I Could Tell at a Glance You Weren't Human

"What on earth is this aura?"

Lu Hong trembled all over. In his eyes, Cartethyia seemed to have become a god.

The pressure bore straight into his heart, leaving him barely able to muster the courage to resist.

"What did you do? Some kind of illusion? You won't scare me!"

"Boss, I think it's real. That's the power of a Sentinel!"

At those words, the people from Ashihara all felt their legs go weak.

A Sentinel!!

The word exploded in their minds like thunder. On Solaris, the Sentinels were the gods of every civilization!

"Bullshit! I don't believe it! That's impossible!"

His eyes darted wildly, his mind growing hazy as he desperately denied the truth before him.

"You stinking outsider, in the name of Imperator, I judge you!" Cartethyia slowly raised her hand.

"Shut up! No one in this world can judge me!"

Driven into a corner, Lu Hong roared and pressed the button in his hand.

"Stop!"

Someone cried out in alarm and squeezed their eyes shut.

But what followed was silence.

Nothing happened.

The children were all safe and sound. Only Lu Hong remained frozen in that crazed pose, looking every bit a clown.

The remote control had failed!

Cartethyia made a casual grasping motion, and the collars around everyone's necks immediately fell off, crumbling into fragments on the floor.

The authority of separation and fusion was far too overpowered. Whether severing the remote control's functionality or stuffing something else inside it to make it malfunction, either was effortless for her.

"Trying that in front of me? Did your brain get caught in a toilet seat?"

"I shall exterminate all evil!"

Cartethyia made no unnecessary moves, nor did she use her sword. That would have been overkill. With a wave of her small hand, she sent a surge of azure wind blowing forward, instantly disintegrating Lu Hong's flesh and bones.

A living, breathing person had been vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing behind.

The Ashihara people fell silent, not daring to make a peep. They all dropped to their knees, begging for mercy.

"Lady Saintess, spare us! We were all forced into it!"

"That's right, that's right! That bastard Lu Hong made us do it. We had no choice!"

"I'm just a dishwasher! I haven't done anything! I never even laid a finger on those children!"

"You're lying! You poured boiling water on me last month!" a little boy suddenly shouted, pointing at the sharp-faced, shifty-looking dishwasher kneeling on the floor.

"I... I didn't! You little bastard, you're slandering me!" The man's face turned pale. He looked back at the boy, making faces at him as he pleaded in a low voice, "Please, little master, stop talking. I was wrong. I won't ever dare do it again..."

"Pah!" The little boy spat in his face.

Another fat cook shuffled forward two steps on his knees and forced a smile at a little girl huddled in a corner. "Little girl, are you thirsty? Hungry? I'll go make you a bowl of soup. I was wrong before, and I want to make it up to you..."

The little girl shrank back and said sullenly, "Last time, you dumped a slop bucket over my head."

"That was... I was just playing with you!"

The warriors of Septimont watched the scene, their clenched fists creaking.

These people had been so arrogant just moments ago, but now they knelt on the floor, pushing the blame onto one another. They were so ugly that the warriors felt physically sick!

"What should we do with these people?"

The Septimont warriors stepped forward to ask, their attitude toward Cartethyia completely changed.

She really was the legendary Saintess. They had been drinking and picking fights with her just moments ago. It all felt rather dreamlike.

"Hand all the Ashihara people in the tavern over to the local authorities in Septimont for questioning and judgment. Deal with them according to the law."

Cartethyia dusted off her hands, though there was no dust on them, then carefully looked around.

"This tavern is nice. Seal up the property inside and find an opportunity to sell it off, using the money to compensate the children who were mistreated. Then turn this place into an orphanage!"

"Well..."

The warriors looked at one another, somewhat troubled. Fighting was instinctive to them, but taking care of children was hardly their strong suit.

"Don't worry. Once things here are settled, people from the Order in Ragunna will come to help you build your home."

"A wise decision, Saintess!"

Everyone was sincerely convinced. She truly lived up to her name as the Saintess!

Once everything had been properly dealt with, Cartethyia returned to her original appearance and walked out of the tavern with light steps.

"Hee hee... I did another good deed today. I'll have the righteous man give me lots of praise."

In a cheerful mood, she found the Septimont people who had gathered there earlier.

"Hey, have you seen someone with black hair and golden eyes?"

"You mean Lord Rover? He just left with a wandering poet. He asked me to pass on a message telling you to wait for him here."

"Hm?"

Cartethyia looked puzzled. "A wandering poet? Who? Could it be Xia Kong? No, her aura isn't anywhere nearby. Who could it be?"

At that moment, Rover was away from the crowd. A strangely dressed man stood before him, wearing three raven feathers on his head and a covering over his eyes. He appeared to be blind.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nesso. As you can see, I am a wandering poet."

Rover looked him up and down. "What do you want with me?"

"As a poet, I wish to write a work filled with heroic epics, and so I am seeking inspiration."

His voice was gentle, composed and refined. "Heroes are the most brilliant stars in the world. In life, they create stories; in death, they leave legends to endure. They are always so fascinating."

"And you, sir, are full of radiance. Though I cannot see, I can still sense it clearly. Please allow me to record your life and spread your heroic name. I believe it will become a classic that drives people wild!"

"You flatter me..." Rover waved a hand at the praise, then suddenly grew serious. "Have your injuries healed?"

"Sir, I don't understand what you mean."

"Although Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō didn't hit you directly, it still gave you a rough time. And now you've popped out again, looking for attention?"

"You..." Nesso stepped back instinctively, his voice growing hurried.

"I could tell at a glance you weren't human!"

"You can change your appearance, but you can't get rid of the Reiatsu I left on you. I sensed you just now. Tell me, does the spatial rift in Ashihara have something to do with the Fractsidus?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he moved, slashing forward with the Blood Oath Covenant.

"Rustle..."

In an instant, his opponent scattered into countless paper cranes and vanished from the spot.

"Until we meet again. We'll see each other before long!" Christopher's voice rang out.

"Why wait until later? I want to see you right now!"

Rover extended his arm, and Reiatsu appeared, forming markings on his hand.

"Bakudō number fifty-eight, Kakushitsuijaku!"