A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

The four cultists clutched their own throats, their faces turning ashen—symptoms of the backlash from their divine magic being abruptly interrupted.

Just like the consequences of a spell being interrupted, the person whose spell was interrupted will be temporarily tormented by the reversed energy.

"Ahem, this guy is from another church."

"This divine magic... is it from a follower of the 'Moon Wolf'?!"

However, Beatrix did not seem to intend to answer, but instead walked step by step toward the four of them.

"Moon Wolf? Congratulations, you're wrong."

"Run!" a cult member said in a deep voice, then turned and ran without looking back.

"Hahahaha, run, run! I love watching you cultists struggle!" Betley laughed maniacally.

"Damn it, where did this magic come from?!" a cultist cried out in terror as he looked at the barrier blocking his way.

Behind him, Betley walked slowly towards him.

As Beatley drew closer, the cultists grew increasingly fearful.

"Confused Mind!" The cultist frantically cast a spell on Beatrix.

Betley's expression remained ferocious, and he did not stop in his tracks because of this divine spell.

"It's not working, it's not working at all!!!"

"My Lord, please save me." The cultist knelt down and prayed.

"Pray, pray, pray," came Beatrix's devilish voice.

"Let me feel your despair, you filthy cultists."

“The Claws of the Plague Source,” Beatrix said softly.

A black, venom-covered claw gripped the cultist's head, hovering in mid-air.

Betley, on the other hand, stood to one side with his arms crossed.

This is a projected image, a hand belonging to the "source of the plague".

Of course, it has been weakened countless times.

However, even the infinitely weakened projection version is still incredibly powerful.

The venom dripped onto the cult members' clothes, and the clothes corroded within moments.

“No… this is only for believers of the ‘Source of Plague’…” the cultist gasped, looking at Betley in horror.

From the moment he left, this man used countless divine spells, completely manipulating these four cultists.

The other three cult members had long since been torn to pieces and thrown aside.

The strong smell of blood will surely spread quickly.

However, judging from Beattie's expression, he doesn't seem worried at all.

"Who are you? What do you want to do? What religion do you belong to?!" The cultist of "Fallen Lord" was filled with despair.

I have absolutely no idea what happened.

This is divine magic; only those who believe in the gods can possess its power.

"What exactly do you believe in! Impossible!" The cultist's face grew paler and paler as the power from the beast's claws intensified.

Betley casually sat on an abandoned wooden crate in the alley, resting his chin on the back of his hands.

What do I believe in?

"Interesting question, I don't believe in anything."

"Impossible... How could someone without faith use divine magic?"

“Well, who knows? All I know is that I really hate you cultists, and I hate God.” Betley lowered his eyelids.

"Who are you?!?!" the cultist roared.

"who am I?"

"I am an Avenger, an Avenger who will never stop."

"Cough cough, Avenger?" The cultist opened his eyes with difficulty and looked at Betley.

"A person who seeks revenge against all cults."

"Wait, I can tell you anything you want to know. I know you can't just kill me like this!" The cultist panicked when he saw Betley's ferocious expression.

"I can sue..."

"Click—"

The beast's claws vanished, and the cultist's head bent at an eerie angle before slamming violently to the ground.

A drop of blood that had splattered from the cultist landed on Beattie's sunglasses.

Betley put away his sunglasses, then maintained his previous posture.

It was quiet all around; there was no other living person.

Betley touched the ring on his left hand.

The ring is covered with writing.

"The five rings will eventually pass into the hands of their destined owners."

—"Then the five rings will bear witness to your years."

—“A rebellious person.”

“These disgusting fellows, there are so many more.” Betley stood up and picked up his pocket watch.

A drop of blood stained the pocket watch.

Betley wiped the blood off his clothes with his sleeve, not minding the mess.

"What are you planning now, you fools?" Beatrix muttered, squinting.

My return to the capital was a result of tracking down the "fallen Lord's" church.

Otherwise, Beatrix wouldn't particularly want to return to this land.

Betley opened the pocket watch in his hand.

"We've returned to our hometown."

"But it's time to continue hunting again, and I'm afraid there won't be any time to enjoy peace and quiet."

Betley walked slowly into the shadows, then disappeared into the alley as he vanished into the darkness.

It was as if they had never been here before.

---

Beatrix hummed a little tune as he walked down the street.

The bustling Midtown remains a vibrant hub of activity.

"Ouch, that hurts!" came a little girl's innocent voice.

A little girl on the roadside had tears in her eyes as she rubbed her scraped little foot.

Because there were so many people, the little girl accidentally fell down.

And because of this fall, he couldn't find his mother anymore, and they got separated in the crowded throng.

"Mommy! Mommy?!" The little girl was panicked and on the verge of tears.

“Hey, little girl, what’s wrong?” Betley crouched down, making himself appear as tall as the little girl.

"Mommy is gone! I can't find Mommy!" The girl rubbed her eyes.

"Okay, big brother will stay by your side and wait for Mom to come back to find you, okay?" Beatrix grinned.

Beatrix's smile made the little girl feel at ease.

"Um..."

"But your little foot is injured, doesn't it hurt?"

"It hurts," the little girl pouted.

“Then I’ll help you heal.” Beatrix placed his hand on the little girl’s toes.

The broken skin will heal slowly.

Wow! That's amazing!

"Which church does the big brother belong to!?"

“No, not at all,” Beattie chuckled.

"Ah! You're here! I was so worried about you!" A woman ran over and hugged the little girl tightly.

"Mommy's been found, big brother!"

“Yes, that’s great.” “Eh—” Naruko drawled out as she looked at Bree.

"So why did you go to the tavern without me?"

"Why did I bring you along?" Bray stared blankly at Naruko.

"Hey, aren't we traveling together as friends?!"

“I see,” Bray said.

"By the way, does coming to the capital mean you've left?" Naruko suddenly asked.

“They’ll leave, it’s just a matter of time.” Bray stroked Levy’s hair as she lay on his lap.

Now, apart from having a tail, Levy is no different from an ordinary elf.

However, Bray strongly suspects that Levy herself doesn't want to hide her tail, since she's already tucked her claws in.

"Mmm~" Levy hummed through her nose, sleeping soundly.

Levy probably only relaxes when she's with Bray.

"So where are you planning to go?" Naruko's eyes lit up.

"Maybe I should go back to the orcs' country."

"Oh! That's on the east side!" Naruko exclaimed excitedly.

"But I will absolutely not take you back to my hometown!"

"Because I absolutely don't want to go back!" Naruko said to herself.

“It doesn’t matter to me, I’m not planning on traveling with you anyway,” Bray waved his hand.

"Huh?! What?!" Naruko was completely astonished.

But at that moment, there was a knock on Bray's door.

"Who is it?" Bray went to open the door, scratching his head.

I really don't know who will come looking for me.

"Bro! Surprised?!!!!!" Lux lunged at Bray as soon as he opened the door.

"Excuse me, Mr. Bray." Virginia and Blanche appeared behind the door.

"Want to know how we found your place?" Lux said with a smile.

But the smile gradually disappeared because Lux saw Naruko.

Naruko munched on a cookie, staring blankly at the three girls who had suddenly appeared.

"Yo, good afternoon." Naruko greeted him without even realizing it.

"Who...is this woman?" Lux looked at Bray strangely.

My own brother... that颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless, dispirited, or decadent) brother, is he building a harem?

Lux looked around, and it seemed that this was indeed the case.

"She just met an idiot on the trip, ignore her." Bray didn't want his sister to misunderstand.

"Mr. Bu, do you already have a girlfriend...?" Virginia's expression was terrible, and she looked like she was about to cry.