Chapter 13: Snake Hunting (3)

Demian roamed the city, destroying all the branches of the Black Snake.

The members resisted fiercely, but no one could stop Demian.

Now, only the headquarters in the city center remained.

"Those punks even set up their headquarters right in the middle of the city. What a life they lead."

Demian headed towards the Black Snake's headquarters.

The city streets were unusually quiet and empty today.

This was because the merchants had all fled due to the commotion caused by Demian.

"Hmm?"

Just as he was about to cross the city square, soldiers suddenly poured out from the alleys everywhere.

The soldiers surrounded Demian and pointed their spears at him.

The soldiers, who had remained quiet while Demian was destroying the Black Snake's branches, finally moved.

This meant only one thing.

"A distinguished guest has arrived."

From the opposite side, two men walked over, escorted by the soldiers.

One was old and thin, while the other was young but so fat it was almost intimidating.

"I am Sebastian Baker, the governor of Landwalk City!"

The man with the goatee shouted, but his voice was shrill and lacked any authority.

"How dare you turn Landwalk City into a mess! Drop your weapon and surrender immediately!"

Demian casually listened to the governor's words and dismissed them.

He wasn't particularly interested in who the governor was.

What he was interested in was the fat man standing next to the governor.

"Are you Cedric Walker?"

He had never met him in person, but he had heard from the members that he was extremely fat.

More importantly, the man's eyes exuded a murderous intent that was far from that of an ordinary person.

Demian's question was met with silence from Cedric Walker.

Instead, he pointed at Demian and shouted at the governor.

"Governor, did you see that? That cruel man not only disobeys your orders but also ignores them. We must cut off his head to uphold the governor's authority."

"That's right! How dare you ignore me, the governor of this city! I will never forgive you!"

It seemed that Cedric Walker had no intention of speaking to Demian.

"You want to kill me? You don't seem to have the ability to do so."

Demian looked around at the soldiers.

There were at least a hundred of them.

However, they were just ordinary people who hadn't even mastered basic swordsmanship, let alone mana cultivation.

Even a thousand ordinary people wouldn't scare him.

"Have you ever seen such a shameless person? I don't know what gives you the nerve to act this way! Do you even realize how much trouble you've caused?"

The governor roared.

"You have not only targeted the life of the well-known businessman, Mr. Cedric Walker, but also attacked his business, killing dozens of innocent employees! This is a grave sin that cannot be forgiven!"

Demian couldn't help but laugh.

It was absurd that the leader of the Black Snake, who would commit all sorts of heinous crimes in the future, was being portrayed as a benevolent businessman.

"Ask for forgiveness!"

"You can only beg for forgiveness if you have committed a sin."

"What a brazen fellow!"

It was true that Demian had turned the city into a mess today.

However, the people he had killed were not innocent citizens but members of the Black Snake.

While he had caused chaos in the city, he hadn't harmed any ordinary citizens.

"I tried to reason with you as a young man, but it seems we can't communicate! Don't blame me for what happens next!"

Thinking a battle was about to start, Demian gripped his sword hilt.

However, the soldiers didn't charge but remained still.

Just as Demian was wondering about their behavior, a murderous aura erupted from behind him.

He quickly turned around.

The soldiers parted, and a burly man appeared.

"I was curious about who was causing such a commotion."

As the man approached, the murderous aura grew stronger.

The dense aura pounded against Demian's skin like a heavy rain.

"Just a green kid."

Their eyes met, and at that moment, Demian realized the man's level and strength.

"Kid, I am Robert, the city's guardian knight."

A formal knight.

A monster had appeared.

* * *

When people think of knights today, they think of auras.

However, not everyone who can use an aura is a knight.

Those who can manifest an aura are considered quasi-knights.

Only those who can freely control it are recognized as formal knights.

Manifesting and controlling.

To ordinary people, the gap between the two doesn't seem that high.

However, in reality, it was a wall that was hard to overcome.

Many who became quasi-knights failed to become formal knights and gave up.

"The city's guardian knight is taking action personally."

A formal knight was not someone Demian could take lightly.

In his Death Knight days, he could easily defeat even a Swordmaster.

But the current Demian, who had just returned, hadn't regained his former strength.

"Do you want to run away right now?"

Demian's words made the guardian knight, Robert, look puzzled.

"You're a strange one. Your words and your eyes don't match. You don't show any fear at all."

While he couldn't be taken lightly, the outcome wouldn't change.

It would just be a bit more challenging.

"Are you bold or just stupid?"

"I'm confident."

"You're just stupid."

Robert lifted the halberd he had slung over his shoulder.

At that moment, Robert's aura spread in all directions.

The air in the entire square became heavy.

"Stay there and wait. I will show you what I am capable of."

Robert took a step forward, and the pressure grew even stronger.

However, Demian didn't prepare to face Robert.

"Are you too scared to even run?"

Robert said, pleased. But Demian wasn't looking at Robert.

Instead, he scanned the surroundings as if waiting for someone.

"What is that Victor up to? Why isn't he here yet?"

"Are you out of your mind?"

Just as Robert frowned and asked, someone ran across the rooftops from a distance.

The dark figure, getting closer to the square, kicked off a building.

Flying over the soldiers' heads, he landed in front of Demian.

"Hmm?"

Robert frowned and glared at the intruder.

However, the figure was wearing a black robe, and his identity was hidden.

"You have an accomplice!"

Robert swung his halberd at the black-robed figure.

The aura-infused halberd struck the black-robed figure, who blocked it with his forearm.

At that moment, a loud sound echoed.

Surprisingly, the black-robed figure neither cut nor flew away.

Instead, the halberd was deflected.

"You blocked my attack?"

Robert muttered in disbelief.

At that moment, the black-robed figure pushed off the ground.

He lunged forward and punched.

With a sound like a drum, the giant flew backward.

Robert regained his balance in mid-air and landed.

He glared at the black-robed figure.

"Who are you? Reveal yourself!"

The black-robed figure removed the hood covering his head.

To everyone's surprise, the black-robed figure was a woman.

She was a stunning beauty, even with her hair cut very short.

However, what shocked people even more was something else.

Her hair, eyebrows, and even her eyes were all white.

Seeing this, Robert muttered in disbelief.

"...A Holy Knight?"

Holy Knights receive the power of the gods, not mana.

As a side effect, their pigmentation gradually fades, eventually turning completely white.

The woman's white hair and eyes were the symbol of a Holy Knight.

"Guardian Knight Robert, lower your weapon. Otherwise, I will consider you an enemy."

Robert's eyebrows twitched.

A formal knight is treated as a distinguished guest wherever they go.

However, the Holy Knight was giving orders as if to a subordinate, which was unpleasant.

"...Damn."

But Robert obediently let go of his halberd.

Resisting the authority of a Holy Knight was like opposing the church.

Next, the woman turned to Demian and asked.

"Are you Demian Hassen?"

Demian nodded.

"Yes, I am Demian Hassen."

"I came here after receiving a message from the servant. I have received the evidence."

Demian smiled. It seemed Victor had done a good job.

"From now on, the church will intervene."

The Holy Knight looked around.

"If you are busy, I can delay it."

Unlike Robert, the Holy Knight treated Demian kindly.

However, Demian shook his head.

"I cannot interfere with the church's activities. You can proceed as you wish."

"Thank you."

The Holy Knight placed her hand on her chest in gratitude.

Then, she took out a large glass orb from her robes and threw it to the ground.

The glass orb shattered, and light shot up into the sky.

The light exploded like fireworks.

"What, what is that?"

"The sky is covered in light."

The soldiers watching the scene trembled in fear.

Soon, another army appeared in the square.

They all wore white armor and carried shields and maces.

Seeing them, the city's soldiers cried out in fear.

"It's the Enforcement Team! The church's Enforcement Team is here!"

"It can't be! Why, why is the church in our city...!"

The church's army only appeared to punish heretics and demons.

They were fanatics who would even sacrifice their souls to eliminate heretics.

"But what is that?"

"There's a strange guy among them."

Among the Enforcement Team, there was a shabbily dressed man.

He waved his arms at Demian and shouted.

"Master! Master! Victor is here!"

Victor broke away from the army and ran over.

"It seems you handled the task I asked you to do properly."

"Of course! I, Victor, may not be educated or skilled, but I am confident in my errands!"

Victor proudly patted his chest.

Demian chuckled. He was a funny guy.

"Listen, soldiers and citizens!"

At that moment, the Holy Knight raised her voice.

"Currently, Landwalk City is suspected of colluding with a wanted black mage!"

The soldiers' faces turned pale.

The Holy Church was known for its intolerance towards black mages.

They would even arrest and torture royalty if necessary.

"While we investigate the suspects, the church will take over the city's administration! If you want to prove your innocence, actively participate in the church's activities."

The soldiers swallowed hard but didn't oppose.

It was much better to cooperate than to be labeled a heretic.

However, not everyone thought like the soldiers.

"What are you saying!"

The city's governor, Sebastian, reacted strongly.

"Landwalk City is an autonomous city recognized by the kingdom! You want the church to manage the city while I, the governor, am here? Is that even reasonable!"

"Eliminating filthy heretics is the will of the gods. The church's authority is far above that of the kingdom."

The governor's protests were ignored.

The church, which could even imprison royalty, wouldn't fear a city governor.

"How dare you say such things! I will formally protest to the church..."

"More importantly, you are also a prime suspect. We cannot leave the city in the hands of someone who may have colluded with a black mage."

"What, what are you saying! Why would I collude with a black mage!"

The Holy Knight pointed at Cedric Walker.

"This man has hidden and supported the black mage."

Cedric Walker's mouth dropped open.

"Cedric! Is that true?"

"No! Why would I hide and support a black mage! It's a frame-up!"

The Holy Knight took out a notebook from her robes and raised it.

"This notebook contains a list of items you provided to the black mage and where you bought them."

"No! I have never helped a black mage!"

"That will be revealed during the investigation."

The Holy Knight ignored Cedric's protests.

"Governor Sebastian Baker, you mobilized soldiers to protect the black mage's collaborator. Therefore, you are also a suspect."

The Holy Knight then pointed at Robert.

"Guardian Knight Robert, you are the same. You took up arms to protect Cedric Walker, which cannot be overlooked."

Robert's face turned pale.

"Soldiers, arrest these two immediately."