Chapter 4: Summons

A week later, Riley left his room on the third floor of the society and made his way back down to the bar. The place was as rowdy as usual. It was midday and the entire bottom floor was filled with adventurers of all kinds. It was just like last week.

Reaching the bottom of the steps, Riley made his way to the bar. Today, he was dressed again in a similar fashion to the day he arrived in Crestfall. Also like normal, nobody gave him any attention whatsoever, like nobody knew he was there.

Sitting down at the bar, he was immediately offered a drink by one of the bartenders. Drinking out of his mug, Riley felt satisfied. Of course, he couldn’t taste anything at all, but he didn’t mind.

From behind the counter, Edna made her appearance, noticing Riley was there again without a word. Annoyed, she walked up to him and slammed her hand in front of him.

“Hey! I keep telling you to tell me when you’re here! I like talking to you!” she complained. She was dramatically pouting, puffing out her cheeks like a child.

“Edna, you have a job to handle. I’m not going to hold it up for personal matters,” he said. He had his normal expression while he calmly spoke.

“Who cares what my job is?! I can take a break whenever I want!”

“Cadmus is quite lenient with his granddaughter.”

“Of course!” she proudly stated. She puffed out her chest. Deciding to tease her, Riley closed his eyes and wryly smiled.

“Looks like your chest got slightly bigger. Been working on those?”

Annoyed, Edna punched Riley’s head comically. Of course, he didn’t feel it, but he couldn’t help but chuckle when she tried to hurt him.

“I work very hard to make them bigger, thank you very much!” she proclaimed, her cheeks puffed into a pout.

“Sure, sure.”

After another moment, a different bartender came up and gave Riley his food. Edna watched as he began eating his food, neither in enjoyment nor displeasure.

“So, you got your money. And you’ve done most of the jobs we had available.”

“That’s right.”

The entire stack of jobs that he had gotten from Edna the week before, numbering around fifty, were rather easy and simple jobs. At least they were for Riley. Said jobs included killing the wandering monsters of the Forest or capturing a witch that’s been terrorizing the main road.

The previous day, he had also gotten his money from Edna when Cadmus finally returned. Naturally, he was given his pay for the 20000 Vess bounty. However, he was also given nearly double the pay thanks to the other jobs. To say he was rich given the currency system wasn’t an understatement.

Realizing that his business in Crestfall was basically finished, Edna looked almost depressed. She knew the time he had there was short.

“So what do you plan to do now?”

“Well, I have one more job, and then I planned to go to Alsphen to see if I could help in the war efforts.”

“One more job?”

“Yeah. In fact, the job is going to take me home.”

Suddenly, Edna slammed her hands on the table, surprising Riley. Looking up at her face, Edna appeared angry. Riley was going home. If he was going home, then that would mean he’s going to inevitably run into someone.

“Why? Why are you going back home? Why would you ever return to that place?” she asked him, her brow furrowed heavily.

Riley simply looked back at her and scratched his cheek, directing his eyes towards the corner of the room as if he was thinking. “Well, my job takes me there.”

“Don’t give me that shit, Riley! If there’s a problem there, then let some other adventurer take care of it! It’s not any of your business!”

Riley sighed as she showed that she was firmly against it. This wasn’t the same kind of anger that she showed normally. Ordinarily, it was rather playful and almost with a rather cute pout. This time, however, her anger seemed legitimate. It was as if she could suddenly catch flames or go on a rampage in the state she was in.

“Look, I understand why you’re angry, but if my adventurer work takes me there, then there’s no way I can just ignore it.”

“But Riley!”

“Look Edna, I’ll be okay. I’ll make sure not to make a fuss.” With a light smile, he tried to reassure her. 

However, she was still very angry. She couldn’t let Riley go home. There was no way she could. There were people there that really pissed her off, and there was no way that she would let Riley, who still had his emotions intact, meet with them.

With her mind made up, she turned around and looked at the nearby bartenders. “Hey, you! Tell Gramps that I’m taking some vacation time!”

Both Riley and the bartender were confused. “Huh?” Riley suddenly asked. The other bartender also asked the same question. “But Ms. Edna! What are you doing?!”

“I’m going with my brother!”

“What?!”

“Edna, no. You’re not coming with me.” Although he appeared to be against it, Riley was rather happy that Edna wanted to go with him. He knew very well that she wanted to go to protect him. In fact, Edna was extremely overprotective, especially towards her indestructible adoptive little brother.

“Yes, I am! You might not be able to be physically hurt, but there’s still people who can hurt your heart! I’ll be there to protect that!”

With a nervous chuckle, Riley sat back. 

“And if someone tries any funny business…” Edna began. Out from under the counter, Edna yanked out her hammer and slammed it on the table. “…then they’ll meet face to face with my hammer!”

Despite finding her enthusiasm funny, Riley couldn’t accept her offer and gave her a more serious tone and look. “Like I told you, you will not travel with me. Why do you think I left you in Cadmus’s care all those years ago?”

“Why you left me here and whatever your stupid reason is now are two different things!!! And you know it!!!”

“I don’t care! I can’t put you at risk by traveling with me!”

“That’s such a shitty reason! I’m strong too!”

“I know! But I can’t take you with me!”

“This isn’t a debate!”

Suddenly, someone burst through the door of the Adventurers’ society. The doors loudly slammed open as a small group of three knights entered the establishment. Their sudden appearance surprised many of the adventurers inside.

“Everyone may relax!” From outside the doors, a fourth man walked in. He seemed rather young and had messy blonde hair. He also donned, not a suit of armor like the other knights had, but a long cloak which easily hid his feet. Of course, the hood was down, so people could see his face.

Riley slowly turned his head around to see the young man and immediately analyzed him. He’s quite young, probably younger than me. That said, he has tons of Ether. He’s probably got more skill than appearance would lead to believe. Actually, I can’t tell what kind of weapon he has either. That cloak is covering everything beneath his neck. Given his build, he’s a speed type, so he’s probably armed with daggers or a similar light weapon.

The young man stepped forward, placed his hand under his stomach and bowed before everyone inside before introducing himself. “My name is Joseph Blanch. I am here searching for the man named Riley Murus!”

Straightening himself out, he looked around at all the touch looking adventurers. Surely, one of these big guys would be the man he’s looking for. This guy is probably some big, buff dude. If it’s anything like the games I used to play, a guest of the king is even going to look powerful.

Blanch smiled a cocky grin as he observed the adventurers inside. Riley merely turned his head away and looked back towards his food, deciding to finish it. Meanwhile, the rest were murmuring to each other.

“Riley Murus?”

“Murus as in ‘Indestructible Murus’?”

“Is he here? I had no idea!”

“I heard he saved the royal family last week.”

“He apparently managed to kill some Grendels and even capture a witch super easily!”

“I can’t believe that he’s here, though? Who is he?”

Hearing the words of the rest, Riley could easily tell that the entire situation would just be one big hassle. Then, Edna jumped over the bar and had her hand on her hammer, ready to deal with the suspicious young man.

“My name is Edna Drake, Riley’s older sister. What business do you have with him?”

The murmurs of the adventurers got even louder. Nobody had ever heard this before, that Edna, their bartender and the granddaughter of their captain, was also the sister of an incredibly powerful adventurer. Did that mean that Riley was also the grandson of their captain?

Of course doubts and rumors began spreading throughout the building like wildfire, Blanch laughed at her statement. He thought this was a joke.

“Ha! Hahaha! I’m supposed to believe that? Your surnames are different! What a crock! Hahahaha!”

Her anger showed through her face quite easily. She then raised her hammer and prepared herself. Of course, this served both to scare the adventurers and to have Blanch laugh again.

“What are ya gonna do with that? Tap me?”

“Oh damn, the hammer!”

“This guy is picking the wrong fight.”

“She’s going to kill him!”

“Everyone back up!”

Around the group, people began going to the far corners of the room. Those who couldn’t do so ran up the stairs and looked over the ledge to watch.

Edna raised her hammer and pointed it at Blanch. The sight alone made the knights back up as well.

“Take back what you said! Don’t start making assumptions just because we have different names.”

“Oh please! I firmly believe that if you’re not blood, you’re not family. Love doesn’t make you family, no matter how hard you try.”

“Stupid bastard!”

In anger, her hand began heating up. The handle that she held suddenly burst into flames. Not impressed, Blanch kept up his grin.

“Tell you what. You beat me, I’ll take back what I said! I’ll believe you! Of course, that won’t happen, but still, rather generous, right? I’m quite a nice guy!”

“If you think that you can insult my family’s relationship and get away with it then you’re sorely mistaken!”

Once everyone was at a safe distance, Edna centered herself directly across from Blanch. Meanwhile, Riley simply kept eating his food, having decided not to move.

In his line of sight, Blanch noticed Riley sitting there. “Oh look. Tough guy in the chair thinks he won’t get caught up in this mess. Don’t worry, moron. I’ll hold back as much as possible! That way I don’t kill you by mistake!”

“Sure, do as you please, Sir Blanch. I’ll just keep eating my food. You’ll never beat Edna anyways.”

Feeling as though Riley’s attitude was condescending, Blanch’s face quickly degraded into a frown. “Cocky, aren’t we.”

“Edna, try not to kill him, okay?”

Riley continued eating his food as he spoke to his sister, warning her appropriately, but Edna became rather frustrated at his words.

“Please, do you know how much I have to hold back when beating the snot outta the annoying adventurers around here?”

“I’ll leave it to you then. But like I said, don’t go overboard.”

Observing their conversation, the adventurers around them all began to wonder curiously who he was to her.

“Oi, who’s that guy?”

“Isn’t that the strong guy from the other day?”

“Him? He’s the one who beat Bard and the others?”

“Is he crazy? Even he couldn’t beat Edna!”

“Even so, why is she talking to him over-familiarly?”

Hearing everyone talk, Blanch scoffed. These bastards aren’t afraid of me at all! They’re afraid of this petty guy and bartender? What a bunch of losers! I’m the star of the show!

Then before they started, Edna began chanting. “~~~~, Fire Enchant: Dragon Sledge!”

Her hammer was then consumed in a red flame, one which burned brightly and also coated her arm. Then she began a second chant.

“~~~~, Fire Enchant: Dragon’s Breath!”

Before her mouth, a bright glow appeared. As if mocking her, Blanch drew out a devious grin and unsheathed a pair of daggers before chanting his own spells. “~~~~, Light Enchant: Holy Sword Excalibur!”

Upon the end of his chanting, the blades he wielded suddenly became engrossed in light, increasing their length to the point that the blades seemed longer than his own body.

“Holy Sword Excalibur. That’s not a spell meant for two light blades like your daggers. It’s meant to be used in conjunction with the real sword, Excalibur. Those daggers might seem impressive while coated in that light, but their power is dramatically limited,” Riley explained while finishing his food. He wasn’t even looking back at Blanch as he made his statement, which made him furious.

“You seem to know a lot about the spell.”

“Yeah, I do. I once met Excalibur’s wielder in a far off country. I believe the name of that warrior was Arthur.”

As if hearing something interesting, Blanch turned his attention toward Riley completely while maintaining his spell. “So that tale from my world actually is reality in this world? That’s certainly quite a surprise.”

Hearing his words, Riley twitched. Looking back at Blanch ever so slightly, Riley seemed to realize something. I see. So that’s why I found you so odd.

“Enough chatter!” Edna called. From her mouth and her hammer spewed flames. The heat created by them was hot enough that the audience began sweating profusely. Although Riley was undisturbed by the heat, his body still began sweating, making sure it stayed cool.

At the same time, the heat also made Blanch sweat as well. “Fine then. Let’s get this over quickly. Those flames are going to make me want to take a shower soon!”

In a sudden charge, Blanch appeared before Edna and swung down his blades of light, creating an incredible impact with Edna’s hammer. However, his smile soon faded as he discovered that Edna wasn’t struggling at all. “What? Is that all? You mock me and act all boasting, but this is all you can do? Pathetic!”

With her last words, she spit a mass of flames from her mouth. Not able to completely avoid it as he jumped back, half of Blanch’s bangs were burned off, leaving only the bangs on his left side to cover his face. Of course, the side that was burned also had a scorch mark. The flames seemed to burn his cheek rather badly, making him yell in burning pain.

“You bitch! How dare you mark my face! Aaaaaahhhhh!”

“Edna, I think you forgot how strong your flames were. When was the last time you used them?”

Frustrated, Blanch jumped back at her and tried to swing his blades even faster. However, Edna saw this and quickly parried, not only knocking him backwards, but even breaking the blades of light with ease, the flame consuming her hammer having basically melted the light spell without effort. 

After slamming into the wall, Blanch was left kneeling on the ground, holding his face and staring at his daggers.

“Hah.” With a deep sigh, Edna released the Enchants on herself and stood her hammer up beside her. “I win. So what was it you wanted to say to me before?” Rather than being cocky or smug about her victory, Edna was actually still rather annoyed and disappointed.

Some guy comes barging in and mocking her family because his own beliefs were a point of conflict between them. Then, he picks a fight only to have his ass handed to him in two hits.

Seeing her victory, the crowd of adventurers cheered for her. In their eyes, Edna was a powerful adventurer as well. After all, there was a reason that adventurers feared her, and it certainly wasn’t just because of her grandfather. For Edna Drake was feared by another name: the Fire Empress.

Annoyed greatly, Blanch gritted his teeth and stood up, pointing at her with his own frustration. “You cheated! That wasn’t a fair fight! There’s no way you could’ve won against someone like me! No, I refuse to take back my words!”

“What was that you little punk! I should pummel you again!”

“That’s enough, Edna. Just settle down. No matter what happens, he’s not going to change his stance. So just let it go for now.”

Riley smiled at Edna who was ready to explode. However, as she saw him acting calm despite Blanch’s mouth, she quickly calmed down. Turning around, she placed her hammer on the bar, went around it, and then began drinking straight from a bottle of whiskey.

Thinking his words won out, Blanch’s face twisted greatly, as if he could say anything and get away with it. However, Riley turned around, having finished his food, and looked at Blanch with a light smile.

Blanch was almost immediately disgusted with his calm and innocent face. He felt like he was going to throw up. 

“Mister Blanch, I do want to say one thing.”

“Oh yeah, pretty boy? What’s that? Tell me with your condescending attitude.”

“Well, I’m not being condescending. Rather I’m trying to help you.”

“Shut up! Like there’s a difference! Just hurry up and spit it out!”

Riley was finding himself becoming annoyed. His eyebrow barely twitched at the young man’s attitude. Deciding to be blunt, Riley dropped his smile and sighed. But rather than give a serious face, he maintained his ordinary appearance.

“In a fight, there’s no such thing as cheating. You do everything you can, no matter how low, in order to win. Especially in cases of life and death. If you want to survive in this world, this is a fundamental basic you must learn. Then, you have to train yourself diligently so that you will be able to protect yourself from attacks like hers.”

“Oh, good god! Shut up! What is this? A rant from some wannabe? Besides, you don’t have any Ether! What can you do other than watch a fight from the sidelines, you weakling.” 

Blanch laughed arrogantly at his own words. In his mind, he believed Ether is what defined strength. Not only that, but things must go his way. He was dangerously arrogant. With the sin of pride weighing heavily on his shoulders, it wouldn’t be long before he realized just how wrong his point of view was.

The adventurers around them began to whisper to each other, some agreeing with what Riley said, and others agreeing with Blanch about Riley.

Meanwhile, Riley simply sighed and turned around. “Well, take my advice or don’t. One day, your arrogance will kill you.”

“And what would you know? By the way, isn’t the guy supposed to stick up for his girlfriend? If you’re spouting this nonsense, then why weren’t you the one protecting the little girly over there? Even if you would get your ass beat, at least then you’d be upholding your own views rightly!”

Annoyed, Edna turned around and began fuming. However, Riley simply raised his hand to stop her.

“You’ve got some things wrong. First, she’s not my girlfriend. Second, I don’t need to protect her. Especially not from someone who’s too weak to even tell who’s stronger than himself.”

“Oh, keep talking. I swear I’ll kill you!”

While Blanch stayed arrogant, Riley stayed calm. It was definitely back and forth, but he’d need to realize one day that everything Riley was saying was right. Deciding to ignore his threat, Riley kept going.

“Okay, I’ll keep talking. Third, I’m not talking nonsense. It’s a known fact that in this world, you do what it takes to win. Dirty fighting doesn’t exist.”

“You stupid fuck!”

“Finally, one last thing, and the most important one…” Riley stated, deciding to end his words here. Dropping his innocent demeanor, Riley’s eyes closed into a squint as he looked down on Blanch. “You are weak.”

Riley turned around and ignored him after that. But those words were enough. Enraged, Blanch picked up his daggers and rushed as fast as possible towards Riley, his every intent being to murder him.

Just as he got close to him, he drove his daggers deep into Riley’s back, causing him to smile in rage and madness. “Son of a bitch!”

However, his smile soon disappeared when he looked down at his hands. The daggers were shattered and had practically exploded. Not only that, but Riley’s skin wasn’t even scratched.

What the hell? What just happened? My daggers…

Looking desperate, Blanch dropped the handles of his daggers and looked into the back of Riley, almost in fear. The entire room went dead silent as they watched the impossible spectacle.

Seeing him having done this to Riley, who didn’t even bother, Edna set down her glass and picked up her hammer. “How dare you!” Jumping on the bar, she swung her hammer in the direction of Blanch’s face. Despite his own fear, he managed to notice her trying to attack him, but even then, he couldn’t react in time.

However, just before the hammer could strike, Riley caught it mid swing, taking no damage and completely absorbing the impact. This caught everyone in the room off guard.

“What is this guy?”

“He’s no anverage adventurer!”

“He caught Edna’s hammer with his bare hand!”

“Forget that! Those daggers broke on his body!”

“What did he do?”

“That’s enough, Edna. There’s no need to kill him.” Riley smiled at his sister lightly, trying to calm her down. However, this time, it didn’t have the same effect as before. Edna kept trying to push her hammer forward to strike at Blanch.

Blanch had also jumped backwards in a belated reaction. His face was clearly terrified.

“Come on! Let me kill him!”

“It’ll just cause problems later down the line. That you can be certain.”

Edna listened to her brother speak. He did have a point. Killing someone out of anger would just create unnecessary issues. Those issues could simply fan the flames and cause others to act out needlessly. As Cadmus’s granddaughter, she needed to know when to hold back her temper, such as in this case.

Deciding it wasn’t worth the trouble, Edna stopped trying to kill Blanch, and she pulled back her hammer, setting it down on the bar. Having successfully calmed her down, Riley looked back at the man who was knocked on the floor.

“Now, Mister Blanch. Before you acted out so rudely and picked that fight, you said you were searching for Riley Murus, correct?”

Stupefied, Blanch nodded his head. “Yeah…”

Riley finished his drink and stood up from his seat, looking down with a smile at the man. “So, why is it that you want me?”

After stating who he was, everyone in the room raised their voices in astonishment. After the previous week when he easily defeated Bard and a number of adventurers with minimum effort, they knew that this guy was definitely someone not to be trifled with.

However, they witnessed two more miraculous feats, both of which were impossible, and then, they heard his name was Riley Murus. Indestructible Murus. This guy most definitely earned his nickname, but they never realized that he was so incredible. Not only that, they never would’ve thought that someone who looked so weak could be so overwhelming.

Blanch laughed as his face twisted into a rather disgusting smirk. “You expect me to believe that some stuck up asshole like you is this famous adventurer? I won’t believe it! You’re not Indestructible Murus! That’s the name of a seasoned warrior! Someone big and tough! Skilled! Not some jackass who looks like a nerd with a nice guy complex!”

“There’s a reason that they call me Indestructible. I don’t even like the name, but it’s accurate.”

Grinding his teeth, Blanch stood up quickly and got in Riley’s face. “That wasn’t because of you! Those blades were damaged from the hammer and simply broke before they reached you!”

“Is that so?” Riley asked curiously, as if he was questioning whether that was correct. “Well, whatever. I find it pointless to get into meaningless fights. Believe what you want. Just tell me why you want me.”

While Riley kept up his nice attitude, Blanch scoffed at him and waved his hand in a mocking manner. “I won’t tell some loser using someone else’s name.”

With a big huff, Riley walked away with Edna behind him. Edna had her hammer over her shoulder and alcohol in her other hand. She was done listening to Blanch’s rude words and decided to go with Riley.

Of course, feeling disrespected, Blanch turned around and charged Riley. “Fuck you!” Halfway to the door, Blanch jumped with his fist out, aiming for his head. Riley didn’t seem to react as Blanch’s fist smashed into his skull.

Riley and Edna stopped in their tracks. Blanch, however, was left in complete surprise. What… was that? I know I made contact, but it felt like nothing was there.

Riley sighed heavily and turned around, removing his glasses and handing them to Edna. When she realized what he was doing, she took his glasses and stood a few feet away.

Ordinarily, Riley was a very calm person. He didn’t like things getting to him. He didn’t like feeling anger or hostility. So, whenever he began to feel just a little bit annoyed, he would turn his attention somewhere else and just smile. He avoided conflict as much as he could because he was aware of his own strength. If he let his temper run wild, he could probably kill everyone around him. 

But he didn’t enjoy the feeling of having one’s life in his hands. It was an almost sickening feeling. He didn’t like the feeling that he could steal the future of another person. Because of that feeling, he decided when he was younger that he wouldn’t let his temper out at all.

However, there were times before where he had lost his temper. Edna remembered those times, and they didn’t just scar her or Riley for life, but the ones who angered as well. Not a day goes by where any of those people forget the feeling of dread because they messed with the wrong person.

For the first time in a long time, Edna could see that Riley was beginning to lose his temper. Every time he did, one common occurrence was the long and drawn out huff just before he started.

This guy’s in trouble… Edna was nearly terrified. The sight of an angry Riley was never one she enjoyed seeing.

Looking down at Blanch, Riley stared at the man with his ruby eyes. When the young man looked up and saw these eyes, he was immediately frustrated once again. Rather than afraid, he simply appeared furious and started to yell.

“Worthless bastard like you! How dare you look down on me! I don’t care if you’re a noble, adventurer, or even if you have a little bit of strength! You have no right to look down on someone who is clearly your be-”

Before he could finish his statement, Riley grabbed his throat and raised him off his feet. Choking, Blanch attempted to tear Riley’s hand away from his throat, but it was futile. He couldn’t even barely try to remove it because he couldn’t feel it, even though he could clearly see it.

Riley looked at Blanch with innocent eyes and a frown. It was the face he had for life and death combat, such as with the Grendels. However, his eyes shone brightly as he glared a hole into him.

“I showed you respect and stated simple facts so that you could grow in your future. Not for you, but for the king. See, I’m aware the king sent you to fetch me. There’s no other reason to send a Summon after me otherwise.”

Hearing this word surprised the other adventurers. After all, a Summon was a being from another world, brought to this world because they had incredible latent power and could be incredibly useful in one’s military. To say the least, their potential was practically endless.

Joseph Blanch was one of these Summons, so he had plenty in the way of a future. Not only that, but he could make for an extremely outstanding hero.

However, he was cocky because he was summoned. Even though he worked for the king directly, his attitude would be more of a liability than a blessing. Riley could see this clear as day.

“Out of respect for the king and for the customs of our world, I was planning to leave this whole matter alone and speak with him directly. In that way, you wouldn’t have to deal with me, and I wouldn’t have to deal with you. But you decided to attack me anyway.”

“St… can’t… brea…”

Tears and saliva flowed from his face, choking as his breath could no longer enter or exit his body. He was in pain. Not on the same level as Annika, but enough for him to still want it to end.

“I’ll teach you one lesson before I go and meet with King Gregory.”

Riley squeezed his throat tighter, causing Blanch to struggle more. Then, Riley yanked him over his head before slamming his body into the ground. The impact was so hard that the floor beneath him cracked under the pressure.

Coughing up blood, Blanch was left on the floor for another moment. Riley let go of his throat and allowed him to breathe as well. However, he wasn’t done. Blanch looked up and simply saw two shining red eyes looking down at him. It was like staring into the face of a demon.

Riley stomped on Blanch’s head, damaging the floor further and cutting open the young man’s temple. He grunted from the impact, and blood began to flow over his face.

Riley continued to slowly add more pressure to his skull, causing him to scream in pain as he was tortured. Everyone bearing witness to this was horrified, barely able to watch as Riley crushed his skull. Many of the adventurers were reeling back while others’ faces were twisting as if they were also in pain.

“Oh god.”

“I can’t watch this.”

“This is messed up.”

“We should… never piss him off.”

Even some of the more seasoned adventurers in the room seemed unable to watch the entire scene. Not to mention the knights by the entrance.

Remembering how cruel he could be when he was enraged, Edna watched with fear in her eyes. Last time she saw this, she was injured by an opponent equal in strength to her when she was younger. Riley caught the man in the act, released his long and heavy sigh, and nearly tore the man into pieces. To her, she was more frightened by her protective little brother than she was of the one who hurt her.

Having heard enough of his screams, Riley removed his foot, bent down over him, grabbed his collar, and raised him up. Riley’s face, for the first time, seemed to scrunch up in anger.

As he was held up, his clothes crunched in Riley’s hand, and the feel of something warm and thick covering his face and leaving his mouth was one of the only things he could feel. Barely able to stay conscious, he looked with dread into Riley’s eyes. Please… let me live!

“This pain. Remember it. You might not be able to feel my hands as they choke you or my feet as they step on you, but you can certainly feel the pain rushing through your body, the blood running down your face. The lesson that you will learn today?”

The next action Riley took sent Blanch smashing into the bar of the society, damaging it and breaking the chairs in his path. “Pah!” Hitting the ground, he spit up more blood. How he was still conscious was rather incredible. Considering the impact he felt, several of his ribs, and perhaps his arm as well, were definitely broken. 

Pain flooded his body. Broken bones, crushed skull, multiple incredible impacts one after the other. All the while, he couldn’t do anything to protect himself.

Riley walked towards him and pulled his gun out, appearing as though he was ready for an execution. When he stood over Blanch, who laid on the ground, he pointed his gun at his body. Still conscious, Blanch looked up as much as he could. When he realized what he was looking at, he realized just what it was.

A… gun? But I’ve… never seen one in this world…

“Your lesson is to pick your fights wisely. Arrogance will lead to your demise. Today, you will learn that lesson,” he explained in a grim manner. Then, as energy built within the barrel, everyone went silent as Riley pulled the trigger.

Hearing the sudden explosion, Blanch’s eyes immediately closed, as if to shield him from the bullet. However, after a few moments, Blanch realized something and opened his eyes.

I’m not dead? And my pain… it doesn’t hurt as bad anymore.

Barely able to lift himself, Blanch used his non broken arm and pushed from the ground. Riley, standing above, held his gun to the side while maintaining his position. His face no longer showed rage and merely returned to its normal appearance.

Having become frightened of him, Blanch jumped backwards when he realized he was still there. However, he grunted in pain. His bones hadn’t healed.

“I’ve healed all your minor wounds. And your bones were given a slight mending. However, they are still quite damaged. Have the knights transport you back to the castle after some of the adventurers heal you up.”

Riley’s gun was special. The metal used to craft his gun and its parts were doused in Holy Water, just like the lenses of his glasses. What makes that so special is that objects that were once doused in Holy Water are capable of having Ether channeled into them.

In the case of his glasses, the see through glass could alter the appearance of one’s eyes when Ether was flowing into them. Not only that, but it is also the reason why whoever wears them can see curses and just how strong they are.

Meanwhile, the steel used in Riley’s flintlock was rather different. While it still absorbed Ether like the glasses did, because it is significantly more durable, it is capable of withstanding more advanced applications of Ether: Conjuring. Even more special is that the spells can be fired from it without an incantation.

Of course, the drawback is that the power of the spells used are also cut in half, but the speed at which the spells can be used and the speed each spell travels more than make up for it, making it much more useful than ordinary incantationless Conjuring.

What Riley did was channel a healing spell through the barrel of the gun and shoot it at Blanch. The immediate effects made the surface wounds disappear. Fortunately, the surface wounds weren’t really deep.

However, internal wounds didn’t heal nearly as much. While the insides would slightly mend, it wouldn’t be enough to call the person healed. The spell itself was more like first aid.

Having finished dealing with Blanch, Riley holstered his gun and turned away. Riley and Edna left the building. Everyone who remained simply kept to where they were, still afraid to move.

Outside, as Riley and Edna walked in the direction of the castle, Edna gave back Riley’s glasses. As Riley put them on, he faced Edna. “Sorry about that, Edna. I know you don’t like seeing that side of me.”

“No… it’s okay. He had it coming.”

The two walked awkwardly down the road. Riley didn’t smile because he was aware that he scared Edna. Although it wasn’t very bad, she had slight post traumatic stress. Remembering those times when she saw her brother covered in the blood of their enemies, she trembled and closed her eyes, as if she were trying to push away those memories.

In fact, it was partly because of that that Riley asked her to stay in Caera. Even if she was strong enough to take care of herself, he didn’t want to put her at risk again. Rather, he didn’t want her to ever witness him nearly take someone’s life so brutally. If he was forced to do so in front of her, which she would inevitably have to see again, he was afraid that she would be permanently traumatized and may lose her soul after seeing death or near-death so often. It wasn’t worth the risk of exposing her to that environment.

Of course, there was another, more important reason that he didn’t want her to travel with him today…