You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

He had only tested the effect briefly before immediately turning off the skill, but Gazef and his men were still captivated by him... Was it because the difference in strength between the two sides was too great, making the effect more pronounced?

“My lord, I will handle the negotiations here.”

The dragon butler stepped forward. He was now almost certain that Gazef was not a robber, and although they had not spoken yet, he trusted his intuition.

And so, the burly man led his horse to Iori and Sebastian, looking at them with suspicion.

...The closer he got, the clearer his senses became. Even without making a move, Gerdav instantly realized that he was no match for either of them.

Although he didn't sense any threat from the burly man, Sebastian still tensed up and moved slightly closer to Iori, just in case.

"I am Gerdev Storno, the warrior captain of the Kingdom of Riestitege!"

By order of the King, they are patrolling the villages to quell the rebellion of the Imperial Knights in the vicinity.

Soldier Captain? Oh, yes, there is such a plot.

Iori still wore a knowing smile.

Is this the top expert in this country and even the continent?

Once again, he couldn't help but marvel at the vast difference between the game and the other world; this warrior captain was probably only level 30 or 40.

"May I ask who you are, and why you're in this village... Did you kill those corpses? And most importantly—"

Despite knowing the vast disparity in strength between the two sides, Gerdov decided to stick to his principles: "Where have all the residents gone?"

"What if I told you I killed them all?"

"..."

A long silence followed, but when Gazef looked at Iori again, his gaze hardened once more, as if he had come to some kind of realization.

Seeing this, Iori couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips: "Alright, relax, Captain Warrior—they've just gone to another world."

"..."

Gerdoff took a deep breath.

In short, this man was ready to die a heroic death at any moment!

Chapter 343: The olive branch extended by Iori.

As soon as Iori said this, the atmosphere became tense, but Iori, the culprit, remained expressionless, as if she had not noticed the subtle change.

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is 'Aizen Iori,' a passing traveler."

Iori gestured, "He is my butler and also an important companion to me."

"Nice to meet you all."

Sebastian nodded slightly and placed his hand on his chest, saying, "I am 'Sebastian'."

Seeing that Iori had given his real name, he also gave it back. After that, he stopped talking and stood straight a meter behind Iori. Even in this situation, his posture was that of a perfect waiter.

The knights glanced at the butler and then looked away, their attention focused on the more conspicuous Iori. Those who understood what he had just said secretly gripped their weapons, ready for any potential conflict.

Soldier Captain Gazef's reaction was quite different. He gave Sebastian a deep look, with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

"Excuse me, how old is this gentleman?"

The sergeant suddenly asked a completely unrelated question, which surprised everyone.

Sebastian remained solemn, his gaze fixed straight ahead, as if lost in thought, seemingly oblivious to the warrior captain's question. Clearly, he wouldn't utter a single word without Iori's permission.

Iori asked in surprise, "Does Sebastian's age have anything to do with our current situation?"

"No, it was just a whim. This butler looks old, but his posture is so elegant, his joints are not stiff like those of an ordinary old man, and you can feel an extraordinary strength in him."

Gerd said seriously, "He hasn't moved an inch since he started talking."

Is that so strange?

Iori already understood what the warrior captain meant, but still deliberately asked, "Isn't it just about standing still?"

"When people say 'still,' they mean that the position and general movements remain unchanged. However, a person's breathing, heartbeat, and muscle contraction are happening all the time, and these will show subtle changes on the body surface."

The old gentleman certainly had related physical signs... but every breath he took maintained the same frequency, even the rise and fall of his chest was completely consistent. Especially... it didn't change even when he was speaking!

To be honest, I can only dream of that level of control.

Few of the knights could understand what Gazef was saying, but when they heard that he admitted he was inferior to Sebastian, they all showed expressions of shock.

The butler remained silent, only glancing at Gerdoff for a moment longer with a flick of his eye.

Iori was in a very good mood and said with a smile, "Sebastian is certainly excellent, but your observation skills are also outstanding. Ordinary people wouldn't notice such details."

"After all, I am also known as the 'strongest in the kingdom,' so I do have some judgment in judging people."

After saying this with a smile, Gerdav's expression quickly turned serious: "Was there anything false in what you just said? Were you trying to deceive me?"

Sending them to another world...

But I could see clearly along the way that the soldiers who were executed had few signs of combat on their bodies; they were all killed instantly, without exception.

But their armor and weapons were stained with blood, and there was a village that had been burned down—there was only one truth I could think of.

These guys killed the villagers and burned down the village, but they were discovered by a third party who happened to run into them. The thugs were powerless to resist and were wiped out in an instant!

Iori's gaze slowly changed, and she looked at the middle-aged man with considerable appreciation.

And Gerdov continued speaking, his pace becoming increasingly fluent, without the feeling of being forced by heavy pressure.

"The rioters burned, killed, and looted, destroying the entire village... Although it is heartbreaking, such things are not uncommon recently, and we have found more than one or two similar cases. However, this village is very special."

There are three most bizarre things about the scene: first, the villagers' missing bodies; second, the rioters being executed as if in a demonstration; and third, the outsiders with strange names.

I think these three things must be related, right, Mr. Traveler Aizen?

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

Iori clapped his hands, genuinely applauding Gerd. Then he smiled and sighed, as if remarking, "That statement, while true, I wanted to see your reaction. I just didn't expect that you could maintain such calm judgment in such a bizarre situation... It's rare."

"So, it seems the villagers really are..."

Gerdoff looked somber. He had initially thought that with the help of Iori and Sebastian, two third-party forces, some of the villagers might be saved, but now that he had learned the "truth," he couldn't help but feel sad.

"That's right, in another world."

Iori and Gazef exchanged a mischievous glance: "Shall I take you there too?"

"—!"

Instinctively, the soldiers drew their weapons. Gerdov turned around abruptly, about to shout at them not to be impulsive, but the next moment he couldn't make a sound.

An indescribable, strange pressure enveloped everyone, like a person drifting on the sea in a canoe seeing a blue whale slowly swimming past them.

It is not aggressive at all, and it knows this, but it still holds its breath because of the huge difference in size!

Iori didn't do anything special; he simply released some spiritual pressure without any killing intent, but even so, it shocked everyone present, making everyone freeze in their tracks.

He calmly took out the [Map of Mountains and Rivers] and placed it in the air again—

...When Gazeta came to his senses, he found himself in the middle of a vast grassland, speechless with astonishment at the sight before him. His soldiers, however, after their initial shock, began to shout and yell.

Strict military discipline is nothing more than a sandcastle being washed away by the waves in the face of such surreal power.

"Someone's here! Someone's coming!"

"The bandits have tracked us all the way here? Where is Lord Aizen?"

"Save us, God!"

"No, calm down... these look like soldiers from the kingdom."

The soldiers were on the side of a hillside, while others gradually appeared from the other side, breathing a long sigh of relief upon seeing the insignia on their armor and shields.

The soldiers were quite experienced, and one of them immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Don't panic! We're here to protect you. The leader is General Gerdev, the Kingdom's Warrior Captain!"

"It's actually the Warrior Captain!"

"Is that the one?"

"It is indeed as magnificent as rumored... but it doesn't feel as reliable as Lord Aizen."

"..."

Seeing that all the villagers were still there, Gerdov was momentarily dazed: "What is going on here...?"

"That sentence is literal."

Iori was standing a little distance away from Gazef, but the warrior captain hadn't noticed him before, so his voice startled him.

“I am an honest man, Sir.”

"Could it be... a mass teleportation spell? Is this the Northern Wilderness?"

Gerdoff looked at Iori incredulously.

He had witnessed the fate of the thugs in the village, so he could guess that Iori was a powerful "magician," but in his imagination, Iori should be a legendary level, that is, a magic chanter of about the fifth rank.

After all, it looks like a human being, at most with the blessing of a special bloodline, and the fifth rank is already quite high.

Group teleportation is possible...

Roger wasn't an expert in magic, but he had never seen any other magician with this ability.

—If he knew that this was not teleportation, but "reality replacement," his worldview would probably be repeatedly challenged.

Did you save these villagers?

Gerdov bowed deeply to Iori, "On behalf of His Majesty the King, I thank you for protecting his people, Your Excellency the Mage."

Gazef is the "Commander of the Warriors," which may not sound like a high-ranking official, but in reality, he is the man who bears the title of "Strongest in the Kingdom" and is also the King's most loyal supporter. He enjoys great prestige both among the people and in the military.

The world of Overlords features multiple nations, among which the Kingdom of Riestijer, the Bahars Empire, and the Slane Theocracy are adjacent on the map and far more powerful than smaller nations and demi-human tribes.

Besides these, although there are other powers such as the Holy Kingdom and the Dwarf Kingdom, they are not as "lively" as the three kingdoms mentioned above.

Gazef's position in the kingdom was roughly that of the chief warrior. For someone of such high status to show such respect to Iori for the sake of an insignificant village shows that he truly cared about the safety of the people.

"No need. I'm not acting for the king, so his gratitude means nothing to me. As for you... never mind, we'll talk about it later."

Iori's well-timed pause made Gerdov frown, and just as he was about to press for more information, he heard Iori change the subject:

"You just said that many villages have been attacked by rioters recently?"

"Yes!"

At this point, Gerdov immediately became serious: "However, the report said that they were not ordinary bandits, but spies and outlaws sent by the Empire to disrupt the border. I had never had direct contact with them before, and today is the first time I have seen so many thugs'... corpses."

"empire?"

Iori only remembers this part of the story: Gazef was the target of those people, and the final boss was a high-ranking angel summoned by someone, who also contributed a memorable scene... Angels easily evoke the image of a theocracy rather than an empire.

Of course, he didn't care which country the real culprit was from; he only cared that he hadn't completed the mission he was assigned!

Whether it's an empire, a theocracy, or even a traitor within the kingdom itself, anyone who dares to come will be eliminated!

But then again, you need bait to catch fish. If the village is deserted, will the mastermind still show up?

"Sir, let's set aside the true identities of the thugs for now, and I have no interest in political struggles. But if innocent civilians are involved, that's a different story—especially if it happens near where I live."

"Oh? Is Lord Iori's residence nearby?"

"I just moved here recently and plan to stay for a while."

Iori glanced at Gazef, and the warrior captain gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry into your background."

The sergeant paused, then asked, "Are you going to deal with these thugs and lure out the mastermind behind it all?"

"Pretty much, I just need to protect the villagers... but right now we lack sufficiently attractive bait."

Iori snapped his fingers, and the sergeant felt the world spin around him. The next moment, he was back in the village, along with a dozen other soldiers.

"Teleportation magic again... What are you doing?"

“Those thugs were well-trained and well-equipped; they could not possibly be bandits. They could only be troops from an enemy country disguised as robbers.”

Regardless of which country is engaging in these underhanded tactics, there's one thing they've always dreamed of, and now they finally have the opportunity.

Hearing Iori's words and seeing that he was still looking at him, Gerdav seemed to understand something and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Indeed... if they had the chance to surround and kill me, they would definitely be willing to pay a considerable price."

Hearing your words, I even feel that this whole thing was a conspiracy against me from the very beginning, starting from when I left the capital…