Chapter 207: Another SS-Rank Hero
Ryan stared intently at the red-haired girl in front of him beneath the dim light of the town’s streetlamps.
His green eyes traced every single feature of her pale face and her lips, searching for any notable difference.
But his mind could only remember the encounter he had with the deity in that enormous and completely empty white room.
’Even her voice is exactly the same.’
He thought, noting the exact tone with which the words had left her mouth a few seconds ago.
Then he brought his hand to his scarf, as if adjusting it over the bridge of his nose.
The cold wind from the street battered the thick fabric of his cheap adventurer clothing.
’Whatever it is that that shitty deity wants from me, I have no intention of being a puppet in her plans.’
Whether it was simply that William was being manipulated without realizing it. Or that she was actually just a common person whose appearance had simply been copied to be used.
It was a fact that right now he had many far more important things to deal with.
He was not going to waste his time chasing the mysteries of a red-haired girl in a coastal town.
When the moment arrived, then he would pay much more attention to the actions of the church.
In the meantime, dealing with them in this cobblestone plaza was just a nuisance he needed to push out of his way.
He took a short step forward.
"It does not matter, whatever." Ryan said with a flat voice completely devoid of any interest.
"What exactly is it that you want to change about the church? Is it regarding the unjustified murder of the demi-humans?"
He added with coldness. "Or about the true purpose of the system?"
In the face of Ryan’s raw question, the girl let out a clear look of pure surprise.
Priscilla opened her eyes wide, taking a small step backward from the strong impression of his words.
Her breath hitched for a single second, entirely unable to hide the impact on her delicate face.
"So you already know about it?" William pronounced.
The blonde hero erased his haughty smile immediately, adopting a highly serious and tense face.
His muscles tightened at the revelation that the outsider knew the church’s dirty laundry.
Ryan did not respond.
He remained as still as a stone beneath his dark hood, letting the thick silence of the night confirm his posture.
"If you know that much, then, it would be highly convenient for us to mutually help each other." William added.
The blonde boy relaxed the tension in his shoulders a little, seeing a clear opportunity in that shared information.
He probably thought that having a common ideological enemy would naturally place them on the exact same side.
The girl turned toward William with a newfound comprehension shining brightly in her eyes.
"I see, perhaps it is due to that that the church is looking for him and not for freeing a demon girl." Priscilla said in a low voice.
Her tone denoted the relief of finding a much deeper and more heroic sense to the hunt for such a lethal criminal.
The boy listened to the theory the redhead had just formulated and held back the impulse to shake his head.
’No, in reality everything started by freeing Beatrice, and attacking their soldiers, I also stole a wyvern.’
Ryan thought, mentally reviewing his own crimes literally while they continued standing right in front of him.
The bug of his debts and his track record of massive destruction against the church were the true motives.
’But I am completely sure that she is much better off with me than with them.’
He concluded in his mind, remembering the tranquil life he was giving his wyvern companion within the safety of the village.
"And what makes you think that I would be interested in collaborating with you?" Ryan asked in a derogatory manner.
He maintained his cold and calculating gaze upon the pair who were expecting his approval.
He did not have the slightest intention of joining forces with people who were still operating under the orders of his direct enemies.
The girl looked at him monotonously, losing the brightness in her eyes upon hearing his harsh rejection.
But William simply smiled once again, recovering the arrogant confidence on his face.
"Because right now you are SS-rank, are you not?" William said, raising his chin a little.
His words echoed down the cobblestone street, sounding much more like a statement of fact than anything else.
Ryan did not respond immediately.
"What are you saying, why do you assume I have that rank?" He responded to William without altering the tone of his voice.
The analysis in his head began to run at full speed to find the exact reason why William had arrived at that deduction.
While it is completely true that only a member of the support class can inspect other people.
It is also true that there are inspection scrolls available in the major cities.
Those very same high-value magical papers that they tend to use at the entrances to the nations.
They used them to maintain strict control and avoid infiltrations from unwanted threats.
Just as was the strict case back in the dwarven nation and in Kallistia.
But Ryan did not see them use one of those scrolls in front of him at any moment.
He had kept his senses highly alert from the moment the hot steam appeared in the solitary plaza.
No one burned or activated a scroll of paper to read his power digits amidst the smoke.
And even if they had used one in secret while they were speaking.
Because of his accumulated high level of Psyche, it should have been completely useless.
And despite the fact that Ryan currently did not have any sort of relic that would hide his true points and levels.
At least by suppressing his mana density with his own physical skills.
He should pass as a low-level adventurer in the eyes of any ordinary swordsman or mage on the continent.
Then William stepped closer to Ryan, breaking the safety distance separating them.
"Even though I can see you suppressing your energy." The blonde hero said, staring intently at his rival’s clothes.
"You are very careless, besides... I know it because I..."
William took a calculated pause beneath the town’s dim night light.
He slowly raised his left hand, showing the shiny accessories adorning his skin.
And he removed the silver ring he had on his pinky finger with a clean movement.
"I am also an SS-rank." He added with an enormous, smug smile.
"So, no matter how much you attempt to hide your power, I can see it." William said with total certainty.
The exact second the jewel separated from his hand, the air all around him collapsed abruptly.
The yellow aura of his body was released and became much denser, heavier, and completely suffocating.
The pure pressure of his level flooded the cobblestone plaza, pushing the wind right against the fugitive human’s chest.
Ryan did not step back a single pace in the face of the display of force attempting to intimidate him.
He kept his eyes locked on the hero’s bright light and immediately activated his own reading skill.
"Inspect."
