Chapter Eleven: The Three Novices

Some people have a righteous heart to become heroes, while others have a reckless mind to become thieves.
When Neo kicked open the door of a house, he felt a sense of lawlessness and unrestrained joy, similar to that of dark cultists who kill and burn. On the edge of life and death, even the shiest person will dance—Neo was now that dancer. Discarding all worldly morals and etiquette aside, he thought in a thieve’s tone, “I’ll just eat and drink for free today—what’s the problem?”
The homeowner’s fate was unknown, but judging from the room’s temperature, it seemed no one had returned to live there or warm themselves for at least half a day.
Carrying in a bundle of firewood, Neo carefully closed the door and checked it thoroughly to ensure there were no gaps. Then he stripped off his muddy clothes one by one and threw them in a corner.
In winter, wearing soaked clothes was even colder than being naked, but to conceal his breath, Neo endured his body temperature dropping rapidly until the house provided some insulation.
Neo knew he wouldn’t have much leisure time, so he had to act quickly and simply.
Compared to the heating fire, the kitchen stove was more useful. There was no chance to bake bread, but he could make himself something warm to eat. He boiled water on the stove, then stood in the corner using a small bucket to fetch water from the tank. Though the water in the tank was cold, it was still better than the icy well water outside.
After washing up, the water on the stove had boiled. He mixed raw flour into a fine dough and dropped it into the boiling water. Once it boiled again, it was ready to eat. Adding some salt and diced ham, he had a meal of dough soup that filled his stomach and rehydrated him.
Yet it seemed fate resented Neo enjoying a late-night snack at such a time. Before he could take a few bites, uninvited guests arrived.
Creak…
Vini glared sharply at Matt, who was pushing the door open, thinking, “This is so unprofessional…”
Matt glanced back at Vini guiltily, offered a sheepish smile, then continued forward with his short sword.
There was no one in the large room, and the fireplace wasn’t lit.
Bang!
“Oh!” The room was pitch black. Matt, walking ahead, bumped into something and let out a pained cry, almost tripping over it.
“…” Vini’s face twisted in annoyance.
Erik, walking last, whispered, “Maybe… maybe we should leave…” But Vini slapped him on the head to make him shut up.
“What’s that smell?” Matt asked in a hushed voice.
“It stinks!” Erik replied with a frown.
Vini pointed toward the kitchen.
Matt swallowed hard and continued forward with his sword.
The kitchen door was mostly closed, but a flickering light from the stove could be seen through the crack.
Matt turned to Vini and raised his index finger.
Vini shook her head and raised her index and middle fingers. Matt understood—Plan B: charge in straight ahead.
Taking a deep breath, Matt let out a scream similar to that of a pig being slaughtered. He kicked the door open, rushed in with his sword in both hands, followed closely by Vini and Erik, planning to spread out immediately upon entering to control the area and form a semi-encirclement.

Matt, who rushed into the kitchen, didn’t see anyone in front of him at all. There was a dining table there. As he prepared to turn around, someone gave him a strong kick in the back, causing him to stumble toward the table. The table was made of thick wood, had a bulky design, and was quite heavy. Matt’s waist and lower abdomen got stuck tightly against the edge of the table, with his upper body falling onto it. Before he could get up, he felt a tremendous force on his back, as if hit by a collapsing pillar. His vision went dark, and with a whoosh, all the air from his chest and abdomen was forced out; he almost fainted.

At the same time, a shiny blade was pressed against the neck of the person who had just rushed into the room. Just when she thought at least Eric might have escaped, she saw Eric having his chin held by the tip of another sword, slowly coming into the kitchen from the darkness outside. Everyone was captured.

“Close the door!” Neo’s voice was even colder than the wind outside.

Under the pressure of the sword, Eric slowly moved forward and then closed the door from behind. He didn’t dare turn his head even slightly the whole time.

“Tch! Why aren’t you wearing clothes?!” Vini blushed and frowned, her words turning the atmosphere in the room awkward and strange.

It had to be said that Neo’s posture at that moment wasn’t very graceful—one leg on the ground, the other on Matt, a sword held against Vini’s neck with his right hand, and another sword holding Eric’s chin with his left. For Avini and Eric facing him directly, his chest and abdomen were exposed, as was everything below his waist.

“Throw down your swords!” Neo said, his face tense, to break the awkwardness.

Eric nervously crouched down and placed his sword on the ground. Vini, pouting in frustration, pushed her sword forward, causing it to fall to the ground with a loud thud.

“Ah! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! I’ll throw it! I’ll throw it!” Matt, confused by the noise, begged loudly, pushing his dagger forward along the table. Now, everyone was disarmed.

“Go over there!” Neo continued, his face still stern. But inside, he was both amused and angry—how could he encounter such useless people? What was going on here?

The blades glinted in the light of the stove, looking menacing. Eric and Matt naturally didn’t dare object, but Vini showed her reluctance, muttering, “Stupid thieves, scumbags…”

Soon, Vini and the others realized where the stench in the kitchen came from—the corner where they stood was where Neo had washed earlier, with sewage and debris all over the floor. Neo also ordered them to crouch down with their heads covered, making the smell even worse.

Neo picked up their weapons one by one and tossed them onto the table. The weapons were all the same style, with steel stamps on the near end of the blade. The quality of the blades was mediocre, and they weren’t well-sharpened or maintained.

Neo frowned slightly and looked at Vini and the others. “Solars Militia?” he paused, then added, “Or just trainees?”

Neo knew that Sors organized militia training every year starting from the Month of Brewing, a right secured by Sors’ citizens for themselves. The targets of this training were teenagers aged 16 to 20 like those before him. It was now mid-Wind Month, with some time left before the two-month training period began. But since they had already received their militia swords, it meant the basic training courses were complete. Still… they still seemed too immature for formal occasions!

The thinnest of them, Eric, cowered there like a quail, his mind filled with worries about what to do. Matt, with his round nose and messy red short hair, stared at Neo’s muscular build with envy. Neo’s muscles weren’t particularly prominent, but their tension was excellent; every movement made the relevant muscle groups shift and become visible, showcasing a perfect blend of strength and beauty. There were also several particularly striking scars on Neo’s body. Anyone with even a basic understanding of human anatomy could tell that each of those scars had once been fatal. It was hard to imagine how this man could still be alive.

Vini noticed the shackles on Neo’s wrists and ankles. If she remembered correctly, those were heavy restraints reserved only for serious criminals and death row inmates. “A fugitive? He doesn’t seem like someone who’s committed great crimes…”

However, Neo’s attitude—like that of an adult treating a child—made Vini extremely disgusted. She admitted Neo was quite skilled, but so what? “Getting himself covered in filth, stealing food… He’s only a few years older—why act so mature!”

Thinking back to the huge caterpillar she had seen earlier, as well as his arrogant behavior without even trying to cover himself, Vini couldn’t contain her anger. Gritting her white teeth, she muttered, “Stupid thief, scoundrel, pervert…”

He didn’t answer her questions, acting both stupid and listless. None of the three seemed to realize they were prisoners. Neo was too lazy to waste words on such naive novices and went back to the fire, warming himself while gulping down the paste as if it were the most delicious food in the world.

The paste-like food, combined with the even more pungent smell caused by the heat from the fire, made Vini wrinkle her nose, dotted with some white freckles. Suppressing her urge to vomit, she mustered the courage to ask, “Hey! Who are you? Why did you break into Aunt Apry’s house?”

Neo didn’t even turn his head. He raised his left arm and twisted it a few times, the chains clinking loudly.

With a smirk, Vini said in a low voice, “What’s the big deal? He’s just a fugitive, right?”

“I get it!” Matt said, as if suddenly realizing something. “He’s that death row inmate. He was in the square at noon—Eric was there too!”

Eric nodded eagerly.

“A rebel!” Seeing Vini still confused, Matt shouted, “A rebel! A degenerate!”

Neo, who was eating heartily, paused. He turned his head and gave Matt a cold glare, making Matt feel as if he had fallen into an ice pit.

“What… what do you want?” Vini also felt the icy intensity in Neo’s gaze and asked timidly.

“Do you think those in power are synonymous with fairness and integrity? If I were a degenerate, would I still be hiding here, stealing food? Who exactly is the rebel that allowed the dark forces to invade Thors so easily, even taking control of the city’s magic defense shield? Idiots!”
The three trainee militiamen stared wide-eyed. Vini said, “So that means…”
“Shut up, think for yourself!” Nio rudely interrupted her, continuing to eat and drink in silence. With food to fill his stomach and curses to ease his pain, ha! It was much more comfortable…
The three of them exchanged glances for a moment before starting to whisper to each other.
“He doesn’t seem like he’s lying.”
“He’s pretty tough. We need his help.”
“Come on, he’s a werewolf. If what he says is true, he’ll definitely not help us.”
“Why not? He can prove his innocence.”
“Prove it to whom? Those in power who framed him? Or the citizens who threw stones and spit at him not long ago?”…
“Huh? Where’s he?” Vini suddenly realized that Nio had disappeared without a trace.
Glancing at the sword on the table and then at each other, the three of them quickly reached for the short swords on the table.
Just then, with a bang! The kitchen door was kicked open forcefully; its latch was broken, and the door hung askew. Two dark cultists rushed in one after another.
“Haha, three more little brats!” The lead dark cultist spoke as if referring to piglets.
Thud!
The other cultist, who seemed more reserved and calm, was stabbed diagonally in the back of the neck by a blade, with the tip emerging from his mouth. At the same time, a strong kick sent the talking cultist stumbling toward the dining table, just like Matt before. But this cultist was much quicker to react. He pushed backward, falling face down onto the table and sliding toward Vini and the others.
Erik and Matt, who had no combat experience at all, were so shocked by the sudden attack that they forgot to dodge. Vini let out a scream.
As chains rattled, a figure shot through the air from the door, diving down and landing heavily on the cultist’s shoulders. Then, grabbing the cultist’s hood and hair, the figure pulled hard backward while swinging the blade downward. Thud! Again, a stab to the back of the neck and out through the mouth. Blood streamed down the blade and tip, pooling on the ground in a rapidly spreading, horrifying red stain.
By the time Vini and the others recovered, Nio was already eating his second portion of batter. The stench of sewage and blood, mixed with the heat in the room, was nauseating. It was amazing that Nio could still enjoy his food.
Lifting his head, Nio poured the last of the batter into his mouth, tossed the bowl onto the stove, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and turned to look at Vini and the others, still stunned. “Want to finish training as militiamen early? Practice on the dead first.” He pointed at the cultists on the table, who looked like pigs about to be slaughtered, and added, “If you can’t even handle a scene like this, how can you expect to eliminate lone dark cultists?”

Neo’s guess wasn’t far off—Vini and the other two weren’t as ruthless as Neo. They planned to capture isolated Dark Cultists and extract information from them through torture. Of course, their plans were immature, and their combat skills were negligible. If they really encountered a Dark Cultist, it wouldn’t be a mistake but a tragedy.

Vini and the others stood around the dining table, gripping their short swords, struggling with whether to strike or not, while dealing with a corpse. Neo had already swiftly stripped another Dark Cultist of his clothes. The men’s clothes in this house were only sized for teenagers, so Neo couldn’t even fit into them. Now, the clothes of this Dark Cultist not only fit well but also seemed of good quality. From the luster of his skin, calluses on his hands, and the condition of his hair, Neo could tell this was someone who had lived a relatively comfortable life. It was unclear what had led him to become a lackey of the devil.

“Damn! Such a tall guy, but with small feet!” Neo finally noticed something amiss—the stripped Dark Cultist had small feet, making his clothes more suitable compared to those on the corpse at the table.

“Lend me two of your hairpins,” Neo demanded rudely from Vini.

Vini had two braids, which she secured with hairpins, looking neat. Hearing Neo’s request, she was initially stunned, then understood. After hesitating, she finally removed two hairpins and handed them to Neo.

Sure enough, Neo pulled up a chair, placed his legs on the table, straightened the hairpins, and began fiddling with them to unlock the chains.

Both pairs of shackles were removed, while Vini and the others continued struggling with the corpse. Neo shook his head in disapproval. “Citizen Solis… Hmph…”

With a rustling sound, Neo tore strips from the curtains and wrapped them around his legs, including the soles and ankles. He put on short boots, then fastened simple, cleaned shin guards. These shin guards were made of leather with iron plates embedded on the front, secured with straps, and covered with metal buckled leather strips that could be adjusted for a snug fit—no discomfort at all, which was sufficient.

Neo’s skills were skilled and professional, and he worked very quickly. Vini and the others stared in awe. In class, even the veterans from the West Wind Battle Corps who demonstrated techniques weren’t this efficient. Thinking back to Neo’s professionalism and coldness when killing earlier, they felt their throats tighten and their hearts weigh down. They were the same age, yet such a gap…

The cotton shirt on the upper body was quite good—sewn tightly with a newly popular sewing machine to create diamond-shaped patterns, making it warm, lightweight, and snug. The outer robe, reaching up to the thighs, was clearly finely crafted. It looked ordinary on the surface but actually had a cotton armor design with a fine mesh of iron wire, providing excellent protection.

“Hm?” The clearly high-quality attire of this Dark Cultist raised Neo’s suspicions. He removed the cultist’s mask, grabbed his hair, and lifted it up, then asked Vini and the others, “Has any of you seen this person before?”

Vini and Matt shook their heads. Only Eric seemed to recognize him, but after struggling for a while, he still couldn’t remember.

Nio conducted another thorough search of the corpse. Aside from a substantial amount of silver in the brocade money pouch, he found a ring that emitted faint magical fluctuations upon closer inspection. There were many rings with such faint magical effects to give them a shiny appearance, but this one had a unique design—a finely crafted silver snake biting its own tail. Nio suspected it to be some kind of token, so he kept it.

From this Dark Cultist, Nio also obtained a better-quality sword, so he exchanged it for the inferior sword he had taken from another Dark Cultist.

Constantly concerned about the formidable enemy of the Evil Flame Puppet, Nio first took care of himself before continuing to deal with the shackles on his wrists.

It turned out to be an excellent decision. As soon as Nio freed the shackles on his left hand, the sound of footsteps—“thud thud thud thud”—reached his ears. This time, the pace was significantly faster, carrying a more urgent and oppressive feel. Yet Nio simply smiled lightly. He was afraid the Evil Flame Puppet wouldn’t rush. In his view, if the Evil Flame Puppet remained cold and calm, that would truly be disheartening.

To destroy it, first drive it mad! Nio was ready.