"Mom, what's happening over there?" a young Dwarf asked. "Why is it noisy over there?"
"I don't really know," the mother of the Dwarf replied. "But, it looks dangerous, so we mustn't go there, okay?"
The Dwarf boy nodded. "Un!"
Unfortunately, not everyone was able to keep their curiosity in check and headed towards the location of the Merchant Guild in great numbers.
However, after getting near their destination, they found themselves being blocked by hundreds of armored Dwarfs, who had an intimidating atmosphere.
The ordinary people were intimidated by their presence, but those who held great influence in the city including the Captain of the City Guards, as well as the Adventurers of the Adventurer's Guild all tried to pass through their blockade.
"Get out of the way!" the Captain of the City Guards ordered. "I am the Captain of the Guards that protects Whitebridge City! I order you to step aside and let us pass."
The man, whom the Guard Captain spoke to was the leader of the Mercenaries, who had a scar on his left eye, making him look like a real villain. However, instead of stepping aside like he was ordered, the Mercenary Leader simply smiled and tried to control the situation.
"Nothing is happening here, Guard Captain," the Mercenary Leader replied. "Do all of you know what time it is? It's way past your bedtime."
"Nothing is happening?" the Guard Captain sneered. "What do you call those loud explosions that we are hearing? Are you deaf?"
Before the Mercenary Leader could even reply, one of the Mercenaries spoke up, making the curious Dwarves who wanted to see what was happening beyond the blockade look in his direction.
"Sorry Captain," a chubby mercenary commented. "I ate some cabbage earlier and now I am unable to control my farts."
At that exact moment, a loud explosion erupted, making the ground under their feet shake.
"Ooops, my bad," the chubby Mercenary said with an embarrassed expression on his face. "I farted again."
Five seconds later, consecutive eruptions reverberated in the surroundings, making all the city guards look at the Mercenary in disdain.
"Sorry bro, that was me," another Mercenary said. "I also ate some cabbage earlier."
"What a coincidence! I ate cabbage as well!"
"You, too, bro? Same same. The gas is really bad. I've been farting non-stop for some time now."
"Bro, it seems that all of us have eaten the same thing. Looks like tonight is going to be a long night."
"Right! A Farting night!"
"""Hahahahaha!"""
All the mercenaries laughed, making the Captain of the City Guards, the City Guards, and the curious spectators look at all of them with contempt.
'You bunch of farts! Do you think we are stupid? Even if each of you ate a hundred cabbages, your farts would not be able to cause those loud explosions!'
That was the collective thought of everyone who was itching to bypass the Mercenary blockade in front of them.
The Leader of the Mercenary group chuckled and waved his hand to the people.
"Go home, everyone," the Mercenary Leader said in a calm manner, while spells shot up in the night sky behind him, illuminating the dark night. "There's nothing to see here. Nothing's going on."
"Bullsh*t!" the Captain of the City Guards roared in anger. "I have enough of your nonsense! Get out of my way now or we will arrest all of you!"
The City Guards all took a fighting stance, while the onlookers cheered and even chanted "Fight! Fight Fight!" like the madlads they were.
The Mercenaries didn't make any moves and simply stood with calm smiles on their faces.
"Why must you be violent bro?" the chubby mercenary asked. "We Farting, You Hating."
Just when the Mercenary Captain was about to retort to the chubby mercenary's words, one of the other Mercenaries farted loudly, which sounded like a machine gun that had just opened fire.
A stinky smell reached everyone's nose, making them glare at the Mercenary, who only waved his hand in front of his nose, as if trying to dissipate the smell that came out of him.
"Bro, who farted?" the Mercenary that farted asked. "Have you no shame? There should be proper etiquette when farting in public. At least, admit that you farted, okay?"
The Mercenaries paused for a brief moment before all of them roared in laughter.
"Good one, bro! I almost fell for it!"
"Hahaha! I thought bad cottage cheese smells bad, but your fart, bro, beats it hands down."
"That was actually a loud and long fart, bro. Respect, bro, respect."
The Guard Captain no longer wanted to mess around, so he tried to brute force his way through.
However, the leader of the Mercenaries blocked his path like an immovable mountain, and stared at the Captain, while excluding his bloodlust that had been honed in several battlefields.
"Calm down, Son," the Mercenary Leader said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "My boys are just practicing for the upcoming Whitebridge Festival. You know, that one with the fireworks display."
"We don't have that kind of festival," the Guard Captain replied.
"It's a proposed festival. You will be hearing about it sometime soon."
"And, just what kind of festival is going to happen without my approval?!"
A loud, and thunderous shout that came from behind the crowd reached everyone's ears.
The Mayor of Whitebridge City, Mr. White, walked with firm steps towards the Mercenary Leader. The crowd parted to give their Mayor a path to walk along until he arrived at the forefront and stared at the Mercenary Leader's eyes without flinching.
"Get out of my way, or get out of my city," Mr. White stated. "I call the shots here. If you refuse to yield, I will force you to yield."
The Guard Captain who had gained a backer, also held his ground and glared at the Mercenary Leader who made him feel as if he was staring death in the face.
The standoff lasted for half a minute before a pretty Dwarf descended from the sky and landed beside the Mercenary Leader and the Mayor of Whitebridge City.
"I am Millie, and I am one of Princess Anastasia's Royal Guard," Millie introduced herself and showed the insignia that belonged to the Royal Family. "What you are hearing and seeing right now is actually a live drill that is being done in order to react to terrorist attacks inside the city."
"L-Live Drill?" Mr. White stuttered. "Terrorist Attacks? Why wasn't I informed about this?"
"The Royal Family deemed that it was best to not inform you about this matter," Millie replied. "This was to make sure that we would be able to see how the city would react should a real terrorist attack occur. Princess Anastasia is observing this live drill demonstration as we speak."
Mr. White was still half in doubt, so he decided to make his stand. "Although it is Princess Anastasia's orders, I am not a member of her faction. This live drill should have been done through the proper channels. If it was done properly, I would have collaborat—"
"Fool!" the Mercenary Leader interjected. "When terrorists attack you, will they send you a letter telling you that they will attack at this exact time and place? This is why this live drill is being conducted. I'm sure that Princess Anastasia, who is serving as the King's representative, is very disappointed in how you and your people have handled this mess thus far.
"Instead of preventing the citizens from going to the battleground, you even insisted on bringing them along. You are a failure as the Mayor of this city, same for you Guard Captain. The first thing you should have done is order some of your men to prevent the people from coming here."
After being chastised by the Mercenary leader, Mr. White, and the Guard Captain gave each other the "Do you believe this crap?" gaze.
However, seeing that the Royal Guard, as well as the Mercenary Leader weren't going to budge, they had no choice but to order the rest of the City Guards to reinforce the blockade, forcing people to stay away from the battleground.
Mr. White then stared at the ten-meter-tall floating Great Light Elemental that was shooting Light Rays into its surroundings like laser beams, with an anxious look on his face.
Although he tried to keep himself calm, seeing that a Deimos-Ranked World Boss had appeared inside his city without his notice made him feel as if something terrible was happening at the Merchant Guild where the explosions and the sound of battle were happening at the moment.
—————
"Big Sister! Something is happening outside!" Colette barged into Aina's office with a worried expression on her face. "Let's see what is happening over there!"
Aina didn't show any change of expression on her face and only looked calmly at her sister like she always did.
"Okay," Aina replied. "However, no matter what happens, stay close to me."
"Un!" Colette nodded and left the office in order to gather her friends.
Aina stared at the open door of her office and sighed.
"I didn't think that you would go this far for us," Aina muttered as she stared outside of the window.
In the distance, she could see the Great Light Elemental that seemed to be fighting against multiple people at once.
She didn't need to be a genius to know who was behind this incident, and it made her wonder what the aftermath of this battle would be.
——————————
Somewhere in Whitebridge City…
Lucius and Ferron, who had taken the secret passageway in order to leave the Merchant Guild, arrived at a small house that was a good distance away from the center of the battle.
Even so, they could still hear the loud explosions in the distance, which made them realize that this wasn't an ordinary assassination attempt to target the Merchant's life.
"Master, who have you offended recently?" Ferron asked with a frown.
"I don't know," Lucius replied. "There's too many of them!"
He had indeed abused his power and authority as the Head of the Merchant Union, as well as the Honorary Elder of Twilight Rain during the past few months.
He had made businesses close, separated families from each other, and even stolen the merits of others.
Looking back, Lucius wasn't too surprised that someone was aiming for his life. However, he didn't expect that the scale would be this big, involving the entire city in the battle.
"We're going to leave the city and go to one of the hideouts of the Twilight Rain," Lucius ordered. "Let's go."
Ferron nodded and escorted his Master to leave the house.
They both wore black robes to cover their faces, as they wandered through the alleys in order to avoid being spotted by whoever was causing all these ruckus.
However, as they made a right turn in one of the alleyways, they found themselves facing a red-headed Half-Elf, with a baby slime on top of his head, who was holding a red metallic ball in her hand.
"Taking a late-night stroll I presume?" Lux asked with sarcasm.
Although it had been a long time since he saw him, Lucius would never forget the Half-Elf whom he had personally declared dead during the Monster Outbreak in Whitebridge City.
"Y-You," Lucius pointed at Lux. "How are you still alive? You're supposed to be dead. Scarlet killed you!"
Ferron, who also recognized Lux, stood in front of his Master and eyed the Half-Elf, checking to see how strong he was.
A few seconds later, a surprised expression appeared on his face when he realized that the red-headed teenager in front of him was only at the peak of the Initiate Rank.
This surprise then turned into a solemn gaze, making him feel that something wasn't right.
For an Initiate to face off against him was similar to someone courting death. He just couldn't see how the Initiate in front of him could possibly win against him, even with the help of the Baby Slime who seemed to be holding something dangerous in her hands.
However, Lucius didn't share his right-hand man's worries.
"Are you the one that wants to assassinate me?" Lucius asked.
"Killing you is a last resort," Lux replied. "I plan to capture you alive."
Lucius snorted. "Capture me alive? With just you? Since you came here to die, I will gladly grant your wish. Ferron, kill him!"
Ferron was about to execute his Master's orders when the Wraith King appeared in front of Lux, alongside his Wraith Knights.
The Half-Elf had summoned them from where they were in their pursuit in order to face Ferron, who was simply too powerful for him to handle alone.
However, just to be on the safe side, the Wraith King and the Wraith Knights weren't the only ones he summoned.
One by one, the members of Lux's Undead Army and Covenant, encircled the Merchant and his bodyguard, leaving them no place to escape.
"This is checkmate," Lux declared. "Are you going to come with me peacefully, or do you want me to break your legs and tie you up like pigs?"
Since a marker was placed on Lucius' shadow, Lux could track him as well using his Soul Book.
This was why the Half-Elf was confident that he could pinpoint the Merchant's location, no matter where he went in the Kingdom of Gweliven.
From the beginning, there was simply no means of escaping the Half-Elf's drag net.
Even if Lucius was carrying a life saving artifact that would teleport him away, similar to what Amir used when he escaped Eiko's killing strike a few days ago, there was simply no place for the merchant to hide from him.
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