31: Chapter 31 Charlie was a little worried, but not much.

Deep in the recesses of Rone's memories, he recalled how the town mayor would hold him as a child, recounting the tumultuous tales of his own youth spent wandering the continent.

Rone, now grown, understood that the displays of great power in those stories were likely exaggerations, as the mayor was merely a Knight Apprentice.

The kind who couldn't even use Knight Techniques, equivalent to a Magic Apprentice.

However, by comparison, a Knight Apprentice held the early-career advantage of a strong physique and extraordinary agility.

But the mayor's observations regarding mages must have been true.

Rone, who dreamed of becoming a mage, firmly remembered every detail about mages from those stories.

The clearest memory among them was this: a Magic Apprentice level staff is inlaid with a transparent crystal gem.

"Charlie, that bastard, he deceived me!"

Rone stared at the staff in the man's hand; his heart felt as if it were being gripped by a fist, and he found it hard to breathe.

"We've met before. Hmm, not a very pleasant memory." The man walked toward him slowly, seemingly indifferent to the precautions of mage combat that required keeping one's distance.

This increased the pressure on Rone, while simultaneously stirring a flicker of anger in his heart at being so slighted.

"I haven't introduced myself yet. You can call me Zhang Mu." Zhang Mu stared at him. "Now, would you mind telling me who sent you here?"

"Ma... Sir, my name is Rone." He had intended to address him as "Mage Lord," but upon catching sight of the terrified Guards beside him, he changed his words just in time.

He offered a friendly smile. "You must have some misunderstanding. We entered the forest to hunt beasts."

Zhang Mu paused for a moment. "Can you come up with a better excuse? Do I look like an idiot to you?"

"Charge!" Knowing that battle was unavoidable, Rone gritted his teeth and roared, remembering the mayor's advice that one must close the distance when fighting a mage.

The Guards were well-trained, and having never witnessed the power of a mage in the remote area of Kas Town, they didn't know what they were facing.

Emboldened by the shout, they mustered their courage, brandished their spears, and charged at Zhang Mu.

Too slow.

With his dynamic vision amplified to a terrifying degree by magic, the Guards' movements appeared to Zhang Mu like characters in a game suffering from network lag.

He raised his right hand. The transparent crystal at the tip of the staff emitted a glow, and a bright red fireball instantly materialized, hovering in the void before him.

With a light tap of the staff, the basketball-sized fireball shot like lightning into the middle of the group of Guards, and then—

"Boom!" A violent explosion.

A blinding flash of fire erupted, and the Guards were sent flying in all directions, falling to the ground with their chests still.

Three of the luckier Guards were still breathing, but their brains had clearly been scrambled by the blast. They climbed to their feet, swaying like zombies, making no attempt to flee, and gazing around with vacant eyes.

Zhang Mu had no intention of sparing enemies who sought his life.

He raised his left hand, and a crescent-shaped cyan wind blade materialized. He swept it horizontally, slicing through the necks of the three remaining Guards.

The blade lost none of its momentum, slicing through two thick trees before dissipating into a gentle breeze that rustled a few leaves.

Perhaps it was too sharp; it took a few seconds for their heads to tilt and fall, rolling across the ground until they came to a stop against the corpses of the other Guards.

The headless, blood-spurting corpses crashed to the ground, and the scent of blood filled the air.

Zhang Mu twitched his nose; it wasn't a pleasant smell.

He exhaled a long breath, suppressing the slight discomfort he felt at the sight of the corpses, and looked at the stunned Rone. "Now, can you tell me who sent you here?"

Rone's mouth hung open, but he didn't hear the question. It was as if all sound had vanished from his ears, and his mind was flooded with confusion.

"Is this... a mage?"

But the mayor had said that fireballs released by a Magic Apprentice couldn't explode; they only scorched enemies with high heat. Why... was he not a Magic Apprentice?

He seemed... younger than him?!

Rone jerked his head up, his eyes bloodshot. "Why, why can't I become a mage?!"

Was he crazy from the shock?

Zhang Mu's expression was odd, but he immediately shook his head. It didn't matter; he trusted that the threat of death would calm him down.

He gave his staff a light wave, and an Ice Cone materialized before him. It shot out, piercing the air with a sharp whistle, and came to a stop just a finger's width from Rone's brow.

It was very effective.

The chill immediately jolted him back to his senses.

Rone went cross-eyed, staring intently at the Ice Cone between his brows. His limbs were stiff, and he dared not move a muscle.

After a while, his emotions steadied slightly, and he swallowed hard. "Mage Lord, the town mayor sent me here."

As he spoke, he slowly reached his right hand toward his lower back.

The mayor?

Zhang Mu scratched his cheek. He didn't even know the man; why would he want to cause him trouble?

He looked up to press him for an answer, only to see that a scroll had appeared in Rone's hand at some point.

"Hahaha... go to hell!"

Rone's expression was twisted, as if he were looking at the man who had killed his father, and he ripped the scroll open.

"So what if you're a Magic Apprentice?!"

"You're flesh and blood in the end! If you get hit by magic, you'll still die!"

The scroll was made of cloth. As it unfurled, there were no images or text, only a gathering of milky-white light.

A second later, amidst Rone's excited shout, a beam of light shot directly at Zhang Mu.

But it was deflected by an oval, blue light shield that suddenly appeared around Zhang Mu's body.

It was accurate, and quite powerful, piercing right through his forehead.

Watching Rone, his face flushed red, fall backward, Zhang Mu stood stunned as the light shield vanished.

Using his Mental Energy to perceive, his gaze fell on the badge pinned to his right chest.

The badge retained traces of magical fluctuations; without a doubt, this was the safeguard Potter had given him.

He guessed that Potter was worried he wouldn't take the training seriously if he knew he was in no danger, which would affect the effectiveness of his practical practice, so he had kept the light shield a secret.

Zhang Mu felt touched by Potter's secret protection, even though he couldn't truly die in the Other World—the panel had a resurrection function.

But... now that he was dead, how was he supposed to find out who ordered the attack?

Rubbing his temples, Zhang Mu began walking toward the town, lost in thought.

He had said it was the mayor's order. Hmm... that was likely half-truth, half-lie.

Zhang Mu wasn't sure if Rone was telling the truth or lying, but since he had mentioned the mayor, he would go and sound him out.

Even if it wasn't the mayor, it would be good to see if he had any relevant information. If it turned out to be him, then he would just kill him.

As for the Church's regulations prohibiting armed conflict in human settlements, Zhang Mu couldn't be bothered to care.

Was he supposed to just let him go if he hid in the town for the rest of his life?

Nonsense.

He had always lived by the credo that if you can handle it, don't let revenge wait until tomorrow.

He looked up at the sun, which was no longer scorching.

He had wasted quite a bit of time circling in the forest to confirm if Rone was indeed targeting him; it was already afternoon.

He needed to hurry.

Zhang Mu quickened his pace.

...

The sun set, leaving only wisps of twilight in the sky.

Charlie woke up from his afternoon nap and sat in the small pavilion in the courtyard.

A Believer approached from behind with hushed footsteps. "Bishop, the Believer watching the town gate reports that Captain Rone has not returned."

A wave of confusion washed over Charlie.

He had left the town in the morning; even if the guy was tricky, he should have returned by now.

Besides, with the apprentice-level scroll he had given him, there was no reason for failure, unless... the guy was stronger than him and had used Mental Energy to mislead his perception.

A young man in his early twenties who had already surpassed the level of a Magic Apprentice—could he be a genius from some family?

Charlie stood up, frowning as he paced back and forth.

Would Rone expose him?

Most mage families were vindictive, but they certainly wouldn't dare make a move on him within the town.

But if they sent people to lie in wait outside the town to ambush him when he went to Bala City to report at the end of the year, would the higher-ups really expend so much effort to investigate the killer for someone like him, who was on the fringes of the Church?

The answer was no.

Besides, even if the killer were judged, or the entire mage family wiped out, what did it matter? He wouldn't be coming back to life.

The cautious Charlie immediately decided he needed to flee early. However, Church regulations strictly forbade local bishops from leaving their post without orders.

Fortunately, that wouldn't stop Charlie.

He trotted back to his bedroom, picked up a quill, and grabbed a piece of rough gray paper made from wood pulp.

"To Bishop Haige:

Recently, a suspected heretic has appeared in Kas Town. After investigating, I have determined that their level is above that of a Magic Apprentice.

I intended to execute the god's wrath upon this heretic but was unable to defeat them. I earnestly request that you dispatch high-level Believers to provide support as soon as possible.

Kas Town, Bishop Charlie."

After writing the request for help, he summoned a Believer and instructed them to depart immediately and deliver it to Bishop Haige in Bala City as quickly as possible.

Watching the Believer nod solemnly and turn to leave, he breathed a sigh of relief.

No one would dare attack him while he was inside the town. Now, he just had to wait peacefully for the high-level Believers to arrive.

Falsely reporting the presence of a heretic would be punished by being recalled to the bishopric to serve three years of detention, under the escort of high-level Believers.

Losing his freedom for three years would be painful, but it was still better than dying here.

Feeling completely at ease, he sat back in his armchair. Charlie gazed at the last sliver of twilight and smiled to himself. "Tonight, I shall have another sweet, pleasant dream."