“I met a young man that needs your help. He’s called Silvester. He told me he doesn’t mind being part of your guard to pay for your time. It should be good for both, don’t you think?” he said one day.

I didn’t harbor much hope, but I could give him a test later. “What does he want?”

“I suggested him to be a Merchant, and I thought you could help him start on the road,” he said with a smile.

I tilted my head in confusion.

“You suggested someone with a Warrior Class to become a Merchant?” I asked, trying to comprehend.

Markus shook his head.

“No. He claims to be Classless. He’s searching for a job, but he’s having a hard time finding one. I thought being a Merchant was a good option,” he explained.

Is he serious? I thought, looking at Markus. Leaving being a Merchant aside, how would an unblessed be a good fighter?

Then, just as I was about to refuse, I remembered the name. Silvester “The Heathen”, the gladiator in the capital who refused to get a Class.

I hastily gave an excuse to Markus to stall for time and began to investigate.

The results were surprising.

His liberation, his bounty, being here, the changed appearance, and his prowess in the Explorer Guild cages. He wasn’t living a quiet life, that’s for sure.

I also remembered that when he fought in the arena, he hadn’t been so strong; it gave some credibility to the claim of him being a heretic. His behavior in the city seemed to point to the contrary, though. Heathens were madmen, but even they weren’t so reckless to wander around spreading their name and attracting attention. They were usually discreet until they acted.

I had to meet him and verify. If he was still Classless, as he was before, he’d be the man I need, otherwise, it was better to remove someone so dangerous from the city as soon as possible. One heathen meant people sacrificed, and, if he somehow started a cult, the city itself would be in peril.

I was slightly nervous when I let him inside, on the day of our appointment.

When he entered, I quickly assessed him. A Skill fortified my mind, and as I talked, I observed his behavior with another one.

He was taller than me by at least half a head, and his muscles were impressive. His face wasn’t too bad without the scars; I wouldn’t have called him handsome, but he had that masculine face that some ladies preferred. His dark brown hair wasn’t too long, and he kept his beard short.

There was also a slight air of danger surrounding him that made the smirk he constantly wore look intimidating.

I saw him quickly looking around the room in wonder when he came inside. It was almost funny to see such an imposing man wear such a blatantly curious and innocent look.

Completely different was how he looked at people.

When his eyes landed on me, I felt like he was dissecting every movement and expression I made. It was an intense and eerie gaze. It seemed like a habit more than something he was doing consciously.

Contrary to the information I had, he seemed confident, but not overly boastful, and he also patiently waited as I told my story. It felt like that while he was interested in my tale he’d rather be done with the business he came for; it wouldn’t have been too obvious if I hadn’t used my Skill, though, so I could tell he made an effort to be polite.

Nothing seemed to indicate he was a heathen. Dangerous, yes, but not a madman. Maybe he was better than me at hiding his feelings, but I doubted.

Overall, he made a good first impression, if I didn’t look at his clothes.

After I observed him while we chatted, Joshua came in at just the right time. He was listening from the adjacent room, to ensure nothing would happen, but I told him to come in after some time passed.

Since he didn’t seem to be a follower of the evil gods, I decided to tell him we were aware of the bounty on his head, so it was better that my guard sat right beside me. Some men could react impulsively in some circumstances, and I didn’t want any risk with someone used to kill.

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t know about his bounty. I observed while he shifted from surprise to anger. I couldn’t blame him, considering his situation.

Since I expected this, though, I already found a solution, and I told him.

Nothing would have prepared me for what happened after. The sheer terror I felt at that moment would have made any previous preparation useless.

It was the first time in my life I felt so scared. Not even my mind resistance Skill helped.

After he stopped, I had to end the meeting early, since my mind was in a complete mess. The only thing I could do was try to maintain a straight face while he went out.

As the door closed behind him, I sat down on the sofa, waiting for my heartbeat to slowly calm down. Bringing a hand to my forehead, I belatedly noticed I was sweating like crazy.

By the time Joshua came back, after taking him out, I had regained a semblance of calm.

“Are you okay, Maximus?” he asked as he entered the room.

“Better now,” I said with my eyes closed, still resting my head on the back of the sofa. “This is not something I should be doing at my age.”

“Your sons wouldn’t have handled it as well as you. It’s a miracle you didn’t pass out.”

I heard him walk and sit on the sofa in front of me.

“What was that?” I asked, opening my eyes to look at him. He had an unusually somber face.

“It was something like Killing Intent, I believe,” he answered. “An incredibly powerful one. You’d need something like Fear Resistance or other specific Skills to counter it adequately. It was hard even for me.”

“Did he want to kill me?” It wasn’t the first time someone aimed at my life, but this was different — it was something I felt down to my bones. It was like standing in front of a beast ready to rip me to shreds. Just the memory was enough to make me tremble.

“No, it wasn’t aimed at us,” said Joshua, shaking his head. “It would have been much worse otherwise.”

I gulped. I couldn’t imagine something more terrifying.

“It also wasn’t the Killing Intent Skill,” he continued. “I faced opponents with that Skill a few times, but there was a difference. His resembles more the aura a Beast King releases during a fight. I participated in the subjugation of one when I was younger and, despite how long ago it was, I still remember it well. I’m sure I’m not mistaken.”

“I assume that thinking of him as something like a Beast King makes sense. I can’t think of any other explanation for his strength otherwise,” I said, looking at the bloody shards of glass on the table.

Joshua nodded. “I also don’t think he did it on purpose. It seems like he isn’t aware of what he did.”

That put my mind more at ease. It was also concerning how he was walking around without knowing he could accidentally harm people if he lost his cool, but that could be addressed later.

“Good, if he’s not a heathen then he can be useful,” I said.

I just had to make sure not to mention the church and blessings. I didn’t want to experience that again.

Without losing any time, I asked Markus to send a message to Silvester. I knew where he lived after my investigations, but he could take it as if I was keeping him under surveillance, so it was better to go through a common friend. I also didn’t want to waste time, since I wasn’t sure if he’d do something harsh if I waited too long.

During our second meeting, things went quite well. I met his lady companion, who didn’t seem too comfortable with the place, and he accepted my proposal to fight in the arena.

Now I only had to prepare a satisfying contract and solve that headache with the church.

I still had no idea how to go about it, but at worst I could create a new identity for him. I’d still make an effort to cancel the bounty, but it wasn’t the only option. It was already hard to recognize him from the wanted poster, and with a new identity, it would be almost impossible to link him with his past self.

Though, I think that most of the difference could be made by changing clothes.

That should be one of the first things we should address.