royal Knights!”
“No, we can’t!” Suddenly, an old voice came from the crowd.
With a hint of anger, Tammy instinctively turned her head and saw that the crowd had stepped back slightly. Dozens of elderly people leaning on wooden crutches were slowly approaching.
“The… the Grand Elder?” Looking at the old man who had come forward, Tammy knelt down, crawled on the ground, and looked up at him earnestly. “I’m sorry, Grand Elder. I disobeyed your orders, but the people of Theland need to change. We can’t continue to submit to the Empire. You’ve seen over the years how we’ve been abandoned by the Empire. We’re not even better than slaves. When needed, the Empire uses food to lure us into its army, but what about otherwise? That meager food isn’t enough to feed our people. Those damned nobles would rather let their precious grain rot in the warehouses than give it to us…”
“I know all of this,” the Grand Elder said slowly, closing his eyes and nodding. Then he bent down, patted Tammy’s shoulder, and said, “Get up now. Your crime is insignificant compared to Theland’s fate!”
Tammy slowly stood up, head bowed. “I don’t ask the Grand Elder to forgive my crime. When the Royal Knights arrive, I’ll be at the forefront of the battle!”
“You brave warrior. I know all of this!” The Grand Elder sighed slightly, then looked at the silent crowd and said, “Theland indeed needs change… But I didn’t expect it to come so soon. Tammy, now isn’t the right time!” He glanced at Vif, who quickly lowered his head.
“But…”
“Listen to me, Tammy!” The Grand Elder interrupted her, walking slowly to a carriage loaded with food. Looking at the grain in it, he said softly, “Using this food and weapons to declare war on the Empire would bring severe consequences. The price is too high… Ventoris can’t withstand the might of the Royal Knights!” He stretched out his right hand, tremblingly grasped a handful of grain, which then spilled back into the carriage through his fingers. He said gravely, “Vif, Tammy, you’ve brought immeasurable disaster to Theland… Do you realize that?”
Vif and Tammy exchanged a glance, too afraid to speak with their heads bowed.

“Vantoris cannot withstand the might of the Royal Knights’ iron hooves!” Repeating his earlier words, the Grand Elder turned around and looked at the silent Theraldians around him, speaking in a deep voice. “Long ago, our ancestors founded the city of Vantoris. Since then, we Theraldians have been doomed to remain under the empire’s control. Perhaps you think we old folks are useless and cowardly, allowing our compatriots to suffer under the empire’s oppression. But… it’s too late to say such things. Soon, the empire’s army will arrive in Vantoris. Although now is not the best time, but…” As he spoke, he raised his walking stick and shouted loudly, “Do you realize this, my children? We have chosen a path with no turning back. This path might free us Theraldians from the empire’s control, but more likely, it will lead us to destruction… Now tell me, my children, do you realize this?!”

Glancing around at the silence, Tami raised his clenched fist and shouted loudly, “Fellow citizens, what more can we lose? We have nothing! Should we choose to starve or die of disease, or should we keep our lives to fight against the Royal Knights and create a better future for our children?! Tell me, fellow citizens!”

Sighing as he glanced at Tami, Vif also shouted loudly, “I’m sorry, fellow citizens. Perhaps our actions will bring immeasurable disaster to Therald, but have we not suffered enough already? When food and water were in severe shortage, we Theraldians united as one, preferring to starve rather than take away the little food our compatriots had… I believe we can surely lead Therald free from the empire’s control. So… please help us! All fellow Theraldians, please help us!”

After a moment of silence, countless Theraldians raised their fists and shouted loudly.

“Tami!”

“Tami!”

“Vif!”

“Vif!”

After a full minute or two, the Grand Elder sighed slightly, then raised his hand. Once the crowd quieted down, he said to Vif and Tami, “Perhaps the empire’s army will arrive in Vantoris within just a few days. If you truly realize this, then… prove it to me!” As he spoke, he glanced around with a hint of nostalgia and said softly, “Vantoris—this city is filled with the tragic fate of us Theraldians. Since we Theraldians have resolved to resist the empire, we no longer need it! Burn it down!”

“Burn… burn Vantoris?” Not only Tami but even Vif was shocked.
“Yes!” The Grand Elder slammed his walking stick heavily and said in a deep voice, “Topple the city walls, burn down the houses! Since we’ve awakened, we must go to extremes! Our ancestors resisted the empire while hoping that the Anti-Vantoris forces could hold back its army, which is why they failed. This is a profound lesson! Burn Vantoris… then we Serlanders will have no way back. Either we succeed and regain our ancestors’ glory and our children’s smiles, or we fail, and there will be no more Serlanders in this world…”
With a terrified expression, Tami instinctively glanced at Vif. Seeing him nod hesitantly, she gritted her teeth and said to the crowd around them, “Burn it!”
“R-eally… really burn it?”
“Tami? Grand Elder?”
“Go!” Vif shouted firmly. Though he was equally heartbroken—Vantoris was undoubtedly the warmest home for the Serlanders, even if there was nothing here—
Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, a dozen Serlanders resolved themselves and turned to walk away. Before long, flames began to rise in the city.
Glancing back and forth between Tami and Vif, the Grand Elder suddenly handed his walking stick to Vif.
“G-Grand Elder?”
Looking at Vif’s incredulous face, the Grand Elder said in a deep voice, “Tami is right. We’re too old—too weak and too fearful to confront the empire. From now on, you are the leader of us Serlanders! Whether Serland moves toward glory or destruction, as long as you remember you are a Serlander, then you are Serland’s leader!” He then glanced at Tami and said pleadingly, “Tami, you are our strongest warrior, but you’re too impulsive. I’m not at ease leaving our race in your hands… But I hope you can help Vif atone for his crimes!”
“Yes, Grand Elder!” Tami nodded earnestly. “As long as I’m alive, I will fight for Serland!”
Kneeling silently, Vif stretched out his hands to take the walking stick from the Grand Elder.
“Vif!”
“Vif!”
“Vif!”
Amidst the shouts, the Grand Elder glanced at Vif and said softly, “Take food and weapons. Go to the east. There are mountains there that can hold back the empire’s army, and our compatriots—they will help you…”
Seeming to hear something, Vif exclaimed in shock, “What about the elders?”

“We?” Turning to look at the elders behind him, the Grand Elder smiled, a relaxed smile—perhaps he hadn’t smiled like this in a long time. He exchanged glances with the dozens of elders behind him and said with a smile, “Women and children are the future of us Theralanders. At all times, we must protect their safety, even if it means sacrificing our own lives. As for us… we’re too old; we can no longer help you. There’s no need to waste those precious foods on us… I’ve discussed this with the elders, and we’re all in agreement—we must stay in Vantoris. The tragic fate of the Theralanders will end with our generation!”
“Grand Elder!”
“Grand Elder?”
“Please leave with us!”
“We’ll protect you and the elders, even at the cost of our own lives!”
Amidst cries of shock and persuasion, the Grand Elder shook his head and said with a light laugh, “Every life of us Theralanders is precious, just as precious as food. It shouldn’t be wasted on us old folks… We’ve lived here our whole lives and don’t want to leave anymore…” With that, he placed his hand on Vif’s shoulder and said solemnly, “Vif, remember your mission—lead our Theralanders!”
“Yes… I will, Grand Elder!”
An hour later, as the sun just rose over the horizon, Vantoris had turned into a sea of fire. The merciless flames consumed the city that had existed for over two hundred years, taking with them the bodies of the warriors who had sacrificed themselves for food and weapons, as well as all the elders—for Theraland, whose fate was about to change, they had become a burden and a hindrance. There was no place for them in the future.
With women, children, as well as food and weapons, tens of thousands of Theralanders migrated eastward—to resist the empire, they needed to unite all the strength of the Theralanders.
With each step they took, they glanced back, carrying an indelible pain in their hearts.
“Huh!” On a small hill in the distance, Vif stared at the walking stick in his hand, stroking it gently. Even though it was just a stick made from an ordinary tree, he then took a deep breath and turned to Jiang Zhe and the others, saying, “I’m sorry, kids. You’ve had to go through some unpleasant things…” He pointed north and said, “If you go that way, at the speed of a carriage, it will take a little over a day to reach the border of Galik…”

“Thanks, buddy,” Allen glanced at the long queue at the foot of the hill, licked his lips, and said to Wiv, “Well… goodbye!”
“Wait,” Wiv called out as the children were about to leave. He took out the twenty gold coins he had “stolen” from Allen and said earnestly, “Here, I’m returning these to you!”
“What’s this?” Allen shrugged and smirked. “I said it was just a deal!”
“Is that so?” Wiv smiled faintly, put one of the gold coins back in his pocket, then shoved the rest into Allen’s hands, smiling. “I used to want to be an honest and upright merchant…”
“Hey!”
Glancing at the boys and girls before him, Wiv let out a soft sigh and said quietly, “Goodbye. Maybe we’ll meet again in the future. I hope we won’t be enemies then, but even if we are, you’ll still be my friends, Genevieve Dorby!” With that, he turned and walked away toward the long queue, waving his hand.
“It seems he’s not cut out to be a merchant…” Allen said with a bitter smile as he looked at the gold coins in his hand. He raised his head and stared at the dark clouds in the sky, murmuring, “It seems war isn’t as interesting as I thought…”
“Let’s go!” Jiang Zhe glanced at the Theralians’ queue and headed toward the carriage.
Two days later, news that the Theralians of Vantoris had attacked Sassen’s supply convoy to Galk spread rapidly among the surviving escort knights, causing outrage among Sassen’s nobles, including the king.
The enraged Sassen king immediately sent a magical message to the royal knight army still stationed in Jacosenbu to give orders. But by the time the royal knights arrived in Vantoris, it was already in ruins…
Meanwhile, the news also reached some people, such as Argus, who was currently in Galk…
“What? Sassen’s supply convoy was attacked by the Theralians? Stolen?”
When his companion, the necromancer Pule, told Argus the news, Argus couldn’t believe his ears.
“You mean the Theralians? Those Theralians? Those who have no food or weapons?”
“Yes, you heard right,” Pule nodded firmly and said in a low voice. “It happened at night. The imperial army was unprepared. As you know, the Theralians have never dared to attack Sassen’s supply convoys… They attacked the imperial escort knights frantically, paying the price with over a thousand lives…”

“Don’t tell me the Empire’s escort troops were simply scattered like that?” Argus said sarcastically, with a hint of disbelief.
“Actually… that’s exactly what happened!” Pul shrugged and shook his head. “Even well-trained troops can’t withstand thousands of mad Theralanders, especially when unprepared—after all, the escort troops aren’t Royal Knights!”
“Good heavens!” Argus covered his forehead helplessly and said irritably, “It seems the Empire is on the verge of disaster. The Theralanders actually managed to attack Galk’s payroll… Damn those damned Theralanders! They dared to ruin my plans!”
“What do you plan to do, Argus? There won’t be any more payroll sent to Galk in the near future. That means your plan to pose as an Empire noble and attack Galk’s lord has failed…”
“Those damned bastards, choosing this very time…” Argus groaned, covering his forehead. After thinking for a while, he said in a deep voice, “Never mind. There’s no need to get angry at those reckless Theralanders. Hmm… actually, this isn’t such a bad thing. Losing the payroll undoubtedly deals a heavy blow to the Empire. Hey, now the Theralanders will have something to look forward to. Hmm… I didn’t include Theralander in my plans because they lack weapons and food, but… I underestimated them. Hehe, this is good too. Jacosenbu is in chaos, Brownhill is in chaos too. Now it’s Theralander, and only Galk remains. Once Galk falls into chaos, the entire northeast region of the Empire will be engulfed in war. Hmph, that’s not bad either…”
“What about Galk’s lord?” Pul asked, frowning as he glanced at Argus. “Everyi OGil is a man of great prestige. As long as he’s alive, not to mention the Saxon Royal Knights, even Galk will only need time to quell the rebellions in those regions. Don’t forget, Everyi OGil is someone who even the barbarians find troublesome!”
Laughing at Pul, Argus said casually, “Of course, we’ll kill him before he can suppress the rebellions!”
“How do you plan to do that? If you can’t disguise yourself as an Empire noble or mix in with the escort knights carrying the payroll, you won’t be able to stir up conflict between Galk and Saxon at all!”

“No need,” Argus said with a slight smile, rubbing his hands together casually. “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have believed that the Theralians actually succeeded in attacking Galk’s payrolls. I wouldn’t believe it, and of course, those Galk soldiers wouldn’t believe it either. You know, due to past issues with payrolls, Galk’s soldiers hate the Saxon nobles deeply. They would definitely think it’s some trick by the Saxon nobles…”
“That’s impossible. No matter how stupid the Saxon nobles are, they wouldn’t withhold Galk’s payrolls… Alright, even if Galk’s soldiers and local nobles believe it, what about Efray O’Gill? He won’t believe it. And with him around, no matter how angry Galk’s soldiers are, nothing serious will happen…”
“So,” Argus said, fading his smile and speaking calmly, “kill him! I’ve already given orders to Kars. In a few days, our archers will arrive in Galk with the call of death. Of course, this is for that old man…”
“Do you plan to assassinate Efray O’Gill directly? Aren’t you afraid someone will discover it?”
“What if they do?” Argus asked calmly, smiling at Pule. “After waiting for half a year for their payrolls to be attacked, Galk will soon be filled with suspicion toward the Saxon nobles. You know, pointless speculation often leads to various unpleasant consequences. And if Efray O’Gill is assassinated at that time, Galk will fall into chaos…”
“But someone will suspect this…”
“Don’t worry, my companion. As long as we spread the news of that old man Efray O’Gill’s death among those who like to fight with pet dogs, the Galkians won’t investigate us anymore. The entire northeast of the empire will fall into chaos… I really have to thank those Theralian bastards. I really don’t like pretending to be someone else…”
“Alright, alright. I hope everything goes well,” Pule said, glancing around irritably. “All I want to ask now is, how much longer do we have to stay in this city? Galk’s Magic Association keeps tracking us. There’s really no need for us to show ourselves in the streets…”
“Please wait a little longer, my companion…”
“Wait for that werewolf? We’ve already waited for a month or two. Who knows where that guy is? Maybe he’s out somewhere gnawing on corpses!”

“Wow, that’s such a disgusting thing to say, dear Poole,” Agus said, shaking his head helplessly. He glanced casually toward the end of the street, then his eyes lit up as he said jokingly, “Not necessarily, Poole. Look, that corpse-eater is coming!” With that, he stepped forward and greeted the person approaching with a smile, “Hey, buddy, long time no see!”
The person glanced at the guy in the black robe in confusion, then frowned when he saw his face.
“Are you… Agus?”