When we arrived to the front of the Capital, the slave traders' faces were already blue from the lack of air. I set the carriage gently on the ground, and then threw the slave traders on to the ground before loosening their chain slightly so that they could breathe again. The moment the door of the carriage opened, Carl jumped out of the carriage hurriedly. 

I was about to poke fun at him by saying he couldn't handle kids, but decided to abstain when I noticed his eyes were bloodshot.

Me: {Are you alright?}

Carl: {Yeah, I'm alright. The inside of the carriage was just a bit stuffy.}

Carl's father: {You traitorous son! I raised you up and this is how you treat me?!}

Tsk. He has violated his oxygen privilege. I began tightening the chain around him when Carl intervened.

Carl: {Wait, don't! I have something to ask him.}

He turned towards his father, who was looking at him with an expression of betrayal: {Why did you get involved with the slave trade? Our family is not in dire need of money or anything.}

Carl's father laughed emptily: {Do you think selling boars is enough to support the family? The number of competitors is ever rising. We need a different method of gaining money.}

Carl, who was getting heated up, answered scornfully: {The first thing you thought of for a different method of gaining money is slave trafficking? You say this is for our family, but do the children not have their own family who worries about them?}

Carl's father replied with ridicule: {Of course I tried legal methods, but none of them is as lucrative as.... this trade. And anyways, those BEAST SCUMS don't deserve our sympathy!}

Carl looked shocked: {Dad! The war ended 30 years ago. These children are innocent!}

Carl's father: {You weren't born yet during the war, you wouldn't understand! I still have nightmares about it!}

Carl looked crestfallen. He turned towards me: {I will inform the city guard, wait here.}

He headed off in the direction of the gate and soon came back along with multiple guards. I released the slave traders and the guards promptly tied their hands up with ropes. Some of them then led the slave traders, including, Carl's father, away while the rest stayed behind to check on the children. 

I asked Carl: {Aren't they going to question us?}

Carl answered slowly: {I've... already showed the guards the recording. We are going to... have a trial in the presence of the king tomorrow...in the morning...}

Due to his manner of speech, I repeated my first question to Carl out of concern: {Are you sure you are alright?}

Carl snapped: {I said I'm FINE!}

Oh, I was being too pushy wasn't I.

Me: {Fine, go get some rest, you have been awake for a long time.}

{I will.}

Carl walked off towards the city gates, then suddenly looked back: {Are you going?}

Me: {Into the city?}

Carl: {The trials I mean.}

Me: {I don't have anything better to do, so yeah.}

He looked slightly relieved as he walked off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stayed behind for a little longer to help the guard with the children. It seems like there have been an increasing number of reports of missing children in beastmen villages recently, which meant that there are more slave traders than I previously thought. Hopefully, information of the other slave traders could be retrieved from the ones we just captured. I thought about checking up on Carl, but decided against it since he was resting. With a day to waste, I went to hunt in the forest I started in, which turned out to be called Trius Forest. Since my 《Hook》 skill was close to evolving, I decided to start with it.

[Hook has leveled up from Level 9 to Level Max.]

[Hook has evolved into Thread Technique: Glittering Hook.]

[Glittering Hook: A hook skill that focuses on speed and sneak attacks. The user's hook is now capable of causing dizziness to the target if the target stares at the hook. Effectiveness depends on Mental Fortitude of target and the duration of which the hook is being stared at.]

Heck yeah! I swung my hook, which left a trail of glitter behind it. The speed has definitely gone up. I swung it at full force in a random direction, severing multiple trees in half. They weren't even considered small trees either, even the thinnest one had a diameter of a meter. 

A little while later, 《Accuracy》 also evolved.

[Accuracy has leveled up from Level 9 to Level Max.]

[Accuracy has evolved into Lock-on System.]

[Lock-on System: Accuracy increases generally. 

Special Skill: Use the radar to lock onto a target for higher accuracy against a specific target. Requirements: 《Radar》]

My radar? It's range was currently 3km, but increases by a kilometre everytime it levels up. 

I was pretty hyped. I managed to evolve two of my skills. How much more will I accomplish today? Shuddering with excitement, I continued hunting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before I knew it, it was a new day. I felt good about myself. I managed to level up from Level 5 to Level 7. My Radar and Camouflage leveled up from Level 3 to Level 5, and my Stealth was now Level 9. 

Not knowing the actual time of the trial other than it is taking place in the morning, I rushed back to the Capital, which now takes only half an hour.

I flew directly into the city with stealth enabled since I did not want to queue up at the gates. When I arrived in front of Carl's hotel,  I saw that Carl was already waiting at the entrance. I then disabled my stealth in an alley before going into the streets to meet him.

Carl didn't look like he had any rest at all. His eyes were completely bloodshot and he had bags under his eyes. He didn't look fine at all but for his sake, I didn't mention it.

Me: {How long more until the trial?}

Carl: {It's taking place in an hour from now.}

Me: {Shall we go?}

Carl: {Sure.}

And so, we travelled towards the castle on foot (although it is more like on wheels for me), and I ended up receiving a lot of stares. We soon arrived at the front of the castle, which was crowded with people.

Carl: {Is there something going on?}

I could easily see over the crowd with my massive stature, and so I did. Everyone seemed to be crowding around a cute purple haired girl who was riding on a horse. The horse was covered in armour from head to toe, while the rider herself was donning a majestic armour which was as blue as the sky. It looked neither too heavy nor too weak, and seems to be intricately designed. It was not cheap, that's for sure. She smiled at the people cheering for her as she struggled to navigate a horse through the crowd.

Me: {There is some purple haired girl on a horse in the middle of the crowd. She is wearing a beautiful blue coloured armour. She seems to be immensely popular with crowd. Do you know her?}

Carl: {Oh, her? Do you think she is cute?}

I was immediately put on high alert. That tone of voice, it was familiar. Why would he ask me such a question? That tone... It was the same one that led us to discover that Carl's father was selling slaves. I looked at the purple haired girl is disbelief. It couldn't be, could it? Her shoulders did look a little broad.

Me: {It's a guy, isn't it?}

Carl looked a little miffed: {How did you know? People usually fall for it when they see him for the first time.}

I came from a world where a guy acting as a girl is pretty common. I have even partook in such acts of trickery myself, although on a smaller scale. I was even disappointed in myself that I didn't notice it immediately. 

I answered Carl: {I have had experience of them before.}

Carl looked at me with confusion before saying: {He is the captain of the Kingdom's Wyvern Brigade. His name is Fowl Harkins and he is popular with the people not only because of his looks, but also his skills. He is usually on the front lines in the Demon War, so I guess something special is happening today.}

Realising that we were wasting time, I urged him to hurry.

Me: {We need to hurry up, the trial is starting soon.}

And so, we struggled through the crowd and finally made it to the entrance of the castle. Suddenly, I felt a cold feeling on my back. I quickly used 《Free View》 to look at my surroundings and found Fowl Harkins staring at my back. I guess it isn't everyday you get a chance to see a helicopter in a fantasy world. I quickly went on my way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was surprised by two things. First of all, I was surprised that I was able to fit into the court. It seems like many of the facilities in the castle is built to accommodate beings of a wide range of sizes. Secondly, the trial went as smoothly as it can get. The evidence, along with the testimony of the slave children, left no room for any rebuttal from the slave traders. Their face could only pale as their sentence is read aloud to them.

Judge: {The slave traders shall be put to death, while Earl Jack Rose will be put on further trial. Court dismissed. Everyone except Carl Rose, son of Jack Rose and Hel are required to leave.}

Huh? Was there some special procedure I did not know about? I didn't think so since Carl, who was a noble, looked surprise too. Everyone, including the judge, left the room. There were only the two of us left in the court. We waited in dead silence.

After awhile, I finally broke the silence: {What's happening? Is this some sort of prank or something?}

???: {I assure you, this is no prank.} 

A four people had approached us from behind without making a single noise. Carl looked behind in surprise. I, on the other hand, had already detected them with my 《Presence Detection》 and 《Radar》 much earlier, so I wasn't surprised. The newcomers were all wearing black cloaks, except for the man in front, who was dressed like a king. It doesn't take a lot to figure out who he is.

Carl immediately knelt on one leg: {Milord!}

The king chuckled: {Rise up.}

Carl immediately stood at attention: {How may we help you, milord?}

King: {No need, I am just passing something on to you today.}

The king pulled out an envelope from his robes. On it was a red seal, presumably the royal seal. IT WAS AN INVITATION TO SMASH! Just kidding, I did not know what it is. Carl tentatively opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper, on it read: 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Certificate of Earl rank

The recipient, Carl Rose, has been conferred upon the title of Earl due to his achievements.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

King: {I know that deciding to turn in your father was a hard decision to make, and yet, you managed to pull through. Thus, I have decided to award you the title of Earl. May you bring your territory and business to prosperity.}

Carl was silent. I took a quick glance at Carl and was surprised to see that he was tearing up. He immediately cleaned off his tears and knelt on one knee again: {Thank you milord! I swear that I wont disappoint you!}

The king looked satisfied: {Very well, you may leave now.}

I was just about to follow Carl out of the court when the King called to me: {Hel... was it? Stay behind for a little longer, we have certain things to discuss.} 

Carl and I both halted in our footsteps. Carl looked at me in concern and I quickly reassured him: {Wait for me outside, I will catch up soon.}

That pause in his movement was enough for me. Carl soon turned around and left. I then faced the King: {How may I help you, milord?}

King: {I'm not going to beat around the bushes. I have read your citizen registration report and I am impressed by your physical capabilites. I hereby welcome you to the Ash Kingdom as a citizen.}

How nice. It would be great if our conversation ended there.

King: {Of course, as a citizen of this kingdom, you would have to do as I say.}

And there it was, the flag I set up by my inner monologue.

King: {Don't worry, you will receive a handsome reward for your service.}

Me: {May I ask what job do you require of me?}

King: {I need to you to ferry the champions back and forth in the demon war and provide firepower.}

Me: {Geez, isn't that extremely dangerous?}

King: {Like I said, you will be rewarded with an amount of treasure most people can only dream of owning, and judging by your capabilities, you won't be in any danger as long as you follow the commands given properly.}

It sounded pretty good. I could accomplish God's mission of defeating the Demon Lord and get paid at the same time. I had no reason to deny it. I was just about to accept his proposal when the King said something that made me change my mind.

King: {Of course, it would be a shame if something happens to Carl, he is your friend, isn't he.}

What?

King: {Of course, I don't want to lose such a loyal noble such as him, but accidents do happen sometime.}

He was threatening me? I couldn't help but burst out laughing. The King looked confused but continued: {But statistics do say that accidents are less likely to occur when people listen to orders.}

I wanted to confirm something: {Wouldn't the rest of Carl's family be sadden if Carl got into an accident?}

The King became even more confused: {He doesn't have any other family members other than his father, what are you talking about?}

I've heard enough. No wonder he wasnt contacting anyone at all about the events that transpired the previous few days. I enabled intimidate and roared at the King: {YOU DARE THREATEN ME WITH THOSE CLOSE TO ME?!}

The King's face whitened immediately as the people wearing black cloak stood in between us. They threw of their cloak, revealing high class equipment. One of the cloaked figure turned out to be a man wearing an armour glowing white, in his hand was a pure white sword with a red gem inlayed on the guard of the sword. Another one of the cloaked figure turned out to be a woman wearing a purple robe. She had a wooden staff with a yellow crystal floating at the end. The last cloaked person turn out to be wearing full plated armour. He had a large shield that was 2 metres  by 1 metre, and in the middle of the shield is also a crystal. This time, it was green. 

The King regained a bit of his confidence and pulled out a communication crystal. He yelled at me: {You are outnumbered by the Hero, the Archmage and the best tank in our army. This is your final chance, do as I say or you will be beaten up along with Carl being captured.}

Oh wow, I'm totally surprised. Sure, I couldn't feel their strength from my presence detection, but a quick appraisal revealed their identities.

Me: {Do it then.}

The King looked at me in disgust: {Isn't Carl your friend? You would have him captured rather than listen to my simple orders. Where did your dignity and pride go?}

Me: {You have a lot of balls lecturing me about dignity after threatening me with my friend. Have you looked in mirror recently?}

The King was fuming with rage. He spoke into his communication crystal: {Capture him, but make sure he is unharmed.}

Hmph! Unharmed? At least he doesn't cause any unnecessary damage, I will give him that. I shall repay his kindness with my own kindness.

Archmage: {Wait, does anyone else see that the chain leading out of the door?}

They finally noticed it. It was too late, though.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the outside, Carl was tapping his foot due to impatience, but on the inside, he could not be more worried. Hel has been speaking with the King for a long time, what's taking them so long? Due to him thinking about what could possibly be happening inside, he did not notice the three guards at the door receiving a message on their communication crystal. He only noticed them when they had surrounded him.

Guard: {I'm sorry sir, but you have to come with us.}

Carl: {What? Why?}

One of the guards grabbed his arm: {King's orders, please do not resist.}

Carl, of course, resisted. He had just been promoted by the King, why would the King want to arrest him. Suddenly, a flash appeared before his eyes. All three guards around him collapsed at once, unconcious. While looking around in confusion, Carl suddenly felt a tugging sensation on his collar, and then he was sent flying backwards.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carl flew into the room at high speed and finally slowed down when he got close enough to me.

Me: {Get In!}

Carl: {Wait, what is happening?}

Me: {NO TIME TO EXPLAIN! GET IN!}

A confused Carl climbed into my cockpit. There is no better place to protect him. I slammed it shut and refocused my attention on the King and his goons.

Archmage: {Damn! I should have noticed the chain earlier!}

By the way, if you are wondering, I managed to activate my 《Stealth》 skill only on my hook and inserted it into one of Carl's pocket as he was leaving. Why would I not, the King was acting pretty suspicious after all. What kind of King visits people with three hooded figures who are the Hero, Archmage and a tank in disguise.

Hero: {Don't worry! I was never comfortable with using that as a trump card anyways.}

Hearing that, I blew up in anger even more: {Wow! The both of you sure sound pretty close, huh? Would be a shame if an accident happen to either of you! And you, the so-called Hero of the people, you sure have a lot of gall saying that you are not comfortable with threatening me with my friends after your plan failed!}

The Hero looked visibly taken aback. The King, however, did not care: {Don't let him leave!}

The Hero snapped out of his daze and yelled: {Michelle! Stay back and cast your buffs on me!}

Ooo, so she was the support. I immediately went for the Archmage. Since they did not want to kill me, I decided to incapacitate them, although it doesn't matter to me whether they are paralyzed for life or not. My hook appeared in front of her in an instant, ready to swipe at her staff at any moment. However, my hook was intercepted by the Hero, who appeared out of no where. Did he have some sort of dash skill or something. We began exchanging attacks, sword against hook. A yellow glow surrounded the Hero and his attack speed shot up. I could barely keep up with his attacks. The Archmage stayed behind, casting buffs on the Hero whenever it ran out, while the tank guarded her in case I launch a surprise attack on her again. This, however, meant that the Hero was fighting me alone. Despite the Hero inching towards me, the situation could not be better. I slowly began to change the direction I'm facing.

The fight dragged on, and it became clear that the Hero's attacks were becoming slower. Sometimes, he attacks too soon, while other times, he defends a little too late, and the injuries on him began to stack. The Hero finally backed away, only to stumble. He placed one hand on his head as he swayed a little unsteadily. Not missing the chance, I went in with my hook. 

{Clang!}

My hook collided with a shield. The tank had chosen to block an attack for the Hero, did he forget that he was protecting someone? The entire time, I was stealthily shifting myself to face the Archmage, and now, it was time for my hard work to pay off. I opened fire.

Archmage: {Shield!}

A translucent yellow sphere formed around her, just in time to block my bullets. She released a sigh of relief, only to find out that cracks were already forming on her shield. The Water Magic infused bullets smashed through the shield with ease and successfully hit her squarely in the chest, sending her flying into a wall. She fell onto the ground, unconcious.

The tank charged at me in rage, his shield glowing green. I couldn't reposition myself easily due to the limited area so I decided to tank it while counter attacking. It was a mistake to do that. Despite my size, I was launched into the wall, forming a large hole in it. I could hear screams emanating from both outside and inside me but paid it no heed. I managed to insert my hook into a chink in the tank's armour. I started to swing him around freely, knocking down the recently recovered Hero and destroying any furniture left in the room. Second enemy, status: unconcious. 

The Hero quickly got up. He stared at his fallen comrades and roared in rage. I was already on the verge winning, so I decided to taunt him.

Me: {Oh no. Your friends got into an accident, how unfortunate. DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW IT FEELS NOW?!}

The Hero charged, only to be pushed backed by my bullets. He is managing to block every single one of them, but only because I was going easy on him.

I had to admit, it felt really great defeating and crushing them. However, wasn't there someone I'm forgetting. Of course, the king, I forgot to taunt him.

Me: {You know, I was about to accept your proposal, but you had to pull that shit off.}

Although the King was looking at me in fear, his eyes contained a hint of surprise. However, it was already far too late for him to do anything. The Hero dashed towards the side before charging at me. I allowed him to come closer. After all, I need to let him think that he can win. But why did I have to do that? Well... umm... wait... why... why am I doing all this? 

And then I got slashed.