Clyde successfully teleported to Antaur Town from Ferro by relying on the teleportation magic of the Ancient Demon Kings, bypassing Joyce Fortress where Viscount Aaron was stationed. It was uncertain if this teleportation magic was limited to existences above Demon Kings or whether each teleportation was limited in capacity and could only teleport one person. Otherwise, Clyde could directly teleport his troops here.
In Cook Hotel, the most luxurious hotel in Antaur Town, when Sky Knight Yani was about to break away from the nagging Baron Thomas, he impolitely blocked her way. This level of scoundrel didn’t reflect an aristocrat’s bearing. It lacked even a hint of noble air.
“Your Excellency Baron Thomas, please step aside! I want to return to Joyce Fortress!”
“Miss Yani, why are you returning so quickly? Stay here! Now, Joyce Fortress is the main frontline. It’s too dangerous for a lady to approach the frontlines, but it is very safe here!”
“You… What do you want to do? Don’t blame me for being rude.”
A frivolous smile appeared on Baron Thomas, and the guards beside him took out their weapons. These guards were usually overbearing bullies, no different from hired thugs. Upon seeing the situation turning for the worse, Miss Yani reached for her saber. However, her body suddenly swayed, and she nearly lost consciousness. Fortunately, she was able to support herself with her knight’s willpower.
“What’s wrong, Miss Yani? Are you feeling unwell? Let’s go to my place to rest!”
“You… when?”
“Miss Yani, then I’m afraid that I can only offend you.”
Cold sweat flowed down her. When she had reached to grab her weapon, she had discovered that her entire body was cold. If she remembered correctly, she had only stayed in Cook Hotel since arriving at Antaur Town, and she had only drunk water from the hotel. Could Baron Thomas have tampered with that water? The smoke rising in the direction of Joyce Fortress proved that it had suffered an attack. Now, she faced a dilemma. If she wanted to cross Aldington River, her flying mount was currently incapacitated, and she was unable to find a ferry. However, her route of retreat to Joyce Fortress was blocked by Baron Thomas, and looking at his frivolous smile, she would have a bad ending if she went to his mansion. Moreover, Yani didn’t have any strength currently; she was only a common weak girl with her strength sapped.
Even if Yani had successfully hid her poor state, Baron Thomas had already made plans in advance. As the owner of this Cook Hotel, he performed all kinds of unpresentable deals in secret using this resource. Baron Thomas had long made a secret agreement with those Dark Shamans.
Clyde heard the bystanders’ whispers. All secretly had sympathy for Miss Yani. According to their gossip, Baron Thomas regularly hunted ladies in Cook Hotel. This was a hotel he had opened, so he could do whatever he wanted. Looking at his skillful means, it clearly was not his first time hunting a noble lady.
“Miss Yani, you’re here! I came to pick you up!”
When Miss Yani was at her wits’ end, she heard Clyde’s voice. Wearing a complete standard armor set of Adrian Empire’s army, he had a helmet covering his face. Just like when he had helped Miss Anna, he was disguised as an escort guard. Baron Thomas turned sullen as he threateningly glared at this blind escort guard. In addition, at his signal, several of his guards blocked Clyde with fierce expressions.
“Brother, return to where you came from. Don’t disturb our Baron…”
“Get out of the way if you don’t want to die!”
Clyde ignored the guard blocking his way and swung his sword upward. When he sheathed his sword, that guard along with his armor was split into two pieces that collapsed to the ground. Afterward, as if nothing had happened, Clyde strolled past the corpse. With his terrifying strength and indifferent-to-death style resembling murderers who killed people like flies, he didn’t resemble a guard at all.
“You… What are you doing? This is my territory. You!”
“I just came to pick up a person. Miss Yani, come with me!”
Baron Thomas belonged to those who took advantage of good and feared evil. Confronting Clyde’s ferocious style, he didn’t dare to act rashly. Those guards around him could bully common people, but now, they were so scared that their panicked eyes darted around the room. They didn’t dare to even release a fart. After Clyde had killed a guard, the remaining guards were petrified in terror. They didn’t dare to move in fear of turning into the second ghost under Clyde’s sword.
Yani resisted the cold spreading over her body with difficulty, and her gaze rapidly jumped between Clyde and Thomas. When she had initially set out, she hadn’t brought any guards, so Clyde was obviously an imposter. To Yani, both Clyde and Thomas were dangerous people. One was a murderer and the other a lecher. Whoever she chose, there would be danger.
While Yani hesitated, an invisible power suddenly pushed her towards Clyde. However, from a spectator’s view, Yani had chosen Clyde. In fact, this was the handiwork of Ancient Demon King Tinas. She had forcibly controlled Yani’s body.
After seeing this scene, the Baron’s complexion turned cloudy since he couldn’t find any reason to prevent Yani and Clyde. A lady returning with her escort didn’t seem inappropriate. Still, he hoped that those hiding Dark Shamans would help him by attacking Clyde, but he didn’t see any movements from them even after waiting awhile.
Ancient Demon King Tinas’s demonic soul had already sealed those concealed Dark Shamans using a secret magic. Trapped in a stasis, they didn’t know what was happening. When Clyde grabbed Yani’s hand, he discovered she was unusually cold, but he slyly pretended to notice nothing and led her out of Cook Hotel.
“Who exactly are you?”
“Miss Yani, be quiet. I will tell you the truth once we are out of Antaur Town.”
Yani asked after Clyde’s identity in a low voice; she wanted to determine his purpose. Nevertheless, Clyde temporarily left her in the dark. In certain aspects, Clyde and Baron Thomas could be regarded as kindred spirits, merely their hunting methods were very different.
“Damn it! That fellow actually robbed a prey I liked. You all, assemble all the soldiers and pursue them! Capture the pair, and bring them back for me.”
“We will obey your command, Your Excellency Baron Thomas.”
Baron Thomas didn’t show any anger until after Clyde and Miss Yani had already left. He was so angry that he banged a table and ordered to gather all the troops in Antaur Town, intending to prioritize intercepting Clyde and Miss Yani. Clyde was clearly very fierce, so he had lacked the confidence to deal with him with only a couple of guards. Thus, as soon as Clyde had left, he immediately summoned his troops to capture Clyde and Yani.
The special effects of the mysterious drug Miss Yani had taken were about to flare up. If by chance, Miss Yani were not retrieved before then, the one to obtain a cheap advantage would likely be Clyde. For Baron Thomas, this was not only losing a ‘thoroughly cooked duck,’ but also giving a dowry for another. Thinking this, Baron Thomas was so angry that his face twisted; he was dying to capture Miss Yani and Clyde now. His current expression resembled nothing of his previous terrified expression.
With Clyde’s terrifying strength, he didn’t fear any dirty tricks Baron Thomas might adopt. However, Clyde being ambivalent didn’t mean that the people around Clyde didn’t care. Ancient Demon King Tinas was always worrying about not getting the chance to display her power. She hoped to render meritorious services so that Clyde would help her obtain a new body. Currently, Clyde already had Andrisno who was also an Ancient Demon King. He didn’t lack for a female Demon King. If she wished to display her worth, this was her only chance.
“These lowly humans actually want to plot against Lord Clyde! They must be punished.”
Tinas quickly floated towards the northwest of Antaur Town where a graveyard was. Even if an Ancient Demon King lacked a body and was only a demonic soul, as long as there were a graveyard, the Demon King could turn it into a dark base. Now, Clyde’s attention was focused on Yani, so he didn’t notice her arbitrary actions. Still, Tinas regarded it as his tacit consent.
After a few steps, Yani couldn’t move, her entire body frozen. Therefore, Clyde carried her in a princess-carry style. This method was very natural for him since it was not the first time he had done so. As for Yani, she didn’t have the strength to fuss about Clyde’s actions that were not in line with noble etiquette. After she had grown up, not even her big brother Viscount Aaron had ever carried her, but now, she was being carried by a man of unidentified origins. This subtle feeling made her embarrassed, and she didn’t know what to say to break the silence between them.
“Can you send me back to Joyce Fortress? Viscount Aaron will definitely reward you!”
“Weren’t you going to find Earl Winissa?”
“No, there was shaking and smoke in the fortress’s direction. I’m worried about my Big Brother Aaron.”
“Yani, you’ll be of no help in your current state; moreover, you might distract Viscount Aaron. If you truly want to help, you should recover first. That way, he won’t worry about your wellbeing.”
Over at Joyce Fortress, Steinbeck Fief’s army had already launched an attack under Princess Natalie’s command. Now, the two sides were locked in an intense battle, so it was not the right time to bring her back. Clyde planned to first find a suitable place for Miss Yani and deal with her abnormal condition.
Clyde suddenly discovered that his attendant, Ancient Demon King Tinas, had disappeared without a trace and then heard faint wails from the graveyard in northwest of Antaur Town. It was still daytime. A graveyard being haunted in the daytime was not something common. Tinas had already acted without Clyde’s knowledge. Under her secret influence, the Undead could ignore the daylight’s suppression of the daytime and act beneath the sun.
