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Chapter: 50

Clang-!

Whoosh-!

The battle between Asla and the assassin was swift and decisive.

The sharp gust of wind and the unknown white radiance.

Both powers were formidable, but the spirit techniques honed over a long period were on a different level.

Whirl-!

The white-haired old man moved with an agility that defied his age. It was partly thanks to the wind, but fundamentally, their skill levels were worlds apart.

"Ugh!"

The assassin\'s previous composure was nowhere to be found. They realized that in terms of strength, speed, and experience, they couldn\'t surpass the opponent in front of them.

Swish-!

Clang-!

Asla relentlessly attacked. The assassin had no respite.

He looked at the assassin, who was desperately blocking his attacks with all their might, and said, "Why don\'t you pray to your God?"

"Shut up!"

Thud-!

Pushing the sword away, the assassin retreated. The white radiance that had been shining from their body had diminished considerably.

"You are using power that is beyond your grasp. Unstable and bizarre, just like your God."

"How dare you... blaspheme God!"

The assassin gritted their teeth in anger at Asla\'s provocation. However, in this situation, there was no way to overcome the old man in front of them.

"I will kill you for sure."

Bang-!

Light erupted explosively along with the assassin\'s voice. The flash of light that engulfed their vision blinded everyone.

Swish-!

At that moment, the sound of wind cut through the light with a sharp cry.

"Ugh!"

The assassin cried out once more. The blinding light disappeared immediately after.

"...Huh?"

Lia, her vision restored, looked straight ahead and froze. The assassin, who had been there just moments before, was gone. All that remained was blood scattered on the floor.

-He ran away, lol.

-???: How dare you blaspheme God!

-???: I will kill you for sure!

-He even got hit once before leaving, rofl.

"Hmm."

Asla, who had sent the wind blade flying, only relaxed his stance after a little more time had passed. He sheathed his sword and turned around, only to freeze in place.

"..."

His eyes met with the four people who were staring at him. Asla hesitated and eventually turned his head away.

"...There are too many people here. I feel sick."

"There are only two new people. Please stay a little longer," Hanbit said, grabbing his master who was about to leave.

He couldn\'t help his social phobia, but they needed to sort out the situation.

"The technique of borrowing the power of spirits?"

"Could it be... that this person is a Spirit User?"

He introduced Asla to Cowen and Lia. They seemed more surprised by the story about the power of spirits than the fact that he was Black Dragon\'s master.

Asla himself had his back turned, pretending to be wary of the alleyway entrance. The two approached him.

"Thank you for your help."

"I didn\'t know there was such a strong person like you in Edlen. It is an honor to meet you."

"..."

Asla didn\'t respond to their gratitude. Hanbit, who had followed them, added an explanation instead.

"Please understand. He\'s a bit wary of people. If there was alcohol, it might be a different story."

"Alcohol?"

Cowen reacted to that word.

"He denies it, but he\'s a heavy drinker."

"...Didn\'t I say I quit drinking?"

"You drank 20 bottles in one sitting."

"..."

-Fact bomb. LOL

-Facts are on DragonTube.

-It\'s hilarious how he\'s avoiding eye contact. LOL

Asla coughed awkwardly and turned his eyes to the alley.

Cowen, watching the exchange, cautiously said, "I have some precious alcohol. Would it be alright if I offered it to you as a gift?"

"Precious alcohol?"

"Yes. It\'s alcohol made with ingredients gathered from the Night Garden. I\'m sure you\'ll like it."

"Hmm."

At his suggestion, Asla pretended to contemplate and hesitated. Then, he slightly turned his head and said, "...How many bottles do you have?"

* * *

"Ah..."

In the secret space beneath the old building, Asla, taking his lips away from the bottle, let out a satisfied sigh.

Five empty bottles were already piled up around him.

"I\'m glad you like it."

Cowen, who had brought the alcohol from his room, was still on guard, still protecting Lia. Even though it was a safe place, they was no room for complacency now.

"If you keep doing that, you\'ll wear yourself out. Relax while I\'m here."

"...Thank you."

-Don\'t say cool things while holding a bottle of alcohol;

-The taste is reliable.

-But isn\'t this place inaccessible?

-Maybe not 100 percent?

-It must be safer than outside, though.

The entrance to this space was only opened by the Norton ring. However, the earlier attack made them realize they couldn\'t let their guard down even for a moment.

Chirp-!

A bird\'s chirp rang out in the tense atmosphere. Lia, sitting next to Hanbit, was stroking Sylph. It seemed she had developed a sense of closeness after learning that Sylph was a wind spirit.

"So, how did you get here earlier? It was just at the critical moment," Hanbit asked, recalling the attack.

He knew Asla would appear soon, but he didn\'t expect such dramatic timing.

"I continued to look around Edlen even after warning you. Then I detected a strange reaction twice."

"Twice?"

"One was that child\'s ring, which I felt near the waterway, and the other was the power used by the Holy Kingdom\'s assassin. I was able to reach where you were by sensing those reactions,” Asla took a few sips of alcohol as he explained.

Few people would have noticed, but he was ready to grab his sword at any moment. He was on such high alert that if the assassin attacked, their head would be blown off immediately.

"Thanks to you, we were able to survive. Thank you once again."

"I was only trying to save my disciple. But... I cannot ignore the traces left by the Spirit King."

Asla\'s gaze was directed at Lia, who looked a little depressed.

She had run away, refusing to leave Edlen, but she had faced reality all too quickly. It would be difficult to stubbornly insist on staying if she thought such attacks would continue.

"Lia, you can stay in Edlen."

"...Huh?"

"Black Dragon?"

At his sudden words, Lia and Cowen turned their gazes at the same time.

Sensing their confusion, Hanbit asked Asla, "You\'ll stay with us until this is over, right?"

"My purpose is only to protect you and eliminate the unstable elements that harm the spirits. I don\'t care about the conflicts between humans."

"The person at the center of that conflict, Barres, is after the Spirit King\'s traces. If it falls into his hands, things will definitely get messy."

"Hmm."

Asla stroked his chin as he listened to the situation. This was a very simple problem for him.

"Then can\'t we just kill this Barres guy?"

"If killing him would end it, we would have done it already. And that ring is a treasure that the Spirit King Sallion himself empowered. It means he has the will to protect the Norton family."

"..."

Asla pondered seriously when the Spirit King\'s name was mentioned. After a moment of silence, he approached Lia.

"Would it be alright if I take a look?"

"Uh... yes."

Lia glanced at Hanbit and nodded, holding out the ring. And the moment Asla carefully received it...

Whoosh-!

A gust of hot wind erupted.

"Ugh!"

"My lady!"

Surprised, Lia and Cowen hurriedly moved to take a defensive stance.

However, Asla lightly raised his hand to stop them.

"Don\'t make a fuss. It\'s disrespectful to the spirit."

At his scolding tone, the two stopped moving.

Silence descended once again, and only the wind could be felt.

Asla opened and closed his eyes, then exhaled a sigh. His gaze fell on Hanbit.

"Alright. I will protect that child until this is over. However, if your life is in danger, I will prioritize you."

-His love for his disciple is crazy;

-If I had a disciple after decades, I\'d go crazy too.

-This is totally like a professor.

-???: Do you want to study a little more?

-Another innocent college student lost today.

Asla\'s strong will left no room for negotiation. Anyway, now that he had become their ally, it was safe to say they had overcome a huge obstacle. He could protect Lia and even disrupt the tracking of the ring with the power of the spirit.

"Thank you. It\'s incredibly reassuring to have you help us."

"Protect yourself. And bring me some more alcohol later."

"Yes, of course."

Cowen nodded with a faint smile.

Now that Lia\'s safety, the most important thing, had been secured, it was time to act.

"We can\'t just sit back and take this," Cowen said with a determined expression.

Regardless of the relationship between the Holy Kingdom\'s assassin and Barres, the important thing was that the enemy had started their attack.

They had to prepare a counterattack as soon as possible.

"You know, right? If all the officials in Edlen are on Barres\' side, all that\'s left is the royal family."

"Yes."

Cowen nodded at Hanbit\'s question. As it was the only method they had been considering, he continued without hesitation.

"We will ask the Royal Guards, the King\'s Swords, for help. Their judgment will be sufficient to punish those who try to overthrow the nation."

-Whoa;

-The Royal Guards are appearing here;

-Those who want to see Leon, hit recommend.

-Already being scolded in front of our eyes.

-I couldn\'t see it properly because the story went awry;

-You\'ve missed half your life, lol.

The Royal Guards, called the King\'s Swords. As the group was mentioned, the viewers shouted someone\'s name.

\'She\'s really popular.\'

Leon, the vice-captain of the Royal Guards. Considering her beautiful appearance and personality, it was natural for the viewers to like her. They were the kind of people who would be thrilled even after being criticized by Artsvel.

Since Leon would be the knight coming to Edlen, the reaction would be quite heated.

"The Royal Guards are coming here? Aren\'t they people who only move under the King\'s orders?"

"Crimes that shake the nation are also reported to the King. The content contained in this projection magical tool is enough to summon a member of the Royal Guards to Edlen," Cowen explained, nodding at Lia\'s question.

It would be nice to have a little more time to prepare, but every second was precious now. It was crucial to bring the Royal Guards here somehow.

"First, I will gather signatures from various figures and nobles for a petition."

"Nobles? Aren\'t they all under Barres\' control?"

"On the surface, yes, but there are still people like me. That\'s how good of an influence Lord William was to many people."

Cowen lowered his gaze and quietly reminisced. Then, he looked at Lia and continued, "Let\'s go meet your father\'s... Lord William\'s former vassals."