Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

This was a very humble gesture, almost humiliating, but in the face of the bloody, hellish scene, his words seemed so sincere.

Leslough's gaze passed over the man's head. In that dark room, there was another figure hidden in the darkness—the other person was not as humble as he appeared.

"what are you?"

"I founded the Daye Gang single-handedly back then. Brothers, you guys respect me and call me the leader." The man didn't notice Reslaufer's gaze and remained motionless with one foot on the door frame. "What's your name, brother?"

"Restlover," Doppler said, not caring about his real name being known. In fact, he wanted this name to terrify everyone who heard it. "Who is your boss behind the scenes?"

The leader of the Daye Gang raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I see. It was that old devil Blake who deceived you, right? I started from scratch and don't have any boss."

"Dieu?"

"Don't make wild guesses!" the man said solemnly. "The Dieu family is a renowned military aristocracy throughout Western Inassus. How could a scoundrel like me possibly climb to such a high pedestal?"

"That's it." Leslaufer nodded, and knowing that the other party had a backup plan, he moved boldly, kicked a machete on the ground accurately towards the man's head!

At such close range, the man had no time to resist, even though he was a veteran of many battles. But when the knife flashed, it was about to penetrate his right eye, and he still reacted in time—crouching down with his head in his hands.

Normally, the blade that should have flown into the house stopped abnormally at the door. A rough, calloused hand stretched out from the shadows and grasped the blade tightly in its hand without avoiding the sharp blade.

There was a sound of breaking metal, and in full view of everyone, the gray-green giant hand actually crushed the machete into pieces. Immediately afterwards, a huge and ugly giant face clumsily poked its head out of the room and looked at Leslaufer with its violent and greedy eyes.

He looked like he was stuck at the door, but as his other hand lifted the door frame, there was a loud "crash" and the wall, which didn't look fragile, was torn open, supporting his huge body to step out of the house!

"Ogre!" Edward screamed. "How dare you keep something like that in the city? Aren't you afraid it might eat you?"

"We're not afraid," the man chuckled sarcastically, then stood up and patted his clothes, temporarily relieving the cold sweat on his body. "In fact, this Mr. Oger is one of our most important partners and clients."

The ogre heard the man's introduction and a silly smile left his confused face: "Eat...it's delicious..."

"You can indulge yourself in a moment, Og," the man put his hands behind his back and looked at Raslaufer with a triumphant smile, "as long as you can kill these two."

As soon as he finished speaking, the huge monster rushed towards Leslaufer as if it was snatching food!

"Delicious!" Most ogres couldn't count to ten even if they clasped their hands together, and this one, no exception, inherited its species' legendary stupidity. For many story protagonists, the ogre's lack of intelligence is the key to their defeat, but Raslaufer couldn't draw on such experience—when faced with an ogre as big as a mountain, he roared and fought it head-on.

"...Hmm?" The ogre hadn't expected this to happen. This much smaller man actually possessed nearly as much strength as he did! What shocked him even more was that as time went on, his strength actually began to fall behind!

This had never happened before! Ogg incredibly struggled to counter Reslaufer's attack, but the disparity in their reactions was far greater than their strength. In the blink of an eye, the ogre was struck hard in the eye socket, and when he swung his bucket-thick arms in retaliation, he couldn't even reach the edge of the ogre's clothes!

"Capture that guy first!" The Daye Gang leader watched the battle in fear. Feeling increasingly uneasy, he quickly directed his remaining men, "Capture that Dragonborn!"

"You can't do this!" Seeing more than ten people closing in on him, the Dragonborn was so frightened that his scales turned pale. "I just asked you to kill him, why don't you have the courage?!"

He spat out another torrent of acid, but this magical power alone, like a magic trick, was clearly not enough to repel such a large number of enemies. Edward was forced to perform several fire and ice tricks to create some obstacles, trying to block the approaching thugs. Just as he was about to be pinned to the ground, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from the corner of the street, and even faster, the light from the lanterns. The brightness almost blinded Edward.

"Don't move! These are the guards from Joffrey Town! We've received a report of a vicious fight here—stop!"

Chapter 177: Going sideways

"Brothers, stop!"

Edward looked in astonishment at the gang members who stopped just before catching him, and then seemed to think of something, looking at the calm and composed leader of the Daye Gang behind him with even more astonishment.

Even more miraculous than these seemingly countless rehearsed moves was the fact that the ogre named "Ogg" actually tried to retreat. However, he was facing Reslaufer, and the mercenary showed no sign of stopping. The ogre was forced to follow his instincts and the situation and continue fighting, otherwise he would face only death.

"I told you to stop! Are you all deaf?!"

A pot-bellied guard dressed as an officer looked at the few remaining chaos on the scene with anger and disgust. He waved his hand behind him, and immediately one of the guards put down the lantern in his hand, picked up a two-handed sword and rushed towards Edward, hitting the Dragonborn on the head with the hilt of the sword.

"I told you to stop!"

"Then why are you going to stop them? Why are you hitting me?" Edward was hit so hard that he couldn't touch the door. He couldn't help but protest and shouted, "I didn't move--"

"How dare you talk back!" "Ouch!"

Several guards looked at the man and the ogre fighting each other, nodded in tacit understanding, and hit Edward's head with the hilt of the sword again.

"Tell your accomplices to stop!"

At this point, how could Edward not know the other party's position? But at this moment, he had no better choice but to stand firm and remain silent, allowing the heavy sword handle and handguard mixed with fists to continuously fall on him.

These guards must have some kind of magical device that could record what was happening. Edward had seen it in Qingzun City. They had specifically pronounced "accomplices" instead of "companions." If he really spoke, it would be difficult for Philip from the Fengquan family to even rescue him.

What would he do then? The half-elf noble from the Empire would certainly not allow his guards to remain in a place like Jorfrey, and since he was already a "thief" in their eyes, he would be the one to be sacrificed—he was saving himself.

But he could only save her to this extent.

While Edward's brain was racing to fight the dizziness brought on by the blunt force of the blow, Reslaufer had already found the ogre's weakness and punched "Og" in the jaw, causing a tooth much larger than a human to burst out of the latter's mouth.

Seeing the situation was getting worse, the ogre quickly retreated, ultimately giving Reslaufer no chance to continue the fight. The Big Leaf Gang leader quickly gestured at him, and the ogre immediately squatted on the ground, hugging his knees, swaying and whimpering.

Normally he was just pretending, but this time it was different—he was really hurt.

"You're a fucking Easterner, aren't you?" The guard leader cursed as he led his men forward, weapons drawn, surrounding Reslaufer. Seeing the look in the mercenary's eyes, he immediately made a decision. "The Empire's impression of Inassus as a barbarian is because of people like you! Seeing us guards, not only did you not stop, but you even dared to commit murder? Huh?!"

"Look at what you've done to the good citizens of our town? And look at this place...you devil, you executioner!"

The officer casually pointed to the ground, but after seeing clearly what was there, his tone suddenly became three points more cowardly, and he involuntarily retreated behind the other guards: "I advise you to lay down your weapons immediately and surrender!"

"Good citizen?" Edward, whose hands were handcuffed behind his back by a guard, still couldn't help but protest. "That's an ogre! Are you blind or something? You should arrest him!"

Of course Edward knew that this was impossible, and there must be some conspiracy between the Big Leaf Gang and these guards, but he had to say it out loud, otherwise Mr. Leslough, who he thought was a little reckless, might do something "stupid".

"Ogre?" The officer with a beer belly burst out laughing. He looked at the leader of the Big Leaf Gang leisurely. "Well, this guy does look a bit strong. Maybe he has some orc blood. Tell me his name."

"His name is Ou Ge, sir," the leader of the Daye Gang replied respectfully. He stepped forward and unapologetically handed the guard a cigarette—though no one knew whether it was actually made of tobacco. "I'm sorry to have to work you all so late at night... This is just a small apology, not a token of gratitude, not a token of thanks."

The guard was deeply pleased by the flattery of the man who would soon replace the veterans as the leader of the town's largest gang. The tangible cigarette in his hand made him almost forget the bodies on the ground. He exhaled with a touch of pride and looked at the indignant Edward. "Did you hear that? That's not an 'Ogre'; his name is 'Ogg'."

"I can't make any sense of this - damn it." Edward's pupils shrank: in Inassas language, ogre and Oger are pronounced the same way!

"Would you name your dog 'Dog' and your cat 'Cat'? Idiot!" The officer, who even knew some minor sorcery, suddenly emitted a flame from his thumb, easily lighting the cigarette at his fingertips. "And you, immediately lay down your weapon and surrender! Do you dare to resist arrest?"

The tips of several great swords and short spears immediately moved closer to Reslaufer, almost touching his neck. "This is Joffrey's territory, my territory! Even if you are a dragon, you must act like a cat!"

"Sir, he has a magic weapon, a pendant!" The leader of the Daye Gang quickly warned, "Hand it over first, don't hurt the brothers."

"Then at least give me some space," Leslough looked across the crowd at the officer. "I'll take the pendant off, but it's important. Don't damage it, okay?"

"I promise you," the guard leader sneered. Of course he would, because it would soon become his. With a wave of his hand, the weapons retreated slightly.

Reslaufer remained within their threat range; any slight movement would have immediately pierced him like a sieve. Anyone else, even an ordinary veteran, wouldn't have dared resist. But the Dopplers, ever since they repeatedly received double or even more pay than other soldiers, had lost touch with "ordinary."

As soon as the guards took two steps back, Leslaufer raised his hand. The pendant that he had never worn around his neck before immediately appeared on his left hand and turned into a dagger again. Following the movements of his master, he easily tore through the encirclement!

Chapter 178 "Cat", but it's a dog

"kill him!"

The leader of the Daye Gang reacted immediately and blurted out, but the guards obviously had never imagined that someone would dare to resist their "law enforcement". In just two blinks of an eye, a guard fell in a pool of blood, holding his chest, and the two-handed sword in his hand fell into the hands of Leslaufer!

"Stop! Stop!" The guard commander stared at the scene in horror. Extreme fear nearly made him give up the ability to think. He could only suck on the "cigarette" in his mouth as much as possible, seeking a little relaxation from the illusory pleasure. "You have violated the laws of Rhofrey Town! You—"

"I am above the law!"

Doppler's declaration, mixed with wild laughter, pierced the night sky of the entire town: "Come! What you want is here, as long as you can take it!"

Two short spears came from the left and right, but Reslaufer, who was holding a two-handed greatsword, was completely different from him who was bare-handed or had only a short sword. The mercenary stepped back and when the two short spears missed and crossed each other, he turned forward and broke the wooden handles with just one sword.

The fate of the two guards who lost their weapons was predictable - Reslaufer's sword was not swung just to eliminate threats.

Among the remaining guards, some wielded two-handed swords, but the same standard weapon, in different hands, could have vastly different power. The emotions that had been suppressed since the trek through the mountains and into the town were finally released that night, and when Leslaufer regained control of his most familiar weapon, those emotions reached a climax!

The fighting spirit that surged like a tide also reached its peak!

"Roar--" The ogre could no longer pretend at this moment. He picked up something and rushed towards Leslough with a roar. However, just as they passed each other, his bloated and huge body fell to the ground with a bang. As the dirty dark red color spread a new layer on the ground, the monster could no longer get up.

"You really think you can beat me!"

Reslaufer swung his sword across his back, blocking the blow from behind. He spun around, his entire body spinning. The blade, more terrifying than a meat grinder, instantly shattered the number of souls that fell beneath it. As it flew free, the last guard who turned to flee was also impaled in the blood-soaked alley.

That was the last living creature to die, apart from a few "important people".

"Don't come over here! I'm warning you, don't come over here!"

Watching Leslaufer pick up another greatsword from the ground, the clumsy guard commander finally threw away the cigarette he had smoked in fear. "I'm the boss here! I'm the law! If you dare to kill me, my superiors will kill you too!"

"Those leaves gave you a false sense of security, little kitty." Every time his boots took a step, they made a series of funny noises when they came into contact with the pool of blood. But no one in Reslaufer dared to laugh at him for this. "How about this? If you meow like a 'cat,' I'll let you go. How about that?"

The pressure of death was so close that all illusions vanished at that moment. The commander trembled like a sieve and fell to the ground. He spoke flatteringly:

"……Meow?"

The greatsword instantly took away his head: "Sorry, the 'Kate' I mentioned is a dog I raised, you called it the wrong name - by the way, it's quite ugly."

"What about you, Hooknose?" Reslaufer's icy blue eyes turned to the Big Leaf Gang leader, who was holding Edward hostage with a dagger. "Are you going to imitate him and yell again, or just stand there like an idiot?"

"Back off!" the desperate man shouted, pressing the dagger closer to Edward's neck. "If you come any closer, I'll kill him!"

"If you cut his throat from this position, at most he'll be seriously injured," Leslaufer sneered. "Move it to the side a little. Yes, that's it... If you attack from here, he'll die instantly."

"Why don't you just kill him now? I don't even know him, why do you think he can threaten me, idiot?"

"Then why don't you rush up instead of standing still?" The Big Leaf Gang - now there is no leader, he is almost the last gang survivor, he keenly noticed that Leslaufer did not seem to be as reckless as he said.

"I want you to die faster." Leslaufer narrowed his eyes and weighed the greatsword in his hand. "This is the standard weapon in this town. If you use it as a shield, the sword might hit his lizard bones or scales, reducing the force and only hurting you. Of course, we both agree that you will die at my hands, but I don't want to go through so much trouble."

"You don't want him to die, right?" The man felt that he had finally won a small victory, even though he knew in his heart that this would not allow him to survive. "Back off! Or I will kill him now!"

The mercenary snorted and suddenly stepped forward.

"You back off!" The man violently grabbed Edward, trying to drag him into his dimly lit hut. Neither of them had the ability to see in the dark, but with their familiarity with their own territory, they might be able to pull off a comeback.

This Dragonborn is a variable, we need to first...

The eyes in the deep eye sockets suddenly widened, and the man was very sure that he had moved the dagger, but he did not cut anything!

The handcuffs in his other hand suddenly became empty, and the originally tall hostage suddenly shrank to only about 1.34 meters tall. With a loud bang, the handcuffs that were originally fastened on his hands fell to the ground as the "prisoner" became smaller, followed by a series of short and loud whistles!

"Magic! Defeat my enemies!"

Several magic missiles soared into the air at such a short distance, instantly piercing the man's brain, heart, and even his genitals! Under such a fatal blow, it would be difficult for any living person to survive.

"—Huh." After doing all this, Edward, whose body suddenly changed drastically, collapsed to the ground. He looked at Reslaufer as he approached curiously with despair. "You just have to force me to reveal my trump card, right?"

"I've never thought of this..." Reslaufer pulled him up. The "Dragonborn" at this moment was neither tall nor had a dragon head, nor did he have black scales or other characteristics of a dragonborn. He looked exactly like a little boy of twelve or thirteen with slightly dark skin. "How did you do it? This doesn't look like some kind of transfiguration."

And even if it was Transfiguration…why was it a little boy?

Chapter 179 The Real Edward

"You should ask the other question, sir," Edward frowned. He had already paid the price for his willful behavior just now - his clothes were completely soaked with blood. "You should ask, 'Why the Dragonborn?'"

This is what he really is like.

"Suddenly, everything looks so much shorter. It's a bit strange," Edward said, dazed, reaching out to shake hands with Reslaufer. "If you had no idea who I was, why did you let his dagger move away from my throat, giving me a chance to undo my transformation?"

Leslough: "Hmm?"

"Then...then you suddenly moved forward just now, probably to put psychological pressure on him, forcing him to start moving and focus on you!"

"……what?"

This time, Reslaufer was truly shocked: This kid, who looked only about twelve or thirteen years old, actually thought so much just now?!

"Okay, okay..." Edward took a deep breath and resigned himself to his childish face. "Let me introduce myself again: Edward Henry Shemoth Waite Fambro. A member of the Maple Springs family, Philip's younger brother, twelve and a half years old."

"Don't worry about the two names in the middle. They are the names of my two godfathers. You can continue to call me Edward."

"Okay... Edward," said Reslaufer, feeling that this was the first time he had used his brain that evening, "so, you are a member of the Maple Springs family. Then why would Philip..."

"Why would he chase me, huh?" Edward sighed. "As you know, I came out of the family cemetery and was spotted by the gravekeeper."

"And the reason I ended up in that hellhole was, of course, because I'd already 'died' once. It wasn't until I was locked in the coffin that I realized the guy who was trying to kill me hadn't been very precise in how he controlled the poison dosage. But since I was just a child, I had no choice but to transform into another form to avoid being buried alive."

"Wait, if my memory serves me right, Philip, or rather, your brother pursued you because you stole a staff..."

"You mean this?" Edward opened his hand, and a nearly two-meter-long acacia wood staff appeared out of thin air in his hand. "I didn't steal this. It was originally mine and was buried with me. Since I'm not dead, of course I have to take it with me."

"As for my brother, I guess he was thinking: the entire staff has already been brought out, so it can't be buried again. The family has also lost their best and most talented young sorcerer, as well as the designated heir to the position of next head of the family, so it can be used as a favor gift and become a stepping stone for him to ascend to the throne of patriarch."

Edward finished speaking in his childish voice, shaking his head solemnly as he concluded, "Anyway, I think it's pretty tough on him. He can't stand up to my other brothers and sisters."

"If everything is as you say, then why don't you just change back to your original form?" Leslaufer quickly realized that he had asked a stupid question. "Oh, of course, they finally have the opportunity to sit on the position of patriarch. You must be a dead man."

"That's right," Edward nodded. "In fact, at first, I thought it was all Philip's doing. He realized I might be his surviving little brother, so he pursued me here so relentlessly. Before you showed up to save him and me, I had already identified this place as the goblin's hunting ground and wanted to trap and kill them all there."

"It can be considered as revenge for myself, right?"

Parricide was not something that could be publicly discussed, even if the other party had initiated it. Therefore, Edward shrank his neck, trying his best to appear as weak, helpless, and pitiful as an ordinary twelve-year-old child.