“Sorry, gentlemen, I mean no harm. I just want to ask about something.” The middle-aged man sighed inwardly, greeting them with a calm and friendly smile. Although these spoiled young men used rather despicable and sinister methods, it was precisely these tactics—shamelessly flaunted as badges of honor—that had become the prevailing trend in today’s society. No matter the means or methods, only the result mattered; this seemed to have become the standard by which many people conducted themselves. The skinny fellow’s hands, hidden in his sleeves, were surely fiddling with some vicious concealed weapon or mechanism. Just from his shifty eyes, it was clear he harbored ill intentions. As for the drunken one, though he showed no outward reaction, anyone who could associate with these two was certainly no decent person.

“To ask something? Is this how you ask questions? You uncultured lowlife, get out of the way!” Although he sensed that the other was no ordinary person, the arrogance and domineering habits Elliot had developed since childhood had not changed much, even after his time in the military. His triangular eyes flashed with violence, and the flexible sword in his hand suddenly straightened under the infusion of inner energy, its tip flickering like a venomous snake’s tongue, ready to strike at any moment.

Faced with such arrogant and domineering insults, even a man of great self-restraint could not help but feel a bit angry. However, his good upbringing kept him composed. He smiled faintly and said, “Oh, I was indeed a bit abrupt. But I do have something I’d like to ask you gentlemen.”

Seeing that his provocative words had not had the expected effect, a trace of surprise appeared in Elliot’s violent gaze. The other’s calm yet unwavering attitude made him realize that today’s encounter would not be so simple, especially since the man’s hidden but powerful aura made Elliot secretly speculate about his identity.

“Hmph, so it seems you’re determined to cause us trouble.” Although Elliot already sensed that this extraordinary-looking man would not be easy to deal with, he was not one to yield easily. Before seeing the other’s true strength, he was unwilling to back down. The tip of his sword suddenly flashed with a ray of light—though faint, it was dazzling. The sword shook rapidly, creating a curtain of light that swept through the air with a buzzing sound, suddenly lashing out at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man sighed inwardly. He hadn’t expected that even after humbling himself, the other would still act so theatrically. Had he known, he might as well have displayed overwhelming force from the start and avoided all this trouble. With a skillful step back to dodge the fiercest point of the sword’s momentum, he lightly tapped his waist, and the rapier hidden in its scabbard sprang out, striking the curtain of light that swept past him. Using the opponent’s force against him, he instantly neutralized the other’s impressive attack.

“Heh, you’ve got some skill.” A strange, sinister look appeared on Elliot’s horse-like face. Sword energy crisscrossed as he skillfully twisted his wrist and suddenly pulled back. The curtain of light, which had been deflected by the rapier, abruptly accelerated in return, emitting a bizarre refraction of light for an instant, mixed with an overwhelming force as it roared back in a reverse spin. It seemed this would not end until one of them was defeated.

The middle-aged man frowned slightly. Dealing with this fellow would actually be quite simple, but it would surely cause a lot of trouble here. It was clear that this lounge was a place frequented by the city’s upper-class nobles. If a disturbance broke out, it would definitely attract the attention of the city’s knight order or hired mercenary forces. The Reima Knight Order belonged to the Church of Light, but the Church of Light was not without restrictions in the city of Seplus.

Seplus, being a free trade city built on commerce, was home to many different races from all over the continent, not just from the Kingdom of Nicosia. Many other races also lived here. The ruler of the Homer region, Duke Philip, was not particularly fond of the Church of Light in terms of religious belief, and even had a somewhat provocative attitude. Ten years ago, he had angered the Church of Light and its followers by desecrating a holy relic. Fortunately, the Church of Light’s followers were not the majority in the Homer region, so it did not cause too much trouble. However, it did sour relations between the Grand Duke and the Church. At one point, the Grand Duke even banned priests and missionaries of the Church of Light from preaching in the Homer region and expelled several important bishops of the Church from the area. In response, the Church of Light openly encouraged its followers in the Homer region to oppose tyrannical rule and resist the rule of non-believers. As a result, unrest broke out in several villages within the Homer region.