Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"Little Karen, don't disturb Lord Lyle."

"why?"

"The story of the older brother and the younger sister is hard to explain to you. Just don't go, for Lyle's future."

Chapter 247 Light and Shadow

The refuge of the victims was gloomy and dark, which made their radiant character all the more precious. Such a dark and secluded alleyway was enough to make any normal human being feel a sense of tranquility. Lyle stepped into its shadows; the tops of the high walls on either side shone with the light that illuminated the city. The dim light in the alleyway was barely enough to see, and Lyle spotted the person who might be waiting for him.

In the darkness, a shapely figure appeared—a slender woman, dressed in tattered clothes like the victims, but the eyes behind her mask gleamed like cat's eyes in the darkness, carrying a cunning glint. She leaned against the wall, displaying her alluring curves, and when Lyle appeared, she slowly stepped out with an elegant yet strangely graceful gait.

The unspeakable look in those eyes made Lyle feel strange. "Hello, ma'am, do we know each other?"

Lyle was met with a woman's inexplicable laughter. She leaned closer to Lyle, half a head taller than him, her cheek pressed against Lyle's mask, her gaze seeming to try and penetrate it. "You are a purifier of the Holy Light, aren't you? I overheard your conversation."

Her bright yellow eyes held a wild, aggressive quality, and Lyle just wanted to get away as quickly as possible.

"No, you're mistaken. I'm not a purist."

"Is that so?" The woman sighed softly, as if she had lost a beloved toy. "But whatever, whether you are or not, you seem to have a good relationship with those damned paladins. So, boy, hand over everything you have."

"Nia!" The newcomer was hostile. Lyle called out to Nia, black tentacles transforming into sharp spikes that spewed from the eye holes of the mask. They gleamed with a chilling light capable of killing, approaching the woman's eyes, which had shrunk to vertical slits.

The seductive laughter seemed to mock Lyle's naiveté. Shadows surged around the woman, their blackness transforming into tentacles that erupted from behind the mask like a gigantic blooming flower, engulfing Lyle completely.

Lyle could only utter a sound in the last second before his senses vanished.

“MD, fourth order.”

There was more than one Shadow Flower blooming in Locarrot, and as the shadows continued to surge, the Holy Light shone once more.

"Enemy!" "Guardians! Protect the people!" A divine light descended upon the world, and the Guardians, like a machine running at full speed, rushed into every alleyway to fight the rising shadows.

They saw their enemies: women shrouded in shadow, with cat ears and tails, and sharp claws, bathed in holy light. The moment they saw the holy light, they screamed and charged.

The once peaceful holy city was instantly thrown into chaos.

Raphael emerged from his room, four holy swords hovering behind him like angel wings. He watched the Guardians moving in a swarm through the streets, and Frey issuing commands.

"Do you need me, Frey?"

“The people of Locarrot need you more, Leader.” Ferre stepped forward, merging into the holy light. “I will handle everything. Please calm the restless people. Tracy has made his move, and there are instigators in the unrest. Please quell their panic, Leader, before fear becomes real harm.”

“I understand.” Raphael’s robes fluttered without wind as he flew over the church square, which was crowded with worried people, carrying four holy swords. Raphael radiated his soft light, and the particles of light carrying a sense of peace fell like angel feathers.

"It's His Majesty Raphael! We'll be alright! The angels are protecting us!"

"What happened? Why is everyone running away?"

"It's a monster! There's a monster among those masked people! I saw it with my own eyes! She turned into a monster and ate someone!"

"The masked men are monsters! We should never have kept them! They are guilty! They should be expelled!"

"No! They should be tried! Burned at the stake!"

The crowd, which had been calmed by the holy light, began to stir again. Raphael watched from afar as the rats carried out their little schemes.

I didn't originally intend to say much.

Raphael condensed a ball of light in his hand. After the rapidly spinning ball of light exploded, the humming sound preserved inside turned into a shockwave that covered the entire Locarrot, drowning out all other sounds. After the humming dissipated, everyone heard a soft, flowing sound.

"All citizens of Locarrot, do not panic. The Guardians are with you. In the name of the Guardians' leader, I, Raphael Badmon, will guarantee the safety of every one of you."

The sound was like a heavy hammer, completely settling everyone's mood and giving them a sense of reassuring fulfillment.

Until a discordant voice appeared.

"Lord Raphael, I do not mean to question you. But we are all in a state of panic. We don't even know what those man-eating monsters are. Have you and your army not captured them yet? So much time has passed. The Almighty Holy Light should have the answer by now. Can't even the Holy Light handle this?"

Raphael looked at the figure who had risen from the kneeling crowd—it was Duke Tracy. His tight-fitting robes made him stand out in the crowd; when he knelt, he resembled a gaudy turtle, and now, the turtle was starting to bite.

It was a fairly simple problem, requiring only a little delaying tactic. But before Raphael's lips could even part, that familiar dragon fruit helmet appeared.

"Thank you for your praise, Duke Tracy. The Almighty Light has done it! We've captured them." Behind Frey, the paladin, leading nine witches bound to phantom crosses, arrived at the center of the square. "They are witches, enemies of the Light. They didn't eat people; their purpose was kidnapping. We also rescued all the citizens consumed by the shadows unharmed. This chaos resulted in zero casualties."

"Praise be to the Holy Light!!!" A series of cheers erupted from the crowd as Duke Tracy's eye twitched.

Karen was surrounded by two paladins in the guards' ranks. The petite girl muttered to herself.

"It's not zero casualties at all! Lord Lyle is missing! He's the only one missing. What you should be doing is rushing to rescue him, not coming here to attend some bullshit gathering."

The paladins on both sides quickly reassured her. "Our brothers have placed Locarrot under complete lockdown. That witch can't escape. Lyle is safe. Lord Frey's statement about zero casualties is just to quell public panic. It doesn't mean we'll abandon him. Karen, we're all doing our best."

"But your efforts are not enough. Lord Lyle is a Pure One!"

“Karen, we are doing what we can, taking things into consideration. We can’t abandon others for one person. Besides, Lyle is not a Pure One. You’ve seen it yourself; his radiance is not that of a Pure One.”

"No, I believe in Lord Lyle! He must be a Pure One!"

The dispute among the people continued due to interference from certain individuals. The nine witches hung listlessly on the cross, their breaths weak, and they had burns on their bodies, looking like innocent girls being subjected to vigilante justice.

“Children of Locarrot! Open your eyes and look! Are those girls really witches?” Tracy tried to evoke sympathy in everyone, boldly approaching the witches like a benevolent philanthropist. “Look at these poor girls, they may just be scapegoats, the real monsters are still at large. My girls, do not be afraid, in the witness of the Holy Light, speak out the burdens weighing on your hearts. You are innocent humans, aren’t you? As long as you bravely face your identities, I guarantee you will live, as pure citizens of Locarrot.” Tracy blatantly offered a sordid deal. If the witches confessed as he claimed, the lie would be exchanged for their lives.

But Tracy didn't know anything about witches.

A spit landed on Tracy's face, and accompanied by the witch's disdainful gaze, dark tentacles surged from her body, like steel spears trying to pierce Tracy. If Frey hadn't ignited all those shadowy tentacles, Tracy would have truly died. The witch let out a shrill, inhuman scream, "You stupid pig, you filthy man! You will never make me submit to you murderers! After you violated my sister, after we were tortured to madness, we would rather die than yield! We are vengeful witches! We are the saviors of the witch world!"

"You! You and your Holy Light! You will ultimately be devoured by our shadows, and your pathetic, hypocritical holy city will crumble! The future belongs to us! Our claws and fangs will tear you apart!"

The agonizing screams of madness terrified everyone in Locarrot. They saw a chilling madness in the witch's eyes, and they were filled with fear.

But the Holy Light will not.

"Frey, what will the Holy Light do if other races intend to harm humanity?"

"Burning at the stake, my lord."

"Execute it."

With a slight beckoning of Frey's hand, nine witches were set ablaze, screaming and uttering the most venomous curses.

“Our mistress will avenge us! All the hardships we have suffered will befall you!”

Raphael remained expressionless in the face of such a curse. Frey, watching the body gradually turn to charcoal before him, casually uttered a remark.

"The Guardians await your revenge; justice will surely be served."

The body, which looked like a burnt-out candle, emitted a strange laugh.

"Waiting? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! The wait is over, Paladin."

"Now is the time for...revenge."

As if echoing her words, a deafening roar resounded from the mountains north of Locarrot, and a pillar of shadow ripped through the sky, like an eye opening in the heavens, gazing upon the tiny Locarrot within the shadows. The shadow covered the sky, igniting it. Just as Locarrot's radiant night was eternal, the mountain range, too, entered an eternal night within the shadows.

Easter Egg Chapter: Sword Beyond

A dreamlike land beyond the reach of the mortal world.

The branches stretch out freely, graceful and elegant, their swaying shadows guiding the sliver of light that has escaped her adoration, illuminating the robes of the person sitting cross-legged in the woods. A gentle breeze caresses, causing sleeves and long hair to dance amidst the greenery.

He was a man with a calm expression, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth carrying an air of smug pride, as if he had glimpsed the secrets of the universe. His unrestrained and arrogant demeanor suggested he was untouched by worldly concerns. His long, pointed ears revealed his identity: an elf. He held his breath, appearing both celestial and chivalrous. His eyes were closed, his slender fingers caressing the sword resting on his lap.

The wind has changed. A fallen leaf, carried by the gust of wind, dances in the air like a butterfly.

Hidden eyes flickered through the gaps in the messy hair.

Clang!

That was the hum of a fingernail touching a sword. Like plucking a string, a streak of light danced on the blade, transforming into a sharp wind blade that sliced ​​through fallen leaves.

The man opened his eyes, his smug satisfaction spilling out from the window of his soul. His face was flushed with a sickly pallor.

"My heart is like a sword, nothing can escape its cut."

Damn it, I'm impressed with my own handsomeness. The man let out a heavy breath, and the mark above his head was silently floating in the void, like a name tag.

It says on it: "[Dreaming of writing 10,000 words a day]".

Yes, this is a virtual reality game world. When the Emerald Dragon Priest Iason once again bestowed the dragon's blessing upon the Dream Elves, a new technology combining the Dream Elves' dream-entering abilities was born: virtual reality. In the Land of Dreams, you can experience a new life, everything new.

This man, whose name means "a man who dreams of writing 10,000 words a day," is a professional, a professional ronin, whose specialty is the Wind Swordsman.

Just as the man was basking in his own aura, another man, dressed in flowing robes just like him, slowly approached. He appeared considerably younger than the man surnamed Meng, and the large lettering above his head read: 【Johnny Walker】.

The man surnamed Meng glanced at him, then continued to maintain his superior demeanor.

Johnny.

The man stood behind him, watching his back, his hands clasped in a fist, but his face was gloomy.

"Dream Master".

The man surnamed Meng smiled slightly.

“Johnny, your mind is in turmoil. A person with a turmoiled mind cannot wield a sword. You still have a long way to go in your training.”

Johnny exhaled, as if trying to release all the pent-up emotions in his heart.

“Dream Master, you’re right.” Before the man surnamed Meng could continue, Johnny added, “Dream Master, I will no longer wield a sword. I will now trade you my Windblade equipment to repay you for your careful guidance. I plan to become a knight. Life is unpredictable, see you again in the martial world.”

The dreamer was still in shock, his mouth agape. "Ah?...Ah?!!...Ah??!!!" He couldn't maintain his expert aura any longer. He stood up from the ground and turned to look at Johnny, who was manipulating the backpack panel to unload equipment.

"No, let's talk this out, Johnny. What's gotten into you? Are you being chased? Isn't that commonplace for Windblade users? Or is luring monsters and trapping others no longer enough for you? Don't be impulsive. We're not just brothers, we're closer than brothers. Tell us what's wrong, and we'll figure something out together."

Johnny stopped what he was doing and looked at the Dream Master with a grateful expression.

"Dream Master".

"Ah."

"A girl confessed her feelings to me."

"..."

"That girl happens to be my crush, so I'm planning to make it official. We've talked about it, and she said that those who wield Thunderfury lack certain virtues. I want to fulfill this small request of my girlfriend. So, I'm planning to switch classes to Paladin. I'm forfeiting today's sword-fighting competition to spend time with her. She really... really is a good girl. Her class is Druid, and she told me that to make up for it, she's willing to shapeshift and train riding skills with me. I'm so touched, we're truly in love!!!"

"Dream Master, you will bless us, won't you?" Johnny's face was radiant with a smile as bright as a blooming flower.

"..." The dreamer's face was hidden in his disheveled hair, making his expression impossible to discern. Only the strands of hair ruffled by the breeze could convey his thoughts.