“Sorry, if a conflict is triggered, the responsibility should lie with your side, not ours.” The burly man shook his head, unmoved in the slightest. Facing the immense pressure emanating from the other party, he also began to raise his spiritual power to counterbalance it. The rapier in his hand quietly lowered, assuming an attack stance.

Chapter 11: The Rose Lounge (4)

“Wait, Lord Leclair, it’s been three years in a flash—how have you been?” A deep voice came at just the right moment from behind the burly man. At some point, the middle-aged man had already positioned himself behind him. Harold was secretly startled; although he had been quietly keeping an eye on the situation over there, all he saw was a blur of movement, and the person he feared most was already standing behind the burly knight.

His gaze instantly sharpened, clearly recognizing the other’s identity. The armored officer’s hand, which had been resting on the hilt at his waist, relaxed. “Captain Kent?”

“Heh, Lord Leclair, you still remember this old man?” Although the middle-aged knight looked just over forty, in truth he was already past fifty, at the peak age for a magic knight.

“Heh, Captain, you are as heroic as ever—how could I dare forget?” His attitude clearly softened. Leclair was not a rigid person; seeing Kent step forward, he knew that the large-scale mobilization of the Reima Knights to Seprus City must have a specific reason. It was absolutely impossible that they had come for the sake of these three ruffians. Perhaps there really was some misunderstanding involved. It wouldn’t hurt to give the other party some face and see how they would explain. “Since you have personally come to Seprus, why not visit the Grand Duke’s residence? I’m sure the Grand Duke would be very happy to see an old friend.”

Back when the conflict between the Holy Light Church and Grand Duke Philip was resolved, it was Captain Kent who led the elite Reima Knights to escort Marquis Howard and Archbishop Hessetings on their visit to Seprus. As the leader of the most important armed force of the Church of Light, Kent had met Grand Duke Philip several times and could be considered a half-acquaintance.

“Mm, Lord Leclair, my men and I are just passing through Seprus on business. Today, we only intended to rest here for a while, but it seems Douglas had a small misunderstanding with the others. I wonder if you could do me a small favor and let this matter drop?” The middle-aged knight was dignified and spoke in a calm, mellow tone, making it hard for the armored officer to flare up. After some thought, since the other party was so sincere, it would be inappropriate to press further. After all, those three fellows weren’t good people anyway. It would be better to do a favor in passing. Still, he would have to step up surveillance of these loyal church followers to see what exactly they were doing in Seprus.

With that in mind, the armored officer said no more. He simply asked about the situation of Harold and the other two, then made a straightforward decision: “Is that so? Since Captain Kent says so, I believe him. But I hope Captain Kent can keep his men in check. This is Seprus, not Marco.”

A trace of undetectable anger flashed in the middle-aged man’s eyes, but his face became even more composed. “Thank you for the reminder, Lord Leclair. I will be mindful.”

A satisfied smile appeared on the armored officer’s face. He then turned his gaze to the silent trio of Harold, speaking coldly: “You three, it’s getting late. You’d best go back and rest early. Don’t cause any more trouble here. I don’t want your fathers to have to come to the garrison to fetch you. That would do you no good.”

He waved to stop the furious Elliot from acting out. Paul sneered and said, “Thank you for your concern, sir. But you’d better watch out for these Church of Light folks. Sneaking around in Seprus—what are they really up to? As citizens of Seprus, it’s our duty to remind you not to be deceived by them.”

The officer’s expression darkened slightly, and he said in a deep voice, “Kid, you don’t need to meddle in the affairs of our knights. Do you want to spend a night at the garrison?”

“Heh, sir, we were just kindly reminding you. Since you’re so confident, we have no objections. If there’s nothing else, we’ll be leaving.” Paul shrugged, expressing regret that his advice was not accepted. He signaled with his eyes for Elliot to help him support the already too-drunk-to-walk Harold, and the three of them staggered away, disappearing at the corridor entrance.

“Captain Kent, I hope you can also watch your own behavior and not cause us any more trouble. This is a place where the city’s upper class likes to linger. Please mind your actions—many of them aren’t fond of your Church of Light.” With this friendly reminder, the armored officer waved his hand. The ten armored guards behind him immediately shouldered their weapons and returned to a guarded stance, neatly forming two squads. They ignored the others and strode away at the head of the group.