Chapter 68: Bullying a Naive Little Girl

“How dare you!”

“Impudent!”

The two remaining black-robed girls jumped up from their chairs like cats with their tails stepped on, their blood-red eyes wide with fury.

One of them, a blue-haired Purge Knight, pointed sharply at Astreia’s nose, her voice shrill and grating.

“How dare you lay a hand on Bishop Dororis! This is a blatant desecration of the entire Church!”

She took a deep breath, forcing her voice to sound more threatening.

“I hereby warn you in the name of the Purge Knights! Immediately, at once! Return Bishop Dororis and kneel down to repent your sins! Or else…”

“Or else what?”

Wendy stepped forward slowly, a playful gleam flickering in his peach blossom eyes, as if watching a farcical drama unfold.

The blue-haired girl’s heart skipped a beat under his gaze, but she still held her neck stiffly and shouted fiercely, “Or else, I will have all of you tied to the fire stake!”

The moment her words fell,

the entire council chamber fell into an eerie silence.

The officers of Sunset Fortress were burning with rage, and General Sera’s one-eyed glare was filled with murderous intent.

Even Layana Klein, who had been sitting gracefully all along, slowly set down her teacup, her sharp gaze fixed on Wendy.

Then—

“Pfft…”

Wendy suddenly laughed.

His laughter was soft, clear, and bell-like, yet it sent a chill crawling down everyone’s spines.

“Hahaha… The fire stake?”

Wendy laughed as he shook his head slowly, wearing an expression as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.

“Little sister, I wonder if you have some misunderstanding about the word ‘threat’?”

The blue-haired Purge Knight felt a cold shiver run through her, but she kept her tone defiant: “Of course I know! A threat is—”

“No, you don’t.”

His smile vanished instantly, the warmth and laziness in his expression replaced by a chilling coldness and indifference.

“A real threat isn’t just shouting ‘Kill them!’ to comfort your comrades and yourself. That’s no different from a rabid dog!”

The prince leaned down slightly, close enough to whisper into the blue-haired Purge Knight’s ear, his voice like a demon’s hiss, audible only to the two of them.

“I heard that promotion among Purge Knights depends entirely on their achievements in purification, right?” The girl’s pupils contracted sharply.

“What if… I mean, what if tomorrow morning, a hundred mutilated bodies, ‘purified’ in the slums, suddenly appeared—and all the clues pointed to you?”

“Tell me, those furious citizens—will they believe you, the foreign ‘Justice Envoys,’ or will they trust me, Prince Wendy, who completely annihilated the Orcs and protected the kingdom?”

“At that point, will you be tied to the fire stake as madmen who indiscriminately slaughter innocents, or secretly executed by the Church to appease the outrage?”

Wendy straightened up, putting back on his harmless, easygoing smile as if nothing had happened.

“So? Do you now understand what a real threat is?”

With that,

“Thud!”

The blue-haired Purge Knight’s legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the ground.

The other Purge Knight wasn’t faring much better; she stumbled backward, knocking over a chair behind her.

They had seen blood, death, and had even personally caused deaths.

But this kind of killing without a trace of blood—destroying you through rules and the human heart itself—awoke a deep, soul-level fear within them.

This man… was a demon!

A demon cloaked in human skin!

“I… we… take our leave!”

The blue-haired knight on the floor scrambled up with trembling limbs, dragging her companion away, fleeing from the council chamber in panic, not even bothering to pick up the fallen silver Cross.

Wendy stood where he was, not even glancing at them, only bending down to pick up the cold silver Cross, flicking it elegantly between his fingers.

The entire motion was fluid and effortless.

In the council chamber, not even a pin could be heard dropping.

General Sera and the officers looked at Wendy with a respect that had shifted from initial admiration to deep awe.

Meanwhile, silent until now, Laxana Klein’s violet eyes glittered with something new—she realized for the first time that this seemingly fragile man concealed such a terrifying side.

***

Outside Sunset Fortress, by the moat.

Dororis sat on the bank, soaked through, shivering like a drowned rat.

Her splendid black robes clung miserably to her drenched body.

Her youthful face was full of anger and unwillingness.

“Damn it! Damn it!”

She ground her teeth, muttering to herself.

“How dare they humiliate me like this! I will make them pay!”

At that moment, two figures hurried over.

It was the two Purge Knights.

“Bishop! Are you all right?”

The blue-haired Purge Knight rushed forward to support her, still trembling from moments before.

“All right? How could I possibly be all right!”

Dororis angrily shook off her hand.

“That bunch of bastards! Especially that prince! How dare he throw me into the river! This is a provocation against the Church! I want—”

“Bishop!”

The blue-haired Purge Knight interrupted, her face still pale.

“We… we should leave here immediately.”

“Leave? Why leave?”

Dororis looked at her in confusion.

“Are you afraid of those savages?”

The two Purge Knights exchanged a glance and saw the fear reflected in each other’s eyes.

“Bishop, that prince… is not sane.”

The blue-haired Purge Knight swallowed nervously, her voice trembling.

“The things he said just now… that killing intent… it’s no joke.”

She recounted Wendy’s terrifying threat word for word to Dororis.

As the story unfolded, Dororis’s complexion gradually paled.

She recalled the rumors about this prince.

How he had helped Astreia completely annihilate over a hundred thousand Orc soldiers.

How, faced with her bribery and provocations, he had immediately thrown her into the river without hesitation.

And now that murderous threat…

“This man…”

Dororis murmured, her anger slowly replaced by fear.

“This man is absolutely not to be trifled with!”

She trembled as she stood, her soaked black robe looking especially miserable under the setting sun.

“We leave! Right now!”

***

Inside the council chamber.

After sending off those noisy little troubles, the atmosphere immediately lightened.

Wendy turned around and looked at the remaining mages still seated, his face blooming with a gentle, springlike smile again.

“Sorry to have embarrassed you all.”

“Just bullying a few mentally unstable little girls—I hope it hasn’t affected your mood.”

Compared to the Church’s mad dogs, the Mage Association’s members were clearly more rational.

Besides, these people wielded true knowledge and power, making them worth befriending.

“Kara.”

Wendy casually tossed the Cross aside and turned back to give orders.

“Go have the kitchen prepare the best pastries and hot tea to properly entertain our honored guests.”

“Yes, yes! Your Highness!”

Kara snapped to attention, hurrying away so quickly her footsteps nearly floated.

The leading noblewoman set down her teacup gracefully, a flicker of admiration shining in her violet eyes.

“I’ve long heard of Prince Wendy’s reputation. Seeing you today, it’s clear you more than live up to the name.”

She stood slowly, adopting a poised stance to perform the mage’s salute.

“I am Layana Klein, Chief Court Mage of the Valoran Kingdom, President of the Mage Association, also known as the Demon Slayer.”