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"Get your filthy, peasant hands away from me!

" Uttering through his lips as soon as Layn got close, Kerren could only throw a look filled with hate at the approaching archmage.

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"I don't really care what your circumstances are,

" stopping in the man's track, Layn rose on his knees and looked coldly at the man sprawled on the ground,

"but I dare you to call me a peasant ever again.

"

nJust for this moment, Layn invoked all the bloodlust that remained in his psyche after his years in the hero party. All those bottled-up feelings of disgust, anxiety, wrath and despisal. All those feelings got him through the toughest of times, earning him the unfaithful wife and life in the most comfortable prison in the world.

nFor the moment, the old Layn, the sole cause of the hecatomb of the city of Karrieta, returned.

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"I…

" Even if the techniques and ways of killing each other have changed over the vast millennials that spanned between their respective times, one thing remained the same. Not even noticing, but more like feeling the aura that the archmage surrounded himself with was more than enough for the acclaimed ace of the soaring dragon group to remain on the ground.

nLayn knew very little about the society of the ancients. But from what Kerren said himself, it was easy to assume that since a peasant could be used as an insult, class awareness was pretty high in this age. As such, flying into a rage when one's status was to be challenged, was something that Layn deemed to be the most reasonable way out of the situation.

n'This is bad…' With his emotions calming down, Layn finally noticed what a mess did he put himself into. Right in the middle of a foreign city, going against someone of a potential high status…

nBut there was an excuse for his rashness. After years and years of life as one of the most respected members of the entire human society, having this kind of low-life act arrogant in his face crossed Layn's bottom line. And with how the archmage was starting to figure out the entire ancient magic thingy, the danger that those people posed for Layn was diminishing at a steady rate.

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"What's the hell is going on here?

" Before the situation could turn any worse, a loud, deep voice broke through the commotion. Akin to a sea parting its waves to let the chosen tribe pass through, the crowd opened the path for a small group of guards.

nEven though they didn't wear the same type of uniform, just the coat of arms, exactly the same as the one on all the flags around, was enough of a giveaway of their profession.

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"Layn! Come here…

" Shouting archmage's name only to turn silent and order him to go back in a calm voice, Irea managed to achieve what her shouts alone wouldn't be able to. While there was a factor of Layn's unwillingness to stand against the guards of the city, it was still the girl's call that pushed him into making the decision.

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"It's okay, I'm not doing anything.

" Raising his arms to the level of his head, Layn backed out a few paces before standing down beside the girl. Seeing his willingness to cooperate, the guards only threw him an angered glance before directing their sights towards the pummeled Kerren on the ground.

n

"Wait, isn't he…

" Quickly alternating their eyes between the archmage and his victim, the initial anger of the guards disappeared, replaced by a strange feeling of relief and pity.

n

"Well, it's good that someone finally taught him a lesson… Hey, Irea, who is that idiot?

" Clearly hinting at something that was common knowledge for the locals, the guard addressed the girl by the name, proving that she also had a fair bit of shame in this war camp.

n

"He is not… This man is well… Under our protection? Or maybe I am? In fact, it wouldn't be a lie to claim that he is a benefactor of my entire group.

" Lowering her head, the girl turned her attention to the guards as well before explaining the situation.

nLeaving her sentence on an open note, Irea scratched the side of her chin for a moment before suddenly shaking her head and smiling uneasily.

"Either way, I hope you won't pay any mind to the friendly spar that was the cause behind this entire situation,

" said the girl as she reached with her hand to the side, only to place her palm on the back of Layn's head before forcing his entire upper body down as she bowed herself.

nInitially startled, Layn didn't put any resistance to her guiding moves. Once Irea's intent clarified, the archmage actually lowered his head on his own, accepting the way that the girl has chosen to diffuse the tension in the air.

nIn the end, he started the entire affair because of his own reservations. No matter what, Irea knew far more about the world of this time than Layn did, making her judgment far more likely to be correct than whatever Layn would be able to come up with on the spot. As such, rather than blindly trying to find a way to get away scot-free from pummeling the other guy, just lowering his head to the guards appeared as a simpler option.

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"As if I would let the situation end like that! I…

" Noticing how the entire situation was calming down and heading to a peaceful solution, Kerren jumped up. With the threat of Layn's cold eyes already phasing away into nonexistence in his memories, he was clearly keen on making things hard for Layn and his guide.

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"You really,

" squinting his eyes, the archmage looked towards the location of that pitiful, arrogant man, when a familiar voice broke through the noise created by all the people that already gathered to observe the situation.

nRaising his eyes towards the source of the sound, Layn saw Karter walking towards him in big strides, with his arm raised in a way that made it look as if he wanted to draw everyone's attention to his forearm.

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"Kerren will let this situation be as it is. Let's just all go our own way, okay?

"

nIgnoring Kerren who was trying to add something to the side, the leader of the Irea group pointed at his forearm before looking at the guards with a look of steeled resolve in his eyes.

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"I'm willing to get marked for that.

"

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