“Let me go! Hey!” Rona howled.

“Shut up criminal scum! I’ll gut you if you speak another word!” The knight threatened Rona.

Rona, Big Joe and the others got arrested and tied up. The knight who was handling Rona held Rona’s neck as you can imagine, he wasn’t gentle. He gripped his hands on her neck pinning her to the ground and her face was on the dirt floor.

The knight in front of her kicked her stomach as many times as he wanted, Rona groaned in pain, and no one batted an eye. Big Joe was just watching her getting beat up, he was angry but he couldn’t do anything as he was tied up with mithril chains. Beastmen like Big Joe were strong, normal iron chains couldn’t hold them, so he was tied with a much more special type of metal.

Big Joe wanted to help Rona, but he got him thinking she was the one in the first place who had him in this situation, by following the creepy client. It was supposed to be a one time job, kidnap children then receive gold then that’s it. But Rona decided to follow him because of the gold, she thought that if they followed him they would have a lot of gold and can live in luxury in a lifetime.

“Stop it. You idiots are abusing them again, this is why they won’t change because of you bastards.” Rudolf sighed.

“But sir we have to teach these bastards a lesson!”

The trio had gone up, while the crowd gossiped, gathering like it was some kind of festival. The knights shooed them away.

Rudolf pointed towards Big Joe, he turned his head down, he was shivering afraid of being recognized by Rudolf.

“How about you beat this big guy first? And not the women! I’m pretty sure this big guy is a better punching bag than a delicate woman!” He sighed again.

Rudolf walked towards the knight and ordered him to stop pinning down the catwoman. Rudolf sat and smiled at Rona. Rona shivered as she was the one who took Ezekill, she avoided eye contact. Minutes later Rudolf stood up and walked away, in his thought it's normal for criminals to be afraid of him but he also knew that she was the shadow figure who took Ezekill. He didn’t forgive them.

She's still a criminal but he knew that mortals are the scummiest on this planet so she wasn’t different from other scums. Rudolf wasn’t high on revenge on other mortals, it was just not his thing they would still be judged by the law though.

He now knew deep inside the machinations who ran the kidnapping on Esron was that Nightmare. Two years the knights tried to pin down the headquarters. Him and the whole knights thought it was the adventurers who ran the scheme, he thought that’s why they didn’t manage to find the headquarters because their Branch Guildmaster was Salvie, a very elusive trickster, a Beastmen and most of the criminals who was part of the kidnapping scheme was beastmen.

He was in deep thoughts, it was wrong of them to accuse the entire Beastmen who lived in Esron. He needed to write an apology, he thought.

Gunther and Hansel approached Rudolf.

“Rud, what shall we do? That thing got away.” Gunther asked.

“Hansel and his order will hunt that Nightmare down as always.” Rudolf replied.

“Yes, I will destroy that Shade for your sake Rudolf.”

“No you destroy it because it’s your job Hansel.”

“But also for your sake, your son got targeted by that Shade.”

“Yes you’re right, it will give me some peace of mind if that thing got destroyed but don’t forget it’s your duty as a paladin.”

“Man Rud, you’re really hella boring you know, always yapping protocols, duties, blah blah blah.”

“And you’re supposed to be a damn knight, why are you so carefree Gunther?”

Not this shit again, Hansel thought.

For a few minutes they argued.

Rona and Big Joe overheard the conversation.

“What? Nightmares? I thought Nightmares were a fairytale,I only read about them in books.” Rona murmured

“I knew it, I find the guy hella creepy, thank goodness our soul wasn’t eaten!” Big Joe said.

The prison wagons arrived, the wagons was made out of sturdy crimson wood, iron barred windows, and iron doors.

“Come on, in a straight line now.”

The knights appraised the stats of the criminals one by one, and segregated them based on their stats.

The knights moved them inside the wagon, and escorted them to the fortress dungeon where they kept criminals before their judgement.

Ezekill was now a three years old boy, time quickly passed by. Fortunately no more incidents happened in the past two years.

Sofia unlocked her Aura Mastery, after two years of training her blood and sweat paid off. She shone in bright white light, whilst holding her blunted steel training shortsword, sweat dripped in her neck, her wet soft, supple white tunic revealed her petite young body as it contoured around her body. She dropped her training shortsword.

Yui and Ezekill observed Sofia, Sofia took a rock and released her aura as her father instructed. Rudolf didn’t see any changes on the rock. He instructed to put some pressure on the rock, Sofia complied and gripped the rock. The rock cracked.

“Ohhhhhh, Sofia, try focusing on reinforcing your arms.” Rudolf said.

She nodded, she did what her father told her. She focused, releasing her aura and strengthening her right arm. The rock crumbled. Sofia’s eyes widened, a joy was seen in her eyes.

“Congratulations! Sofia you’re an Augmentor just like Dad!” Rudolf proudly howled.

“Really!? Yay!” She jumped with joy.

Ezekill observed Sofia’s stats

[Sofia Raylight]

[Stats]

Level: 1

EXP: 500/1000

HP: 120/120

MP: 120/120

SP: 200/200

Sta: 75/100

[Attribute Points: 6]

STR: 13

AGI: 15

Cons: 10

Endurance: 10

Wis: 10

Int: 10

[NO MAGIC DETECTED]

[Abilities]

Aura Mastery: Arm Augmentation.(NEW)

[Skills]

Combat: Shortsword proficiency.

Labor: Gardening, Sewing.

[PASSIVES]

Normal Arcane Core.

White Aura Mastery.

All of those training, she only gained half experience points to level up. I guess killing is the only way to level up faster. He thought.

“Dad, can we have our turn now?” Ezekill asked.

“Hmmm okay okay it’s your turn. And please refrain from using big magic.”

“Sofia, it's time to rest. I’m also starving.” Rudolf added and he giggled.

“Okay daddy! Coming!” Sofia replied.

Yui wasn’t just Ezekill’s maid but also his training partner, until he reached the right age to go to magic academy. Rudolf recognized his son that he was a prodigy in magic. Rather than wasting it he decided to make Yui as his training partner.

“Are you ready master?” Yui smiled.

“Yes Yui, I’m ready.”

“Here I go, Ice field.”

A giant snowflake appeared below her.

She’s in a defensive position. She also cast Cold Aegis on herself, a light blue hue magic circles appeared on her, the magic circles traveled up to her head, and down to her feet. A transparent blue aura manifested.

“You shouldn’t underestimate defense magic, master.” Yui replied while preparing another magic.

“It’s not my style to stand still in a fight Yui, I find that logic stupid.” Ezekill replied.

“Deploying a defensive field but sacrificing your mobility, it’s like asking to get hit. Like this Yui.” Ezekill talked while he cast magic.

Light Bullets fired from his magic circle, another magic circle appeared on Ezekill’s hands, he solidified the light and turned it into shortsword.

Yui reacted by casting Ice Shield. A giant chunk wall of Ice appeared below the sky blue magic circle, she was blocking the Light Bullets. It hit and exploded, few dents were visible. Ezekill cast another magic on his free hand, Refraction Ray. The light hits the crystalized ground and bounced towards the wall of ice, it penetrated and zoomed towards Yui, Ezekill deliberately changed the path of the light so Yui won’t get hurt.

“Yui I have so many advantages against you, it’s not fair. And I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Our sparring always ends up like this, the last time you got hurt.” He added.

“Are you saying that I’m not a worthy opponent, master?” She pouted.

“No that’s not what I meant, you’re pretty strong Yui but I’m a mage who uses light magic, photons can easily penetrate ice. Especially light that I can control.”

Please don’t cry! Shit I haven’t talked to a sad woman in a while now! I don’t know how to consult her. He screamed inside.

[AUTOSAVED]

Fuck why did you save when she’s crying! This is why I hate autosaves! He screamed again.

[You didn’t save for this past month, you don’t want to waste the precious bond you made with Yui do you?]

Stop talking back please just don’t. He replied in his thoughts.

“Uhhh lets start again Yui.” He said to Yui.

“Okay master.” A sadness can be seen in her eyes.

I should let her hit so she won’t feel bad. He thought.

“Here I go, master!” Yui cast frost lance.

A huge lance flew from her hands, while Yui thought her master could easily dodge it but Ezekill decided not to. Then the lance hit his forehead and severed it. One hit.

[YOU DIED]