[Vol. 8] Chapter 216: A Strange Dispute
In fact, ever since they left the Chaos Magic Valley, the journey had been long and tiring. Rowan had only just started learning the most basic breathing and energy flow technique. For some unknown reason, even though he used to be completely unable to sense magic, after just trying the breathing method that his master taught him, he somehow began to feel a surge of energy and could finally start basic training. But time, after all, was limited.
The Sword Saint stared at him for a few moments, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
“Of course. I only told you to draw your sword and help, not to stain it with blood. The way of the sword is also about training the heart. No matter the situation, violence should always be the last choice. If you understand that, then go.”
“Yes, Master.”
He sneaked a glance at the pink-haired girl standing obediently behind the lady priest, looking like she had nothing to do, and secretly sighed at the obvious difference in how their master treated them. Not daring to delay, Rowan set off quickly toward the source of the commotion.
The market was already crowded as usual, and curious onlookers had packed tightly around the scene, making it nearly impossible to pass through. But it didn’t take much effort before Rowan arrived near the noisy source. Even before squeezing through the crowd, he could already hear loud arguing from within.
“I’ve told you already, there’s nothing between me and him anymore. Go find whoever you're supposed to find. Why are you always bothering us? Get out of the way now or I’m calling the Holy Knight Order!”
“What a joke! Everyone in Saint Laos City knows about you and Ricardo! He was your personal bodyguard. Now that that bastard’s gone missing and has no other family, who else would we come to if not you?”
“Paying back debts is only right. We even have a contract as proof. Go ahead, call the Holy Knights if you want. Even if you take this to the acting bishop, we’re still in the right!”
“That’s right! If we don’t get what our boss is owed today, none of you are leaving!”
After much effort pushing through the crowd, Rowan finally made it to the inner circle. What he saw was over a dozen tough men dressed like guards surrounding two or three women. One of the men was a well-dressed blond man with an unfriendly expression. All of them were holding clubs or similar weapons, looking quite threatening.
Just a few glances were enough for Rowan to get a good idea of what was going on.
He came from a family of merchants. Although he later went to the academy for academic research and now had even changed careers to become a Sword Saint’s apprentice, that didn’t mean he had forgotten his past. Scenes like this were nothing new to him. He had seen them more than once when helping his family handle finances.
For businesspeople, borrowing money and owing payments is a normal part of running things. In fact, the bigger the business, the more money they usually owe. Not because they’re poor, but because most of their funds are tied up in goods, materials, or other real-world assets. By keeping money constantly moving, they aim to make the biggest profits.
But all investments come with risks, and sometimes things go wrong. In the pursuit of big gains, many seemingly successful businesspeople may lose everything if they make one wrong move.
Some people are honest and responsible, willing to sell their property and assets to pay off debts. But others, who lack responsibility, will run away with the money when faced with huge debts or bankruptcy. When the debtor disappears, the people they owe money to often turn to the debtor’s family or friends to recover what they can.
Rowan’s family had also experienced times when they delivered goods but didn’t get paid right away. Most of the time, these debts were eventually repaid. But over the years, there were always a few that ended badly.
He had followed his father to visit the hometowns of several debtors who owed them money. What he saw there showed all kinds of human behavior. Some debt collectors, desperate to get their money back, would use threats and other questionable tactics that were borderline illegal to pressure the debtor’s family. It was not a pretty sight.
And the scene in front of him now, wasn’t it just like those back then?
Rowan sighed inwardly but didn’t act right away. He didn’t know the full story yet. If it was just a money dispute, that would be easier to handle... but something didn’t seem right. All three of the women looked well-dressed, not like people struggling financially. One of them was even wearing a church uniform and clearly a nun, which made things even more suspicious.
In the Holy Empire, clergy may not officially have special privileges, but they are protected by the Church and respected by most of the people. Unless under very unusual circumstances, most groups wouldn’t dare to openly block and threaten a religious person on the street.
The three young women being surrounded were all quite young and good-looking. Their clothes and manners made them stand out. Besides the nun dressed in a cleric’s uniform, the other two clearly had a master-servant relationship, probably a noble lady and her bodyguard.
The one who had been arguing with the lavishly dressed man was the young lady in the sky-blue dress, standing in the center of the three women. She wore a sky-blue dress, had features and hair color typical of the Holy Empire’s people. However, the black-haired woman dressed as her guard had a rather unique aura. She silently stood behind the noble lady, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword, as if ready to defend her at any moment if things turned violent.
As for the young cleric standing with them, she just frowned slightly and listened to both sides. From her calm and somewhat distant attitude, Rowan could vaguely guess something hidden. This cleric might not be truly on the same side as the other two women. At least, they didn’t seem close enough for her to step in on their behalf. Also, it looked like this cleric held a high position in Saint Laos City.
It was almost time to act. His master and Miss Violet were still watching from behind, they couldn’t be kept waiting too long.
Just as Rowan was thinking this, something completely unexpected happened.
While the argument was still ongoing, one of the guards surrounding the three women suddenly collapsed to the ground with a loud “thud,” foaming at the mouth and violently twitching!
This sudden incident shocked not only the onlookers but also both sides involved in the argument. Two of the guards quickly ran forward to check the situation, while the young man in fine clothes became furious. He pointed straight at the noble lady and yelled:
“Vera Merrick! I’ve been patient with you because our families had ties in the past. I even gave you extra time to find that scumbag! But now you dare attack someone from our guild? You clearly have no respect for the law or divine order!”
“What nonsense are you talking about?! He just suddenly fell, what does that have to do with me?!”
The young lady, called Vera, changed expression and quickly raised her voice to defend herself. When she saw that the guards were now closing in with unfriendly looks, the black-haired girl next to her instantly drew her sword with a sharp “clang.” Vera herself also quickly took out a magic wand from a storage ring and pointed it toward the people in front of her.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
The young man in rich clothes gave a cold laugh.
“What am I doing? If Lady Vera dares to harm others in public, then what else is there to say? If we don’t teach you a lesson today, how can our Everfrost Guild keep doing business in Saint Laos City?”
“Get her! Arrest—”
“Bang! Bang!”
“Ugh!”
Just as the debt collector was about to give the order with a wave of his hand, two loud, heavy thuds came from behind him!
The watching crowd gasped in surprise as if they saw something unbelievable. Vera, who had been looking a bit panicked before, now looked truly scared and shouted without thinking.
“Hey, behind you!”
Realizing someone was talking to him, the young man in fine clothes turned his head out of instinct, only to be horrified.
The guard who had collapsed before was now somehow standing again. Not only that, he had thrown aside the two teammates who had been checking on him, and with bloodshot eyes, he charged straight toward the young man like a madman!
“Wha...?!”
The change happened so fast, no one could’ve expected it. Just moments ago, that man was lying on the ground foaming at the mouth. Now he was like a rabid beast, full of strength and rage, even attacking his own master. Because all the other guards had moved forward to surround Vera, the well-dressed young man was left behind by himself, completely exposed.
Panicking, and without even a weapon on him, the young man could only raise his arms to block the attacker’s wide-open mouth full of teeth. But he knew very well, if even two strong guards were thrown aside easily, then this bite and charge...
“CLANG!!!”
Instead of pain, a crisp sword sound rang out, snapping the young man out of his hopeless thoughts. Looking up in shock, he saw that a young man in a scholar’s robe, carrying a sword on his back, was now standing right in front of him, and he had no idea when that had happened.
He didn’t use the sword on his back. Instead, he pulled out a dark broken sword hanging at his waist and used it to block the mad guard charging at him. Although the strong impact forced him to take half a step back, he quickly adjusted his stance. He held the broken sword diagonally, blocking the guard’s sharp claws, which had somehow become unusually strong and sharp. Sparks flew as the blades rubbed against each other with a screeching noise!
This was the first real fight Rowan had ever experienced, either since he started learning swordsmanship, or in his entire life.
To be honest, just a few seconds earlier, he had never imagined that a simple money dispute would suddenly turn into such chaos. Even now, his mind was still a bit confused, but the moment things actually happened, his body moved faster than his thoughts.
He wasn’t doing this because he hoped to be rewarded or to complete a task his teacher had given him. He didn’t even have time to think about that. Maybe... he just did what he could.
At such a close distance, Rowan could clearly see the bloodshot eyes of the mad guard. Blood was flowing down from wounds caused by the edge of the broken sword, dripping onto Rowan’s hand. It felt so hot, it was almost burning.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!!
He could hear his heart pounding loudly from the tension. A strange rush of energy, maybe called adrenaline, was flooding his whole body. That might be the only reason he was able to hold off the crazy man for now, but what was that sound?
“Rrraaagh… GRRAAAH!”
"!?"
That furious roar, coming from right in front of him and sounding more beast than human, snapped Rowan out of his excited state. As the rush faded, the pressure on his sword suddenly felt as heavy as a mountain. His arms started to shake under the weight, and he quickly shouted without looking back:
"What... what are you waiting for?!"
“Oh! R-Right! Hurry up and help!”
The richly dressed young man finally reacted. After his shout, the dozen guards who had been surrounding the three girls rushed over. Working together, they forced the out-of-control guard to the ground and tied him up with ropes. Only then did Rowan finally breathe a sigh of relief and step back a few steps, holding the broken sword and gasping lightly.
The area on his wrist where the blood had flowed still felt hot. He realized his arms and legs were slightly shaking, an aftereffect of using too much strength all at once. Even so, that feeling of excitement during the fight still made this apprentice, who had recently chosen the path of a swordsman, feel thrilled deep inside.
So… that’s what a real fight feels like?
After something like that, even the fancy-dressed young man, no matter how clueless he was, could tell that the guard’s sudden madness had nothing to do with Miss Vera. Shocked, he didn’t seem to have the mood to continue demanding payment anymore. Instead, he just ordered his men to tie up the crazy guard and then walked over to Rowan, giving a respectful bow.
“Whew… That was way too close. Thanks a lot for stepping in, brother. Without you, I probably would’ve been done for…”
He shook his head, still a little shaken, then looked over at the three girls walking toward them from the other side. For the first time, he showed a smile that was brighter than before.
“You have my word, I always repay my debts. You saved my life, and the Eternal Frost Merchant Guild won’t forget that. My name’s Aiden. What should I call you, brother?”
“…?”
Rowan was caught off guard by the sudden change in tone and attitude. While feeling a little confused, he finally came back to his senses from the intensity of the fight. He nodded slightly and, pretending to be puzzled, answered:
“Rowan Nillin. I just happened to be passing by. It’s not a big deal. But can I ask… what kind of conflict were you having? Why were you arguing in the middle of the street? And what happened to that guy just now?”
“Sigh… That’s not something I can explain in just a few words…”
Aiden sighed, then glanced at Vera and the other two girls who had just arrived. His eyes rolled slightly, and he raised his voice as if on purpose.
“Hmph, today, for Brother Rowan’s sake, I’ll give you a bit more time. You’d better go find that bastard quickly. Next time we meet, I won’t be so nice!”