Chapter 112: "Your Sins Are Forgiven"

"What happened, brother?"

Mia touched the ground as the Perrafin came to a halt. She jumped out of its back and came at him. Her voice carried concern for her brother.

"Nothing. I cannot fly for a long time, and thus had to descend. I think I can walk since we are out of the forest."

Lee decided not to share the info about the almost disintegrated remains of unknown soldiers. And since he cannot derive any conclusions at the moment, D advised to lie to them. Fortunately, the trio was not able to sense the microscopic changes on his face.

"Then we can walk from here. I think I almost saw something in the distance."

Ruella commented as she got down from the back of the Perrafin. An joined her as the antelope jumped down and followed her. Fero was reluctant, but seeing everyone on the ground, he had no other option.

"Okay. Then we can walk."

Lee conveyed the matter to the beast. It slightly nodded and Lee turned around to walk towards the road. Upon entering the brown stretch of road that was formed by innumerous carriage rides, Lee stepped forward towards the fortress. Mia and Fero walked side by side to Lee, and An and Ruella took the lead of the convoy.

The Perrafin, which has never been near the human settlements, had an uneasy feeling. Lee sensed it's discomfort, but D told to console it and strengthen its tolerance through regular human interaction. He also added not to store the beast inside the EsGen, as the time that it spends with Lee and the party will be beneficial to it.

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"Is that a-"

*gasps*

"I think it is a Perrafin!"

Lee, who did not know why the villagers were talking about the beast, was vigilant. Upon entering a village that simultaneously acts as the fortress gate, Lee found his party being a target of many pairs of eyes. A few mediocre carriages that went past them halted and its passengers poked the head out to see the voracious predator.

"Halt!"

As An and Ruella led the team towards the fortress, a loud voice came from their left. They halted and glanced to where they heard the voice. Ruella assumed the man in armour walking towards them as the origin of the shout. Holding a spear, and having a sheathed sword in his waist, the man stood blocking their path and spoke-

"Who are you? State your intentions!"

Mia glanced at An and Ruella as they glanced back at her and Lee. The Perrafin did not show any signs of hostility, and had a blank face. The short growl Fero produced, made the man catch the sight of the lone hunter. A sweat drop flowed down his neck as Lee detected him trembling.

"We do not have any ill intentions. We are a group of wanderers."

By now, the villagers had begun to crowd around them. The beast stood as a major attraction, as many have only heard of the flawless hunter in the stories and folktales. One naughty person tried to touch it's tail, to which it responded-

"Grrrrr…"

*pat pat*

Lee patted the beast as it made a threatening sound. The crowd unconsciously took a step backward as they heard the growling. The guards, who were also the residents of the village, took vigilance and precaution as they distanced themselves from the beast.

"Is that beast yours?"

Visibly, the guard was a little more decorated than the usual ones. He had a headgear, which was unseen with the other guards. Apart from him, no one had two weapons. The man thrusted the spear into the ground and stood with arms crossed. His expression was not welcoming.

"Yes, it is. This Perrafin is mine."

Lee gave an appropriate answer to the guard, as he stared into the very soul of the man. He felt a strange sensation and took a scan of Lee top to bottom. After finding him unarmed and in company with three gorgeous women, the guard smirked and moved out of the way, and let them pass.

"Looks like the people are not so warmhearted."

Mia spoke as they went past the guard. Her eyes skimmed over the sturdy fortress and reached the soldiers, who were staring at them intensely. Mia felt uncomfortable and tried to reach for her katana, but Lee tapped her hand and gestured 'No'. He pacified her worries and patted her head.

"Always stay calm. We are strangers to them."

Lee glanced at the Perrafin and gave a command to stay close to Mia, and watch over the other two. Then he overtook An and Ruella,and took the lead. Fero came next to him, and he was also given a command to watch out for hostility, while keeping an eye on the trio.

The fortress was similar to the city of Yeuvis by the exterior. The presence of cannon did not alarm Lee, but when it suddenly turned and took aim at him and his companions, he was alarmed. Peeking at the Map in his mind, he saw the guard he met before talking to someone visible higher than him in rank. The receiving person was wearing a slightly bigger armour and his sword was an ōdachi. The sight of an ōdachi triggered numerous memories inside him. While surfing through the memories of his life on earth, Lee disappeared from the sight of the cannon turrets as he and his party entered inside the fortress.

The turquoise blue flag fluttering on a tall post greeted them. The declining daylight had only given up on illuminating the base of the flagpole. Judging from the pole that stood over 9 metres, he calculated the geographical features and surrounding features, with the Map as a tool. A thunderous voice astounded them as a man descended in front of him.

"State your purpose, and pay 55 gold coins. Or else you will face consequences!"

The ground under the man's feet had cracked a little. Lee found the person very familiar as he had the same ōdachi he saw a while ago. A faint breeze came in through the open entrance and swept across his face, and the long white hair danced in it.

The silver coloured armour was larger than any armour he had seen till now. The exquisitely carved dragon shapes were eye-catching. A robe beneath the armour was visible, as the protective casing only extended to his knee. The messy hair and a horizontal scar on his nose, coupled with his perverted stare gave a summary of the person. His eyes continuously scanned young Mia, and skimmed over An. Lee stepped forward and interrupted his visual feast. The perverted grin became an angry frown.

[Lee, that man has malicious intentions and is a poison affinity cultivator.]

An aura of a peak stage Immortal Grandmaster surged out of him. An and Mia found the man's presence threatening, and Ruella found the pressure suffocating. Their legs wobbled as they felt like going numb. The aura made Fero and the Perrafin shudder for a second. Lee instinctively took a step back and supported Ruella and An on his shoulders. The pressure disappeared and the man spoke-

"You have lied about your identity. Reveal yourself, or be ready to suffer!"

Though the cultivator was speaking to Lee, his eyes were on the female trio. Even before D notified, Lee can tell that this man can never be a threat to him. An supported herself on her feet, with sweat drops rolling down her cheeks. Lee supported Ruella, who has not yet been exposed to such a powerful Qi surge, onto the Perrafin. Fero stood near Mia with his guard full on.

"The commander gets a new set of girls, and the brothel gets a few more additions. Poor man!"

The heightened auditory senses picked up a barely audible dialogue of the nearest guard. Lee peeked at the Map and saw the soldiers averting their sight, and continuing their routine activities. From the dialogue and the repulsive attitude of the man, Lee deduced that a lot of girls have been soiled by the man. His anger skyrocketed, as he flashed from where he stood. The cultivator went pale as he witnessed the superhuman speed with which Lee sprinted. The reflexes acted and the man reached for his sword. He barely held onto tsuka and Lee reached in front of him, on a whim.

Right hand of Lee pressed onto the pommel of the ōdachi and his left palm pressed into the chest of the cultivator. An explosive force originated from the palm and the cultivator regretted his decision.

"Your sins are forgiven!"

Lee hushedly spoke as his face appeared in front of the man. Within a fraction of a second, the cultivator disappeared and EsGen obtained a new addition!

The whole process was completed in a second. The guards were in their stations, but their ears were expecting the usual cry of feminine despair. They waited for about a minute, but the screams did not come. Frowning, they glanced at the spot where their commander had landed. Nobody was there. The occurrence that had never happened before made them alert, but they consoled themselves because he was a peak stage Immortal Grandmaster. When they were thinking so highly of their commander, he was being extracted off his Essence.