Chapter Thirty-Five: Drinking and Asking

  Lucien replied politely but firmly: "I am Lucien, a friend of John's. Something urgent has come up at his home and I have come to find him."

  Ian, with his dark blond hair, let out a cold hum: "John and the other knight attendants are in training under Sir Vien. I'm not sure you're his friend beforehand, so don't go interrupting them. Either prove your identity or wait patiently for them to finish."

  For the rapidly advancing, highly esteemed by Sir Vane John, Ian looked down on him a hundred times, extremely disliked, thinking that he was just a poor man who didn't understand words, but relied on cleverness to follow the outdated knight's code to please Sir Vane, completely incomparable to his own cultivation and strength. Therefore, as soon as he heard it was John's matter, Ian couldn't help but make things difficult for Lucien.

  Another attendant, Dolarhyde, also disliked John and watched with a smile as Ian "taught" Lucien.

  Of course, they would never admit that their dislike and hatred are due to jealousy.

  After he finished speaking, Ian gazed sternly at Lucien. In his mind, Lucien, this inexperienced poor man, must be anxious and worried after being intimidated by his knight attendant, and wouldn't dare to refute him, but could only beg pitifully for himself. Once he had begged enough, Ian would send someone to find John, and nothing big would happen.

  Unfortunately, Lucien's experience far exceeded Ian's, and even beyond his imagination. At this time, he didn't panic or kneel down to beg, but instead spoke seriously and solemnly: "John's friend has encountered an emergency that puts his life in danger. If because of his delay in returning, it leads to irreparable consequences, your obstruction will be the main reason, which is a serious violation of the knight's merciful spirit. I believe Sir Vien would be very angry if he knew about this, and the consequences would be severe."

  From John, Lucien knew that Sir Vain was a noble who strictly adhered to the chivalric code and would certainly expel Ian and Dorag if they were as Lucien described, and the expelled attendants would thoroughly ruin their reputation unless there were other opportunities, otherwise they could not be taken in by another knight.

  As for John's friend who had an emergency, it was Lucien himself. For him, who did not follow the path of a knight, a small white lie was nothing to worry about, and strictly speaking, this wasn't even a lie, at most it was unclear description.

  "How dare you threaten me?!" Ian thundered, unable to believe that he had been so calmly and coldly admonished by a lowly commoner, his hand itching to draw his knight's sword and cut him down.

  As a high-ranking knight attendant, the enraged Ian took a step forward, exuding an aura of danger that was a complete explosion of the oppressive force Lucien had once felt from Gari, causing the soldiers behind him to shiver and take half a step back. Dorag, who had been thinking of taking a step forward, stood still on the spot, marveling at Ian's strength.

  Whether it was the soldiers, Dorag, or even Ian, they could all imagine Lucien's reaction to being intimidated by a high-ranking knight attendant: he would be trembling with fear, his voice would be hoarse and stuttering as he begged for mercy, and there was even a possibility that he would be so scared that he would wet his pants.

  But what Ian, Doraeg and the soldiers couldn't believe was that Lucien remained as serious and calm as ever, asking in return: "Do you want to violate the chivalric code now and kill innocent and weak people?"

  He seemed completely unaffected by Ian's pressure, and Ian and Dora felt that the young poor man in front of them seemed to have a will as strong as a mountain.

  "Do I need to repeat what I just said? Do you really want to be driven out by Lord Vayne?" Lucien stepped forward, his voice stern once again.

  Ian would have liked to be the kind of scoundrel who didn't care about his life or future, and could now draw his sword and kill Lucien on the spot. But he still wanted to become a knight, still wanted to become a nobleman, still wanted to have his own manor. To give up all these for just one or two sentences of verbal sparring was absolutely not what he really thought.

  As for the option of killing and framing, with John around and many farmers outside in the wheat field, Ian couldn't do it. At this point, if not for saving face, he would have already retreated.

  Dorag saw Ian's momentum weaken, understood his thoughts, and glared at Lucien with anger, pulling Ian: "John is our companion, since his friend is in danger, we don't need to entangle with you this uncouth plebeian, go tell John quickly."

  "Alright, if it weren't for John, I'd teach you some manners." Ian stepped down, saying to Lucien, not caring that John was his most hated and despised knight attendant.

  Then, not wanting to see Lucien's odious face again, Ian went into the manor himself to report to Sir Vane.

  Dorag stood there with a cold face and didn't say another word to Lucien.

  Lucien was completely indifferent to this, quietly standing by and waiting. The momentum of Ian's oppression earlier had little effect on Lucien before his soul was injured, but after being injured, it could shake his spirit. Fortunately, Lucien already had the "Ice Snow Avenger", and with just a touch of his fingers in his pocket, his will reached the standard of a first-class knight, much stronger than before. Ian's momentum oppression was like a gentle breeze, having no effect at all.

  Less than five minutes later, John burst out at a sprint, leaving Ian far behind. When he got a clear look at Lucien, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "Lucien! What's going on?"

  "Things are urgent, let's talk while we walk," Lucien said, pointing down the road.

  They jogged side by side for a distance, under John's puzzled gaze, Lucien recited the lines he had prepared: "I've been running into a beggar these past few days, who keeps inexplicably denouncing nobles and knights. Yesterday, he even dragged me to a secluded corner and spoke blasphemy. It turns out he was a devil worshiper, secretly preaching in Alto."

  "I originally wanted to go directly to the church to report him, but later I accidentally saw him secretly contacting Jackson of the Aaron gang, and I'm worried that there's some kind of plot that will harm Uncle Joel and Aunt Elisa, so I came straight to you. If you report it through Lord Vayne, the church should take it more seriously."

  As a youth who adhered to the code of chivalry, John had not a shadow of doubt about his good friend: "Those rascals of Aaron's gang are actually in league with the devil's followers; it's damnable. I'll go and report it to Sir Vane at once."

  "Hold on, John, I think things might be more serious than you imagine. There are only a dozen or so beggars left in Alt City, where did the rest go?" Lucien said what he knew in another way.

  Hearing about so many people missing, John became even more solemn, but the gains from strictly adhering to the chivalric spirit and code made him not panic, instead keeping a pretty good composure: "The devil's followers must have taken those poor people for blood sacrifices, uh, things are very serious, I must inform Sir Vien immediately."

  Lucien nodded and reminded him, "John, you must not tell Sir Vane that I discovered it. I'm afraid if the devil's followers are not completely eliminated, they will come to avenge me when they know the truth. I am just a poor man, and I fear there is no knight to protect me day and night."

  "Alright. Unfortunately, if Lucien could really eliminate the devil's followers, he would have gotten a lot of rewards." John understood Lucien's concerns and thought that maybe some of the knights who went to exterminate the devil's followers were even tempted by the devil themselves. In order not to be known by others, he just limited the people who knew about it to himself. He was just a little sorry for Lucien.

  Lucien smiled and patted John on the shoulder: "You also have to let Sir Vayne keep it a secret for you, Uncle Joel, Aunt Elisa, Evan, they are all ordinary people, anyway your reward can be obtained from Sir Vayne."

  If there were any other way, Lucien wouldn't have been willing to believe that he could rely on this guy who only knew a few apprentice-level spells to go and inform the church, and might even get himself caught in the process. Although it was possible to find someone else to substitute for him, such as a naive child or something, first of all it wasn't easy to attract attention, and secondly it would leave an impression on the church's priests and bishops that there was this mysterious figure, which could lead to big trouble later on.

  At the very least, if a knight like Sir Vincent, who is around sixty years old, physically strong, has a happy family, and strictly adheres to the chivalric code, and is also an advisor to the Grand Duke, can be tempted by evil gods or demons, then Alto must have already become a paradise for evil gods and demons.

  "Yes, I will. Still, Lucien, you think carefully. At the time of Sir Vane's reward, if it can be divided, I will divide a share for you." John nodded cautiously, he was not afraid to sacrifice for justice, but if it would implicate his family and friends, that made him worried.

  Lucien smiled and said, "If Sir Vayne is willing to keep it a secret for you, the reward he gives you will definitely be something else, not money. John, why bother with these things? We're good friends, after all. Besides, I'm still freeloading at your place."

  At Lucien's request, John waited another ten minutes before returning to the manor, leaving the impression that things had been settled nearby.

  While Lucien hid behind the trees by the roadside, quietly waiting, six minutes later, eight strange black horses with scales galloped past, led by a serious old man wearing silver full-body armor, followed by seven people, one of whom was John, who had changed into a silver-gray cuirass, carrying a long sword and shield, five others were attendants, and the last one was a young man wearing a white robe, who should be the pastor of Lord Vain's estate chapel.

  Watching them disappear into the distance, Lucien let out a long sigh and headed back to Alto.

  As they entered Alto, heading towards the administrative district, Lucien faintly felt a vibration coming from the ground, as if the church and knights had discovered something in the sewers.

  "No matter if they can eradicate the cult or not, at least it's safe for two to three months. However, it seems that the sewer will have to wait for a while before I can go down. For now, I'll focus on analyzing magic."

  A few minutes before eight thirty, Lucien finally arrived at the entrance of the Musicians' Association.