Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 143: The Mysterious Demi-human
Xi Wei was stunned by Hofths’ betrayal.
Vaguely, he saw a shadow of Alence in Hofths.
How could Hofths, a handsome man in his fifties, be involved with the mother of the Andor King? The Andor King was already 173 years old!
“Hofths… you… you…”
Nelson knelt on the ground, clutching his waist in pain. He and Hofths had worked together for over ten years. While they weren’t close, they were still colleagues.
Nelson had never expected such a backstab.
Even when casting his magic, he hadn’t been wary of Hofths. The elemental concentration of his shield was mainly focused on the direction of the enemy’s attack.
To block the enemy’s assault.
He had stacked over three hundred layers!
All for nothing!
Hofths pursed his lips, a flicker of pain and guilt flashing in his eyes.
Then, he swung his longsword and with a “swish,” it plunged into Nelson’s right kidney.
“Ugh…”
Nelson’s eye twitched. His entire face contorted in extreme agony.
He glared venomously at Hofths.
Just as he was about to curse and expose Hofths’ secrets, he suddenly felt a whirlwind of Qi erupt from the longsword embedded in his body, violently twisting inside him.
He spat out a mouthful of blood. His internal organs were pulverized, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to speak another word.
Hofths pulled out his longsword, swiftly beheaded Nelson, and holding the head with both hands, respectfully presented it to Xi Wei.
“This man was named Nelson, formerly the deputy leader of a rather obscure Wild Mage Regiment in the Saint Ellis Empire on the South Continent.”
“To achieve promotion to a Source Mage, he employed a wicked sacrifice ritual, slaughtering innocent citizens of an entire city.”
“Such an unforgivable person is my pledge of allegiance to you, my Lord.”
“As for the matter between me and the Andor King’s mother, I swear it was true love.”
Hofths dropped his longsword to the ground with a clang, speaking with such conviction that tears streamed down his face.
Xi Wei smacked his lips, feeling a sliver of sympathy for this fiercely devoted man.
Seeing the shifting emotions in the mysterious man’s eyes, Hofths, thinking Xi Wei was contemplating how to kill him, quickly bowed his head:
“My Lord, I am willing to join the Church of Light!”
“In truth, I have believed in Holy Light since childhood. I prefer to be in bright places.”
His gaze was devout, tears welled in his eyes, and his bright orbs fixed on Xi Wei.
“During my time at the Knight Academy, I was recognized as a model knight every year!”
“After joining the Royal Knight Order, I was always willing to help others and treated my subordinates with respect, considering every soldier as my brother.”
“I was awarded ‘Best Border General’ every year!”
“The reason I fell in love with the King’s mother is because she is one of the few lights in my life!”
Upon hearing this, not only Xi Wei but also Gabriel behind him was dumbfounded. They had encountered thick-skinned people before, but never someone this brazen.
Xi Wei scanned Hofths’ seemingly simple, square face for a moment.
He ultimately decided to accept him.
A Champion Knight as a subordinate was too good to pass up.
“Ahem… Your repentance is sincere. However, I am not from the Church of Light. I am the King of the Winter Kingdom, and I accept your allegiance.”
“But before we return to the Winter Kingdom, I hope you will seal your Qi sources yourself.”
As soon as Xi Wei finished speaking, Hofths acted without a second word.
He controlled his Qi and retracted it back into his three Qi sources.
With a faint “poof,” his three Qi sources completely closed.
His imposing aura weakened, making him appear like a strong, ordinary warrior.
Xi Wei was momentarily silenced by Hofths’ swift actions. The words he had planned to use as a threat were choked back.
“Eat this.”
Xi Wei produced a Psyche Seed and handed it to Hofths.
Hofths’ actions remained prompt.
Without even looking at it or asking what it was, he directly popped it into his mouth and swallowed it.
Xi Wei: (ー_ー)!!
Since Hofths was so cooperative, Xi Wei had nothing more to say. He first freed Connie from her vine cage and then collected the inheritance of the two Source Mages.
“My Lord, oh no, Your Majesty, do you want my sword? And my armor? They are both top-tier Pseudo-Heroic items.”
“I also have a lot of gold coins… Oh, and I still have seven or eight properties in Andor, if you…”
“Silence!”
Xi Wei waved his hand impatiently.
Seeing Hofths’ fawning demeanor, he no longer resembled a Champion Knight.
However, given his success with the Andor King’s mother, being thick-skinned was understandable.
“Keep your junk. I don’t want anything. Just give me the things you transported from the Kolon Empire last time.”
“No problem, Your Majesty!” Hofths nodded repeatedly, sticking close behind Xi Wei.
“Are you referring to the Kolon King’s inheritance? And those divine artifacts?”
“Rest assured, they are all well-preserved!”
“Especially the King’s Heroic-grade armor. I polish it every night, afraid to even wear it myself. As for the divine artifacts, oh my, just looking at them is a pleasure…”
“There’s a clock among them. Guess what? It can actually pause time!”
“Although the space it affects is very small, only two cubic meters, back then, if that person and I had had this divine artifact, we could have unlocked many more possibilities…”
Hofths led the way, chattering incessantly.
Xi Wei followed behind, his temple twitching, gripping the hilt of his sword.
Even Connie and Gabriel’s eyes held killing intent.
Perhaps it would be better to just kill this fellow!
As Xi Wei weighed the pros and cons, they finally arrived at the Demon City’s treasure vault. The dazzling array of equipment and gold before them immediately dispelled Xi Wei’s dissatisfaction.
Everything here was now his.
Loot it all! Take it away!
Carry it all back to the Winter Kingdom!
…
Meanwhile.
At Winter Fort.
Lori and Ruo Yi had returned two days prior.
The two Orc princes had fought fiercely.
Finally, even the Beast King and several high priests from the Beastmen royal courts were drawn in.
Fortunately, the restless Foreign soldiers were restrained by the composed Ruo Yi.
Otherwise, wouldn’t they have just thrown their lives away?
Even if they had died, what if it was revealed that these supplies were stolen by their Winter Kingdom? The hot-tempered Beast King would undoubtedly attack the Winter Kingdom without hesitation.
“It’s been four days since I last saw Master…”
Lori lay on Xi Wei’s bed in his room, sniffing the scent of Xi Wei that lingered in the air. Her watery eyes were filled with longing and affection.
“I wonder if Master has encountered any trouble… He probably hasn’t…”
Lori murmured to herself.
In the past few days, she had felt at ease, without any heart-stopping premonitions. She had a feeling that Xi Wei’s current operation in the Demon City was going very smoothly.
But even so.
Her heart felt empty.
He had promised to always take her with him.
Hmph! Master is a big liar!
Lori pouted her tender lips and playfully hit the pillow, as if it were Xi Wei.
Sniffing Xi Wei’s scent on the bedsheets, Lori couldn’t help but recall Xi Wei’s usual mischievous demeanor.
She remembered their moments together in this room.
A blush crept onto her pretty face.
Her body temperature began to rise.
Her slender, fair legs crossed, accidentally trapping the pillow she had tossed aside.
“Master~ Lori misses you…”
A sweet, soft voice came from the large bed as the little maid hugged the covers, as if they had transformed into Xi Wei’s form.
“Lori! Lori?”
Ruo Yi’s voice came from the hallway outside the door.
With a “bang,” the door was pushed open.
Lori cried out in surprise and shyly covered herself with the quilt, leaving only the tip of her tail exposed and twitching restlessly.
“Ermmm…”
Ruo Yi immediately understood.
Clearing her throat, her gaze swept over the scattered clothes on the bed. She pretended not to know anything and said, “Lori, the guards in Winter City have captured a slave trader.”
“This slave trader also has a demi-human girl with him, whose identity seems to be related to the demi-human royalty…”
“In any case, let’s go take a look together.”
