25 They are lunatics! Lunatics I say!!! (1/2)

The inside of the hall had been dim and gloomy, but now that there was a huge hole in the ceiling and that warm light descended upon Thorn and company, the hall was a lot brighter.

Rose's party stood a few dozens of meters away from Arnold Alch's gang.

Thorn wasn't surprised to see Arnold Alch, Captain Fou Tre, and the knights because he had seen them through his wind a little early. Rose and Cure Song, however, were flabbergasted, they couldn't pinpoint the reason for such lofty individuals to kidnap normal civilians.

In Thorn's arms, Caroline Darrel looked over at her family and was so happy to see them alive that tears of joy flowed down her face.

The Basic Build cultivators heaved a sigh of relief after making sure the intruders didn't represent a threat to them.

Lois Cae even giggled, her breasts slightly bouncing. \”Hehehe… Oh, little Thorn, you really think you can defeat us? Could it be that you have accidentally filled your head with air? Hehehe…\”

Thorn placed Caroline Darrel on the floor, stepped forward, and prepared himself to do violent battle.

Cure Song didn't stay idle either, he skillfully took his heavy armor off and revealed his powerful muscles and white skin. Now, the only clothing that could be seen on his body was his black shorts. On each of the both sides of the shorts, there was a silver Ryyk Blade. After grabbing the hilts of his weapons, he looked ready to dart into battle at any given moment.

Off to the side, cold sweat appeared on Rose's forehead. (This is bad, really bad. Even though we would have enough problems just from facing enemies with higher cultivation, they outnumber us and we have to protect these many civilians; not to mention we don't have experience fighting as a team, but our opponents surely have…)

The fight was about to erupt when all of a sudden, Arnold Alch shouted: \”Wait! Wait! Wait! W-we can solve this in a pacific way, can't we?!\”

All gazes settled on Arnold Alch, seeking further explanation.

Arnold Alch got nervous and embarrassed after being stared by Thorn in such a context. \”S-since you were carrying that little gorgon with you, it should be correct to assume that all of you were contracted to rescue the civilians, am I right?\”

\”That's exactly what happened.\” Expressionless, Thorn nodded.

Arnold Alch cleared his throat and continued: \”Then, wouldn't it be simpler if your party and the civilians promise that you won't tell anyone what happened here nor would you interfere with our business in the future? That way we could promise that we'll let you go and won't pursue the matter any further.\”

Arnold Alch's offer surprised all of them, but then, the people who were present in the tournament yesterday remembered how much love Arnold Alch had shown toward Thorn, and this caused odd expressions to appear on their faces.

Thorn and Rose contemplated the matter for an instant and reached the same conclusion: (Fair enough.) They weren't heroes, but pragmatic bastards. Killing Arnold Alch and company wouldn't be easy, and if they could end the job without wasting that much time and energy, then they would gladly accept the offer.

But just when they were about to nod their heads, Cure Song spoke out: \”Thorn, Rose, I'm sorry. It seems like we'll have to part paths here.\”

\”What?! But we just started to get acquaintances, did you get scared of my godly strength or something?!\” Thorn asked agape. (What's wrong with this rascal all of a sudden?) He wondered.

\”…\” Rose stared at Cure Song, a worried look on her face. She could easily imagine what was going on with him. After all, she had already grasped some traits of his personality.

\”I can't accept Arnold's offer.\” Cure Song clenched his hands into fists fiercely. \”I just can't bear egoist people who think that, because they are rich or have a higher status, they can trample on the lives of the weak and poor!\” His infuriated voice made clear how serious he was.

*Clap* *Clap*

Thorn and Rose slapped their foreheads in frustration. Their new companion's naivety made them feel ashamed.

Cure Song continued: \”So, you two don't need to get involved with me anymore. You can accept Arnold's offer, but I'll definitely kill some of them today, and then I'll escape by myself to execute the rest of them another day!\”

Complicated emotions surged in Arnold Alch's heart. (Oh, you have no idea how much I had wished to meet a person like you back then.) Closing his eyes, he lowered his head, and softly asked: \”… Are you sure?\”

\”I don't need that disdainful consideration from a trash like you. And let me give you a little spoiler, today you'll regret your actions.\” Cure Song said confidently.

*Sigh*…

Rose sighed deeply, and began to walk toward Ral Bal and the rest of mid Intermediate Awaken cultivators as she put on her black fist guards. \”Thorn, protect our backs and the civilians'. This is a good chance for you to get used to your Third Pace. Cure, with your two Awakened Skills, you should be able to defeat the Captain. Since I'm the weakest, I'll play with the small fries.\” She said calmly, having finished her calculations of their probabilities of victory.

Looking at her small back and listening to her words, Cure Song was taken aback, and then, his respect for Rose reached an unprecedented level. (So, you are unwilling to let go the benefits I could bring you. Is this what you meant when you said 'people' are just 'benefits' to you? The logic is indeed cold and cruel, but… somehow… it feels warm...) He drew his Ryyk Blades and strode toward Captain Fou Tre without a hint of fear.

Thorn shrugged and said: \”Our party leader has spoken. Savor the last moments of your lives guys.\” Afterward, he closed his eyes and remained unmoving.

Arnold Alch, Captain Fou Tre, the knights, Ral Bal, and the mid Intermediate Awaken cultivators stared in utter shock at Rose and company's actions.

Arnold Alch: (What the hell is wrong with their heads?!)

Captain Fou Tre: (Are they even feeling our Auras?!)

Lois Cae: (They are lunatics! Lunatics I say!!!)

They had seen how powerful Thorn and Cure Song had been in the tournament, and they were sure that such strength was far from being comparable to theirs. As for the young girl with red curly hair, she was at the Second Level Basic Awaken stage! She was basically a common civilian!