Goddess Kaleidoscope

"Honey, we've seen hangings so many times, we're getting a little tired of it!"

"Oh! Madam, do you have any new games to play?"

"I asked you so you could think about it, why did you turn the question back on yourself?"

The city lord's wife gave her husband a disapproving look and started fanning herself with her elegant fan. At that moment, a bodyguard standing nearby suddenly saw an opportunity to curry favor with his two wealthy employers, so he quickly stepped forward.

"My lords, if you'd like to see something even more exciting, I have a good idea. Would you like to hear it?"

End of this chapter

On the stands, the city lord and his wife listened to their bodyguards offering suggestions, their eyes gleaming with interest. Finally, the city lord slapped his thigh and said that there was no time like the present, so they would try something new today, just like he had suggested.

At the city lord's command, the guards who were about to carry out the hanging were temporarily stopped, and a servant ran up and loudly read out the city lord's newly issued order to the people below.

"People of Unos, our refined, gentle, wise, and mighty city lord has just come up with a brilliant idea and is preparing to punish this wicked villain in a completely new way!"

On the gallows, the male servant loudly explained the so-called "new way to play." Ludwig, listening below, thought to himself, "Isn't this just tearing someone apart by five horses?" The plan was to hang the Fallen Leaf Man on the gallows, then tie a horse to each of his four limbs with ropes, and have him run in four different directions at the same time.

After the servant finished speaking, there was a moment of silence, followed by a burst of cheers, with everyone shouting, jeering, and whistling as if they had heard some great news.

On the gallows, Hume, disguised as a guard, looked at the cheering crowd below, his heart filled with mixed emotions. During his time in Unos, Fallen Leaf had strictly followed her orders, stealing money from the city lord's mansion, which was piled high with gold and silver, and distributing it to the city's poor.

Meanwhile, among the crowd below the stage, there were quite a few who had received favors from the chivalrous thief Luo Ye, and their cheers were no less enthusiastic than those of others.

At that moment, Hume noticed Ludwig waving at him from the crowd, so while the other guards were preparing ropes and horses, he slipped off the platform to meet him.

"The situation has changed, and the original plan can no longer be used."

"I know. If that doesn't work, I'll forcibly take him away, and then you can help me create chaos in the crowd. Both Luo Ye and I have the ability to transform, so we can find an opportunity to slip away in the confusion."

"Actually, I have another idea."

"any solution?"

“I just took a look. The gallows is at the south end of the square, not far from the buildings behind, and it’s a bit higher. Since hanging from those leaves won’t kill you, why don’t you let him swing around and then… swing him out?”

"..."

Seeing Ludwig make a "swinging" gesture, Hume instantly understood. The layout of the entire square was the same as that of the theater, with the gallows, which served as the stage, located on the south side. Therefore, in order to maintain order in the square and protect the city lord and his wife in the stands, the guards and the experts were mostly on the north side, while on the south side was a two-story building, less than ten meters away from the gallows.

So the two went their separate ways. Ludwig took Aina away from the square and went to the two-story building at the south end to wait for orders, while Hume returned to the gallows, where several guards were tying thick ropes to Fallen Leaf's limbs.

Hume winked at the fallen leaves, then suddenly drew his sword.

"What are you going to do..."

"Get down!"

Without a word, Hume kicked the captain of the guards standing at the edge of the platform, sending him flying. Then, with two swift strokes of his sword, he wounded two guards who were tying ropes. He then lifted one of them with one hand and tossed him like a sandbag, instantly smashing into a group of guards trying to rush forward, clearing the area on the platform.

"Fallen leaves, swing them around, like swinging on a swing!"

As Hume spoke, he pressed the gallows' mechanism, and the object beneath Fallen Leaf's feet plummeted, leaving her suspended in mid-air. Although she didn't understand why her god wanted her to be swung around in this state, she did as he said without hesitation. The onlookers below then witnessed a truly astonishing scene, screaming in terror and some even fainting on the spot.

The "traitorous" guards, wielding twin swords, stood blocking the stairwell, using the terrain to their advantage, making them an impenetrable fortress. Meanwhile, Luo Ye, suspended by the gallows, was not dead; instead, he thrashed about like a fish caught on a hook, swinging violently as if on a swing with the hanging rope.

Meanwhile, on the viewing platform nearly thirty meters away, the city lord and his wife were also dumbfounded. The bodyguards, upon seeing Hume display his skills, immediately recognized him as a genuine high-ranking warrior, definitely not some unknown lowly guard.

But just as they were about to rush forward, they were stopped by the panicked city lord. To this fat couple, their lives were more precious than anything else!

Left with no other choice, the few skilled fighters who were paid to fight for their lives could only stay by the city lord and his wife's side, watching helplessly as Hume slaughtered everyone not far away, while Luo Ye was already swinging quite high, his neck incredibly strong.

"Holy crap! He's still not hanged?"

The scene before them was so beyond common sense that even the experts were completely dumbfounded.

It's important to understand that this world is a typical example of "high magic, low martial arts." While martial artists may possess some skills similar to battle aura and martial arts techniques, their upper limit of strength is far less than that of magicians, let alone priests who can borrow divine power.

As the fallen leaves swung back and forth in a nearly semi-circular fan shape, Hume seized the opportunity and threw his sword back, severing the rope of the gallows. The fallen leaves were immediately thrown out by inertia and crashed through the roof of the two-story building with a loud bang.

Seeing this, Hume stopped fighting the guards and threw out a large number of smoke bombs. He turned and jumped into the crowd, using the chaos and smoke to his advantage. He dodged left and right a few times and disappeared.

Seeing the death row inmate being snatched away right before their eyes, the city lord and his wife on the platform cursed the guards for their incompetence while shrinking behind several experts, fearing that there would be more assassinations targeting them.

On the other side, a leaf that had smashed through the roof landed right in front of Lud and Aina, kicking up dust that left them both covered in dirt and looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Don't be nervous, we are the helpers that Hume found."

Seeing that Luoye was trying to struggle, Lude quickly identified himself and then took out a knife to cut the ropes binding his hands.

Just then, the sound of guards rushing in came from downstairs. Lu De had already knocked out the homeowner beforehand and then blocked the stairwell with a cabinet. The guards who rushed up were blocked by a pile of debris and could only see through the gaps that two thieves' companions were helping Luo Ye untie her.

"Stop! Don't run!"

"Only a fool wouldn't run away. I'm not playing with you guys anymore."

Deliberately letting the guards see the faces of the three of them through the obstacles, Lud turned around, took Aina and Fallen Leaf, jumped out of the window into the alley behind the building, and ran wildly along the winding path, while the pursuers behind them continued to chase them relentlessly.

The three ran to a secluded corner. Ludwig glanced back and figured the guards would catch up in a few minutes. He pulled a linen priest's robe from his backpack and put it on with practiced ease. Meanwhile, Aina removed Hume's smile, revealing her true face, and then took off her coat to reveal her nun's habit. Ludwig then took the mask she offered and instantly transformed into an elderly man with white hair and beard.

End of this chapter

The entire disguise process took less than a minute. After changing his clothes, Lud saw that Luo Ye was still standing there dumbfounded, and the sound of pursuers approaching could be heard not far away. He couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder.

"Don't just stand there, transform!"

"oh oh……"

Reminded by Lu De, Luo Ye finally came to her senses. Then, in front of the other two people present, her originally tall and strong body shrank rapidly like a deflated balloon, transforming from a burly man with a leopard's head and round eyes into a very petite and slender black-haired girl. This time, it was Lu De's turn to be stunned.

"Master, the pursuers are coming."

"Ready, go!"

Upon hearing Aina's reminder, Lude made a gesture, then suddenly crashed into a pile of debris. Aina, just a second later, jumped over and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Master! What's wrong, Master!"

Almost the instant Aina began to howl, a large group of town guards rushed over from the other side of the corner. In their eyes, although there were three people at the scene, none of them were the fugitive they were looking for.

An elderly priest who was knocked down, a young nun crying with tears streaming down her face, and a little girl who seemed to be terrified.

At this moment, the old priest struggled to his feet, shakily raised his hand and pointed to another alley, panting as he spoke to the guards.

"That way... go that way..."

"Chase!"

At the command of the captain of the guards, a group of men rushed off in the direction Lud pointed, disappearing from their sight in the blink of an eye.

As soon as the other person left, Lu De quickly got up, dusted himself off, and said to Luo Ye as if nothing had happened.

"Come with me."

"..."

Without much effort, the three of them successfully left the city. Although the guards at the gate had strengthened their security and were strictly checking everyone leaving the city, unfortunately, they mistook one of them for another.

Previously, Lud deliberately showed his face to the guards. At that time, Fallen Leaf was a burly man with a full beard, and Aina disguised herself as a man with a mask. Although Lud showed his own face, he also put on some makeup and added a beard to make himself look at least twenty years older than his actual age.

So now he changed his appearance and swaggered out right under the guards' noses.

The group left the city and headed north along a forest path. They hadn't gone far when they encountered a familiar figure not far ahead.

"Wow! Not bad at all!"

Under a large tree by the roadside, Hume leaned against the trunk, leisurely munching on an apple. The God of Thieves was, after all, a god; even with her power greatly diminished, if Unos simply wanted to escape, no one could stop her.

Upon seeing Hume, Fallen Leaf was undoubtedly the most excited. She rushed forward and knelt down in front of Hume with a thud.

"Master, I'm sorry! I've let you down."

Hume affectionately ruffled Luoye's hair, helped her up from the ground, and smiled gently. Luoye was the last divine messenger Hume had left after his misfortune. They had relied on each other for so many years, and Lude felt that even if the two of them suddenly kissed now, revealing their "master-servant yuri" relationship, he might not be unable to accept it.

"I apologize for interrupting your reminiscing. What shall we do next? Why don't you two come with me to Pine Tree Village for a few days to lay low for a while?"

"I will definitely visit your and the little one's temple, but there are still some things to take care of on Unos's side, so let's part ways here for now. I'll contact you later."

"In that case, we'll meet again sometime."

Without any hesitation, Ludd turned to leave after speaking. Watching this guy's decisive and straightforward manner, Hume suddenly smiled, a slightly "malicious" thought popping into his mind.

"Speaking of which, you really did a great favor for a goddess this time. It doesn't seem right to just owe you one favor. How about I give you an extra reward?"

"Oh! What is it?"

Upon hearing about the "extra reward," Ludwig perked up immediately. Even a goddess in distress is still a goddess; she must still have some artifacts at hand. Ludwig thought that getting another one wouldn't be a loss. But when he turned around, he found that Hume had already silently approached him.

Without giving Ludwig any chance to react, Hume gently lifted his chin, and the artifact mask instantly fell off, revealing Ludwig's true face. Then, without saying a word, Hume kissed him.

"Woooo..."

This sudden kiss stunned everyone present except for Hume himself. Fallen Leaf and Aina were both dumbfounded, while Ludwig's jaw wouldn't drop because his lips were still being nibbled on by the other person!

The kiss lasted a full minute, and when Hume looked up, a thin, glistening strand of liquid still clung to the corner of his mouth. The way the dark-skinned, mature woman lightly licked her lips with the tip of her tongue possessed a fatal charm that could seduce any virgin.

"Not bad! You have a sweet tongue."

"Ouch, I..."

"Alright, that's all for now, I'm off!"

Leaving a bewildered Ludwig and Aina behind, Hume turned with a flourish, hoisted the stunned fallen leaves onto his shoulder, and vanished in a flash. By the time Ludwig came to his senses, the goddess was already long gone.

"Did I...did I get taken advantage of by a female hooligan?"

Having received an unexpected "gift" from Hume, Ludwig led Aina northward, hoping to reach the nearest village before nightfall and reunite with Ron and the others who were waiting there.

However, as he walked, Lud suddenly noticed that Aina was always staring at him with a strange expression, as if there was something on his face.

Why do you keep staring at me like that?

"Master, have you been cursed by that lewd woman?"

"What nonsense are you talking about! What curses or anything like that?"

"But I've been watching you grinning like an idiot since just now, just like a village Barbino... ooh ooh..."

Upon hearing Aina's words, Lude immediately frowned and pinched her soft, rosy cheeks hard with both hands. Babino was an eight-year-old intellectually disabled child from Pine Village. Born with intellectual disabilities, he loved to squat at the village entrance, grinning foolishly at every passing villager.