Super Righteous Player

The gang of "robbers" naturally did not sit idly by waiting for death.

They were retreating while fighting, trying to mount their horses and flee.

Although they were obviously afraid of Annan, that did not mean they would handle the situation with kid gloves or surrender without a fight.

These mercenaries had a clear understanding in their minds.

They could pretend to be robbers and brazenly raid the port because they had the backing of Viscount Roth Fort.

The Viscount could ensure they wouldn't be pursued by official forces or attacked by the army.

In this way, the militia of just a small town was nothing to fear.

After trade with the Winter Principality was banned, Frostwater Harbor was left with nothing but an empty shell. It appeared large and impressive in scale, but to say there were no stationed troops was an understatement, let alone the absence of wizards, bishops, and scholars—not even a single Transcendent to protect the Mayor.

Even the residents of Frostwater Harbor had all but left... The young and strong men, full of dreams, had long set off for the major cities inland with the caravans, and the population remaining here was less than one-fifth of what it was at its peak.

It was natural for these mercenaries to be fearless against the town's militias. Even a Bronze-rank Transcendent might be caught off guard and hit by a lead bullet.

Each of them had a horse as well. Even if they could not win, at least they could escape.

...However, if they really messed up and were killed or captured, the Viscount was certainly not going to rescue them, much less conflict with Tan Juan for their lives.

Far from rescuing them, Lord Viscount would instantly denounce this gang of robbers, trying to sever all ties with them. He would then demand that Frostwater Harbor execute them immediately, or send them to Roth Fort for the death penalty.

These consequences had already been warned by Lord Viscount before they set out.

—Success was the only option; failure was not.

...But that was easier said than done.

They simply did not dare to kill Tan Juan.

After all, they weren't real robbers.

If they had truly been desperate enough to become robbers, there would have been an unruly ferocity in their actions... but they were not.

Faced with the oncoming "Tan Juan Geraint", they were torn between fighting and not fighting.

The mercenaries with the best swordsmanship hurriedly drew their swords from their waists, preparing to defend with all their might. Hopefully, they could hold Tan Juan back here.

The rest banded together, confronting the militiamen, trying to quickly rout them and then look for an opportunity to escape.

They were not afraid of the wizard, but of the identity that Annan was now portraying.

—Black hair, blue eyes, and a young man versed in witchcraft.

This was precisely the most famous characteristic of the third young master of the Crow family. Even without looking at the badge on his body, one could easily recognize his identity.

If they accidentally killed Tan Juan, what followed wouldn't be just a simple threat from a Viscount!

That would be the Crow family!

They would rather provoke a Marquis on the frontier than anger that vicious old Crow…

"Damn it, we must have been tricked by that old man!"

One of them couldn't help but curse out loud, "Didn't he say that Crow family kid was on the way..."

"Joel!"

The leading mercenary captain immediately yelled out a warning.

But Annan heard that sentence clearly and truly.

His icy blue pupils flashed a light devoid of emotion as he slightly opened his eyes.

"...Ah, I heard that."

He murmured quietly, "It seems you know something."

Seeing this, the group of mercenaries promptly shut their mouths and fell silent, but the ferocity of their attacks increased a bit.

Annan made up his mind.

—He needed to capture someone alive.

Not out of anger, nor out of hatred—after all, he and Tan Juan were not the same person.

It was just that... an opportunity had arisen.

An opportunity to truly fill the gaps in his own identity, to momentarily become "Tan Juan."

He didn't need to use this identity to climb to the high ranks of the kingdom; after all, he didn't actually look like Tan Juan. Anyone who was acquainted with Tan Juan would definitely recognize the difference.

He was just planning to use Tan Juan's identity to gather information.

After all, if he started without any identity, a mere civilian, many secret matters would be beyond his reach. And the status of a lord was secure enough and high enough in rank.

He must quickly find out why "Annan" had appeared alone on the beach of a neighboring country—or even an enemy country—without even a weapon, without any life-saving equipment on his body...

And in a state of near death.

Even for someone as unpopular as the earl's son Tan Juan, his person would be decked with treasures, and he would be accompanied by a bunch of bodyguards even when banished.

He is the son of a Grand Duke, after all.

Therefore, Annan had to consider a possibility... that he might have been assassinated before, which is why he crossed the inner sea to escape to Frostwater Harbor on the opposite shore. If he headed straight back to the Winter Duchy now, he would likely die outright.

Who would want to kill him? The Grand Duke? His own brother? Enemies of the Grand Duke? Or someone else?

Was there any trouble with the Grand Duke? What was the situation inside the duchy?

Annan had to at least investigate and understand what was happening, know who his enemies were, and then bring along some players who could defeat the opponents to protect him... Only then could he recover his original identity.

Until then, he could only live life under the guise of Tan Juan.

Although neither Annan's nor Tan Juan's situations were very good.

But the power pursuing the son of an Earl and the audacity to pursue the heir of a duchy, one would know with their knees, there was bound to be a significant difference in strength...

Fortunately, these mercenaries knew something.

Annan might not even need to extract any useful information from them.

All he needed was to make the people of Frostwater Harbor believe that he had been attacked on his way here.

A change in temperament? That's quite normal, just shocked from a recent attack, right?

Missing belongings? Also normal, since someone had attacked him.

Lacking proper etiquette? That was very normal too, given that he had just been through a life-and-death crisis and wasn't in a good mood.

In short, as long as they were convinced that "Tan Juan Geraint" had been attacked, and then saw that ship, any strange behavior from Annan would be understandable.

So—

"I need to get serious now, friends."

Seeing that the militia were beginning to rout after being massacred, Annan turned back to politely tell the three mercenaries blocking him, "You should stop holding back now.

"Otherwise, you might die... and that would be unfortunate."

He chuckled softly.

He had a good grasp of their strength.

Their skills didn't even reach the third level of swordsmanship... and their strength was even less than that of a child like Annan.

And those three men in front of him were already close to collapsing—

They really weren't holding back!

Wasn't Tan Juan Geraint supposed to be a Wizard?

Then why was his swordplay so graceful and stable, without the slightest flaw, almost like he had been training for over a decade with the royal guards...

But Annan didn't give them a chance to readjust.

He suddenly went all out.

The refined blade flashed a cold light.

His pace suddenly quickened.

The blade steadied in a subtle arc and countered the attack from the mercenary on the right, parrying it away.

Then a sword stroke as swift as lightning slashed towards the opponent's wrist.

Blood splattered.

His tendon was severed by Annan, with half of his wrist chopped off, he fell to the ground screaming.

Annan did not continue the attack on him, but instead charged again toward the other two.

With one less person to besiege him, Annan's fighting power immediately more than doubled. He defended against the attacks of the two others, and it took less than three exchanges before he found an opening.

He stepped forward abruptly and swung his sword horizontally.

The sharp, blood-stained blade traced a perfect arc in the air, slashing directly across one's throat.

At that moment, Annan suddenly paused.

Fortunately, he quickly recovered and managed to block the attack from the other man.

Because as he slit the throat of that person, a light screen flashed before his eyes:

[In combat, for killing an unranked enemy, 15 public experience points are gained]

Annan fell silent for a while, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.

The aura about him changed swiftly, his gaze turning cold yet fervent, instilling intense fear in anyone who looked at him.

He revealed a smile so dangerous it was almost terrifying.

Still... should he leave a survivor?

Or maybe... just one?