Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Female assassin?

Hearing the leader of the guards, whose name was Lamada, shout like this, and seeing the city guards raise their weapons, the people around them retreated like tide, afraid they would invite trouble on themselves. In that moment, the space in front of the city gate became an empty piece of land.

“Oh Yiblis, there’s such a beautiful female assassin?”

“That’s right, who could have thought that this young lady is a cold-blooded killer?”

…

After confirming that they had retreated a safe distance away, the people pointed at the group, engaging in discussion. None of them would have ever expected to see the actual assassins in question with their own eyes.

“This isn’t right. If they are the killers, why would they enter the city in such a public way at such a time?” someone asked.

Another answered excitedly, “That’s right! Could it be that they are still trying to take action when the city is in a fully defensive state?”

Many people came to the same conclusion: this situation was strange. If she had already failed in her assasination attempt, why would the female assassin try to enter the city again, especially with so many others in tow? Furthermore, Lamada was only responsible for guarding the east gate of Sitana City. How could he be certain that the other party was the assassin?

Doubt grew in the crowd that surrounded the captured traveling party, and the murmurs of their conversation flowed around them like water. The people thought about how Lamada had a habit of sucking up to powerful people and bullying the weak. They all agreed that Yuna was as beautiful as a blossoming flower, and understanding slowly dawned on the crowd.

Lamada frequently bullied the commoners, taking advantage of the fact that his uncle was the vice captain of the City Master’s personal guard. He would have someone pay for him when he drank at the bar, and he refused to pay when he employed prostitutes. It was also common for him to touch the beautiful young girls he came across. But the people did not dare voice their anger, given his status and background.

The people shook their heads in pity. Between Yuna’s beauty, and the scruffy and dirty appearance of her traveling companions, they figured Yuna for a goner. They were sorry that the beautiful young lady would be desecrated in the hands of the detestable Lamada.

Yang Ling grunted under his breath. “You’re asking for death!” he thought silently at Lamada. He could plainly see Lamada’s lecherous intentions. He had disembarked from his carriage and allowed them to examine him because he didn’t want to cause unnecessary conflicts. But the guard had pushed his hand, calling him a criminal and angling to take advantage of them!

Shall I get in the carriage and leave quickly, or give this person a lesson they’ll never regret?

Yang Ling’s expression remained placid as he weighed his options. With only a dozen ordinary guards in front of them, even Orlando and Yuna alone would be able to exterminate them. They wouldn’t even need his Magical Beast army. His Beasts would make short work of everyone, but again, Yang Ling was loathe to expose his identity.

Just as Yang Ling was about to command Orlando to teach the guards a harsh lesson, Fatso Hans stepped forward. He stared Lamada the lecherous guard down coldly, and growled, “Oh Yiblis, you bastards. Scram! Go get your General!”

The rest of their group squared up, understanding their position. Lia the Spellcaster smiled faintly at Halalei the knight, and they both remained silent. Maputo and Lobina grunted in agreement, each catching Halalei’s eye. Only Hans showed the swell of anger in his heart, glaring at the unmoving Halalei.

Bastard?

Hearing Hans shout like that, Lamada turned beet red, his veins showing from under the skin of his neck. He clutched his heavy sword more tightly. He didn’t care what else Hans had said — being called a bastard made him want to cleave Hans in two with a single swing.

All his life, he had heard the neighbours gossip that he was the bastard son of his mother and his uncle. Even the servants in his household frequently talked about him behind his back. He had been unable to shut people up, even after he had tortured a gossiping female servant until she was beyond human recognition, and then selling her off to the lowliest brothel.

Lamada hated the word ‘bastard’. It was because of his disgraceful birth that he had been unable to join the upper echelons of nobles. Hans calling him a bastard in front of everyone present was akin to stabbing him right in the heart.

“I’ll let you see who the damned bastard truly is!” he nearly screamed.

Lamada charged Hans, who was still standing next to his Siberian Pegasus. Lamada’s eyes seemed to say he wanted to slice Hans into a million pieces.

“Hahei, look at what your family has done, to have bred such a vile dog!” cursed Hans, as he leaped back on his pegasus and retreated. At the same time, he summoned his Green-skinned Condor. “Attack, Baby! Spit on him!” cried Hans.

Yang Ling had a thought when he saw Lia, Lobina and the rest staring at Halalei, and instructed Orlando to not take action for the time being. He grabbed Yuna’s slender wrist and they silently made their way behind Halalei.

Yang Ling had become increasingly convinced that Lia, Hans, and the rest were not from common families. He thought it very possible that they were nobles, looking for something fresh, exciting, and new. Perhaps they had banded together and taken on their “soldier” identities to play knight and have some adventures. Only nobles influenced by the adventurers of the knights would come up with a name as old fashioned as the Dragon Slaying Troop Team.

Halalei observed the interaction as it unfolded. Finally, he could take it no more. He produced a diamond-shaped badge from his robes and shouted “Listen, you rascals, take a look and see what this is!”

The Nicholas Crystal Token?

The guards began trembling when they saw the crystal token in Halalei’s hand, stopping in their tracks in fear. Even the impulsive Lamada was still.

“You… Why do you have the token of the Nicholas family?” Lamada cried, trying to guess Halalei’s identity.

“He got it how it should be gotten. It didn’t appear out of thin air!” Reveling in Lamada’s shock, Hans laughed, and continued. “We’ll deal with you bastard dogs after your General gets here!”

Lamada knew that the situation was dire as soon as he saw the Nicholas Crystal Token. He knew that he might have judged the people wrongly out of carelessness. But he felt a wave of heat envelop his brain when he heard Hans call him a bastard again, in front of everyone, and raised his sword as he charged toward him with abandon.

Lamada was shockingly fast, as frenzied as he was. He was a mid level Swordsman, and if he connected with his opponent, not even a deity descended from the heavens would be able to save Hans’ life. His sword was pointed straight at the fat man’s chest.

Hehe, what great timing! Yang Ling thought.

Neither Lia, Halalei, or any of the rest would be able to help Hans in this dire moment, but Yang Ling summoned a Horned Bee Beast, which shot three poisonous stingers just in time. Lamada’s body hesitated suddenly, wavered, and slumped helplessly to the ground.

As Yang Ling had been hiding behind Lia, Lobina and the rest, and the attention of the group had been on Hans and Lamada, even Lobina, who was right beside him, did not detect Yang Ling’s actions. They were completely oblivious to the fact that Yang Ling had summoned a Horned Bee Beast and quickly recalled it after saving Hans’ life.

“Sir, sir, are you alright?” The city guards reacted, after Lamada had fallen onto the ground motionless. They raised their weapons and surrounded Yang Ling and his group. Of course, no one dared to take action once they knew Halalei’s identity.

“Retribution, it’s retribution!” Yang Ling suddenly cried from the back of the group. He shook his head, saying loudly, “When a person commits too many bad deeds, they face the wrath of retribution! In my hometown, there was once a hooligan that got struck by the lightning bolt of the gods while he was molesting a lady. The bolt blasted his private parts in half!” Yang Ling thought maybe he was laying it on a little thickly, but the crowd seemed to buy it.

The spectators shook their heads, half believing Yang Ling’s story. They squabbled loudly, discussing the situation.

Some said that Lamada had a hidden disease that must have suddenly acted up, causing him to fall to the ground. Others said that he must have committed too many bad deeds and suffered from the punishment of the gods, just like Yang Ling had claimed. In fact, some people were fiercely cursing the overbearing Lamada, wishing him a gruesome death. They were cursing him, hoping that his private parts would one day be blasted into two halves, just like in Yang Ling’s story.

The guards surrounding Yang Ling and his group became increasingly awkward, having lost their authority with the crowd. They knew Lamada’s personality more intimately than most. Many of them had even been accomplishes to Lamada’s actions. They were also very clear as to why Lamada had wanted to detain Yang Ling and his group.

The guards were in a tough spot. Lamada was slumped on the ground, unable to say a word, and Halalei sat atop his Pegasus, with the token of the City Master’s family, but with unknown identity. They couldn’t let the group leave, but they didn’t dare approach them to tie them up, either.

They knew in their hearts that they would be in deep trouble if the other party was part of a noble family related to the City Master. There could be no good outcome for the guards!

In the eyes of the hustling commoners, the soldiers might seem prestigious on the surface, but they knew that in the eyes of the great nobles, they were as significant as livestock. According to the norm on the Tailun Continent, offending a noble was even punishable by death.

Again looking at the token in Halalei’s hands, the soldiers backed down. None of them dared step up and help Lamada up. In fact, they wanted to be as far away as possible from him, completely breaking off any connection with him. If Halalei’s identity was indeed that of a noble, they did not wish to be implicated in any way!