NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 13
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s male Disciple]
[Quality Checker – Kawaii]
Chapter 13: Hunting the Serpent(3)
Damien roamed the city, destroying the branches of the Black Serpent gang.
The members of the gang resisted fiercely, but none could stop Damien.
Now, only the headquarters in the city center remained.
‘It is easier for me now that they have made the centre of the city as their Headquarter.’
Damien made his way towards the Black Serpents’ headquarters.
The city streets were unusually quiet and deserted today.
It was because the commotion caused by Damien had driven all the merchants to seek shelter.
‘Hmm?’
As he was about to cross the city square, soldiers suddenly started to come out from various alleyways.
The soldiers surrounded Damien and aimed their spears at him.
The soldiers who had remained still while Damien was dismantling all the branches of the Black Serpents were now in motion and it seemed like they were here to capture him.
This could only mean one thing.
“It seems like I’ve caught the big fish this time.”
Two men were walking towards them, escorted by the soldiers from the opposite side.
One was elderly and thin, while the other was young fat.
“I am Sebastian Baker, the governor of Landwalk City!”
The man with a goatee shouted aloud.
However, his voice lacked any sense of authority that a governor should have.
“How dare you turn Landwalk City into a mess? Drop your weapons and surrender, now!”
Damien casually brushed off the governor’s words.
He wasn’t particularly curious about who the governor was.
His attention was focused on the overweight man standing beside the governor.
“Are you Cedric Walker?”
Although he hadn’t seen him directly, he had heard from his associates that Cedric was extremely obese.
More than anything, his eyes were filled with vitality, unlike an ordinary person’s.
Cedric Walker didn’t respond to Damien’s question.
Instead, he rebuked the governor.
“Governor, have you seen? This despicable person not only ignores your words but also disrespects them. We must swiftly deal with him to uphold your authority.”
“As Mr. Cedric said! How dare he disregard me, the governor of this city! I cannot forgive this insolence!”
It seemed Cedric Walker had no intention of engaging in conversation with Damien.
“Trying to kill me? You don’t seem to have that ability.”
Damien spoke, surveying the soldiers.
The number of soldiers easily exceeded a hundred.
However, they were no more than ordinary people who hadn’t even mastered martial arts, let alone mana manipulation.
Even if thousands of such people came they wouldn’t be enough to intimidate Damien.
“What audacity? I don’t understand what he believes to be so brash about! Is he oblivious to the magnitude of his actions?”
The governor shouted in frustration.
“You not only aimed to killCedric Walker, a well-known philanthropist but also attacked his ‘company’, causing the deaths of more than dozens of innocent ’employees’! This is an unforgivable crime!”
Damien couldn’t help but smirk.
It was almost ridiculous how the leader of the Black Serpents, orchestrator of dreadful crimes, was being packaged as a virtuous businessman.
“Drop to your knees and plead for forgiveness!”
“One should have guilt to ask for it.”
“Such audacity!”
What Damien had caused today was indeed a chaotic situation.
However, the ones he had slain were not innocent civilians but members of the Black Serpent gang.
Though he had stirred up the city, he didn’t harm any of the ordinary citizens.
“I tried reasoning with you young lad, but it seems futile! Don’t blame me for what’s going to come now!”
As the skirmish seemed imminent, Damien grasped his blade.
However, the soldiers didn’t rush in but remained still. It was when Damien felt puzzled by their behavior.
Suddenly, a surge of energy came from behind him.
Damien swiftly turned around.
The soldiers split in half, revealing a burly man in between.
“I was curious about who was causing this ruckus.”
As the man approached, his aura grew increasingly intense.
A high-density energy pounded against Damien’s skin, akin to being caught in a heavy downpour.
“Seems like it was just a young lad.”
Their gazes locked. At that moment, Damien realized.
Who this man was and how formidable he was.
“Hey, I’m Robert, the city’s guardian knight.” A full-fledged knight.
A formidable enemy had stepped forward.
Today, when one speaks of knights, everyone thinks of Aura users.
However, not everyone who can use Aura is a knight.
If one can manifest Aura, they’re a Squire.
To be recognized as a full-fledged knight, one must wield and control Aura freely.
Manifesting and controlling.
To regular people, the gap between these two won’t seem so vast.
But in reality, there existed an insurmountable barrier.
Many reached the level of Squire but failed to become true knights, facing disappointment.
“The city’s guardian knight has personally intervened.”
A full-fledged knight; Damien couldn’t underestimate them easily.
If it were his Death Knight self, facing a full-fledged knight wouldn’t be a challenge in fact, he could have easily defeated a Swordmaster. However, the current Damien, was far from what he was before he regressed.
“You still have time run or lose your head?”
At Damien’s words, the guardian knight, Robert, looked puzzled.
‘Strange.There was no fear or hesitation in his eyes when he said that.’
Not underestimating, but the outcome remained unchanged. It was just going to be a bit more challenging.
“Are you bold or just foolish?”
“Confident.”
“You were foolish.”
Robert lifted the halberd resting on his shoulder.
At that moment, Robert’s momentum spread all around.
The air in the entire square grew oppressively heavy.
“Stay put there. I’ll give a clear demonstration to your ignorant self of what I’m capable of.”
Robert took a step forward. As he approached, the pressure intensified.
However, Damien didn’t prepare to confront Robert.
“Are you so scared that you can’t even run away?”
Robert asked willingly. However, Damien wasn’t looking at Robert; instead, he scanned the surroundings as if waiting for someone.
‘What’s Victor doing? Why hasn’t he come yet?’
‘Has he gone mad?’
Robert furrowed his brows as he spoke.
From a distance, someone ran across the rooftop of a building.
The black silhouette, nearing the square, forcefully slammed into the building.
Soaring over the soldiers’ heads, the figure landed in front of Damien.
“Huh?”
Robert squinted at the intruder.
However, as the figure was wearing an inverted black robe, their identity remained hidden.
“So he had someone to back him up!”
Robert swung his halberd towards the figure in black.
The Aura-bound halberd struck at the figure in black, who raised their forearm to block the attack.
At that moment, a thunderous noise erupted.
Surprisingly, the figure in black neither flinched nor flew away. Instead, it was the halberd that got deflected.
“You blocked my attack?”
Robert muttered, seemingly incredulous.
At that moment, the figure in black slammed the ground, lunging forward and throwing a punch.
An explosive boom accompanied the giant being thrown backward.
Robert corrected his posture mid-air and landed solidly, glaring as if to kill the figure in black.
“Who are you? Reveal your identity!”
The figure in black removed the hood covering her head.
Surprisingly, the figure in black was a woman.
Moreover, despite her extremely short hair, she was exceptionally beautiful, enough for anyone to recognize her as a woman. But beyond that, there was something else that astonished people.
Her hair, eyebrows, even her irises were all white.
Robert, upon seeing this, muttered in bewilderment.
“…Paladin?”
Paladins receive power not from mana but from God. As a side effect, their pigmentation gradually fades away, ultimately turning pure white.
The woman’s white hair and eyes were symbols of her being a Paladin.
“Guardian Knight Robert, lower your spear. Otherwise, I will have to consider you an enemy.”
Robert’s eyebrows twitched.
A full-fledged knight was a position that garnered respect wherever they went. However, being ordered around like a subordinate by a Paladin made Robert very uncomfortable.
“…Damn.”
Nevertheless, Robert obediently released his grip on his halberd.
Defying the authority of a Paladin was akin to opposing the entireHoly Church.
Next, the woman turned to Damien and inquired,
“Are you Damien Hasken?”
To which Damien nodded, saying,
“Yes, I am Damien Hasken.”
“I rushed here after receiving the signal. I’ve received the evidence.”
Damien smiled at the news. It seemed that Victor had done a good job.
“From now on, I intend to intervene on behalf of the Church.”
The Paladin glanced around.
“If you’re busy, we can delay this.”
Unlike Robert, the Paladin showed a kind attitude towards Damien.
However, Damien shook his head.
“We can’t disrupt the Order’s proceedings. You can proceed as planned.”
“Thank you.”
The Paladin expressed gratitude, placing a hand over the chest.
Then, retrieving a large glass bead from his robe, he threw it onto the ground. As it shattered, light shot up into the sky, exploding like a firework.
“What, what’s that?”
“The light is covering the sky, don’t you see?”
The soldiers watching the spectacle were trembling in fear.
Soon after, another army appeared in the square.
They all wore white armor, holding shields and clubs.
The city’s soldiers, witnessing them, panicked and shouted,
“It’s the Execution Corps! The Church’s Execution Corps is here!”
“This, this can’t be happening! Why, why is the Chuch’s army in our city…!”
The Church’s army only revealed itself when dealing with heretics and demons. They were knights willing to sacrifice even their souls to eliminate the heretics.
“But who is that?”
“There’s a suspicious figure among the Execution Corps.”
Among the Execution Corps, there was a man in a shabby appearance and in shabby clothes.
The man waved his arms toward Damien, shouting, “Young Master! Young Masterrr! Victor has arrived!”
Victor broke free from the army and rushed forward.
“It seems you’ve handled the task I entrusted to you quite well.”
“Of course! I may not know anything or have any skills, but when it comes to errands, I’m confident that there’s no one who can match up to me!”
Victor enthusiastically thumped his chest. He was quite a humorous fellow.
“Soldiers and citizens, listen up!”
At that moment, the Paladin raised his voice.
“The city of Landwalk is currently under suspicion of colluding with a wanted dark mage!”
At those words, the soldiers’ faces turned pensive.
The Holy Order was known for showing no mercy towards dark mages. If necessary, they would even capture royalty and subject them to torture.
“While we uncover those involved, the management of the city will be handed over to the Order! If you wish to prove your innocence, actively participate in the Order’s proceedings.”
The soldiers swallowed their saliva nervously, but no one opposed. It was far better to cooperate as much as possible than be branded as heretics.
However, not everyone thought like the soldiers.
“What in the world are you saying!”
However the Governor of Landwalk reacted strongly.
“Landwalk is a city recognized for its autonomy within the kingdom! You mean to say that the Order will manage the city instead of a governor like me? Is this some kind of joke?”
“Eliminating filthy heretics is the will of God. The authority of the Holy Church stands far above the kingdom.”
The Governor’s protest fell on deaf ears. In the eyes of the Church that could detain even royalty, a mere city governor held no fear.
“How dare you say such things! I will formally file a complaint to the Church about this…”
“Above all, you are also a prime suspect. We cannot entrust the city to someone who might have colluded with the dark mage.”
“W-what are you saying! Why would I collaborate with a dark mage!”
The Paladin pointed at Cedric Walker.
“That man besides concealed a dark mage and even provided support.”
At those words, Cedric Walker’s mouth gaped wide.
“M-Mr. Cedric! Is that true?”
“N-No! Why would I hide and support a dark mage! It’s a conspiracy!”
The Paladin took out a notebook from her robes and raised it.
“This notebook contains records of items you procured for the dark mage and where you obtained them.”
“N-No, I have never assisted a dark mage!”
“That will be revealed through the investigation.”
The Paladin paid no heed to Cedric Walker’s protest.
“Governor Sebastian Baker, you mobilized soldiers to protect the collaborator of the dark mage. Therefore, you cannot escape the suspicion either.”
The Paladin then pointed at Robert.
“Paladin Robert, you’re in the same boat. You wielded weapons to protect Cedric Walker, so this cannot be overlooked.”
At those words, Robert’s face turned pale.
“Soldiers, take these two into custody immediately.”
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s male Disciple]
[Quality Checker – Kawaii]