“Ah, so Captain Kavier is testing the Lady Saintess’s composure? As expected of the Saintess, she doesn’t look panicked at all. She is much better than Rachel; I remember Rachel almost fainted from fear the first time she stepped onto a battlefield.”
Not far from Truth, a large group of Demon Hunters and soldiers were watching her, including Reg’s squad.
“Reg, I heard the Lady Saintess was your classmate before she took up her title. Can you tell us what she was like back then?” the old captain asked.
“Uh… just like she is now. There is no difference.”
‘Yes, just as good at putting on an act as she is now. She is so good at it that even the Goddess can’t see through her. It’s terrifying. There is absolutely no need for her to “hone her mindset” on a battlefield.’
Reg had been wondering if Truth was an Evil God or some kind of Undying Witch who had researched black magic for hundreds of years.
‘Forget it, I shouldn’t overthink this. I can’t escape anyway, so I might as well make the best of it. My current task is to quickly become a Junior Demon Hunter, and then I have to go to the Royal Capital for that Hero Selection.’
“Then your relationship must be pretty good, right? I heard you once got into a fight with some young master at the Academy gate for the Lady Saintess. So, tell me, did things progress any further between you two…”
The old captain gave Reg a knowing look. Reg quickly waved his hands, insisting he had no special connection with Truth and that they were just ordinary classmates.
Truthfully, if Reg had the choice, he would stay as far away from Truth as possible.
Although she provided many opportunities, the feeling of having his fate controlled by another was unbearable.
That was the very reason Reg had decided to run away from home in the first place.
Fortunately, Truth did not have a strong desire for control.
Aside from occasionally giving Reg a few “moderately difficult” tasks, she mostly left him to his own devices, and the rewards she provided were quite good.
A few minutes later, Truth and her companions slowly walked away under the gaze of the Demon Hunters.
Reg continued to follow the old captain to clean up the aftermath. Even now, many remnant demons were hiding in various corners.
Upon entering the demons’ urban gathering area, the old captain ordered everyone to draw their weapons and stay on high alert.
Although the area had been reduced to vast ruins by various siege engines, the demons would not simply come out and surrender.
“We are currently near a Shadow Demon habitat. The Holy Light Lanterns must remain lit at all times. Also, pay close attention to any large patches of shadow, otherwise — look out!”
Before the old captain could finish, a dark shadow leaped out from a pool of writhing black water.
It knocked aside the nearest Demon Hunter and immediately attached itself to another, attempting to strangle them.
Fortunately, Reg reacted quickly and smashed a Holy Light Lantern onto the victim, significantly restricting the Shadow Demon’s movements.
However, the demon did not stop its strangulation. The light from the lantern did not seem to hinder it much.
“It’s a 3rd-Rank Shadow Demon!” the old captain shouted.
Anything that could resist a Holy Light Lantern had to be at least 3rd-Rank!
The group immediately formed a battle formation to surround the 3rd-Rank Shadow Demon, while other nearby Demon Hunter squads rushed over to support them. Seeing this, the Shadow Demon expanded its form, attempting to seize Reg as a hostage. Reg fought back desperately.
“Huh? A 3rd-Rank Shadow Demon?”
In the distance, Kavier, who was leading Truth to the interrogation room, noticed the commotion.
He saw Reg holding a silver longsword, resisting the Shadow Demon’s three black claws.
The Direct Sword style, utilizing Attack Canceling, clashed repeatedly with the stiff yet incredibly light black claws.
“What strange sword techniques. Where did Reg learn that? It looks so bizarre. No wonder he said he had some unique insights into combat. He can actually hold off a Shadow Demon’s assault? It’s just a pity the gap in their strength is still too wide.”
Kavier evaluated the scene. Although Reg’s Shadow-taking Sword Style was extremely overpowered in low-rank combat, a 3rd-Rank Shadow Demon was not a common humanoid enemy.
Its three black claws could attack in alternation, completely overwhelming Reg in terms of attack frequency.
Combined with the absolute crushing difference in level, Reg quickly fell into a disadvantage.
Since the Shadow Demon already held one hostage, the surrounding Demon Hunters did not dare to charge forward.
Reg was stuck in a position where he could not win the fight, yet he could not escape either.
“Are you going to help?” Truth asked Kavier.
As a 5th-Rank Demon Hunter, crushing that Shadow Demon would be child’s play for him.
“Not yet. Everything is still under control. I want to see if Reg can break the deadlock himself. If his performance exceeds expectations, I might consider recommending him as your bodyguard. Lady Saintess, you are excellent, so only someone equally excellent is fit to be your bodyguard. He might not become a true Hero in the future, but serving as your bodyguard should be no problem.”
Given that Reg had been chosen as a Hero Candidate by the Goddess, possessed unique secret techniques, and already knew Truth, Kavier felt that if Reg did not become a Hero, being Truth’s bodyguard was the next best option.
Truth thought about it for a moment and decided Kavier had a point.
Instead of finding an unfamiliar bodyguard later, it would be better to just use Reg.
In the future, any unsavory tasks could be pushed onto him.
With a thought, Truth sent her voice into Reg’s mind through the Mark on his hand:
‘Smash a Holy Light Lantern onto your sword to counter the Shadow Demon.’
A Holy Light Lantern? Reg froze for a second. He instinctively glanced toward Truth in the distance and saw that she was watching him with a very calm expression.
‘Fine, since the boss has spoken, I’ll just do as she says!’
In the next second, Reg rolled across the ground, picked up a fallen Holy Light Lantern, and smashed it against the blade of his sword.
As the glass shattered, a fluorescent liquid — Holy Water — quickly coated the blade.
Ssss!
The 3rd-Rank Shadow Demon launched another attack. Reg immediately used Attack Canceling to parry.
The moment the demon’s black claws touched the Holy Water-coated blade, a pungent stench erupted along with thick black smoke.
The Shadow Demon let out a cry of pain.
Its claws were being corroded.
The silver longsword could normally only match the hardness of its claws, leaving only a few shallow scratches at most.
Initially, the light from the lantern could not suppress it much either.
But once the silver longsword was coated in Holy Water, everything changed.
As the Holy Water flowed along the cuts made by the silver longsword and into the Shadow Demon’s body, the creature felt a soul-piercing agony.
This immediately disrupted its focus.
Furthermore, with the inherent suppression effect of Holy Water on demons taking hold, the Shadow Demon’s movements were drastically slowed.
This gave the surrounding Demon Hunters the window they needed to act.
“Now!”
The old captain roared. The surrounding Demon Hunters fired silver crossbow bolts equipped with restraining ropes, preventing the Shadow Demon from turning back into a shadow.
Reg also used his continuous sword techniques to restrict the demon’s movements, preventing it from killing the hostage.
Once the Shadow Demon’s tentacles and three black claws were pinned down, Reg finally found an opportunity to rescue the trapped Demon Hunter.
With the hostage safe, four 3rd-Rank Demon Hunters charged forward without hesitation to put an end to the skirmish.
“He’s quite clever. He knew he could enchant his weapon with Holy Water and understood that Holy Water causes the most damage when introduced into a demon’s body rather than just applied to the surface. It seems Reg’s theoretical studies are very solid. Not only is he diligent, but he’s even self-studied knowledge beyond his current stage. Lessons on dealing with 3rd-Rank demons aren’t usually taught until one reaches the 3rd-Rank. He really is ambitious… Lady Saintess, what do you think?”
Kavier could not help but applaud Reg’s actions. To have the courage to act and the drive to improve — this guy’s future was truly limitless.
“I can’t tell. I’m not very interested in combat,” Truth replied casually, continuing her walk.
She implied she did not see anything particularly brilliant in Reg’s performance. Was this not just basic procedure?
From a Player’s PVE perspective, one should crush enemies of the same level, win steadily against those a few levels higher, and treat those a whole rank higher as just another boss fight.
Memorizing patterns was king. As long as one played perfectly, they could still win even with a ten-level deficit!
“Not interested in combat, huh… Well, everyone has their own specialty.” Kavier lamented Truth’s inability to appreciate Reg’s strengths.
He then gave a silent thumbs-up to Reg in the distance before catching up to her.
However, Reg did not feel proud. Instead, he was startled.
‘This is bad. Why is the old guy the only one acknowledging me while Truth hasn’t said a word? Did I not do well enough, and now she is disappointed? But that was the best I could do… Or maybe she isn’t blaming me, but my performance was so mediocre that she didn’t feel the need to say anything?’
‘Dammit, having to constantly second-guess the thoughts of powerful people is so exhausting!’ Reg sighed.
He figured she was probably just ignoring him because he was too weak…
“Get the wounded to the First Aid Station. The rest of you, continue forward! Stay alert!”
After hauling away the 3rd-Rank Shadow Demon’s corpse, the old captain continued to issue orders.
20 minutes later, at the headquarters in the rear of the battlefield, Truth was led by a soldier into a newly dug trench.
In the left corner of the trench, a small basement entrance was hidden.
“Lady Saintess, please go in. The specific demon you requested is being held inside. We have prepared all the interrogation tools, and I will stand guard at the door to ensure no one disturbs you!” the soldier said respectfully.
“Is only the demon I requested inside?”
“Yes, only that one. This interrogation room was just dug today. Everything is brand new!”
“That’s good.”
Truth nodded and walked into the interrogation room alone.
She had sent Tia away much earlier. These days, Tia seemed to believe that if she were not by Truth’s side for even a second, Truth would be kidnapped.
Fortunately, Truth had an excuse that Tia could neither refuse nor refute:
“This is a requirement from Master Hermit. I must interrogate that demon alone.”
“Master Hermit…” Upon hearing those two words, Tia had no choice but to give up.
She turned and went to find Annabelle, who was about to be placed in solitary confinement.
Tia was worried that Annabelle would be too bored during her confinement, so she planned to see if she could use her words to “reform” her.
Otherwise, seven days of confinement would be far too light a punishment!