After more than ten minutes of fighting, Oliver’s opponent finally gave up the fight due to efficiency considerations. He twisted his body halfway through attacking Oliver and neatly cut off the head of the death row prisoner next to him. The scattered death row prisoners seemed like crows who found carrion and quickly gathered from the strong smell of blood.
People fought in groups, like beasts biting each other. Blood gushed and limbs flew everywhere. Black and red flesh covered the ground that was continuously bombarded with magic arrays. It smelled so bad that it was impossible to tell what person or animal it once belonged to. Oliver suppressed the rolling of his stomach. His face became almost as pale as the skeleton helmet, but the hand holding the hilt of his sword didn’t waver. He retreated and guarded, struggling to pull himself away from the fanatical vortex of death.
With Oliver’s occasional care, Randy’s defense was airtight. That heavy shield was like a moving fortress wall. Few people were willing to waste more than five minutes challenging it.
During the retreat, Oliver almost stepped on a mutilated body. The owner of the body was lying on his back, full of fear and unwillingness. His bloodshot eyes bulged, and masses of powdery blood foamed as he vaguely wailed.
“God, I won’t die,” the man shouted vaguely. “I won’t die in this hellhole…”
“Kill him, Ramon,” Randy said softly. “He doesn’t have much longer to live.”
Oliver shook his head gently, which made Randy sigh and stop speaking.
As if a lifetime had passed, the announcement of the end finally sounded. The death row prisoners put away their weapons and gathered in one place again. Almost all of them had sticky, dark blood and flesh on their faces, except for Oliver and Randy, who looked clean and out of place.
The number of people was nearly two-thirds lower than they were previously.
The man with a white cloth on his face didn’t say anything similar to “congratulations”. He seemed to be able to see through the white cloth. His face turned half a circle, as if he wanted to see the death row prisoners in front of him one by one. Perhaps it was under his own illusions, but Oliver held his breath. The man’s face seemed to stay in their direction for an exceptionally long time.
Then he lost consciousness.
Oliver’s last memory was of falling to the ground—not so much falling, but the earth slapped him on the side of his head. He focused too much on the masked man and was unprepared for the sudden pain and paralysis.
After he woke up, the first thing he noticed was the pain on the side of his face.
The Rest in Peace was tightly grasped by him, and under him were the familiar bumps and the hot, sour, and smelly air that lingered on the tip of his nose. Everything just now seemed like a nightmare. Unfortunately, the dirt that stuck to Oliver’s chin was mixed with flesh and blood, and the uncomfortable moist touch that bit into his skin reminded him of the true reality he was in.
He returned to the original carriage. The crowded people were gone, and there was only one companion left in the same carriage—rather two. Randy didn’t squeeze Oliver into a corner this time. The burly assassin sat upright in the other corner, holding his shield firmly in his hand.
Oliver straightened the skeleton helmet on his head. Thank God the restraint spell didn’t fail.
“You guys… Are you okay?” He tugged out a smile.
Randy’s eyes swept across his face quickly. His eyes were complex and didn’t answer his question.
“Where did the others go?” Oliver swallowed his saliva a little nervously as he added carefully.
“Mobile barracks,” Randy replied slowly. “…It seems you really don’t know anything.”
Oliver felt embarrassed. He laughed dryly, subconsciously trying to scratch his head, but only scratching the hard skeleton helmet.
“They train death row inmates there. When training is complete, they will be sent to the Death Row Legion and sold to various countries. I think you should have heard of them. They are all ‘finished products’, living weapons.” The assassin grinned mockingly. “While it’s in poor taste, it’s said that the evaluations from the various countries are quite good.”
It didn’t sound like a good place. Oliver nervously grabbed the edge of his cloak. His temples were still throbbing with pain, as if he had just woken up from a hangover. The collar on his neck began to suck his strength back again, making his muscles soft and weak. The originally light Rest in Peace in his hand seemed to weigh several times heavier, but by now he had begun to get used to the feeling of his stomach roiling with pain.
“What about us?” Oliver asked more tentatively.
“Withered Castle.” Randy looked at him for a while, with a faint trace of pity in his eyes—there was no mocking, but real pity. The gaze made Oliver’s hair stand up. “…I think we’re almost there.”
“Is there anything I need to pay attention to?” Oliver resisted his gaze and continued to ask. Randy, contrary to his previous norm, didn’t seem willing to talk to him. Oliver consciously didn’t do anything wrong, which meant it wasn’t a good sign.
“No,” Randy sighed. “Ramon, I know you are nervous… It’s useless.”
Oliver blinked, trying to pour polite curiosity into his eyes.
“I think my judgment of people is always accurate.” This time Randy didn’t respond to his gaze, but instead stared intently at a certain blood stain on his shield. “You’re not from ‘our side’. To be honest, I don’t want to have any more interactions with you. Otherwise, when you disappear completely, our mood will only become worse.”
“Disappear completely?” Oliver clenched the hilt of the sword. His back felt chills.
“Do you know when honest people suffer?” Randy pulled the shield, and the edge of the metal shield slashed across the floor of the carriage, making a shrill sound. “Your thoughts are really easy to guess. There are only a few. You have to know that the harder things are, the more thoroughly they break,” he muttered with a cold tone.
“I can probably guess what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that no matter where the Withered Castle is, you can always find one or two not-so-bad people to inquire about information and then work together. After all, you’re not bad. You’re sure you can find loopholes in this mess and get lucky and escape there.”
“You believe that no matter how bad people are, there will always be residual goodwill in their hearts. You believe that you can arouse their will and hope for life. You believe that kindness will always last longer than malice.”
Oliver opened his mouth and failed to make a sound. He could feel his heart sinking slightly—Randy’s tone was gradually becoming cold.
“You believe that good is rewarded with good and evil is rewarded with evil. All despair will eventually end, and there’s always a solution to everything.”
“This shithole will make you abandon these ideas. You will regret your decision today. In contrast, killing someone was really much easier.”
The carriage suddenly bumped violently, causing Oliver’s body to lean forward from the momentum. It seemed like the carriage had stopped.
“We had a great time working together, Ramon.” Randy finally raised his head and looked into his eyes again, this time with no emotion on his rigid face. “Goodbye.”
Almost in the same second. The door of the carriage was opened heavily, and a strong light pierced into the dark carriage.
Oliver was the first to get out of the carriage. He held back the softness in his legs and forced himself to look up at the building in front of him.
It was difficult to say whether it was a mountain or a castle. The castle in front of him seemed to be carved out of an entire mountain. The unexpected atmosphere of the architectural style didn’t match the somewhat slender name “Withered Castle”. Countless man-made buildings surround this weird mountain-shaped castle. Oliver didn’t see the boundary at first glance. If the surrounding small stone fort was also counted, its size was even close to a medium-sized city. A dark and cold mountain city.
The masked man didn’t leave him much time to observe the terrain.
That person wasn’t the same as Oliver’s memory. He was a lot thinner and his clothes that were originally the right size were now one size larger, making the man covered in white cloth look a little skinny.
Oliver immediately knew the reason.
The man trembled strangely a few times, and then split. It seemed that the body was made of colored mud. What made him uncomfortable was that the part that was missing due to the split didn’t grow back but remained missing. Not only did he look horribly thin now, but he also didn’t even have a decent human form anywhere.
The “person” who split out was also masked with a white cloth. He led Randy in the other direction. Oliver turned his head desperately to look, but Randy didn’t seem to respond to him in the slightest.
Oliver rubbed the live collar that was slowly squirming around his neck, sighed, and finally retracted his gaze.
Instead of leading him towards the entrance, the strange, masked man headed straight for a wall. Oliver tried to distance himself, but the impersonal thing seemed to have an invisible leash tied to his hand. Once he was too far away, the sudden pain would make him kneel. Originally, his physical strength was exhausted by the suction of the collar, so Oliver decided to suspend his resistance first. He had to look for the right opportunity…
Just like Randy said.
No, no. Oliver shook his head violently, trying to throw the cold words out of his ears. He would succeed. Nemo was still waiting for him. They had just met not long ago—Nemo was probably going crazy at this moment.
Yes, his lover was waiting for him, and he must be looking for him with his companions. Their journey hadn’t been smooth sailing, nor had they ever seen cruelty before. Oliver desperately tried to lift his spirits. This was just another difficult problem, and the answer must be hidden somewhere.
However, when he stepped into the Withered Castle, he suddenly understood what Randy meant.
Passing through the fantasy-like walls and across the cold and dry corridors, the first thing they passed was a huge square iron cage. The cage was densely packed with people. Men and women next to each other, motionless, with only the faint rising of their chests. They were wearing thin cloth robes of the same style that had been stained with so much dirt that he couldn’t tell what the original color was. The space only allowed them to stand, and they couldn’t do anything other than breathe.
Their collarbones were nailed with uniform metal rings, and the cold metal pierced their flesh. Half a palm-sized metal tag hung at the end. No one spoke, except for the occasional groan. All that was left was muddy and suppressed breathing. The cage was higher than the ground, with a complete set of purification arrays engraved below, equipped with a drainage system. Even so, the faint smell continued to drift everywhere.
It was like captive livestock.
Hearing voices, the crowd in the cage swept their eyes over. There was no emotion in them. They were blank and numb, like the eyes of a dead animal about to be deflated. There was no thought, no pain, not even despair. Oliver couldn’t think of any other words to describe their state besides the word “alive”.
They stared at him with empty eyes, without expectations or pleading, more like a subconscious reaction to a moving object. This was the first time Oliver saw such a gaze on a human.
For the first time in his life, it made him truly scared.
Oliver bit the corner of his mouth fiercely, and after a numbing pain, the smell of blood kept him sober. His throat was so dry that he didn’t even have saliva to swallow. The remaining strength left by the collar was only enough for him to stand firm and move forward. Exhaustion had completely emptied his spirit and his stomach, which had not received food for a long time, began to twitch. He wanted to force himself to continue thinking, but his thinking was like a rusty gear, which could only produce meaningless sounds.
He had never felt so helpless since the night he killed his father with his own hands.
And this time, he didn’t have that warm support by his side.
Unable to despair, Oliver yelled severely at himself in his heart. There was nothing at all.
Kinky Thoughts:
These chapters are killing me. How long are they going to be separated?!
It was finally getting dark. The gatekeeper, Jonah, adjusted the anti-magic device, putting all the indicators to the highest, and then yawned. For some reason, the number of people visiting Kenyatta in recent days had suddenly increased several-folds, and his workload had doubled several times. Jonah’s throat was burning with pain. His neck was stiff, and his legs were numb. As a bachelor, the iced wine in the tavern after his shift was his only support right now.
He would be liberated after sunset. Jonah coughed a few times and cleared his throat, trying to alleviate the swelling and pain that was like sand rubbing against his throat. Only two more. No, no, one was over. Then he would definitely go to the tavern for a good drink. Maybe tonight he could be extravagant and order two more side dishes and treat himself, since he was too tired to stand right now.
Hell, he looked at people’s faces all day. Even if he closed his eyes, human facial features floated everywhere in the dark. In his eyes, men, women, and children gradually became the same. His life was about to be polluted by this damn job. Jonah roared angrily in his heart, trying to recall the beautiful waitress in the tavern for a few seconds, but found that her appearance that seemed to be engraved in his heart in the past had now become a blur.
He raised his eyes in frustration and looked at the gradually darkening sky.
The last person he had to deal with finally appeared in the thick of the night. The man had on a tan hood. He looked about 6.2 feet, and with the cheap hood on, Jonah thought he was most likely one of those vulgar men. Jonah couldn’t help but groan to himself about how short he was compared to him.
The mood of the gatekeeper became worse.
He heard the unique bell of a corpse carriage. The corpse carrier couldn’t even afford a horse and instead had to use a fuller goat to pull the cart. There were about three to four corpses lying on the simple wooden car, and the materials weren’t high-end. A strong rancid smell rushed straight into his nostrils and went straight to his brain.
Jonah almost cursed out in despair. The smell of corpses was not easy to dissipate, and when he entered the tavern later, he would have to deal with the roaring of the owner. He resolved to give this plague god some trouble, as this guy had ruined most of his last hope for the day.
“Face, identity, purpose,” the hapless gatekeeper roared with a hoarse voice.
The man obediently took off his hood.
As soon as Jonah’s next taunt was about to jump out of his throat, he swallowed it back and almost choked himself. What good luck! Absolute good luck. The guard’s vague thoughts of the iced wine and the waitress’ yellow skirt disappeared from his mind. The annoying hallucinations that plagued him were gone in an instant, and he couldn’t remember any of the previous faces, let alone their fragmentary facial features.
‘God, he’s so beautiful,’ the gatekeeper thought.Jonah was positive that he liked women with soft bodies, but he was still involuntarily attracted to this abnormal beauty. For the first time, he felt what “stunning” truly meant. He carefully picked up the adjective from the column of “exaggeration” in his mind and put it into the category of “reality”…
It was a young man, with long blond hair hanging from his rough hood that glowed softly in the dark night. He smiled at the gatekeeper which made his ice lake-like blue eyes slightly bend, as beautiful as an illusion.
Jonah instantly blushed due to the smile that dazzled him for a few seconds. After the short shock, he immediately remembered his duty. “Proof of identity… Uh, your proof of identity and the purpose of entering the city, sir.”
This time his tone had eased a lot as he uneasily stared at the blond young man’s face repeatedly.
“I’m so sorry… I lost my identification documents, dear sir,” the blond young man whispered in a pleasant tone. His voice was low and soft, with a gentle Garland accent. “You see, our business tends to get messy—I just want to make some coins by sending these poor people back to their hometown.”
“Oh, oh.” Jonah glanced at the anti-magic device next to him faintly. Is this face truly not an illusion? Why isn’t it responding? “Then I’m afraid you have to show your certificate of employment, sir. We have to register you.”
The young man smiled at him again and took out a large piece of parchment paper from a thin copper tube and handed it to him with both hands.
“Well,” Jonah said as he unrolled the parchment and looked at it. The seal didn’t seem to be forged. “One final step. I have to ask, so please understand… Have you ever registered for entry before?”
“Unfortunately, no.” The young man shook his head.
The other party didn’t have any recognizable proof of identification, so according to the rules, he couldn’t allow this person to enter. But outside of the city, everything was barren and there were even a few wolf howls that sounded not far away—it was at least three hours away from the nearest transfer station and right now it was completely dark.
“I understand your difficulties, Mr. Guard,” the blond young man said pitifully, tucking a strand of blond hair behind his ear. “Sorry, I haven’t run a multinational business before, so I’m not familiar with these procedures. What should I do next?”
“You have to go back to the country where you registered last time from the transfer station and get the certificate there. Then you can enter the city and go through the entry formalities…” Jonah’s voice became quieter under the gaze of the other party.
Just then a wolf howled in the distance.
“Can you be accommodating?” The blond young man grabbed the guard’s hand, and his voice sounded more distressed. “These things smell very strong. They will attract wild animals! It’s not easy to make a living. I’m really not a dangerous person. Please.”
The guard thought to himself, ‘He indeed didn’t seem like it.’ Such a person wouldn’t grow up into a wanted man. Jonah looked at the hand that held his left hand tightly—it was beautiful. He sighed again in his heart. He could even hear the sound of blood rushing to his eardrum.
“Oh, then you have to hurry up and get the procedures done,” he muttered as he blushed to the roots of his ear, completely forgetting the strong smell of corpses in the air.
“Thank you very much! By the way, sir, do you want to look at these coffins? I’ll open the lid for you—” The blond young man took out a crowbar from the back of the fuller goat and directly pried up the lid of the coffin.
It caused the smell of decay to rise into the sky.
“No need, close it quickly.” Jonah had completely forgotten about this. He was almost choked into tears. “You can go into the city.”
There were few pedestrians in Kenyatta at night. The sparse few didn’t seem bothered by the smell. After the corpse carriage entered the city, the smell of corpses suddenly disappeared.
The dark bone ball on the staff stopped rotating, and the rotting spell that was drawn from the dead ground stopped. Nemo immediately pushed away the thin coffin board in front of him and jumped off the corpse carriage.
“Good job,” Ann whistled. “You’re still a bit useful, Dylan.”
“I was the main contributor to the purchase of this corpse carriage,” Jesse said discontentedly. The harmless aura on his face instantly disappeared. “Don’t you have anything to say? Clearly, a charm spell could be done—”
“You’re amazing,” Nemo said bluntly and gave a very reluctant clap.
Jesse huffed for a while and glanced at the knight commander.
“You worked hard,” Adrian said quietly. “There’s no other option. Garland must be looking for the three of us, and the anti-magic device is very sensitive to the charm spell. It’s not a bad thing to be cautious.”
“Will it cause trouble for the guard just now?” Nemo was silent for a while before he asked carefully.
“No.” Jesse smacked his lips. “We won’t stay here for long, or do you really want to slaughter a city today?”
Nemo unceremoniously flung his staff and hit Jesse on the head. He didn’t use much force, but it was definitely not a weak attack—the clanging sound was crystal clear.
Jesse screamed as he covered his head with both hands, “You attacked an innocent teammate!”
Nemo was stunned, as if he couldn’t believe the speed of his hand. “I thought you could avoid… I’m sorry, Dylan.”
“I forgive you.” The blond young man glanced at Nemo angrily, then grabbed Adrian. “Love, let’s go for a drink.”
Adrian didn’t resist.
“Nemo and I will find a suitable place to rest and communicate with you using the communication crystal.” Ann raised an eyebrow at the former knight commander and pushed the old wooden cart to the corner of the city wall.
“I… I have a personal matter, Ann.” Nemo poked his staff at the wooden cart at random. The wood that came into contact with the bone ball began to rot rapidly, and the rot quickly spread, causing the wooden cart and coffin to turn into an inconspicuous black debris within a few seconds. “I’ll see you in the early hours of the morning. How about two in the morning?”
“The two of us may not come back at night.” The blond young man’s tone was casual and ambiguous. “If we don’t come back on time—”
“See you at two at the latest,” Adrian interrupted Jesse coldly.
“Okay.” Ann didn’t ask much. “I’m going to find a place to stay overnight that doesn’t require identity registration, and I’ll also replenish our supplies. Although the security here isn’t too strong, you should be careful.”
When she said this, she stared at Nemo worriedly. “I don’t want to lose another companion.”
“I will be careful. Thank you.” Nemo could sense Ann’s guilt, but his words were useless. He could only try his best to remain calm so that she wouldn’t blame herself too much. “You have to be careful too.”
He nodded at her and walked around the corner of the city wall.
The gray parrot stood on his shoulder. Nemo felt empty again, but the strange thing was that this time he no longer felt anxious or panicked. Oliver wasn’t here. His fragility seemed to have disappeared, leaving behind only a hard and dull shell.
This hard shell made it difficult for him to breathe.
The black shadow climbed up from his bare feet and condensed into a broad black robe. A broad hood covered most of his face, and the rest of his skin was covered by a fog-like shadow. The black-haired young man quietly melted into the night. The gray parrot flew up from his shoulder, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally opened its mouth.
“You… You… Damn it, what are you planning?” It cried while cranking its neck.
“Finding the people from the Abyssal Church,” Nemo replied softly, leaping lightly onto the roof of the nearest building. “They certainly won’t ignore this change. I think there are many people who plan to get through here.”
“Do you know how many people are in this city?” The gray parrot muttered. “You don’t really want to slaughter the entire city, do you?”
Nemo raised his staff threateningly, and Bagelmaurus shrank into a ball like a quail, tossing out all its demeanor of a superior demon.
“I really don’t like this joke,” Nemo sighed and slowly closed his eyes.
He could see the stars after closing his eyes.
He could feel countless pale spots of light flickering, with different strengths and weaknesses, of different sizes, but on the whole it was dim. Although Nemo didn’t know the reason, he believed he knew what they were…
Subordinate demons running around, sneaky intermediate demons, demon worshipers wandering in the shadows. There were no superior demons or demon warlocks here, so he could visit the relatively strongest among them.
In a relatively densely populated city, he didn’t dare split space casually, in case he happened to hurt some unlucky fellow. Nemo pedaled hard on the roof and moved as fast as a bird as he rushed towards a building in Kenyatta in the night.
Under the same dark sky.
Oliver didn’t use magic. He directly used the force from his sword to resist the violent magic attacks on the opposite side. The boots on his two feet were stuck in the ground, but he was still forced to retreat several steps abruptly.
The gaze cast by the opposite side didn’t seem to be looking at people, but more like someone looking at an inevitable prey. However, Oliver’s chilling attire worked. The bloodstained man circled around him like a beast but didn’t approach rashly.
Oliver stretched every string tightly, subconsciously protecting the assassin behind him. He looked intently at the enemy who attacked again. The bone sword split the air, as light as a feather in the wind, cleverly teasing the other party. The disparity in strength made the battle felt more like a one-way manipulation. After the fight, the enemy was farther away than when they first started.
From this angle, Oliver couldn’t see Randy’s complex eyes behind him.
“He’s not suitable,” Randy whispered. “He’s definitely not suitable there.”
“You’re right.” Mora’s voice passed through his bones and into his brain. “So he’s destined to go to the Withered Castle. I can’t even watch anymore.”
The female killer let out a slight sigh, sounding sullen. “An upright person… I really don’t want to see him destroyed.”
“No.” Randy sighed as he absentmindedly threw out the heavy shield. “What was the saying, ‘There are only two kinds of people who can leave the Withered Castle—the dead and the murderous.’”
“Forget the dead, we’re already murderers, but he’s not.”
“…He’s not ‘yet’.”
The author has something to say:
Jesse made a great contribution and got lots of face. Are you happy, Jesse?
Oliver finally managed to control his chin so that he wouldn’t gape his mouth open stupidly. The girl who claimed to be Mora nodded generously to him and made a casual greeting gesture. The blade on her fingertips gleamed.
“Oliver Ramon,” he coughed. “Black Chapter.”
“Actually, I heard you just now, but I like polite people.” The girl nodded with satisfaction, and her tone sounded pleasant. “Normally we would kill you now. Unfortunately, we can’t kill people at this moment.”
Oliver was a little uncertain about whether to clench the hilt of his sword and make a preliminary defense.
“Stop it, Mora.” Randy moved his neck, and the joints made a muffled sound. “He has no malice. At least not now.”
“Of course I know. I’m just teasing!” The young girl curled her lips in dissatisfaction. “Did I scare him? Are you jealous? ……You have to admit, Randy, he’s much more handsome than you.”
“…” the tall male assassin turned his head.
“Do you think I didn’t know?” Mora said quietly. “There was a lady with big breasts in the carriage just now. You turned your head and glanced at her several times, and your heart was beating faster for a few seconds. A few seconds!”
“I……”
“Of course, I can understand,” Mora pretended to wipe away tears that didn’t exist and twitched her nose, “so I decided to talk to this handsome young man more. You have no say in this.”
“…” Seeing the petite female assassin approach him, Oliver quickly took a few steps back and decided to remove himself from the flirting between the two people in front of him. “I have a boyfriend.” His tone was extremely firm.
The two assassins looked at him at the same time, one with grief in her eyes and the other with faint joy in his.
“What a shame!” Mora looked aggrieved. “I was hoping to I’ll fall in love with you and break up with this stupid stake—”
Randy still had a serious expression of displeasure. At that moment, he was looking up at the sky, pretending not to hear anything. Suddenly, he took a breath, and when he spoke again, his tone was no longer as relaxed as before.
“Mora,” he only spoke her name.
The short girl and Randy quickly exchanged glances before they went straight back into each other’s bodies. Their flesh crisscrossed without any obstacles, not blending. It was like Mora was walking into an opaque phantom. Just as her figure disappeared, a surveillance bug staggered over.
‘This makes sense,’ Oliver thought quickly.
Why Randy claimed he couldn’t fight high-intensity and long-term battles, why he was an assassin, why he was only equipped with a heavy and strong metal shield, and why his body move less when attacking. If the girl hidden inside his body needed to move with him, this would explain everything.
But if they wanted to ensure that they wouldn’t reveal it, they must act in exactly the same way. The synchronization rate of the movements of the two and the degree of communication between their minds were absolutely terrifying. He couldn’t even believe it was true.
“Are you…?” he asked Randy implicitly. “Is it a spell?”
“It’s a curse.” Randy carried the shield carelessly and glanced at the surveillance bug with the corner of his eyes. “It’s been many years. I don’t care… Shhh.”
Randy jumped into the bushes, and Oliver hid almost at the same time as him. Heavy and messy footsteps mixed with heavy breathing hovered around them. The thick smell of blood passed through the trees and into their noses. Those wandering outside resembled more stunned beasts than humans.
“You asked me to cooperate… In hopes that I would contain the enemy and minimize the range of our movements,” Oliver whispered when the enemy went away. “Miss Mora has to move with you, right? What’s this kind of synchronization…”
“Fourteen years of practice.” Randy didn’t look at Oliver. He pulled aside a little bush and peeped out. “Now you should worry about yourself, Mr. Ramon.”
He glanced at Oliver with almost no emotion in his eyes. “I suggest you kill the guy just now. He was injured. It shouldn’t be difficult for you.”
“Why?” Oliver raised his eyebrows.
“We have our purpose, but you’d better not be soft-hearted.” The tall man’s face was calm. “Even if you kill one, you can enter the mobile barracks and stay away from this hellhole. I only need a temporary collaborator who won’t stab me in the back, but I don’t need a good person.”
“Although we have faced endless war, the chance of escape is much higher than being trapped in the Withered Castle. To be honest, you may end up worse than those consumables without any combat power.”
Oliver shook his head gently.
“…Aren’t you a Black Chapter? Why are you so reluctant to kill someone?”
“I’ve killed a person before.” Oliver lowered his gaze. “It feels terrible.”
“These are not civilians. They were originally death row prisoners.”
“In theory, we’re also death row prisoners,” he said weakly, curling the corners of his mouth, “but I don’t think I deserve to die.”
Randy turned his face and raised his eyebrows high.
“If I find myself a ‘last resort’ excuse now,” Oliver took a deep breath, “then there will definitely be a second time, then a third—after all, there will never be a shortage of excuses.”
“Interesting. I’m starting to wonder what you did.” Randy muttered in a low voice.
A pillar of fire hit the shrub where the two were hiding. Oliver quickly retreated. He gradually mastered the rhythm of peaceful coexistence with the collar. He cleverly erected ice spikes, forming a fence of ice that gave the two plenty of time to escape.
They had to hold on for three hours. How long has it been now?
Oliver quickly pedaled on the ground and rushed to the relatively dense area of trees, silently estimating the time.
“Although I don’t mind helping you casually,” Randy said as he ran, “strictly speaking, although Mora hasn’t been caught, she can’t get this kind of collar off.”
Oliver used his sword aura to cut down a few trees, then carefully concealed his breathing and hid himself in a pile of branches and leaves. The force of his sword moved forward, straight into the distance, creating a ton of momentum.
“Thank you for your kindness.” Oliver didn’t even dare to move his lips. He spoke using purely the air of his voice. “I will find a way by myself… In fact, I don’t know my specific crime. Those people insisted that I’m a Knight of Silence, but I swear I’m not.”
“…If the Knights of Silence are like you, the reputation of the Abyssal Church wouldn’t be so shit,” Randy snorted and smiled as he hid in the bushes. “To be fair—you do seem concerned about our curse.”
The assassin put his back into the leaves and changed to a more natural sitting posture, trying to seize his idle time to regain his strength. Oliver moved out to make room for Randy.
Before he moved a few steps, he pressed something hard on his hand and was almost pierced. Oliver subconsciously glanced into the shadows. The skull of a reptile was lying quietly there with its eye sockets and the huge temporal foramen next to each other. The lower jaw of the skull had long disappeared, and there were two canine teeth that were still intact.
“In general, we can’t touch each other,” Randy said indifferently. “It’s not good to touch things indirectly, just like this.”
“But I can touch you,” Oliver picked up the small skull, compared its size, and began to try to remove the dirt stains with magic.
“Yes, because it’s just a curse for the two of us.”
“…Is there a solution?” Oliver asked immediately after putting a few restraints on the skull.
“The easiest thing is to break up, but it hasn’t been successful.” Randy’s face still looked foul, but his eyes became much softer. “It’s not possible. I like her the most, and she didn’t find anyone she likes better, so we can only make do with this difficult path.”
Oliver felt a little sad. He probably knew what it was like to be unable to touch a loved one. It was only a day since he was separated from Nemo, and his mood had already begun to go downhill. What would it be like if it was fourteen years?
However, Randy looked calm, as if he was telling the story of some other person.
“There’s still half an hour,” a voice that was amplified by magic fell from the sky. “Please hurry up.”
As soon as the voice fell, a storm rolled their way causing broken trees to pile together. The survivors’ goals were getting more limited, and their attacks became crazier. Finally, someone broke out recklessly, as if what was waiting for him wasn’t the Death Row Legion, but a throne made of gold.
The two people who had been feeling cautious couldn’t avoid it any longer.
“Let me see how long your ‘kindness’ can last,” Randy snorted, and stood up. “Now you have to get serious, Ramon.”
Facing the surging killing intent of the huge waves, Oliver buttoned the skull on his head. It was just the right size under the processing of magic. It should be the skull of a small earth dragon. The sharp teeth on the edge of the upper jaw were uneven, but the canine teeth were still sharp. The nostril, eyes, and temporal foramen were mixed together, causing the porous, special-shaped skull to exude a smell of death that could send chills down people’s backs.
The restraint technique took effect. The skull covered the upper half of his face and successfully turned into a cold and strange helmet. Although most of his face could be seen through the hollows of the eye sockets and the temporal foramen, against the background of the gloomy bones, no one would associate this face with the sun-scorching leader of Horizon.
“This is not ‘kindness’,” After successfully hiding his face, Oliver sighed and clenched the equally pale Rest in Peace. “It’s just…”
He couldn’t find the right world.
Even if he really did kill, perhaps most people could understand his helplessness, but along the way, he had seen many people who still adhered to their principles despite their desperate situation. If he crossed his bottom line here, he didn’t think he could face those “ordinary” people in a dignified manner.
If he was weaker, maybe he really had no choice, but this wasn’t the case. He was strong enough, much stronger than his opponents, and Oliver knew this well.
…Then, even if it was stupid, inflexible, and pointless perseverance…
Compared to the countless self-questioning that were destined to be fruitless and would bring insomnia in the middle of the night after abandoning one’s principles, he chose to bear the price of this persistence and chose to sleep peacefully with a clear conscience.
Nemo, on the other hand, was staring at the flashing bulletin board, only to feel that there was an extra piece of ice in his stomach.
“The cocoon of a superior demon?” Nemo’s voice was dry, and he didn’t even bother to hide it.
“Something that has only appeared in recent days.” Adrian Cross retracted his gaze. “It stands to reason that it can’t hatch as it’ll be bound by the law. Roadside Town will be fine for the time being.”
“Don’t be so sure. We do have a complete… Ahem.” Ann stopped talking in time.
“…I have reservations on this point.” The knight commander glanced at Nemo. “If things get to that point, the guild should send mercenaries from the first echelon. But you see—” The slender finger pointed to the lower part of the light screen. “At present, all medium-sized mercenary groups are exploring. I guess people from all religions are also on the way.”
“Isn’t that great?” Jesse clapped his hands. “There must be a lot of people going to Roadside Town now. The garrison over there must be going crazy. We can get in. Are you okay, Mr. Light?”
Nemo didn’t answer, he slowly raised his right hand, and then slowly grabbed his left arm.
[About this, I have some theories… As long as I feel ‘voluntary abandonment’…”]
He only mentioned this to the gray parrot not long ago. On that dark night when his left arm was bitten off by the Ratliff Wolfhound, how was he feeling?
At that time, he failed to notice the loss of his left arm, but now Nemo could clearly recall the unnatural emptiness of his left shoulder. The surrounding air became colder as a result. At that time, he was indeed willing to give up his left arm, gain physical freedom, and do everything in his power to survive.
“We need to move quickly,” his tone was determined, with a level of authority that he couldn’t perceive.
“…That thing is dangerous. It may be more dangerous than we think.”
The author has something to say:
That skull is based on the skull of a carnivorous dinosaur. The skulls of reptiles do have a temporal foreman, which gives off a dangerous and charming feeling?!?
————————
Nemo: Can’t there be good things recently? Can’t there be good things!
Oliver: (Slowly spit out the dog food he just ate) Wow, everyone is miserable. It’s really bitter.
Ann: I lost the leader of the team. Wuwuwu, I can’t look directly at Nemo… I lost the leader of the team—
Adrian: How will various religions react to the events of the Abyssal Church? I’m a little worried… And what the hell is Jesse?
☆·*·:*·*☆Today is a good day☆·*·:·*·☆
Jesse: I’m going on a date with Adri, yay!!!
Gray Parrot: I have regained my strength, yay!!!
…The two lowest-status people are very happy; The world is really unfair√
Bagelmaurus felt dizzy. Until the other members of Tumbleweed walked out of the building, it still hadn’t recovered. To be honest, when the word “Demon King” first came out of Light’s mouth, it wanted to deny and ridicule him as before.
But Light didn’t look like he was joking.
Then the tip of its tongue touched the drop of blood, and the gray parrot finally realized that the terrible guess in its heart had come true.
It may be because of the difference in quantity that the degree of stimulation was far from the original, but the feeling was so close that it made it feel creeped out. It was indeed the devastating power unique to the Demon King’s flesh. It was so violent that it seemed to overwhelm everything. With just less than a single drop of blood, the power of its own flesh instantly returned to its peak, even stronger than the fresh flesh of its original body.
Bagelmaurus was confident. Even if the parrot’s body limited a considerable part of its power, now its strength was just as strong as an average superior demon on the surface.
Regaining strength was always a good thing.
It should have felt desperate, and the fear engraved in its instinct was frozen in place. Unfortunately, its fear and despair seemed to have risen above its head, and now there was only a wonderful sense of relief and disbelief…
The gray parrot squatted contentedly on Nemo’s shoulder, pecking his ears from time to time. The fear that ran deep into its bones was hard to overcome, but it was starting to get used to it. The pleasure brought by “bullying the Demon King” was brand new. Every time, it would bring a strange sense of excitement, like walking on the edge of death.
It was definitely the pride of all the Corewen Flat Snakes in the Abyss. Bagelmaurus puffed up its chest.
Ann’s expression, who had just walked out the door, became a little more vivid. She was looking in confusion at the gray parrot that seemed to be injected with chicken blood*.
*Depending on context, it could be being crazy or obsessed with something/an idol, or in this context means becoming very excited and energetic. The term comes from chicken-blood therapy back in the 1960’s when doctors would take rooster blood and inject it into patients, believing it made them highly aggressive and strong.
“Leave it alone.” Nemo poked the beak of the bird gnawing on his ears. “How’s the situation on your side?”
“Oliver should still be in the Insular Court,” Ann sighed softly, “but the information isn’t reliable. I have arranged for someone to watch the prison in the capital of Alban.”
“Thank you,” Nemo murmured. He didn’t feel at ease, and the bad premonition gave him chills on the back of his neck. “Shall we go to Kenyatta now?”
“That’s right. Kenyatta isn’t peaceful right now, so it’s better to sneak in.” The female warrior scratched her short hair. “But Nemo, that incident happened a while ago, right? Although it’s indeed necessary to check the location of where it happened… Do you really don’t want to post a task to find witnesses?”
“No need,” Nemo’s tone was firm. “I have my ways.”
“Well, since… Dylan, what are you doing?” Originally, Ann’s tone was deliberately softened, but the second half of her sentence instantly returned to its hard stance.
“Very interesting information.” Jesse hooked his fingers at the two of them. “Leave that goat alone. You won’t lose it in just this short of time. Come and have a look.”
Nemo put the leash around Bagelmaurus’ neck, then put the gray parrot on the stone sculpture at the entrance of the guild hall. He scowled at Jesse, firmly believing that there was no news that could actually shock him. “…Sorry, I’m not in the mood to watch the excitement right now.”
“Oh, I understand, but there has been a change in the border forest near Roadside Town—” Jesse rubbed his lower lip with a smile. “I think you will be interested.”
In an unknown wilderness in the distance, pieces of black smoke had begun to emerge from the woodlands. Sparks ignited by magic arrays withered the grass, and the center of the battlefield was covered with fire.
Oliver finally put down his bone sword. The burly man in front of him claimed to be an assassin, but he didn’t seem hostile or malicious.
“Oliver Ramon.” Oliver stretched out his hand and shook the other party’s. He then stood up neatly and took out a small broken branch stuck in the gap of his armor. “Have you met Lopez?”
“Once,” Randy said in a muffled voice. “Horizon has stuffed tons of dangerous people on this island, so they won’t like this face.” His tone became serious. “…But I remember he has no relatives.”
His words didn’t affect his movements. Randy stood behind the giant metal shield. The thick shield was pushed slightly back, plowing up a row of soil as the impact of spells and metal explosions could be heard on the other side.
“…This face is purely coincidence.” Oliver grimaced. “Is that why you blocked me in the carriage just now?”
Randy shrugged.
Oliver returned a slightly grateful smile to the other party. He stretched out his hand and tried to set up a defensive spell, but the moment he started to guide magic, the severe pain in his neck struck again. Oliver gritted his teeth and maintained his standing position.
“Don’t use defensive spells. Only physical defense is allowed here.” Randy frowned at him. “You…”
Before he could finish speaking, Oliver moved. He slashed the Rest in Peace horizontally forward, and a huge icicle grew from the sword. Although it wasn’t as strong as his ice shield, it could be regarded as a temporary separation between them and the radiated chaos.
“Why are you looking for me to cooperate?” After all this, Oliver couldn’t help but kneel down on one knee to resist the pain that was piercing his temples.
“You look the most suitable,” Randy said. “I’m not good at long-term high-intensity combat, and I need a reliable collaborator for the time being. You also seem to know nothing about the current situation.”
Oliver instantly forgot all the discomfort. His gaze swept from Randy’s face to his strong muscles, then moved back to Randy’s face again. The one in front of him looked like the extreme endurance type—one who could fight ten people. He magnanimously expressed his doubts with his eyes.
The serious-looking assassin ignored his questioning eyes. He stretched out his arm and held Oliver firmly. “How much do you know about the current situation, Mr. Ramon?”
“Nothing at all.” Oliver patted his arm and took a step back. “Thanks, I can still stand by myself.”
“Your team recruited Adrian Cross. At the time, I thought it was a desperate madman who was careless.” Randy shook his head. “But your blankness just now doesn’t seem to be pretending. Do you really know nothing?”
“Yes.” It wasn’t something to be proud of admitting, but he truly didn’t have a clue. Oliver pressed his temples hard and laboriously squeezed the words out of his throat. “If you want, feel free to object… I have three questions.”
“Ask.” Randy put up his shield and the ice spikes around them began to collapse unnaturally.
“First, why do you want to fight? Second, why can’t defensive spells be used.” Oliver raised his feet and set up a defensive posture. “Third… Why are they laughing?”
About five prisoners rushed towards the two of them with a slightly crazed smile on their faces. One of their arms suddenly turned into dark purple smoke and rushed straight at Oliver. Oliver took a step back quickly and moved his hand to cast a purification array.
The smoke suddenly dissipated in the white light and the man let out a shrill scream, “It’s a bastard who’s been taught by the Laddism Church!”
This scream attracted the attention of many people. Oliver breathed out heavily. He could feel the hostility gathering in his body suddenly becoming heavier.
“I can answer the first two questions.” Randy swung his shield. The edge of the shield directly hit someone in the abdomen, flinging him away. “Because this is the elimination test for the Death Row Legion. They only need sharp knives and have no use for defensive capabilities. The more people killed, the better the initial treatment.”
“So the reason why they are laughing—” Oliver jumped decisively, stepping on the edge of Randy’s shield with one foot and jumping high. When he fell again, it was accompanied by the sound of his sword mixed with ice ballast.
The enemy in front of him froze back a dozen steps.
“—is because of this?” Oliver fell back on Randy and finished the second half of his sentence in a low voice. Since the Death Row Legion pursued combat power, he didn’t want to expose all his strength early.
“You can say that.” Randy knocked his shield hard onto the ground, causing it to rumble. The enemy, who was just about to surround him, staggered back onto the ground. “You don’t need to accept the death penalty. You can live comfortably, and you can kill legally—as long as you can survive the battlefield.”
“You’re an assassin.” Oliver swung his sword casually, causing the annoying vines in front of him to break in response. “Why don’t you want to kill right now?”
“This is my…” Randy frowned. He was just about to answer, but he suddenly stopped.
Countless shadow vines that looked withered stretched out from his shadow, entangling him in place. A thin figure emerged from the shadows, walked around Randy, and was about to stab the assassin’s heart mercilessly with a sharp knife in his hand. Oliver drew his sword almost in the next second, but it was too late…
Randy did only one thing.
He pulled out a wide and ragged black cloak from behind him, and the flying black cloth covered the figure firmly. His actions didn’t decay. Just like a magician on stage, his magic was powerful but had a strong murderous aura.
When he loosened the cloak again, the cloak was already drenched with blood that didn’t belong to the assassin.
The sneak attacker staggered back a few steps, looking at him in disbelief. It was like he had slammed into a board full of nails. He had a large number of wounds covering his body, but they weren’t fatal—but if left alone, he would most likely die of blood loss in a short time. The thin man cursed and quickly slipped away.
Oliver put down his sword and looked at Randy in shock. The assassin’s clothes looked ordinary. The thin fabric on his chest was bulged by muscles, and it didn’t look like there were any sharp weapons or objects hidden on him.
On the other hand, the newly appointed leader of Tumbleweed wasn’t arrogant, but he was also considerably confident in his own strength. He admitted that he wouldn’t make a mistake—in that moment, a very short moment, there was no doubt that there were two people inside the assassin Randy. He wasn’t speaking this metaphorically, as there actually were two real-life people.
A touch of snow-white slipped through the gap in the cloak, and a line of sight swept across his face.
Oliver was positive he wasn’t hallucinating.
What’s going on?
If he hadn’t felt the existence of a “third person”, Oliver could have ignored Randy’s technique. After all, everyone had a few tricks up their sleeves, and he wasn’t familiar with Randy. However, it was a person, a living person, who could appear and disappear in an instant.
Oliver swallowed. He checked carefully, and the aura on Randy’s body returned to the previous situation. Since he was imprisoned, his reality had become as absurd as a dream. He finally thought that the current situation was going on the right track…
“Let’s go.” The tall and burly assassin said in a deep voice, as if what he had just done was a routine attack.
Oliver didn’t move. He frowned and began to think about the most polite way to ask. Randy had helped him out a lot, but it was also true that his condition was weird. If possible, Oliver didn’t want to offend the other party because of his little suspicion.
But before he could think of a suitable expression, the answer came out by itself.
A few cold rays of light flashed, and a fat surveillance bug fell to the ground and was swallowed directly.
“It doesn’t matter, Randy. He found me,” a voice said.
The voice was crisp and pleasant. It sounded like a young woman. Suddenly, a girl appeared in front of Oliver. Her hair was as short as Randy’s but was brilliantly golden. Her eyes were big, and the corners were slightly raised with a natural smile. Her figure was slender and strong, but she was a bit short. She didn’t even look as tall as five and a quarter feet. He didn’t know if it was to make up for her lack of height, but the petite girl wore strange shoes with exaggeratedly high metal heels, which looked like she was wearing stilts at a glance.
She walked out of Randy’s body, literally. It was like that big young man was just a phantom, a cloud of colored smoke and dust.
“Mora.” Randy wiped his face vigorously. “This is too dangerous.”
“He found me anyway. Isn’t that right, dear sir?” the young girl made an exaggerated grimace and pointed her slender finger at herself. “Mora, assassin, and the girlfriend of this stupid stake*.”
*Basically a nickname in reference to a wooden stake she calls Randy to refer to his wooden/stiff personality.
Her fingertips were covered with sharp claw-like blades, and they were still stained with blood.
This city wasn’t too big, but since the Mercenary Guild chose to establish a branch here, it wasn’t a small place either. In the afternoon, the town was extremely lively. The sound of horses’ hooves rolled over the uneven stone bricks. Vendors would pull their carts with two wooden wheels and sell cold jam tarts and rye bread, a serving for two, with a cup of sweet herbal soup. People hurriedly passed by the door of the Mercenary Guild branch, not bothering to look in this direction.
The entrance of the building cast a shadow in the blazing sun. The sparse adventurers were squeezing themselves into the shadows, swearing as they took off their hats, revealing their red and sweaty skin.
Only one person was incompatible with the hot and dry atmosphere.
The black-haired young adventurer was dressed simply. His clothes were stained with blood and dirt. The soil had lost its moisture and crusted, becoming slightly whitish, which was particularly dazzling on the dark fabric. He was pulling a fuller goat full of luggage, standing neatly in the corner, away from others who were hiding from the sun.
This wasn’t uncommon. He was probably just an unlucky guy who had just completed an arduous task, but the black-haired young man’s appearance was so refined, several female soldiers who were wiping sweat with their sleeves couldn’t help but look at him a few times. Out of some kind of intuition, no one stepped forward to talk.
The hot breath stopped in front of that person. What stood there seemed to be just a fluttering illusion, without any noise and the vivid aura unique to life. He didn’t even sweat a single drop.
The ladies sighed one after another, regretfully peered at him for a few seconds, then turned their eyes away.
Nemo could feel their curious gaze, but now he wasn’t in the mood to care about those non-malicious observations. Most of his attention was focused on the gray parrot that was lying on the ground. Bagelmaurus was still lying there, eyes wide open, as it rolled them to the back of its head while looking at him blankly.
After waiting quietly for a few minutes, Nemo breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the still motionless gray parrot from the ground, and repeated patiently, “I can return your powers to you. Don’t you want it?”
“Of course I do,” the gray parrot muttered in a low voice, “but why?”
It only escaped not long ago, which wasn’t a commendable thing. Bagelmaurus knew very well that it was still here for only one reason—Light definitely had a way of tracking it, and it was undoubtedly a stupid idea to try to escape again. Since it couldn’t escape, it might as well give itself up.
Sooner or later, this piece of flesh on the surface would be gone. Bagelmaurus felt terribly distressed, but it firmly believed that it was only a matter of time. Besides, most of its power had been snatched away by Light some time ago, and now it seemed that the hope of regaining it was extremely slim.
The loss of this part of its power was a foregone conclusion.
Even if it was the only superior demon out of all the Corewen Flat Snakes, the Abyss was very big, so it wasn’t difficult to hide. When its flesh on the surface is destroyed, it would definitely hide for a hundred or two hundred years before trying to go back to the surface again. Light would never chase it to the Abyss.
Fear and trembling had become its habit, and even Bagelmaurus began to feel numb. Just as it was patiently waiting for Light to attack it, a big fat pie smashed it to the ground.
‘Okay, this dream is quite realistic,’ Bagelmaurus thought solemnly.
“Because I don’t know what might happen next, and your current strength is too weak,” Nemo said softly.
“Oh,” the gray parrot’s voice became louder. Its denial of reality filled it with an inexplicable courage. “I tried to kill you in the first place though.”
“But you helped when we were fighting Witherspoon… We’re even.”
The gray parrot stared suspiciously at those silver eyes. “Then why did you chase me to the Abyssal Church?”
“We took on Mr. Virgil’s task, and I just wanted to talk to you.”
“…Well, let me believe you for the time being. Why would you want to strengthen me? Do you want me to protect those humans on the team? Let me tell you, this is absolutely impossible—”
“Protect yourself,” Nemo said calmly. “…And just in case, we’ll have one more combat power.”
“It’s really strange. Aren’t you afraid I will change my shell after recovering my strength?” The gray parrot rolled its eyes. “Human bodies are much more convenient than a parrot’s—”
“…If you do that, you know what will happen.” Nemo raised his eyebrows.
The gray parrot quickly shut its beak.
“Okay.” After a few seconds of silence, it muttered a little plaintively. “A parrot is a parrot. Give me power!”
Nemo quietly moved his finger and reconfirmed that the mute array around him was still stable. “About this, I have some theories… As long as I feel ‘voluntary abandonment’…”
“Almost. Isn’t it something similar to instinct? You really… Hey, hey. Why are you so stingy?!” Seeing Nemo bite his finger, the gray parrot forgot what fear was and raised its voice a few octaves. “Are you going to give me some blood? At that time, I lost—”
“It’s very little blood.” The wound on Nemo’s fingertips healed instantly, leaving only a drop of blood outside. “Don’t take it all. Just a dab.”
“Even if you’re a complete superior demon, this is an insult!” The gray parrot stopped dissatisfied on Nemo’s forearm, staring straight at the drop of blood with its yellow bird eyes.
“I confirmed in the Abyssal Church that I’m not a complete superior demon…” Nemo spoke slowly.
“Really? Really? B—But I told you there couldn’t be a humanoid demon that exist—”
“I’m the Demon King.” Nemo’s voice became even lower.
The fuller goat was ruminating in ignorance a few steps away; the mercenaries not far away were still laughing, and the vendors’ wooden carts had just turned around. The gray parrot’s outstretched tongue was about to touch the drop of blood when it suddenly fell, whizzing to the ground like a weaver’s tape measure.
The abnormal dark purple tongue was stretched about a meter long. Nemo moved a few steps to pick up its tongue, rubbed the bead of blood on its tip extremely carefully, then slowly stuffed it back into the parrot’s mouth. He pinched the stiff thin tongue, determined to temporarily hide the fact that “the Demon King of all generations has always been the same” for the time being.
Two minutes later, he finally stuffed all the gray parrot’s drooping tongue back as unnoticed as possible, just like stuffing a protruding cloth back into a lamp bottle. The effect was immediate, and he could instantly feel the change in the momentum of the gray parrot; like a half-dead branch that stretched out again, and the tops of newborn leaves bloomed full of spiked flowers. Its momentum came alive and it was no longer a speck that wasn’t worth mentioning. The dim star that Nemo perceived suddenly became shining.
“Ah,” the gray parrot said weakly, with two small claws firmly holding Nemo’s forearm. “……Ah.”
It didn’t look happy at all but was extremely listless. Nemo didn’t dare to move. He just stiffened his arms and let the gray parrot continue to sway on it.
“Ah—” The gray parrot continued as if it had become a crow. It didn’t scream. It just continued to squawk weakly.
“Letting me know what you are…” After a dozen sounds, the gray parrot finally muttered. “A piece of flesh for this kind of opportunity; this trip is enough. Alright, let’s just end it here.”
It lay proudly on the stone brick in front of Nemo and tightly closed its eyes. Although the claws of both its feet were still twitching, they seemed to have stiffened.
However, Bagelmaurus waited for a few minutes, but there was no attack. It opened one eye and saw Nemo standing there quietly, without any hints of anger. Even his eyes were a little red.
The gray parrot jumped to its feet and raised its head, giving a look of giving up as it looked at Nemo suspiciously.
They were in a stalemate for a full minute.
It was then it found that Nemo really didn’t show any killing intent. Bagelmaurus clicked its tongue, as if it had made some major decision. It looked at Nemo in front of it in silence for a while, then spread its wings.
Is it going to run away? Nemo closed his eyes and tried to suppress the chill in his heart.
The gray parrot did flutter its wings and flew into the air, but unlike what Nemo had guessed, Bagelmaurus didn’t fly far. It just flew high weakly.
Then it stopped on Nemo’s head.
“…” For a while, Nemo didn’t know how to react. He couldn’t understand what was going on in Bagelmaurus’ head.
“It’s worth it,” the gray parrot said solemnly as it sat on Nemo’s head. It was a very slow tone, just the right mix of despair, self-abandonment, and subtle pride.
Then it picked up a strand of Nemo’s hair and pulled it tentatively. Seeing that Nemo didn’t respond, it even added a bit of strength.
“I’m really strong!” it finally announced in a broken voice.
Nemo was a little worried about its mental state for a moment, but then he found that its magic fluctuations weren’t abnormal. Its behavior was undoubtedly sincere. He stretched out his hand and grabbed the bird by the neck and pulled the gray parrot off his head.
Just like when they first met.
Nemo put Bagelmaurus back on his shoulder. “Help me keep this a secret.” His voice was extremely low, but his tone was more soothing than before.
“Oh,” the gray parrot, who was no longer afraid of death, said, “Then… Can you call me Lord Bagalmaur—”
“No,” Nemo replied firmly. There was even a hint of a smile in his voice.
In the Mercenary Guild branch, the progress of the others wasn’t as smooth.
“…I’m willing to pay for my private post, no matter how much. It’s not enough for me to write an IOU,” Ann said to the communication crystal that was set up by the guild. “Answer me, Fenrir. I remember that you have connections to the Insular Court. After all, he disappeared right before my eyes, so it’s my responsibility.”
“Since you’re talking about this,” the voice of the leader of the Steel Wolf Mercenary Group came from the other side. “Fine. I can help pull some strings… but this is a formal transaction. You have to be mentally prepared for the price.”
“You’re still talking about that. As much as I can,” the female warrior murmured as she squished the corpse of the surveillance bug in her pocket.
“You need to wait a bit… Thorne, Thorne!” The voice on the other side of the crystal became distant and distorted.
“Yes, Captain.”
“Help me find the mission report of the previous mission of the Insular Court.”
“No problem. May I ask who is on the other line…?”
“Savage, you should remember,” Fenrir muttered. “Okay, hurry up. She’s in a hurry.”
Ann guarded the communication crystal and waited for a full hour before finally getting the communication channel guarded by the Insular Court. She anxiously connected to the big communication crystal in front of her, licking her chapped and bleeding lips.
“Fenrir Troy?” An old and unpleasant voice came from the other side of the crystal. “Do you have someone the Steel Wolf wants to send over?”
“No,” the female warrior said, clearing her throat carefully. “Hello, I want to ask you something… The reward will be transferred to you by Fenrir Troy.”
“Oh—It’s a young lady.” The old man on the other end dragged his tone. “What do you want to know? You need to know that if your little lover or anyone enters here, they are not allowed visitation.”
“I know, I just need to determine the status of a person.” Ann ignored the other party’s teasing. “Oliver Ramon. Please help me check the situation of this prisoner if there is such a prisoner.”
The old guard at the Insular Court scratched the crystal embedded in his face. He turned his face and glanced at the empty short-term cell. How terrible, he thought. The Gatekeepers were in a terrible hurry this time, as the court hadn’t completed the relevant formalities yet.
If the person on the opposite side was fishing, this matter would become troublesome. According to usual practice, the above would put all the responsibility on him alone.
“There is such a person named Oliver Ramon,” he replied neutrally. “He’s still here. This young man’s information is not complete, so it needs to be reviewed carefully. You see, we have to go through all the formalities—”
“Charges?” the female warrior on the other side of the crystal asked dryly.
“I don’t know,” the old guard coughed a few times, “but no matter what happens, he has to stay here for at least three weeks… If that’s what you want to know.”
“Thank you,” the girl on the crystal side replied solemnly.
“Don’t forget the remuneration,” the old guard responded immediately.
Ann cut off the communication crystal and breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t intend to fully accept the words of the guard alone. The female warrior walked quickly to the mission desk and began to release the task skillfully.
She had to keep an eye on Alban’s prison to ensure Oliver didn’t suddenly get transferred. Although the Gatekeepers intervened, according to regulation, they must follow the procedures of the Insular Court; otherwise, they would be questioned. They could discuss this matter later and see if there are other ways to obtain information.
On the other side, Adrian Cross also got what he wanted…
“Regarding the task you requested… The current information is here, dear guest.” The female receptionist handed him a thick leather notebook with both her hands, moving it softly and courteously. “The guild is not responsible for the authenticity of the information in it. Please consider it carefully and accept it yourself.”
Adrian Cross nodded and took the hardcover book with both hands.
“Are you teasing me?” Jesse Dylan curled his hair. “I’m right here, right in front of you, but you’re holding onto a lot of information on me… Oh, how romantic.”
Adrian continued to look through the information book without raising his head.
“I heard that a Knight of Judgement cannot lie, so I want to ask some questions.” The blond young man got closer. “Do you like me? Even just a little bit…?”
“No.” The knight commander continued reading solemnly.
“Then I’ll have to ask it every day.”
“Do as you want.” Adrian frowned at the information in the book and turned a few more pages.
The world wasn’t peaceful at present. This he knew very well. He also knew that many refugees of unknown origins were displaced. However, anyone who was human would always leave some traces in this world.
However, Jesse Dylan not only didn’t leave any traces that could be confirmed, but all the information he had was messy and ambiguous. After removing a pile of contradictory information that was floating on the surface, there was only a blank space left.
Adrian continued to flip through the material, trying to find more useful clues.
“You’re really not enthusiastic at all,” Jesse muttered next to him, stretching his neck, trying to take a look at the information on the page. “I have a good idea. Do you want to go for a drink at night?”
The former knight commander closed the book with a snap, and he finally looked at Jesse. His brows tightened.
“Alright,” he said.
The author has something to say:
The gray parrot may be the only pure idiot in Tumbleweed√
————————
Grey Parrot: Anyway, I’m already scared to the max, so I can’t be scared anymore!
Grey Parrot: …I still think I’m super good!Nemo：………………………… (Even I’m a little moved. What’s going on?)
The wound disappeared, but the pain didn’t dissipate immediately. The shock gradually faded, and the panic engraved in biological instinct surged, filling the muscles with stiffness and astringency. Oliver knew in his heart that after just paying a huge sum of money, this group of people—perhaps the “Gatekeepers” according to Micah—would only use him to make an example and wouldn’t kill him so easily.
But suffering without death was never a pleasant experience.
The cold and severe pain left by the steel needle were still throbbing in his internal organs. The continuous loss of strength made breathing a tiring task. Oliver took small breaths, inserted his fingertips wrapped in his armor into the soil under his feet, and successfully stood up after about five minutes.
He had to look for other opportunities. Oliver thought for a while and decisively excluded any negative thoughts. At the moment, he could only rely on himself to find a way out and couldn’t let himself be eroded by loss and frustration. After all, the chance of escape was already slim. He needed to adjust.
It wasn’t like he couldn’t understand Micah’s thoughts. Oliver raised his head with difficulty and looked ahead, but unfortunately, the team had already moved forward for a while, and he couldn’t find Micah’s figure.
He was a dangerous person with a “high price”. Let alone acquaintances, they weren’t even friends. He wasn’t qualified to ask another party to simply trust a stranger wholeheartedly. He just tried to embrace hope, not wanting to leave the desperate person in front of him because of this suspicion.
However, this time, fate was not on his side, and he undoubtedly failed. That was the risk he took. Oliver had long passed the age of idealism, so of course he understood this truth.
He understood it well, but…
Oliver tried to swallow his spit. His throat rolled with dry pain, mixed with sad emotions. He thought he could accept the result relatively calmly, but the pain still gripped his heart.
He leaned on the Rest in Peace and struggled to get up.
The team walked forward in silence, and there seemed to be two huge carriages at the end. Oliver didn’t smell the familiar smell of livestock in the air. Horses didn’t emit such a strange smell. From his angle, he couldn’t see what was pulling the carriages in front of him, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t a horse. The sealed carriage was surrounded by a magic array and only had a narrow door.
The prisoners were divided into two groups, honestly filling the doorway of the carriage. Although there was only one guard, everything was in order.
Oliver decided to regain his strength first. He staggered along with the group, trying to lift his feet that suddenly weighed more than a thousand pounds. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t adapt to this suddenly weak body. Oliver’s left foot softened, and he slammed into the person next to him, almost twisting his ankle.
“I’m very sorry,” he whispered, raising his eyes after a few seconds.
He bumped into a man who was about a head taller than him. He had short steel-gray hair standing upright, fierce eyebrows, and fine scars on his face. The man’s figure looked extremely strong, and the muscles on his arms were bulging as hard as iron. He didn’t carry any sharp weapons; just a metal shield that was abnormally large.
The man squinted his eyes and looked at Oliver for a moment without making a sound. When Oliver thought he was about to be beaten, he simply nodded, moved his gaze away from Oliver, and looked at the carriage in front of him again.
Oliver breathed a sigh of relief and continued to move his soft legs with difficulty.
When he and the burly man were placed in the same carriage, Oliver guessed the reason. The people in this carriage weren’t civilians. They had some combat power, and almost all the people who had just shown joy were here, while there were no traces of those who were thin and numb.
There were about a hundred people, most of whom stared at the people who came in with a subtle smile on their faces.
Oliver wanted to approach the carriage, but the burly man suddenly squeezed him directly into the corner of the carriage. The man unceremoniously blocked his sight and sat down in front of him, leaving only a little room for him to move.
The purpose of that person’s action was obvious. It was definitely intentional.
Oliver curled up his legs and frowned uncomfortably, but said nothing. He had no intention of causing disputes, since it was unnecessary at this time. Every ounce of strength was precious, and it would be wasted to put it towards quarrels.
As the last person entered the carriage, the door of the carriage was closed forcefully, and then there was a soft sound of chain friction outside. The air of the carriage suddenly became muggy, and after a few minutes, the floor under their seats began to bump slightly. No one said a word. There was only the heavy breathing of dangerous people in the air.
The burly man’s eyes closed slightly, as if he was resting, but Oliver felt there was always a line of sight that was eyeing him.
“You…” Oliver felt that this wasn’t a good sign. He retracted his legs inward and spoke softly.
Before he could spit out half a sentence, the man put his index fingers against his lips and made a cold “shh” gesture.
Oliver swallowed back what he was about to say and curled up cautiously. He didn’t know when this weird silence would end, so he closed his eyes and began to quietly test his new collar with his strength.
Two hours later, he finally knew the reason for the silence.
The carriage door opened again, and people were driven out. Oliver moved his sore lower limbs and looked around, but there was nothing in front of him except the sparse trees of a woodland. This seemed to be just an ordinary forest… except for the slender black poles that stood silently in the distance under ordinary clouds.
“I think you know what will happen.” the man with a white cloth wrapped around his face said, causing a stir among the crowd. “Congratulations. You’ve been given the opportunity to say goodbye to death.”
“Fight. I’ll watch. You must prove your worth, and it’s time to rely on your strength to win status and glory.” He dusted the dirt off his clothes, as if his eyes could see through the white cloth. “The time limit is three hours, starting now.”
“Just a reminder, do not cross the border. Don’t forget the things around your necks.”
The man shook the magic whip in his hand. After the crackling sound of the whip broke the air, a rushing white arc of light instantly ignited between the black poles. It enclosed the small woodland into an airtight cage.
No. He didn’t know what to expect. Oliver stayed in place in a daze. A number of hostile and murderous expressions had been cast. His body instinctively forced him to draw out his sword, and the collar on his neck also stopped the seemingly endless sucking of his power, allowing him to temporarily be liberated.
But he was still at a loss and couldn’t squeeze out the slightest hostility.
At this moment, one hand suddenly grabbed the back collar of his armor, and Oliver only felt the wind passing by his ears before he ended in a violent impact. He flew far, breaking countless trees before he landed in a bush.
The burly man followed. His steps were fast and steady, and his momentum was like a galloping chariot. A few hundred meters behind him, people had already begun to fight excitedly. The smell of blood spread in the air, stimulating everyone’s senses. Oliver subconsciously raised his sword and assumed a blocking posture.
“You weren’t hostile to that mole. You wanted to save him.” The man’s voice was affirmative. He reached out his hand and his face was tight. “Now you still don’t want to kill. Coincidentally, so do I. We can cooperate.”
Oliver glanced at the big rough hands, but did not immediately put down the sword, and instead cast back an inquiring look.
“I can see it.” The man’s voice was low and hoarse. “Randy.” He pointed to himself.
“You are…”
“An assassin,” Randy replied indifferently. Under the fine scars on his face, the corners of the man’s mouth drooped slightly. His lips were tightly compressed, making him always look like he was in a bad mood. “I will never mistake hostility and murderous intent.”
“…” The corner of Oliver’s mouth twitched while he decided to give himself a few more seconds to think.
“In addition, a simple question.” The man who claimed to be an assassin was silent for a moment. He put the giant shield on the ground at will, and the heavy shield instantly smashed into the soft soil. “What is your relationship with Godwin Lopez? A piece of advice. You’d better hide this face.” He raised his chin at the crowd fighting in the distance.
“Don’t let them notice. Otherwise, you’ll meet an ugly death.”
Willard territory.
The coordinates given by Virgil were extremely accurate. After taking a few steps, Nemo saw the symbolic sign of the Mercenary Guild. The task of finding Ulysses’ skull should still be there, and this idea inexplicably surfaced from his chaotic mind.
How wonderful and ironic, he thought, as he touched his head.
It was just at this moment that he had no interest in guilds and missions. Nemo glanced at the logo and began to look for the nearest transfer station. The transfer station would have a distinctive red spire, which wasn’t difficult to locate.
Not so long ago, almost all the members of Tumbleweed stepped into the branch. Ann said she was going to confirm the situation in Alban’s prison while also trying to get news from the Insular Court through her contacts. Adrian Cross said nothing and walked directly into the entrance of the branch. Jesse stuck to him like gum and followed him every step of the way.
Now, Nemo just wanted to spend more time alone. He was happy to stay outside and take care of the goat.
How long had it been since his companions had stepped into the building? An hour? Maybe two? Nemo clenched the leash of the fuller goat in his hand. The gray parrot was shivering on his shoulder as it tried to reduce its sense of presence.
Nemo couldn’t help turning his head to look at Bagelmaurus. At this moment, the gray parrot no longer had those gorgeous and dazzling decorations on its body. It shrank its head and avoided Nemo’s gaze.
This was probably the member of the whole team who was closest to him in essence. Nemo showed a wry smile. Bagelmaurus probably noticed something.
He stretched out his finger and gently poked the feathers on the parrot’s chest. The touch was warm, but the gray parrot shrank tighter.
Nemo softly sighed.
He was temporarily unable to face his companion bluntly. The guilt of concealing what he knew had snowballed, becoming larger and larger, and finally turning into a cold sense of guilt. Worry, confusion, and anxiety were mixed into a heavy pile, almost crushing him. Nemo wanted to confess, at least just once, to find an outlet for the emotion that was about to burst.
“Bagelmaurus,” he said in a low voice. He turned his gaze away and stared at the red spire of the transfer station.
“…I can return your powers to you.”
The gray parrot stopped trembling instantly. Its claws loosened as it slid down from Nemo’s shoulders and fell firmly onto the stone brick ground.
The first sound he heard was the sound of cloth and leather armor rubbing against the ground, mixed with the muffled sound of metal objects. Oliver didn’t risk opening his eyes to confirm as he could hear noises all around him. The puppets dragged the fainted prisoner, like ants dragging a dead insect corpse, but it was mixed with a strange sound that came from all directions, as if following some grand momentum and astounding laws.
He had never heard such a sound before.
Then there was the smell. He could smell fresh blood, sour sweat, and excrement. Someone must have been incontinent and soiled himself. These unpleasant smells were mixed with a strange fishy smell that was similar to overcooked dried kelp; salty and humid.
Oliver opened his eyes with only a tiny slit, and he saw a large area of blue appear in his narrow field of vision.
It was the sea.
He had never seen the sea before, so he could only guess that this was it. There was no strong salty smell like this from the lakes. They were most likely on a certain coastline or an island. Considering the function and security of this place, Oliver thought it was the latter.
This wasn’t a good time to run away.
He had just seen Micah being dragged away. If their destination was the same, then they would be sent to a place called the Withered Castle. He didn’t hear any sound of towing in front of him, and the current mode of transportation didn’t seem to be a ship.
The sound of metal impact and dragging stopped. After the sound of a heavy object landing, only the footsteps of the puppets could be heard.
This was probably a teleportation array.
Oliver tried his best to suppress his heart that was beating like a drum. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. Unless one was particularly assured of the teleportation entrance, few people would fixate a large teleportation array indoors. They were usually built in a separate building dedicated to it alone, or simply built on an open-air platform.
After the teleportation was over and before being transported, that was his chance, unless he was really unlucky and the destination was another island. Oliver prayed silently in his heart, tried to save every ounce of energy, and obediently let the puppet throw him onto the stone platform.
The light of the teleportation array lit up and pierced through the gap in his eyelids. The unique bumps of the teleportation array wrapped around him, then the dampness and fishy smell in the air instantly faded and the smell of vegetation became more pronounced.
Oliver knew he was right.
The next second, he hit the ground firmly. A biting cold diffused from the collar and penetrated his skin, deep into his bones. Oliver woke up in an instant. He wasn’t the only one. There were other prisoners around him who were struggling to get up, while the rest were still collapsed on the ground, letting out painful groans.
Olive staggered to his feet. The cold immediately turned into pain again, but it wasn’t severe this time. It was just enough for him to handle. It didn’t make him lose his mind from the pain, and it wouldn’t make him lose his concentration. The pain was sharp and fine, like a toothache that could spread throughout the entire body.
However, he ignored this. Adrian Cross had specifically trained him in pain tolerance. If it was just this level of pain, Oliver was confident it could be ignored. He raised his head slightly and looked around.
He saw that what surrounded him were high, white walls, and above his head was a rough sky divided by the wall. They seemed to be in a white pipe, and the soil not far away was moist and fresh. There were vague rustles that came from outside the wall. Ahead was only a single exit that was embedded into the white wall, like a stain.
Oliver stared at the exit and pursed his chapped lips. He carefully separated a little spider silk-like thread to test the sensitivity of the collar. There was a short time difference in its feedback on magic. This meant that if he held back his power and then applied a burst of it with full strength, it should be enough to explode the collar. He should be able to destroy it in time without losing his ability to move.
However, there were also disadvantages. This trick could only be used once. He was originally a high-priced item. Once his escape failed, his opponents would become much more vigilant. It would be harder for him to escape again, but right now he had no choice.
In this way, the moment he reached the exit, he would be able to escape.
Oliver cheered himself up blankly, feeling a bit relieved. Only then did his spirit have the opportunity to deal with the noise from the outside world.
Micah also woke up. Perhaps because the accident came too suddenly, unlike most other prisoners who were numb, he was still crying as tears and snot covered his fat mole-like face. He howled hoarsely and unpleasantly and would intermittently sob from time to time.
“It hurts!” he screamed in pain, pulling the metal tightly to the skin with his thick fingers. “Fuck, it hurts!”
However, in addition to him, dozens among these two hundred or so people were in extremely high spirits. To them, it seemed like they were hit by a greasy and thick pie that fell out of the sky. They even ignored the pain in their collars and their faces were full of joy.
Such a weird situation. Oliver frowned. Where’s the Withered Castle?
He almost spoke aloud, as if Nemo would be next to him and answer immediately. It was a pity that this warm illusion lasted only less than half a second. Oliver returned to reality again with a wry smile on his face. He had started to miss the feeling of Nemo by his side.
At the same time, Micah’s wailing became increasingly louder. “It was just a bottle of perfume. A bottle of perfume! Less than twenty gold coins—”
“Shut the fuck up!” The joy on the face of the man closest to him collapsed. He raised his foot and kicked Micah’s head mercilessly, kicking the short Mr. Mole to the ground and causing him to roll a few times.
Micah stopped howling instantly. The skin on one side of his head swelled visibly to the naked eye and his mouth was bloodied. He collapsed on the ground, touched his wound in disbelief, and saw that his fingers were covered with warm blood. He then put his fingers under his nose and sniffed hard in disbelief.
“Unnecessary conflict,” the man with his face wrapped in white cloth said in a cold tone. He shook a wooden handle in his hand, and a whip made of white light suddenly appeared on it. However, he didn’t take a single step. He didn’t seem to plan to do anything practical to stop the brutality. “Listen, don’t resist, don’t make trouble, don’t run away. Please supervise each other. The punishment of others will be turned into a reward for you.” He paused for a moment. “It’s my responsibility to remove inferior products from the good. Those who insist on disobeying orders… Please use your worst imagination.”
“Come with me now,” he said. “Line up by yourself.”
Micah stopped speaking immediately and shrank back, tightly covering the wound on the side of his head, not even daring to breathe. Oliver moved silently, swearing that he could hear Mr. Mole’s teeth chattering.
“Don’t panic,” he said in a very low voice.
Micah looked at him in horror and moved back. “Three hundred thousand,” he sighed in an angry voice as his tone trembled.
“And I still owe you a gold coin.” Oliver pretended to line up and moved slowly at the end of the line. He stretched out his hand to pull Micah up from the ground and stuffed the gold coin into the palm of his hand.
Micah clenched the gold coin tightly, showing a smile on his face that was uglier than his crying. “It’s useless.” He almost couldn’t hold back his tears as he held the gold coin tightly. “It’s useless.”
“Where’s the Withered Castle?” The team began to move forward. Oliver tried not to move his lips as much as possible as he forced his words out from between his teeth.
“I don’t know what will happen to you, but people like me… I can’t go to the battlefield. There’s only a dead end ahead.” Micah stuffed the gold coin into his pocket, then scratched his neck in despair, causing traces of bleeding. “We’ll become mice for the Gatekeepers… Oh god… It’s not fair. It’s not fair! Look, it was just a bottle of perfume…”
He stared at Oliver in despair as his figure was completely pale and drenched.
“I’m going to die,” Micah murmured, continuing to scratch the skin on his neck. “I’m going to die. Why?”
Oliver suddenly felt that his despair was a bit familiar. Those dim eyes were exactly the same as those of Nadine’s father back then. They were still some distance away from the exit. Oliver breathed tremblingly and made up his mind.
“Stay with me.” He pressed his voice even lower, so low that even he couldn’t hear himself clearly. “I’ll take you out.”
“You don’t understand at all. You can’t get rid of this thing—”
“With a powerful enough impact, I’m 90% sure,” Oliver muttered. “Don’t worry.”
“You’re crazy.” Micah shook his head uncontrollably. His fingers were full of his own blood. He finally scratched his neck to the point where blood had accumulated along the metal collar, dripping down to the side. “You’re crazy… You’ll be killed if you fail.”
“You stated that there is only a dead end ahead.”
“No, you don’t understand…” Micah moved his lips. His small eyes sank and were bloodshot. After a few seconds, he seemed to want to say something but swallowed it back. “Oh, okay… Okay. Let’s go together. Thank you. Thank you—”
Oliver nodded. “I’ll cough once as a signal in a bit. You need to pay attention.”
Mr. Mole showed a stiff smile. He turned his head and continued to scratch the wound on his neck with his fingers.
As he was waiting for the trial, Micah stood in front of him as the team slowly moved towards the only door. Oliver adjusted his breathing, tightened every muscle, and got ready. The moment he stepped out the door, the sun became particularly dazzling.
Now.
When his strength reached its peak, it was almost explosive. Olive coughed and held his breath.
But Micah didn’t tighten his limbs. He just collapsed his shoulders and slowly raised his head.
“My Lord!” he screamed at the man holding the whip a dozen steps away, pointing his finger at Oliver behind him. “This man intends to escape. He’s accumulating strength!”
Oliver stared at the person in front of him in disbelief, and then he realized he had no time for anger. After a second of shock, he decided to implement his original plan alone, but the distraction at that moment caused a leakage of power, and the delay of a single second made him miss the best time. The enemy’s attack came faster than he thought.
Several long steel needles erupted through the ground and easily pierced the Knight of Silence’s armor like a specimen. Blood dripped down from the steel needle in an instant, and almost into a line. There was a tear-like pain, and Oliver could feel blood rushing up from his throat and flowing down his cheeks.
His injuries weren’t as serious as they seem. Oliver judged with difficulty based on the amount of bleeding and pain. As if he was self-conscious, the steel needle roughly avoided important organs but nailed him firmly in place, creating an extremely terrifying visual effect.
“Good job.” The man with a white cloth on his face approached. He pulled out his left hand from his pocket, and a snake-like creature climbed onto his left arm.
It twisted its body, approached dangerously along the steel needle, and finally wrapped around Oliver’s neck. Oliver’s breathing hitched, and he tightened his muscles, trying to stop the blood flow. After the weird thing was wrapped around the collar, it made a crisp “click” like two metal parts that fit together.
The man gestured casually with his fingers, and the steel needle was instantly drawn away. Blood surged frantically along the black armor, and the man just glanced at it and threw a magic array on Oliver, moving so fast that he could hardly see clearly. Oliver knew that it would make all his wounds disappear within a second.
It was just that it wasn’t only his wound that disappeared, but also his only chance to escape.
There was no longer a feedback delay in the collar that the strange creature was wrapped around. It was a lot heavier. To Oliver’s surprise, it didn’t create new pain but continued to absorb his strength. Oliver’s legs went soft, and he half kneeled on the ground. Now he had to do his best to stand and breathe.
“No matter how many injuries you suffer, I can heal you.” The Gatekeeper member holding the whip said softly. It was undoubtedly a threat. “So you have the opportunity to experience all kinds of deadly torture. Don’t have any extra thoughts.”
Oliver turned his gaze to Micah.
The mole-like man looked as if he wanted to run away. He turned his gaze to the Gatekeeper. The latter tapped lightly on his fleshly neck, causing the metal collar to fall off and shrink into a thin card shape again.
“Return to the group,” the Gatekeeper said indifferently. “You can stay comfortably for a while.”
Micah knelt on the ground, panting like a person who had almost drowned. He shivered for a while, and finally moved his gaze in Oliver’s direction.
“I… I know. I’ve seen many things,” the mole-like man said stumblingly. “You must have had ulterior motives and were trying to use me as a diversion… You’re not sincere. I won’t fall for it!”
“You must be trying to use me,” he repeated stubbornly. “I’m not wrong.”
Oliver took a step back. His soles almost stuck to the filth on the ground.
He had dealt with many real businessmen, and the tone of this eccentric visitor meant he wasn’t interested in any discussion. This wasn’t a transaction based on a request, but more like an order or an explanation of the existing result. Oliver couldn’t see the expression behind the white cloth, but his intuition was screaming desperately for vigilance. He subconsciously held his breath like a beast, staring at the figure in the shadow.
“I’m afraid that won’t do, my lord,” another voice answered him. A thin old man slowly paced over and entered Oliver’s field of vision. His back was severely rickety and his ribs were unnaturally convex forward making him look like a living skeleton. “There’s still some value. Alban would be happy to execute a Knight of Silence in public.”
He rolled his eyes and glanced in Oliver’s direction, and stuffy laughter came out of his chest. “Young and handsome, very attractive.”
The man with the white cloth wrapped around his face didn’t say a word. He silently turned his face in the direction of the old man.
“Just kidding.” The old man continued to smile strangely. “I don’t think Alban will have trouble with you—ah, of course, of course.” He turned his head sideways, and Oliver saw the appearance of the other half of the old man’s face. The dry, wrinkled flesh was embedded with rough crystals, and the intertwined crystal columns seemed to be some kind of parasitic creature rooted in the skull. One of the crystals was flashing, but Oliver didn’t hear any sound coming from it.
“Originally, this kid… Well, he could sell for 400,000.” The old man turned his face again, rubbing his hands like a fly. “What Alban means—you see, you did contribute; 350,000 gold coins.”
The strange man still didn’t say a word.
“300,000. It can’t go any lower.” The old man was silent for a moment while his tone hardened a bit. “Alban’s side has been in a lot of chaos recently. They would be very happy to kill this kid and appease the people. There’s nothing more inspiring than fighting the Abyss.”
‘Three hundred thousand,’ Oliver thought stiffly. He and Nemo had been wandering around for so long with a reward of three hundred thousand gold coins. Not to mention the physical value of three hundred thousand gold coins, even the number on their team account had never been so big. He was in a daze for a moment. He glanced at the gap in the armor at his wrist and made sure that there was no flowing gold inside.
But this number sounded familiar. He seemed to have heard it once somewhere.
Forget it.
Is a Knight of Silence so valuable? Oliver recalled the capture process and didn’t think it was much harder than catching a wild pheasant. However, now wasn’t the time for wishful thinking. He bit his lower lip hard and focused his attention back. He didn’t even dare breathe loudly for fear of missing any details.
This time the strange man nodded.
“Then follow the process…”
“I said, I want him now,” the man said in a hoarse voice, turning around and walking towards the exit, as if he didn’t intend to leave any more bargaining opportunities for the other party. “Take care of it. We will take him away with today’s goods later.”
The half of the old man’s face facing Oliver was distorted, but he didn’t make any protest.
Things were very clear now. At least he could explain the mess before. Oliver remained in his cage obediently, as quiet as a real Knight of Silence, as if he didn’t understand the conversation between the two.
He was targeted. He was targeted before he came here. Looking at the other party’s eager attitude, he noticed that he shouldn’t have much time. After all, if they wanted to convict him, they could pin the destruction of Vincent Town on him, but they spent a lot of money for him. This shouldn’t be for profit, at least not for a direct benefit.
The group of people who were eyeing him obviously had some kind of cooperative relationship with this place. From his observations, this place seemed to be able to communicate with the armies of multiple countries. It wasn’t small in scale. It should be an institution similar to some kind of joint judicial court. That strange man also didn’t seem so polite just now…
Was he from the Mooney Sect? Oliver racked his brain frantically. No, no. The Mooney Sect clearly knew he wasn’t a true Knight of Silence. According to the judge, they also didn’t contact them after he was captured. The people who were anxious to convict him didn’t seem interested in his crimes. It also seemed farfetched that they bought him for religious purposes.
Rather than being uninterested, they even tend to hide the fact that “he wasn’t a Knight of Silence” from the people here.
Things may be worse than he thought. Oliver couldn’t figure out what else could make people conspire against him. He had ruled out all the possible reasons. There was only one answer left…
His powers.
It should be a third party he didn’t know. Oliver rubbed the hilt of his sword and confirmed his guess. While he was thinking, the old man directed two women to walk into his cell.
Rather, they were “things” that looked like a woman.
Oliver looked at the two women who were covered with a large piece of white cloth over their heads vigilantly. He could see convex and uneven lines underneath, but he didn’t approach them, nor did he touch the hilt of his sword. He didn’t plan to take these two people hostage; he thought in a place like this, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to give him such an opportunity.
It turned out his guess was correct.
They approached him softly. Suddenly, the white cloth was torn apart and was followed by the crisp impact of metal. Two terrifying-looking metal puppets were revealed behind the white cloth. One of them tightly bound him from behind, while the other drew spells with its twitching metal ribs, like insect feet. The array wrapped him like rain silk, covering every seam of his armor.
When the spell entangled the Rest in Peace, Oliver’s heart almost jumped out of his throat. Fortunately, there wasn’t an alarm sound, and the puppets didn’t respond.
“There’s no potential threat.” Ten minutes later, they finally reacted and reported stiffly.
“Lock the collar.” The old man nodded, and the grinning face disappeared without a trace. “Also, untie the shackles of sound.”
The puppet’s sharp fingers rubbed the skin of Oliver’s neck and tinkled with the metal collar. As if a cold blade had rubbed his skin, he instantly got goosebumps.
His throat loosened a bit, but Oliver didn’t make a sound.
His plan hadn’t changed. Struggling now was a stupid idea that would only attract the guards of this place. It was better to show weakness first and let his opponent relax their guard. The moment they took him out would be a great opportunity for him to escape.
A scream that made his hair stand upside down suddenly broke out from outside his cage. Within a few seconds, a puppet dragged a fat figure past his cell. Micah was spread out in a pile, like a sack of bulging acorns, and dragged away unconsciously. Oliver took a deep breath and tried to squeeze the forces inside him to prevent anything from leaking out.
The puppet pressed its fingers against his collar, and the next moment, a piercing pain went straight to his brain. It came very quickly and without warning, as if a spoon of hot molten iron had been poured directly into his head.
Oliver gritted his teeth. He was sure he had tasted his own blood in his mouth. The accumulated strength allowed him to hold on to a trace of sobriety, but the lingering pain didn’t disappear. Oliver threw himself to the ground without hesitation, closed his eyes, and tried his best to control the rhythm of his breathing.
One of the puppets walked around him a few times. The metal feet stepped on the thick filth, making a disgusting croak. Oliver had the illusion that it seemed to be stepping on his internal organs that were twisted with tension at this very moment. He didn’t know how long it took, but the puppet stood still for a moment, and finally grabbed Oliver’s armor and dragged him out “unconscious”.
‘Success or failure depends on here,’ Oliver thought to himself as he spread out his limbs and gathered his last bit of strength.
The edge of Roscoe’s forest.
“We first teleport to Kenyatta on the border, and then from Kenyatta to Noer. Finally, we’ll walk from Noer to Roadside Town.” Ann pointed at the map with her fingertips. “The identities of Nemo and Cross are too sensitive. The old school of the Laddism Church is popular in Alban. They will be torn apart if we go through the normal routes,” as she said it, she glanced up at Nemo. “…Let me make an analogy in terms of attitude.”
Nemo put his hair together hastily, still looking listless. Colestoro was wandering around him suspiciously, while Nemo ignored the other party. The gray parrot tentatively wanted to fly over and perch on his shoulder, but after Nemo glanced up at it, it made an emergency brake halfway and flew back to Jesse Dylan’s shoulder.
“I still have a remaining coordinate address here,” Virgil said, peeking at Colestoro, who was circling Nemo, with the corner of his eye. “You can reach the nearest Mercenary Guild branch through there, then you can easily find a transit station to Garland from there… I won’t go with you.”
“Thanks.” Ann unceremoniously accepted the piece of parchment with a homemade teleportation array painted on it. “Remember to sign our contract, boss.”
The vitality in her voice recovered, but the atmosphere was like a pool of stagnant water. The team faintly exuded a sense of rupture, which couldn’t be covered up by any positive attitude.
They were probably the only Black Chapter team as unlucky as them—they had just gotten their name and their leader was lost on their first mission.
The female warrior sighed in a low voice. She opened the palm of her other hand to reveal the blackened surveillance bugs. She lowered her head and looked at the disgusting bugs, which pressed against her heart like boulders.
What if she found them earlier?
She blamed herself and was so absorbed that she didn’t notice the sudden stop of Colestoro’s circling movements. The white demon came up to her and grabbed one mercilessly, then smoothly stuffed it into his mouth.
Ann, “……”
Virgil looked away silently.
“The Gatekeepers’ stuff,” the demon said softly, swallowing the bug down his throat. His tone was unusually cold and angry. “It smells like them.”
Nemo appeared in front of him the next second and directly grabbed the demon’s wrist. “Who?”
“The Gatekeepers.” Colestoro frowned at his hand.
“Sorry.” Nemo let go of the hand holding Colestoro’s wrist. Thanks to the collection of books in the Abyssal Church, he did know a little bit about the Gatekeepers. Even if the Gatekeepers watched the battle between Aurorae and the Abyssal Church, why would they be interested in Oliver?
“They are still there.” Colestoro’s smile looked distorted and unhappy, and a bloodthirsty light flashed in his eyes for a moment. “If you want to kill them and rescue your companion, I can help—”
“I… Let’s investigate first.” Nemo tried to squeeze out a smile. His voice was slightly dry. “And you need to rest.”
Colestoro blinked, and the unhappiness on his face quickly turned into pity. Virgil sighed slightly, signed his name on the mission parchment in silence, and the contract disappeared in the fire. “Calm down, Colesi.”
“The teleportation array is drawn.” It was Adrian who spoke.
This time everyone moved very quickly, but their mood was a bit different from before. Compared with the current state of mind, the anxiety and worry at the beginning were simply not worth mentioning. This time, Nemo was the first to step into the teleportation array, and his figure disappeared instantly.
“Don’t worry about us.” The words he left were short and solemn. “I hope you don’t have to be separated anymore.”
Ann sighed and led the goat in, followed by Jesse Dylan…
“I should have stayed with you… I don’t know how to express my gratitude,” Virgil let out a soft sigh and said to Adrian Cross, who was the last to enter. “Now I won’t delay your time. If Mr. Ramon needs our help, anything—just post the task directly in the guild, and I will respond as soon as possible.”
He smiled at him and bowed deeply. The huge bony hands behind him drooped slightly at his movements. “In addition, this is a personal thank you… Thank you for your ‘tolerance’.”
Adrian was silent for a moment, his complicated eyes sweeping across the bony hands. He nodded, and finally stepped into the array.
“Duri,” Colestoro stared at the destroyed teleportation array. “Are they okay? That Light smells a bit wrong—he didn’t even ask me about the ‘Gatekeepers’.”
“If you mean in terms of strength, I don’t think you need to worry.” Virgil looked at his hands. “As for intelligence…”
“I can smell them; we can find them—”
“…Mr. Light said you need to rest first.”
Colestoro’s expression became serious as Virgil stared at him in silence.
“What is ‘rest’?” After thinking for a long time, Colestoro asked calmly. This word had always been far away from him.
“I have been to many places, including the glaciers at the end of the world. We can help them in other ways—a softer way.” Virgil took a long breath and stretched out a trembling hand to the other party. “I plan to investigate the recent situation of the Gatekeepers. Would you like to go with me?”
“……Okay.”
The author has something to say:
Oliver’s worth instantly increased two hundred times! ……However, he still hasn’t even seen three thousand gold coins.
Trust me, they will have money in the end…
Kinky Thoughts:
I’m so happy for Virgil and Colestoro. They deserve to be with each other!!!
Colestoro firmly believed that he was about to die.
It seemed that the pain that would last until eternity suddenly stopped, followed by an unreal calm and nothingness. The molten iron surging in his soul turned into cotton wool, and the toxins that corroded his body turned into a warm wind. At that moment, his body seemed to no longer exist. This was probably the moment of death. He thought in a daze that his long nightmare had finally come to an end.
Colestoro waited quietly, but then he heard voices—vague human voices, low insect sounds, and the rustle of leaves rubbing against each other. The air was filled with the familiar smell of vegetation. He wrinkled his nose and opened his eyes with difficulty.
Virgil was lowering his head and staring intently at him.
Colestoro was silent for a few seconds. He raised his hand, slapped the opponent’s head mercilessly a few times, and directly tilted Virgil’s head to the side. The touch was real, and he was extremely surprised by this fact—Colestoro waited in horror for a moment, but the severe pain didn’t return.
He opened his mouth, and his vocal cords, which had not been used for a long time, were as stiff as dry cowhide.
“Duri.” Colestoro was still in a period of confusion. He tried hard to express his shock in one word.
“…You’re getting fat.” He used the second short sentence to give a dry greeting.
Virgil smiled a little reluctantly. He didn’t say a word and continued to look at the demon who was still trying to turn his head and look around. The festering pain that had been in the bottom of the exorcist’s heart was suddenly torn open, and the deeply embedded fangs were torn off, bringing out the pus, blood, and carrion that had accumulated for many years. Fresh blood rushed out with the outbreak of pain, and he knew that after the pain, the wound would eventually scab and heal completely.
Virgil stretched out his hands and hugged the demon tightly, burying his head in his shoulders and neck with tears constantly falling down his cheeks. The latter frowned and struggled. “It’s too wet.” The demon tried to clear his throat and protested in a low voice.
“Sorry,” Virgil muttered. “I can’t control it for the time being.”
“What’s the matter?” Colestoro’s eyes swept past the Tumbleweed members standing not far away, and finally stayed in the direction of the Church of Silence. The spire of the church had long since disappeared, and only the blackened tops of dead trees were left under the sky. He frowned. There was a little more urgency in his tone.
“Your… Uh, demon warlock entrusted us.” The rest of the group weren’t in high spirits, with the exception of Jesse Dylan, who spoke leisurely. “In any case, you’re now free.”
Colestoro stood up in disbelief, almost unsteadily. He took a few weak steps and closed his eyes, as if perceiving something. Those lavender eyes were full of ecstasy when they opened. His gaze turned to Jesse again. There was a bit more curiosity and vigilance in the ecstasy.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Jesse spread out his hands and nodded in Nemo’s direction. “I didn’t do it.”
Only then did Colestoro notice Nemo in the shadow of a tree. The wretched black-haired young man’s aura was very weak, close to nothing. He couldn’t even tell whether the other party was a real creature or an illusion.
“Thank you.” Colestoro couldn’t figure out the other party’s strength, so he could only thank him politely first.
But the other party didn’t respond to him. The black-haired young man leaned against the trunk of the tree, holding the staff tightly in his arms, staring at a non-existent point in the air. Obviously, he was in a daze.
Nemo was indeed in a daze. Everything in front of him seemed to be separated by a thick film of water. The sounds and colors of the outside world couldn’t really reach his spirit. They barely entered his mind, and then there was only a vague and ambiguous mass left. After making a plan, Nemo began to calm down…
Compared to stabilizing his emotions, his state at this moment was closer to sorting out his thoughts.
The skull fragment in the Church of Silence, just like the one in the Church of Repentance, contained part of Ulysses’ memories. In the battle just now, Nemo didn’t dare explore those vague memories, and now he finally had a relatively stable environment that allowed him to roughly disseminate and peep into them. It could briefly divert his attention from the fact that “Oliver’s fate was uncertain”, allowing him to regain the strength to breathe steadily.
However, all it brought was pain.
Nemo’s feet were cold. Even though they were scattered fragments, they were heavy enough for him now.
[My name is Flint Lopez, and I sincerely look forward to seeing you again.]
Nemo untied the gold pendant that had been hanging on his chest and held it in the palm of his hand. It was soaked in his body temperature, with a soft and reassuring warmth. He opened it, and the portrait of the young girl inside was exposed to the sun again. Her smile was full of sunshine, and at this moment, it seemed that the smile was inexplicably familiar.
This woman had never been his blood relative, and this pendant wasn’t proof that he was born as a human. On the contrary, its meaning may be even colder—it most likely represented deception and exploitation.
This was a thank you gift from Flint Lopez. Considering the topic Mr. Lopez was chattering about—Nemo put his hand on the pendant, and the black shadow instantly wrapped around the metal. Within half a minute, they squirmed and retreated, revealing a pendant that looked almost brand new, as well as a vivid portrait.
The signature of the pendant after the gift had also been restored. The words “Your Flint” were clear and beautiful.
Yes, if he guessed correctly, this woman should be Oliver’s mysterious mother. If Oliver was here, if he discovered all this under other circumstances, he would share this information with him with pride and joy.
How he wished he was really just what Flint called a “kind-hearted wanderer”.
But Nemo now remembered very clearly that those fragments contained memories of Ulysses before his death. He remembered sending Oliver’s father back to the team and the fierce battle in the dark after that. He now recognized the people in those clips, and even talked about them familiarly—the heroes he once admired, their beautiful and brilliant lives.
[My lover and companion are still waiting for me—I am so happy, I’ll definitely survive!]
Flint Lopez once proudly mentioned this in front of him, but those companions would certainly leave him behind.
During the previous adventures of the Tin Soldier Mercenary Regiment, he occasionally thought about this slightly negative question. Those who were as gorgeous as sparks would have a heroic end. They stood before evil, protected innocent people behind their backs, and died tragically in a dignified manner.
However, this wasn’t the case.
The facts should be more cruel and simpler. Their deaths were no different from others. Nemo still remembers the temperature of the blood when it sprayed on him, and the touch of his claws when they passed through their bodies. To make matters worse, the screams of the survivors who had lost their friends were also audible; so audible that they appeared to be etched into his brain.
They were killed by him, and at that time he didn’t have any emotions close to sadness. They shouted, fell down exhausted, and finally fell silent. Like a candle extinguished in a torrential rain.
Nemo also remembered the final blow Flint Lopez gave him. The mask of the head of the Tin Soldier Mercenary Regiment fell off in the fierce battle, and the brilliance of a magic array illuminated his young face.
The ensuing blade cut his neck was extremely cold, and death came with unprecedented pain, but “Ulysses” still didn’t harbor anger or sadness at that time, and instead was terribly calm.
There was indeed a plan. Nemo held the pendant in the palm of his hand. He didn’t believe that Flint Lopez would be stupid enough to be separated from the team, nor did he believe that he would simply send his opponent back to his team “out of kindness.” He personally told Mr. Lopez how to get the skull out…
At that moment, he successfully stood on the surface.
Nemo hugged his arms. The summer sun was extremely warm, but he had never been so cold. The sun had no weight, but at this moment he was almost completely crushed by it.
Suddenly, someone came over and stopped in front of him to cover the oblique warm light. Nemo raised his head slightly and saw the unique black of the Laddism uniform.
Adrian Cross was standing in front of him.
Of course, he thought numbly. This time he didn’t know how many flaws had been exposed. Virgil must have explained to them the identity of Colestoro, or even earlier, Dylan wouldn’t necessarily hide the secret about the Church of Silence. His “power” was no longer a hazy and ambiguous unknown, but a clear object of comparison…
He was stronger than Aurorae.
With his recent performance, the former Knight of Judgement commander had definitely noticed something odd. But not now. Nemo didn’t directly look into Adrian’s eyes. Please, not now.
“Those sacrifices are fine if it makes you feel better,” Adrian Cross said, his voice as low and calm as ever. “Dylan and I have sent them to a safe place.”
Nemo raised his head in surprise.
“I will discuss with Ms. Savage and try to find someone to keep an eye on the prisons in Alban to see if Mr. Ramon is among the recently transferred prisoners.” Adrian’s tone was a bit blunt. “You don’t need to do this alone.”
He nodded at him and walked away without asking any questions.
“Smart approach. Very smart.” After Adrian returned to his original position, Jesse whistled in a low voice. “I thought you were going to have a small interrogation. You see, Light is in a chaotic state right now. He might not be able to withstand your inquiry.”
“He’s in pain and he still hasn’t done anything out of line. Now that I know how powerful he is… It’s reasonable. I shouldn’t persecute him at this time.” Adrian shook his head. He stared at the flawless face of the blond young man. “I prefer to ask people with clear answers.”
Jesse was yawning and immediately closed his mouth when he heard the words. In an ambiguous tone, he replied, “Then how do you want to repay me?”
But Adrian didn’t respond, and instead turned the topic elsewhere. “…And compared to Mr. Light’s life, another thing is more worrying now.”
“What?”
“There was a burst of aura in the center of the battlefield just now… A bit familiar.” Adrian subconsciously stroked the suture of the fabric on his chest, which was originally the position of the holy emblem of the Laddism Church. “Even if the information is slightly insufficient, what I can detect, other Knights of Judgement must also be able to detect—regarding the immensity of Mr. Light’s power.”
“There will definitely be a reaction from the Laddism side.”
At the same time.
Oliver wasn’t too surprised at the moment of the conviction. It was better to say that if he really, inexplicably, became a knight to a king or archbishop on the surface, the horror of this incident would officially escalate. He didn’t plan to accept the accusation. Oliver racked his brains and couldn’t think of when he had an intersection with such a great figure.
This may be a trick from his opponent, he thought to himself as he tried to look calm. No matter what the so-called “Gatekeepers” wanted, his behavior would be revealed as malice. It seemed that the “Gatekeepers” wanted to convict him; the heavier the crime, the better.
However, he couldn’t imagine the purpose of the other party.
If this was related to Lopez’s bloodline, his dear cousin was doing well outside, and Oliver didn’t think Godwin Lopez would hype their relationship. If this was related to his power… He also didn’t think that being locked up in the depths of a prison would be of great use to the Gatekeepers.
“I don’t admit it,” Oliver’s tone was firm.
“We don’t need your confession.” The test inspector shrugged as he snapped back. “The evidence now is enough. It’s a pity. It seems that you’re really a dirty Knight of Silence. To be honest, you really almost tricked me… You do talk a lot.”
“It’s impossible for a Knight of Silence to pass this test.” Oliver made it clear. “You know, I have no malice.”
“There are many ways to hide your malice. Who knows if you have temporarily blocked part of your memory?” The nib of the quill pen quickly wiped the parchment as the test inspector muttered. “Well, Mr. Ramon, prepare to go back to your hometown in two days. For Alban, a felon like you is worthy of being locked up for ten and a half days before being slowly burned to death in the square.”
Oliver clenched his fists.
Don’t panic. He had to wait for them to let their guard down. He still had a chance. Oliver emphasized this to himself repeatedly. His only advantage was his awareness in his own strength, and he couldn’t expose this now.
The soldiers, who were tightly wrapped in iron armor, grasped Oliver’s arms from side to side, causing the chains to make a harsh rubbing sound. Oliver didn’t struggle. He was dragged all the way down the stairs and finally thrown into the unpleasant-smelling cell.
It was dark and humid, and there were no beds. The straw in the corner emitted a suffocating musty smell. The ground was covered with black sticky stains, and when he stepped on them, they made a sticky noise. It only added to the stench of rotten blood and excrement that was in the air. There was no smell of spoiled food scraps. Oliver sniffed. This wasn’t like the environment where prisoners were held for long. It should be a temporary place to hold death row prisoners. The prisoners waited desperately here before being transported back to their country for execution.
Oliver quickly looked at the surrounding environment, trying to find any omissions that could be exploited. It was a pity that the omission hadn’t been found yet, but he did reunite with an old acquaintance…
Micah was huddled in a small room not far away and was desperately banging his head against the wall. Oliver tried to greet him a few times, but before he could speak, the suffocating pain in his neck choked his throat first.
It seemed that he was temporarily unable to communicate with others. Oliver silently made note of this. He subconsciously put his hand on his waist. To his surprise, they didn’t take away his sword—although he couldn’t do anything with it now.
However, that gave him an inexplicable foreboding. All kinds of details revealed madness and abnormality.
It was like everyone knew what might happen, and he was alone in the dark. He didn’t like this feeling very much. He must escape as soon as possible. It was best to accumulate strength, lest he be unprepared when they transferred him…
However, Oliver didn’t expect the transfer to come so quickly, and it seemed that the destination waiting for him wasn’t Alban.
A visitor wrapped his face tightly with a wide white cloth that covered all his facial features. He stood indifferently in front of Oliver’s cell and pointed at Oliver casually.
“I want it,” the weird stranger said. His voice was hoarse and unpleasant. “I want it now. Let Alban make an offer.”
The author has something to say:
Oliver: ??? This time I feel as though I’m worth more than 1,500 gold coins.
Nemo: (Disk defragmentation, system overload warning)
Oliver sat on the cold slate. Impossible, he thought. He absolutely shot down every piece of metal without omission.
However, the scorched trees disappeared from his field of vision, and the smell of vegetation on the edge of the forest became the stale taste unique to a confined space. His sword was still in the scabbard, but his helmet was taken off when he arrived at his destination. He should still be at the campsite. Oliver touched his face subconsciously. He was still breathing, and his heart was beating fiercely.
This was a small room, and the surroundings of the room were densely painted with magic arrays. Oliver didn’t hesitate, and directly raised his hand to pound on the door.
Then the overwhelming sharp pain flooded him.
Before his power was successfully activated, his sword instantly fell to the ground. Oliver half knelt on the slate, gasping for air. If a person felt pain when they died, then this pain was roughly the same. It was like his flesh was being stuffed into a meat grinder and crushed or thrown into hot lead water. His brain boiled almost instantly, and if he did it again, he wasn’t sure if he could successfully stay awake.
His line of sight became blurred, and cold sweat dripped to the ground. He didn’t know how long it would take before the pain slowly dissipated. Oliver swallowed laboriously and carefully leaned his hand towards his neck.
A narrow and thin metal clung to the skin around his neck, as light as nothing, and the surface was uneven, like a weird decoration…
Or a collar.
Calm down. Oliver clenched the Rest in Peace and leaned his back into the corner. Calm down, Oliver Ramon. Previously, an unknown demon worshiper also experienced this. Except for Alban, the treatment of demon worshipers had always been more lenient. In other words, this wasn’t close to death row, but a place closer to a “detention place for suspicious people”.
He wasn’t even a demon worshiper, and the Black Chapter’s resume was verifiable, so there should be room for improvement.
Oliver wasn’t sure about the definition of “crime of not fighting”, but if his consideration wasn’t wrong, the knights only knew that Virgil was a demon warlock and didn’t confirm his identity. He was wearing a helmet when he was fighting, and he wasn’t teleported away in front of the knights.
The other party’s evidence was untenable.
There were countless religions on the surface, and the Mooney Sect was only second to the Laddism Church in scale. However, no matter which of the two, there was currently no power to directly execute people beyond the law. Even if the Bishop of the Abyss was apprehended, it stood to reason that they would be tried in their home country and dealt with in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.
He had an unfinished contract in hand. As long as he claimed he just happened to be disguised as a Knight of Silence to perform his task, it should make sense. After all, he didn’t actually create any chaos during this incident. The only thing to worry about was Alban’s strict laws on relationships with demons. He may suffer a little during the trial, and it may not be easy to solve that matter.
But in any case, sin did not end in death.
He must return as soon as possible to Nemo’s side. Oliver thought for a moment, retracted the sword into its scabbard, and shrank into the corner. He would try to cooperate and behave as harmlessly as possible. This should be beneficial.
He didn’t wait long. Less than half an hour later, a man as thin as a mummified corpse walked into the room. The man’s face looked as if he was dead, his voice was broken, and his tone was terrible. He looked at Oliver like he was a mouse with a skin disease.
“Come with me, boy.” He rolled his eyes impatiently.
After going out, Oliver discovered the source of that impatience. He wasn’t the only “sinner”. Thin metal collars gleamed on dozens of necks. Among the sinners were men, women, and children, all dressed differently. The only thing they had in common was their deteriorated spirits. Oliver stood there in the armor of a Knight of Silence, causing many people to straighten their necks in horror and retreat to the side.
The mummified body-like thin man clicked his tongue. He made a casual gesture, and the people who stood to the side stepped back suddenly and let out a bitter howl. They covered their necks and stood back in their original position.
“I am not a Knight of Silence,” Oliver hurriedly said, carefully breaking off the long thorns on the armor before standing in the line. “This is just a disguise for a mission…”
A numb tingling exploded in his neck, and Oliver gasped for air.
“It’s too early to defend yourself.” The thin man’s tone was still cold and impatient. “Be quiet.”
“How awesome, brother. Tsk, tsk. This outfit.” A small man standing in front of him turned his head around. His voice was extremely low, and his face was full of smirks. His hair was short and thinning, and his stature was small and fat. His small eyes were bright, and his entire body was like a mole with shiny fur. “Don’t worry about those bastards in charge. Their mouths always stink like dung pits. Is this your first time? Oh, I have a lot of experience in this place—”
Oliver sighed and caught the other’s stubby wrist that was touching the side pocket of his armor. “Sir, I don’t have anything valuable on me.”
Mr. Mole’s smiling face suddenly collapsed. He let out a cold snort and turned his head back.
‘Good,’ Oliver thought. Depending on this guy’s relaxed attitude, the situation should be similar to what he had guessed. He thought for a moment and patted Mr. Mole on the shoulder lightly.
“But I do still have a little money,” he said softly. Yes, he did still have it. This wasn’t his armor, and a true Knight of Silence wouldn’t have jingling coins in his pocket. Fortunately, he did have that gold coin that Mr. Virgil had just given him. “You said you’re experienced here?”
Hearing the word “money”, Mr. Mole’s ears twitched, and he finally turned his head again. “Mm-hmm.”
“If you can provide useful information, I can give you a certain reward.”
“How much?”
“If you can… I’ll pay you a gold coin after the trial.”
Mr. Mole swallowed the spit in his mouth. “Deal, what do you want to know?”
Since the other party didn’t raise any objections, it seemed that the trial wouldn’t take long, and the matter wasn’t too complicated. Oliver felt a little relieved.
“This is indeed my first time here.” In order to prove that he didn’t mean to be a white wolf with empty hands*, Oliver quietly pulled out the gold coin and shook it. Mr. Mole’s eyes instantly gleamed. “Where are we going? What process will follow next?”
*(空手套白狼) Derogatory term today referring to the deception used by liars who don’t make any investments and cheats other.
“Hey, it’s no big deal. You see this? They don’t dare treat felons like this. The people here are all guys who have been in touch with two or more demons. We’ll go to the Insular Court—what did you do?”
He had been involved with more than two. Oliver was speechless for a while. “Uh… The crime of not fighting?”
“Ow, ow. How terrible.” The short mole-like man clasped his cheeks and widened his mouth into an O. “I’ve been mixed up for so long, but I haven’t seen a demon warlock! You actually protected one? Which demon warlock? As far as I know, there are only a few famous ones now.”
“It’s not convenient to say,” Oliver replied vaguely. “His name is not known, and he shouldn’t have hurt anyone.” Aside from causing harm to others, other religions regarded Duran Virgil as a hero.
“Oh,” Mr. Mole suddenly sounded unenthusiastic. He scratched his thinning scalp. “Don’t worry. No one will die for the crime of not fighting—unless you help a lunatic commit a serious crime with conclusive evidence. If it’s just a little help that was justifiable, and the other party didn’t do much harm… At most, it’ll be a sentence of ten years.”
He couldn’t wait for more than ten years. Oliver rubbed his temples.
“I’m Albanian myself, a Black Chapter,” Oliver added some more information. “They shouldn’t have evidence that I helped him.”
“That’s hard to say! Do you have an ongoing task?” Mr. Mole deliberately lowered his tone. “It’s best to explain your circumstances.”
Oliver hesitated for a moment and nodded.
“I have seen a lot of this situation. You just have to put all the blame on the client. Even if the task isn’t recorded, as long as you say that it’s the client’s instructions and you had no clue about it, then everything will be fine!” The chunky man rubbed his hands. “There’s no evidence anyway. According to the rules, they have to arrest your client to confront him—believe me, things without evidence are very troublesome. Almost 80% of people are impossible to catch. At most, the wanted order will affect your client for a while, and after a few days, they will have to let you go.”
“No,” Oliver replied categorically. Mr. Virgil’s current situation was delicate. As a demon warlock with exhausted power with a superior demon, the last thing he needed was extra attention. “Is there no other way?”
“Then you can only insist that you ‘suddenly want to do good’ and know nothing about the object of your assistance.” Mr. Mole’s face twitched a few times. “I say, dear sir, why should you have to trouble yourself? Aren’t you a Black Chapter? Don’t be so hypocritical.”
Oliver said weakly, “No, thank you for your advice. I’ll insist that I don’t know.”
“Alright, but you have to think about it. This situation will be bad for you. If you’re a good boy, things are easier… A Black Chapter is not a likable identity.”
“In other words… There is no immediate way to get rid of the crime.”
“Unless you can guarantee to catch that demon warlock and make it worth their while.” Mr. Mole shrugged.
“Is there a difference in the handling of different crimes?” Oliver decided to find other ways to solve the problem, and he pointed to the metal collar around his neck. “We have to carry this thing all the time?”
“Of course not!” Mr. Mole muttered in a low voice. “What are you thinking? When your verdict is handed down, they will definitely take this thing back. This is something that death row inmates will keep… And it’s reserved for the kinds of death row inmates who are especially powerful. What? Do you think it’s very cheap and can be made everywhere?”
It seemed that the Mooney Sect had paid a lot of money this time. When the knights clean up the battlefield, they would probably have to pick up the pieces of metal he deflected one by one. He thought what a painstakingly tedious task that was.
That was fine. As long as he could take off this thing, he would have a means of escape. Oliver rubbed his chin. All he had to do was minimize his crime so that the impact of his escape wouldn’t be too bad. “Thank you, uh, you are…”
“Micah,” Mr. Mole—Micah said as he rubbed his nose. “And you?”
“Oliver Ramon.” Oliver stretched out a hand politely.
“Fuck, are you Ramon of the Black Chapter?” Micah widened his eyes and increased his voice subconsciously. A thin man glanced at him gloomily, which made him hurriedly shrink his neck and sharply drop his volume. “Are you the guy who rescued Adrian Cross?”
“…” It may be that Nemo gave him too much impact. Oliver had completely forgotten the influence of the former knight commander. “Yes.”
“You’re really courageous.” Micah rolled his small eyes and huffed. “Honestly, your trial is not looking so good. Didn’t that Cross hook up with a superior demon and betray his religion? This is a very typical pro-demon tendency… You have to pay the money early before they take you away.”
Oliver laughed dryly.
The line moved forward slowly, with no end in sight. Oliver clenched his fists as anxiety gnawed at his nerves. Hurry, he prayed quickly in his heart. Time had better pass faster. Nemo should have already dealt with the Church of Silence. He must be waiting for him, and they agreed to talk about it at the end of this matter.
He couldn’t leave him at a time like this.
Near the ruins of the Church of Silence.
Nemo’s fingernails were deeply embedded into his arm. The intense pain barely calmed him down. He pulled out his fingernails and stared at the bright red blood on them. At the same time, he could feel the holes left by his nails on the muscles of his upper arm squirming as they healed, and the pain he felt dissipated like an illusion.
He smiled weakly, grabbed the staff that rolled aside, and tried his best to lean on it. Nemo gathered all of his body’s aura and sealed them inside. If only looking at the strength of his momentum, he wasn’t even as good as an ordinary person in this moment. He was like an empty shell or a corpse. Several surveillance bugs finally dared to stagger closer, and the next second they were crucified in the air by abyssal magic.
This time, Nemo didn’t immediately create a rift.
Nemo recognized the holy emblem of the Laddism Church in the distance. The Knights of Judgement and the Knights of Silence were killing each other fiercely. After the fall of the church, the front lines of the Knights of Silence were shaken. They were retreating, and their movements became hesitant. The well-trained onslaught eventually turned into desperate madness. Aurorae was at the eye of the storm, slashing his big sword mercilessly, dyeing his armor red and with thick blood.
Roars were mixed with screams, sawing through the air and drilling into his ears.
Nemo could guess that Aurorae had no reason to leave. There was a lot of movement when Colestoro’s body returned to the Abyss. The superior demon killer was probably aware of what he had done and decided to determine the danger level of the culprit.
The whole world suddenly became distant. Nemo’s nose felt a little sour. He subconsciously touched the small bag around his waist, but it was empty. He froze for a while before he remembered that the sour sandpoint plums had sunk into the Abyss with the broken alter.
‘When he sees Oliver again, he should ask for another bag,’ he thought to himself.
Nemo clenched the staff, took a deep breath, and pressed the end of the staff against the black soil. The black rot was inhaled into the yellowish-white bone ball, turning it into a hollow pitch black. The surrounding land began to fade, revealing its original tan appearance. After the toxins were condensed, Nemo held the staff in both hands, trying to sense the life of every fighter on the battlefield. He could only sense the strength of the soldiers’ combat power. He couldn’t pinpoint the campsite, but it didn’t matter…
He carefully filtered out the magic through the transformed bone ball, allowing it to blend with the decay and withered qualities. He then locked all the people engaged in battle and let go of his momentum suddenly.
For an instant, the battlefield was silent.
It wasn’t out of self-righteous goodwill or blind shelter, but he had smelled enough blood for today. ‘If Oliver was here,’ Nemo thought… ‘If Oliver was here, he wouldn’t turn a blind eye to it. They always maintained an amazing tacit understanding of these “stupid” things.
He had no intention of intervening with the grievances of the Abyssal Church and other surface religions, but Aurorae was here for him, so at least he would take care of that matter.
A simple question—he had read enough books and he knew the answer in advance.
When will people stop warring?
…When a more terrifying common enemy appears.
All the people on the battlefield stopped their movements at the same time. Their waving blades froze midair, and the condensed magic array instantly dissipated. The aura was too heavy, too powerful to be real. In comparison, the strong killing intent in the air was like a lazy warmth in a bed. If Aurorae at the center of the battlefield was “dangerous”, the suddenly suppressed aura could only be described in one word. Whether it was the believers of the Abyssal Church or the Knights of Judgement, the reaction was unexpectedly consistent…
That was a “monster”.
Everyone was unprepared. Even the bravest warriors were also solidified in place by the sudden aura, as if time in space was completely frozen. The surveillance bugs circling back and forth in the sky cracked and fell into the mud. The eyeballs on their abdomen exploded, and their six insect legs twitched weakly.
Only Aurorae raised his head suddenly.
A few steps away from the blood-soaked superior demon, a hideous rift opened in space. A figure in a black robe appeared beside him. The smell of decay and withering became entangled in a chaotic mass. Aurorae couldn’t even distinguish the essence of that power empirically. The other party wrapped his appearance in a black phantom while deliberately concealing his magical characteristics.
Except for the fact that it was unreasonably strong.
“I have no intention of destroying the surface.” The voice, processed by magic, whispered with a flat tone. “Please go back… Please.”
The figure in the black robe didn’t look at the people who were comically frozen in place. It simply split a crack in space and disappeared at the other end of the crack. Aurorae inserted his big sword into the mud. The face behind his helmet was extremely ugly.
It wasn’t his illusion. The other party didn’t rely on some kind of prop or unique ability to send Colestoro back into the Abyss, but pure brute force. If so, even with these thousands of years of experience, he wasn’t a match for the black-robed demon.
When did such a dangerous thing appear on the surface?
Seeing his goal disappear, Aurorae put the large sword on his back. He ignored those who were still frozen and left the battlefield.
After dealing with Aurorae’s affairs in the shortest time possible, Nemo quickly moved towards his destination. He didn’t even need to sense it. Ann didn’t mention the gathering place, so it must be a place he knew. He walked through the cracks in space towards the vibrant forest in front of him.
Something’s happened to Oliver, he thought blankly. Although Oliver wasn’t as strong as himself, Oliver was still a powerful man. He had a clear mind and would never let his guard down. What could happen to him?
Nemo wanted to rush over in the next second, but he didn’t dare step forward. In the end, he gritted his teeth, accelerated his steps, and ran to the place where his aura was most concentrated.
He had thought about many situations in advance. Oliver was injured—or worse, seriously injured. Or he had suffered from some kind of mental attack, lost his will, or even been poisoned. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and he seriously anticipated a myriad of miserable scenes. But it was still fine, Nemo thought. He could cure him. As long as Oliver still had a living breath, he could save him.
But he had never envisioned this scenario.
Ann stood leaning against the trunk of a tree with her eyes cast downwards. Virgil’s face was ashen while Colestoro was still asleep. Adrian Cross frowned tightly, with undyed sweat on his face, while Jesse Dylan stood beside the knight commander with a rare expressionless face. The gray parrot had shrunk into a ball on his shoulder.
Nemo looked around but didn’t find the familiar figure. He took a closer look without giving up and even probed with his magic.
Oliver wasn’t here.
“Where is he?” he asked in confusion, speaking very slowly, as if he was trying to recover something.
Ann threw out a few surveillance bugs, which were electrocuted by lightning, exuding a disgusting burnt smell. “We had successfully rendezvoused. These things seem to have put something on Oliver. He…” She retracted her previous careless attitude and glanced at Nemo cautiously. “He just disappeared.”
Nemo didn’t say a word. He stood still. His eyes had returned to their human appearance. The black robe on his body was covered with mud and blood, and his hair was scattered on his shoulders, with a slight smell of despair. The black-haired young man clenched the staff in his hand and looked straight at Ann, as if waiting for her to continue explaining.
“I don’t know.” Ann turned away with a forlorn look. “Sorry, I really—”
“Describe it.” Adrian Cross spoke this time. His tone was as calm as ever. He walked forward and pressed his left hand on Nemo’s shoulder. “Mr. Light, calm down. Don’t think about things too badly yet.”
“Nn,” Nemo responded obediently, looking a little at a loss.
“A blue arc. I saw a little reflection of metal.” Ann scratched her scalp fiercely. “That’s it. Then he’s gone.”
“We ran into people from the Mooney Sect,” Virgil quickly added. “They used that thing to capture a demon worshiper. It looks like a thin piece of metal, about the size of a playing card.” He stretched out his hand and gestured.
Adrian Cross frowned, and then he slowly breathed a sigh of relief. Nemo immediately cast his gaze on the knight’s face, as if the answer would be written on it within the next second.
“It’s not a big issue for the time being. I remember that thing,” Adrian said. “You encountered the Knights of Oath of the Mooney Sect. They like to call that thing a deed of sin. They will teleport people to one place.” Nemo’s state looked terrible, so he temporarily omitted its other function.
“Where?” Nemo asked immediately.
“The Insular Court,” Adrian replied, while Ann let out an “Ah.”
“Give me the place.” Nemo continued decisively. “I’ll pick him up.”
“You can’t.” It wasn’t Adrian who spoke this time, but Jesse Dylan. He stared at Nemo’s reaction with interest as he spoke with a somewhat indisputable meaning. “The defense of the Insular Court is impenetrable. I can probably guess what you want to do. Believe me, if you really do that, the entire Tumbleweed will become a public enemy on the surface, and what awaits us will be every day of constant shit.”
“I won’t hurt anyone,” Nemo said slowly, walking up to Jesse.
“It’s enough to ‘easily break through the defenses and take a person away’.” Jesse didn’t avoid Nemo’s gaze. “The Insular Court is not like Hailam’s dungeon. Your trick won’t work a second time.”
“…We know what you can do Nemo,” Ann’s tone was soothing. “Cross is right. There’s no big issue for the time being. Oliver’s not injured, and with his temperament, he won’t get himself into trouble.”
Nemo closed his eyes. He grasped the cloth on his chest and squeezed his lungs hard, trying to breath.
“I’m sorry.” He lowered his head slightly, as if his voice wasn’t his own. “I wasn’t very calm just now… Mr. Cross, you seem to know more about the Insular Court?”
“Somewhat.” Adrian Cross nodded. “According to my guess, Mr. Ramon is likely to be convicted of the crime of not fighting.”
“The crime of not fighting?”
“Being close to a demon and sheltering a demon warlock.” The former knight commander glanced at the bony hands behind Virgil. “The more times, the heavier the punishment. In my opinion, Mr. Ramon’s crime is not punishable by death—whether it was to take me in, or to assist Mr. Virgil, it’s still within the allowable scope of the surface agreement. Except there’s one tricky thing.”
Adrian glanced at Nemo, “The original incident in Roadside Town… Now that I know it was Flint Lopez, I believe his death has nothing to do with the two of you, but the crime has been recorded and if it’s used by someone with intentions, there can indeed be other variables, in theory.”
No, it mattered. That was done by the people from the Abyssal Church. It was done by his believers.
“As long as it’s not a capital crime, I think Oliver can escape by himself,” Ann quickly interjected. “Judging from his usual performance, his strength will definitely be underestimated. Although he’s a fool who follows the rules, he’s not really stupid enough to go to jail for a few years.”
“What if the crime disappears?” Nemo licked his chapped lips and spoke with some difficulty. “If that crime disappears, will he be absolutely safe?”
“…What are you going to do?” Ann’s tone was a little worried. “I understand your mood, but…”
“It was done by the Abyssal Church,” Nemo said slowly, and didn’t sound very comfortable. “…I just need to know who. If the real culprit is caught, it should be enough to overturn his conviction.”
“Mr. Light, how do you know this?” Adrian was direct. “This kind of thing can only be understood by the head of the church.”
Nemo pulled out a wry smile. “I know it may sound crazy, but I…”
Before he finished speaking, his collar was firmly held, and Jesse dragged him away from the group.
“Don’t do anything stupid.” After adding a mute array, the blond young man showed a meaningful smile on his face. “Have you forgotten who Cross is? ……And Savage. Believe me, you don’t want to know her reaction.”
Nemo looked at him sadly. “Should I thank you for not running away?”
“You are indeed stronger than me, but the pursuit of excitement is the greatest pleasure in my life.” Jesse licked the corners of his mouth, revealing an ill-intentioned smile. “You don’t want to confess now.”
“I’ll treat you as a diviner, Dylan.” Nemo stared into the other’s happy blue eyes. “Tell me, will Ollie die?”
“No.”
“…Will he be safe?”
“No.” Jesse’s smile looked a little gloomy under this answer. “To tell you the truth, your idea is very good. I strongly suggest you start quickly.”
Nemo turned around and directly raised his hand to destroy the mute array. That’s it, he thought. He would return to Roadside Town as quickly as possible, look for clues to find the real culprit, and then hand them over to the Insular Court himself. The sooner, the better.
“Mr. Cross, if it’s the worst-case scenario,” he looked at Adrian and spoke in an inexplicably calm voice, “how long does the process take from trial to a formal conviction?”
“If it’s a capital crime, three weeks.”
“Okay,” Nemo said, “I will find the real culprit within three weeks. As for my method of obtaining information… I don’t want to lie to you. I can only guarantee that the answer isn’t obtained by harming others.”
The former Knight of Judgment watched him quietly.
Yes. He would remove all possible hidden dangers, meet Oliver as soon as possible, and confess everything to him. Regardless of whether Oliver escaped or not, this would be Nemo Light’s last mission with Tumbleweed.
Until he was sure that his “true self” was no longer a threat to his companions.
On a remote island.
Oliver clenched the gold coin tightly, not sure if this small transaction could be successfully completed. It wasn’t because he wanted to die, but because the condition of his trading partner wasn’t very good.
“Capital punishment?” Micah screamed. His voice was frightened and desperate. “I just stole a bottle of perfume from that bastard! Just a bottle of perfume!”
“That ‘bastard’ you’re referring to happened to be the Duke of Helms.”
“I didn’t know he was a duke, damn it! Would a duke get drunk in a country tavern?”
“It doesn’t matter. The facts are very clear. As a refugee, you have stolen the legal property of a duke.”
“I’ll give it back to him… I can give it back to him. Please, please—”
“It doesn’t matter.” The elderly judge looked tired, and his tone was a little more impatient. Thick books were piled into towers on both sides of him, and the only place where books weren’t placed was a delicate bell.
“Please, my lord, I am a refugee. You know what will happen to me! Have mercy. I’m just trivial trash, and I will never come in handy on the battlefield—”
“The evidence is conclusive, and everyone has been caught. Send him to the Withered Castle.” The old man knocked on the bell on the table. “Next.”
Micah let out a high-pitched, sharp scream. His fat face was as white as a sheet of paper and was covered with beads of sweat mixed with snot and tears. Those little eyes turned wildly, as if a lifeline would suddenly stretch out in the surrounding air, but the floor under his feet cracked mercilessly, and he only had time to let out another broken wail before the door closed. Oliver stood in place where Micah was standing, with cold hands and feet.
“Oliver Ramon. Hm, Albanian… Alban’s law. Let’s see, let’s see.” The judge put on a pair of gold wire glasses and waved his hand. A book thick enough to kill a person flew out of the tower of books and spread out in front of him. “Oh, trouble.”
He glanced at Oliver from above his glasses. “Snake-level Black Chapter, huh?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you have anything to defend yourself?”
“What is my crime, sir?”
“Hmph, cunning boy. This is indeed most interesting.” The judge’s five fingers gently tapped the wooden tabletop. “Your deed of sin is marked. It was sent by the Knights of Oath of the Mooney Sect near the Abyssal Church, but we have not received any corresponding reports of allegations until now.”
Oliver cautiously remained silent.
“You can stay here for a few more days.” The judge moved his shoulders and picked up the small hammer that knocked on the bell. “Go back to your containment room, next—”
The bell rang frantically, and a letter appeared from the table in front of the judge. The old man’s voice stopped abruptly. He twisted the letter from the magic array, slowly opened it with a letter opener, and started reading it.
Then his brows tightened.
“…Take this upstairs.” The judge’s gaze became sharp, as if he had just woken up from a nap. “The Gatekeepers have a request to give him a full guilt test, and they will bear the cost.”
The “full guilt test” didn’t sound like a good thing. Oliver’s heartbeat stopped for a moment, and an ominous premonition strangled his heart tightly. He subconsciously wanted to resist, but with this thought, the metal collar on his neck began to ache faintly.
But right now, no one would let him inquire about what was to come.
It turned out that his intuition was correct. The full guilt test was like digging malice into every crevice of his bones. Oliver really couldn’t figure out when he had offended the so-called “Gatekeepers”, causing them to want him to be charged with such a felony.
But he carried out those strange tests.
He had a clear conscience about all his decisions in this life—no hatred, no remorse. There was no uncontrollable anger, no deliberate violence. He stood in a dim room for four hours, and except for the “known fact” that he “killed his father with his own hands”, the tester didn’t pick out any flaws.
“If you force it, using this to convict again would meet the requirements over there… It just takes too long.” The test inspector looked more tired than Oliver and kept mumbling incessantly. “More than three weeks… haa.”
The test went on flatly until the last item.
A shriveled human heart floated in a crystal container, pulsating slowly with an unpleasant sticky dark red color. It was placed in front of Oliver, who didn’t know if he was imagining things, but he felt as if the heart was looking at him.
“Do you have an allegiance?” The test inspector asked tirelessly.
“No.” Oliver lowered his head and stared at the chain on his wrist.
The beating of the dry heart suddenly became violent.
“Lies!” The sleepy test inspector immediately came to his senses.
“I really don’t.” Oliver frowned. “I am only loyal to myself.”
“…Are you saying you made an oath to a great being unknowingly, and you didn’t know anything about it?” The test inspector raised his eyebrows. “Do I look like a fool? Well, you’re not like a slave or a servant… Let’s start with the basics. Are you a knight?”
“No, I have never met any king.”
That weird heart was beating so violently that it looked like it was about to smash the crystal container.
“Lies! Another lie!” The test inspector squeezed the quill pen tightly and quickly made a record on the board. “Great, it seems that you’re a knight. Now let’s take a look at your status, your love, and loyalty—”
The chain pulled Oliver’s hand towards the crystal container. Unexpectedly, the touch of the container was very warm.
It seemed to be wrapped in liquid gold, and the disgusting dry heart gradually turned into gold. It pulsated steadily and powerfully, exuding vigorous vitality.
“It seems that you love your king deeply and have deep loyalty to him.” There was more sarcasm in the test inspector’s tone. “Finally can’t hide it, huh? Listen, kid. This test costs a lot of money. If you want to tease an innocent person, no one will spend this much to make such a joke.”
“…Is there really nothing wrong with this thing? I have never participated in any knighting ceremony,” Oliver murmured. He rummaged through all his memories that could be traced back but found no clues.
“There is no problem. This is a treasure that is rarely used. As long as the conditions are met, nothing can escape its perception. You must be loyal to a certain king, or someone of the same status as a king, and the other party recognizes your knight status and has performed a knighting ceremony.”
“So now, I’m going to start checking your identity, Mr. Ramon.” The tester turned around and took out a beautifully bound, thick booklet from the bookshelf. “If you’re not in the knight records of any country or religion on the surface, you’ll be in big trouble.”
He glanced at Oliver’s Knight of Silence armor. “A knight loyal to the Abyss… Do you know? With this alone, we can skip all the forensics processes.”
“In the laws of all countries, that is an unquestionable capital crime.”
The author has something to say:
Oliver: ……??? I’m really just an ordinary townsperson. Don’t be like this!
Nemo: Shit, that actually counted?!
It’s a really strict, cherished prop. Don’t challenge it.
Kinky Translations 