Chapter 268 - Advent of a New Age (1/2)

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just like before, with the help of Felix's abilities, the three of them exited the manor and arrived in front of the guards at outrageous speeds, only taking a few seconds to do so. Due to the suddenness of their arrival, the guards, who were chatting with one another with smiles and elated auras surrounding their bodies, could not help but slightly freeze up as all of them were instantly bombarded by a deep yet suffocating aura. Specifically, Felix's aura.

In an instant, the guards hastily organized themselves into formation in front of the three, with every one of them making sure that the other guards beside them were properly positioned. After that, all of them went ahead and radiated imposing auras. They then simultaneously took in deep breaths before shouting to the three, ”Welcome back, esteemed sirs!”

Looking at the change of attitude the guards had undergone through after they had left for the manor for only a few minutes, the three could not help but look at each other for a bit before looking at the guards, all of them radiating auras of confusion. The aura of confusion was more prominent on Argentum, wondering why these guards were treating them like this.

Unsurprisingly, it did not take long for Argentum to come to a conclusion as he glanced at Felix, remembering once again that the world followed the laws of the jungle where the strong ruled over the weak. He could not help but slightly scratch his head as he thought to himself, 'Would the guards do something like this if only I and Blob were here?'

Pondering over it for a bit, he thought that the answer to his question was a big maybe. Although the former leader and Blob were equal to each other in terms of defensive stats, in terms of offense, the two of them were lacking against the former leader, who had been stuck at the Rank 3 level for a long time. To him, the best possible outcome in that fight would be a stalemate. If he could persuade the guards to move as well, then they might be able to imprison him.

Nevertheless, after thinking about it for a bit, Argentum placed the thought to the back of his head as he let out a light sigh. Catching their attention through imitating a light cough, he then said to them, ”Uh…should I command you guys or something? I'm not really used to stuff like these.”

”Either way, come closer,” he continued before adding, ”I have something to say to you guys.”

In response, the guards looked at each other for a bit before deciding to follow Argentum's words. In a matter of a minute or so, the guards soon organized themselves in front of Argentum and the other two in a semicircle, making sure that each guard surrounding them would be able to hear his words clearly. Briefly thinking that these guards would surely become a good asset in the future, he then imitated the sound of one clearing their throat as he asked them, ”Have you guys made up your minds already?”

It took no more than an instant for the guards to profusely nod as they then shifted their gazes towards a specific guard in the semicircle. Of course, with the guards doing it, Argentum and the other two could not help but look towards the direction they were looking at as well, revealing a normal-looking guard in front of their field of vision.

Then again, the guard only looked normal in terms of appearance. But in terms of the aura he radiated, to Felix and Argentum, they could sense that beneath the natural killing intent each guard had to protect their town, he also had a compassionate and ambitious side. To the two, he gave off the feeling that he was willing to do anything to improve the lives of the citizens in this town.

Not long after, Felix, who was behind Argentum, sent out a strand of energy towards him and said, ”The guy they chose seems to fit the bill of a good leader. He has combat experience, gives off the feeling that everything he does is calculated, and not to mention, the innate kindness he has. Then again, it's still up to you to choose as to whether or not he becomes your proxy.”

”If you enumerate his good points that way, then there's no way I can't make him the proxy,” Argentum replied with a light chuckle as he sent back a strand of his own. He then focused his sense of vision towards the guard everyone was looking at and asked him calmly, ”Name?”

”I-It would be Delmann, sir,” the guard, who was not expecting Argentum to ask him, replied timidly. In response, Argentum repeated his name a few times in his mind before asking a follow-up question, saying, ”Did the other guards force you to take up the position, or did all of you come to a consensus?”

”We have come to a consensus, sir,” one of the guards went ahead and replied to Argentum's question. Soon after, the other guards repeated the same thing as light smiles were plastered on their faces. Although they were still scared of the fact that speaking up would lead to them ending up the same fate as their former leader, they were proud of the fact that all of them did not argue over who the next leader of Verdant Breeze Town would be.

In their minds, Delmann was someone who embodied the true spirit of a guard, even though he had only been a guard for a couple of years. All of them were well-acquainted with him, and knew as to how he would not stop at anything to make sure that the town was safe. Of course, there were other reasons as to why they chose him, but these two stood out to them since they were guards as well.

”I see.” After letting the other guards speak up for Delmann, Argentum soon nodded in understanding, taking everything he heard from them into consideration. Eventually, he gestured with his hands to silence them, only to remember something. He then asked them, ”Do you think the other guards we threw a while ago would agree with this choice?”

”We do.” Surprisingly, a few voices spoke up, prompting Argentum to focus his vision on them. He soon noticed that these guards had a few holes in their uniforms, unlike their other comrades. Not only that, but a few areas of their bodies had some bruises, leading Argentum to conclude that the guards they threw a while ago actually came back.

'I wonder how that optimistic guy is doing,' he soon thought, recalling the man who tried to rouse the wills of the guards to fight a few times, only to fail.

”Well, since I think every guard in this town has agreed to let Delmann become the leader…” Argentum soon said after a few moments of contemplation, making the guards eager to hear his next words…only to have their expectations turned upside down in an instant.

”I shall become the new leader of Verdant Breeze Town,” Argentum followed up soon after, instantly sensing the tense atmosphere surrounding the guards. Knowing what would happen if he did not speak up soon, he hastily said, ”Anyways, before you get angry at me, I'll let all of you know that I won't be ruling the town at this instant.”

”Huh? What do you mean by that?” one of the guards could not help but ask in confusion as the guards gradually calmed down. In response, Argentum radiated a slightly gleeful aura as he lightly giggled, saying, ”In other words, I'll have a person be my proxy in the meantime.”

”Delmann…” he soon focused his sense of vision back at Delmann, who was looking back at him with a slightly expectant gaze. ”Are you willing to become the de facto leader of Verdant Breeze Town until I come to officially take the role?”

”Er…” At first, Delmann did not know what to respond, looking at the guards beside him. He soon noticed that the expressions of the guards were somewhat angry at first, which then turned into contemplation, before eventually turning into excitement. Oblivious to what the other guards had in mind, Delmann could not help but ask them, ”What are you guys thinking about?”

One of the guards beside them responded to his question, whispering in his ear, ”Although it's a bit saddening for you to only become the de facto leader of the town for a temporary time, think about it from a different perspective.”