Yveta walked down to the first floor and found that most of the inn's ground floor had been torn apart. Only a few load-bearing walls remained, standing all alone.
The innkeeper, Blackhearted Leili, watched Yveta descend with a grim expression. He seemed to be wondering what a terrible mistake he had made by letting Yveta and the others stay at his inn.
His business had been demolished!
The adventurers who had been drinking there saw that the trouble was over and hurried out of whatever corners they had been hiding in. Muttering curses, they grabbed their belongings and fled.
Most of these troublemaking adventurers were outcasts in their hometowns. They had turned to wandering and plundering because they could no longer make a living.
They were especially good at valuing their own lives and steering clear of dangerous places.
Like this one, for instance.
"Your Highness, you... seem different from before." Black Wolf was tying the Little Brotherhood of Faith assassin to a pillar.
Since the assassin from the Little Brotherhood of Faith might have been able to contort his bones, Black Wolf had also used a dagger to sever the tendons in his hands and feet, to keep the man from escaping.
The assassin's mouth had been stuffed with a wad of cloth, so he couldn't speak, much less bite through his tongue and kill himself.
Yveta gave Black Wolf a puzzled look. "Do I? How am I different?"
"We were only apart for a few hours."
"I don't think I've grown much taller."
Yveta noticed that the twelve Knight Attendants downstairs had also been destroyed by dragonfire, and relaxed.
It seemed the Boar Knight Order's vanguard had already been wiped out by his stand-in.
"It's a change in your bearing. You've become more confident. As you walked down the stairs, you looked like a king surveying his territory." Black Wolf suddenly drew the greatsword from his back and swung it at Yveta.
He moved with lightning speed.
A flash of cold steel, and the greatsword was already closing in on Yveta's forehead.
Yveta instinctively raised his hand, pinching the blade between his index and middle fingers. The greatsword couldn't move another inch.
Yveta froze for a moment, then realized Black Wolf had only been testing his reflexes.
But what surprised him was how he'd managed to react so quickly.
Black Wolf's expression shifted slightly. His left hand darted to his chest and pulled out a small Short Crossbow. He pulled the trigger, aiming at Yveta's left eye.
If the bolt hit, Yveta would become a cyclops.
"Black Wolf, I hope you understand that you're my subordinate. Even a test requires my permission." Yveta raised his left hand and caught the Short Crossbow bolt in his palm from a distance of barely half a meter.
The few adventurers who hadn't left yet saw the scene and began whispering among themselves.
"Who is that guy? That was a crossbow bolt fired at point-blank range, and he caught it with his bare hand! He's a monster!"
"How can you not see it? Black Wolf and the Hearthstone Witch are both monsters, and that boy must be one too. Let's get out of here!"
"Right. If we stay, we might end up in trouble too."
After seeing that, the adventurers who remained decided the place was far too dangerous and bolted for the door.
Black Wolf looked at Yveta with admiration. "Congratulations, Your Highness. You've become a Wizard Apprentice."
"I'm sorry. It's just hard to believe you've embarked on the hardest path of all professions—the path of the wizard."
"I'd heard that magic could strengthen the body. But the degree of your enhancement seems far beyond that of an ordinary Wizard Apprentice. In terms of skill alone, you're almost on par with the Hearthstone Great Witch."
"Your late father, the true king of the Arthas Kingdom, would be proud of you."
"Even after losing the support of your kingdom's resources, you still became a Wizard Apprentice through your own efforts."
The Old Witch's body rejoined the head that had come down the stairs. She stared at Yveta, deeply wary of him.
He's only a Wizard Apprentice, yet magic has enhanced his body to the level of a Great Witch.
The quality of the magic surrounding him is also astonishing.
I just don't know how much borrowing the power of six gods' names will enhance his magic, or what changes it will bring about.
But I'll find out soon enough.
Yveta was surprised. "I thought becoming a Wizard Apprentice would only let me use magic."
"I didn't expect my physical abilities to improve too."
The Old Witch came over and explained, "Your Grace, I told you before: even a Wizard Apprentice with only magic can use it to do things beyond ordinary human ability."
"Magic has many uses. The reason an ordinary farmer can't kill a newly born Wizard Apprentice with a pitchfork is that magic enhances your perception, muscle strength, healing, magical resistance, and physical resistance."
"Even so, the Knight profession remains the king of the battlefield."
So, even then, knights were still the strongest profession in a head-on battle?
Yveta thought that this meant the Knight profession had even greater combat ability on the front lines.
He couldn't underestimate the profession just because his stand-in had killed a few knights.
After all, that stand-in had appeared when he was in the greatest danger.
Who knew whether, next time, the stand-in might inflict irreparable harm on him?
Yveta said to the two of them, "Take care of the Boar Knight Order's bodies. Witch, gather any materials that can be salvaged from them."
The innkeeper behind him, Blackhearted Leili, suddenly said angrily, "Sir, your actions have caused our little inn serious losses. A servant who'd served my family since my father's time also died because of this."
"I might even go bankrupt!"
"Do you have no intention of compensating me?"
"Given your status, surely you wouldn't act this way!"
Yveta looked around at the ruins and felt a little embarrassed.
It seemed they'd left this innkeeper in a pretty bad state.
Black Wolf shrugged at Blackhearted Leili. "I sympathize with you, but we're only people being hunted. You should ask the Boar Knight Order for money."
The Old Witch gave a disdainful snort, clearly unfazed.
Blackhearted Leili snapped, "But you're the ones I can get my hands on right now."
"Counting labor, materials, and the value of the building's history, my inn is worth at least forty pounds. I expect you to compensate me."
"And that's after I've already written off the other damages!"
The Old Witch snorted. "Your Grace, I'll go kill him."
"We don't owe money to dead men."
Blackhearted Leili looked frightened at that.
Yveta narrowed his eyes slightly and thought about it. Something was off about the innkeeper's attitude toward him.
He shook his head. "Hearthstone Witch, I'm not the sort of person who kills his creditors. Blackhearted Leili, consider the money owed to you my debt."
"After all, you ended up in this situation because of us."
"But I can't pay you back right now. I believe I'll be able to repay you eventually."
"However, if you're willing to keep investing in me, I believe I'll be able to pay you back even sooner."
Blackhearted Leili blinked. "What do you mean?"
The Old Witch and Black Wolf were both dumbfounded.
What did he mean?
Yveta spread his hands. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm the sole heir to the Arthas Kingdom. Those assassins came to kill me for that very reason."
"And I'm preparing to reclaim the throne."
"We're currently on the run. But if you invest all your remaining funds in us, then once I become king, I'll repay you with one and a half times your principal, along with the return you're due."
The Old Witch glanced at Yveta. She believed the Demon God could carry out this plan. So, was the Demon God planning to overthrow a kingdom with a thousand-year legacy?
It sounded... exciting.
She loved evil schemes.
Black Wolf, meanwhile, was sweating. No sane person would agree to this, would they?
A normal person would only think he was being pompous and making wild claims. Why would anyone lend him money?
"I agree." Blackhearted Leili instantly changed his expression, his grim face turning into a beaming smile. "But I have one more condition. This is a request from your creditor."
"You can't refuse. If you do, I'll demand that you repay me immediately."
"My request is that I swear allegiance to you. You must hold a Loyalty Ceremony for me."
Black Wolf was stunned, and the Old Witch hadn't expected things to turn out this way either.
Yveta looked at Blackhearted Leili. So the innkeeper, cautious by nature, had dared to demand repayment only because he wanted something from him besides money.
Yveta hadn't expected him to ask for this, though.
Before you continue