Chapter 319: 319 Focusing on Each Other
Before a temple-like shrine that had previously been empty, a young woman suddenly appeared, silent and unnoticed.
The woman, around 20 years old, had regular features and a neat appearance, with uneven golden short hair. She wore a cloak over metal chainmail that protected her somewhat voluptuous figure.
Several short spikes hung from her lower back, and her regular face bore a carnivorous-like sinister smile, giving off the vibe of a hungry beast, ready to pounce, bite, and tear flesh at any moment—extremely dangerous.
"It seems something interesting has happened in the town, let’s go have a look?"
With an attitude akin to going on a picnic, the woman stepped forward, ready to leave the cemetery and head to the city.
However, just as the woman made her move, a raspy voice stopped her.
"Didn’t I tell you not to act recklessly before I’m ready?"
The speaker was a man who came out slowly from the shrine.
The man was gaunt, with sunken eyes and a complexion so poor he barely looked alive, perfectly embodying the phrase "lifeless." He was completely bald, with no eyebrows, eyelashes, or body hair, resembling an old man, yet his skin was oddly free of wrinkles.
He too wore a dark red robe and a necklace made of small animal skulls around his neck. His hands were so thin they were practically skin and bone, looking less like a human and more like some sort of undead creature.
The man was holding a black staff in one hand and an irregularly shaped stone-like object in the other, and dressed like this, topped with a tall hat, he might well pass for a glaring wizard.
Seeing the man, the woman displayed a frivolously giggling demeanor.
"Ah, I’ve been spotted, didn’t expect little Kajit to come out. Don’t tell me you’ve been secretly spying on me all this time? Ugh, how annoying—"
The woman’s irrational flippant words made the man look at her with disdain.
"How could I not watch you, knowing how crazy you are?" the man snorted coldly. "Don’t blame me for not warning you, Clementine, you’re still being pursued by one of the Six Canonics directly under the ecclesiastic nation’s officials, the Wind Flower Canon, known for intelligence operations. If you go running around outside and get caught, you’ll face consequences worse than death."
"After all, you are a betrayer, former Ninth Seat of the Black Canon—Clementine of ’Swift Wind Strike.’
Upon hearing this, Clementine—the woman—still wore her carnivorous smile.
If anything, she seemed even more amused.
"Little Kajit, those Wind Flower folks have already pulled out, you know?"
Clementine said cheerfully.
"Don’t call me little Kajit, my name is Kajit!"
First, the man—Kajit—barked at Clementine, then frowned.
"Wind Flower people pulled out? Why?"
The Wind Flower Canon was here to capture Clementine, who betrayed the ecclesiastic nation and defected from the Black Canon. Given the nation’s style, they shouldn’t be able to let a traitor like Clementine go.
Clementine had been pursued ever since her defection, her freedom never granted. Why was she suddenly being ignored?
This didn’t make sense.
"Well, I can guess a bit," said Clementine unworriedly, laughing, "Apparently, people from the Sunlight Canon recently came here for a secret mission. Although I, a traitor, don’t know what this secret mission is, the Wind Flower folks suddenly ran off in panic; it definitely has something to do with the Sunlight Canon’s activities, right?"
"Could it be that something happened to the Sunlight Canon? So the high priest called back Wind Flower Canon?"
"If that’s really the case, then it’s too funny. Perhaps my old home will have to get involved this time. Why not go play with them?"
While speaking, Clementine’s expression turned noticeably eager, as if she was ready to put her words into action immediately.
In response, Kajit simply said coldly,
"Aren’t you afraid of encountering ’Black Canon’ or ’Solo Corps’? Or do you think you can deal with ’Absolute Death’ that monster?"
At his words, Clementine’s face froze, and her excitement visibly diminished rapidly.
"...You’re so annoying, little Kajit."
Clementine puffed up her cheeks, looking rather cute, but her eyes gazing at Kajit had begun to show a dangerous glint.
It was the look of someone seriously considering whether to kill the person who mentioned something they disliked.
Kajit, however, was not the least bit afraid.
"You should thank me for stopping you from walking into your death," Kajit sneered. "In any case, until my preparations are complete, you’d better not act on your own."
"The recent turmoil in Ye·Rantel is not a playground where you can play as you wish. Just the other day Gejiev Storunov showed his face here, and that adventurer who is said to have saved Strogonov has also been very active lately. I heard that even a group of Platinum-ranked adventurers were easily defeated by him, and his strength, conservatively estimated, is at least Mountain Copper, even Mithril."
"If you mess up, not only will you ruin my plans, but you could also encounter danger yourself."
Hearing this, Clementine’s face showed disbelief, then she laughed.
She laughed heartily, mockingly.
"Oh come on, little Kajit, who do you think you’re talking to?"
Clementine’s grin almost reached her ears, her tone turning menacing.
"I am the ninth seat of the original Dark Holy Book, a hero who has reached the realm beyond humanity. Even if I have lost the arms I had while serving in the religious state, I’m not someone mere high-grade steel adventurers can threaten," Reiger declared.
"If Gejiev Strogonov came after me fully armed, then maybe we could spar. At the very least, I would need those damned witches from the ’Sanguine Rose’ to step in. This adventurer who has suddenly appeared, even if he truly is of high-grade steel, what of it?"
"A high-grade steel who hasn’t reached the Heroic Domain, no matter how outstanding they perform, is merely a toy. Saying that, it actually makes me quite inclined to find him and have some fun, little Kajit—"
Clementine’s tone became increasingly dangerous, grimmer, making Kajit click his tongue in astonishment.
Then, Kajit simply said,
"If you dare to interfere with me, I won’t let you off."
As these words emerged, bands of red light illuminated behind Kajit.
The red light revealed itself as pairs of eyes.
With eyes flickering red, shadows appeared behind Kajit, including two huge, shadowy figures that flickered in and out of visibility in front of Clementine, swaying with a rotting aura.
"I plan to perform a ritual in Ye’Rantir to turn this city into a city of death,"
Kajit warned in a low voice.
"No one can hinder me."
Kajit’s threatening words caused Clementine’s expression to become momentarily terrifying.
But quickly, she resumed her usual demeanor.
"Terrifying, Little Kajit," Clementine said, raising her hands in a surrendering gesture and nonchalantly added, "Well, since Shinohara has already withdrawn and I no longer have to worry about being pursued, whatever the Little Kajit is planning seems interesting, so I won’t disturb your loving moments with your undead."
"However..."
Clementine licked her lips and smiled as she spoke.
"That adventurer you just mentioned, once you start your actions, you’ll give him to me, right?"
Upon hearing this, Kajit knew, Clementine’s madness had kicked in again.
"What are you planning to do?"
Kajit asked emotionlessly, prompting another cheerful expression from Clementine.
"Just to have a bit of fun with him of course,"
said Clementine as her cloak slightly moved, producing a clinking of metal.
On closer inspection, these were metal badges.
There were silver badges, gold badges, platinum badges, as well as mithril badges, all concealed by her cloak.
Having displayed her trophies, Clementine’s voice then emerged,
"Believing in their skills and being haughty, high-ranked adventurers always show priceless expressions when I grind their faces under my foot."
"What kind of expression will this adventurer who saved Gejiev Strogonov show in such conditions?"
"How many bones must I break, how many muscles must I crush before he will beg for mercy, crying bitterly?"
"Ah, I’m really looking forward to seeing it."
"Hehehe... hehehehe,"
Clementine’s delighted and cheerful laughter then resounded through the graveyard, echoing for a long time.
Unbeknownst to her, Reiger was also thinking about her.
And he was already considering whether to dispose of her.
.......
The night in Ye’Rantir was destined to be anything but peaceful.
The Golden Shining Pavilion almost fell victim to a major fire, many distinguished guests were scared, and a sudden storm came and went; all these events, no matter what, could not be ignored.
Therefore, even in the dead of night, the matter spread quickly and soon, as the initiator of all these events, Reiger’s name once again became the center of heated discussion.
The president of the Adventurer Guild called for Reiger that very night, listened to his explanations about fighting the monsters that had infiltrated the city because he had to act, causing such disturbances, and upon seeing the corpse of the Eight-Legged Blade Assassination Insect, reluctantly stated that this was not his fault.
Reiger expressed he would compensate for all the damages, and then left the Adventurer Guild.
Only at that moment did Reiger remember.
"Speaking of which, it seems there’s more drama to unfold in Ye’Rantir?"
"Should I go and capture the main culprit?"
Reiger fell into deep thought.