Chapter Twenty-Five: The Troublemaker

Killing someone, while lawful and reasonable, still required notifying the village administrator.

It was at this moment that Li Ke learned the names of these two individuals.

The old man was called Kusho.

The young one was his son, Shen.

Li Ke broke into a cold sweat on the spot.

Kusho, the current Eye of Twilight, the strongest man in Ionia.

One spirit blade to slay demons and banish evil, one steel blade to settle the injustices of the mortal world.

And he had just told the man to his face that he intended to wipe out an entire family...

"You need not be so nervous. You should be aware that the Kinkou Order does not interfere in mundane affairs."

Seeing Li Ke's anxiety, Kusho spoke with a chuckle.

This was indeed the truth; unless necessary, the Kinkou Order did not meddle in the secular matters of Ionia, focusing only on the balance between the spirit realm and the physical world.

However, things were not calculated so simply. In theory, the Kinkou Order managed the magic across the entirety of Ionia.

And every inch of Ionian soil was imbued with magic.

If they said you could use magic, you could clear land to your heart's content; if they said you could not, and you continued to exploit the land, you had best be wise and stop your work to move away.

Yes, despite not governing or ruling, the Kinkou Order effectively managed all of Ionia.

Land, magic, population, gatherings—anything related to magic fell under their jurisdiction. They wouldn't care if you gathered ten thousand men to conquer cities, but if you caused an imbalance between the magic of the land and the people...

Then they would come to "balance" you.

In reality, the Kinkou Order was the administrator of Ionia, and its leader, the Eye of Twilight, was the king of Ionia.

It was just that they collected no taxes, managed no cities, held no royal titles, practiced no hereditary succession, and enjoyed no royal perks or benefits; they were simply respected and received the voluntary, uncompensated offerings of all Ionia.

Of course, even Kusho could not use these offerings for personal gain, or he would lose his standing.

In other words, if Kusho took a dislike to you and claimed you were affecting the balance, even if he cut you down, no one would dare cry injustice for you.

"Understood, understood."

Li Ke only wanted to leave as quickly as possible now; he had absolutely no desire to encounter Kusho at such a time and in such a place. He also realized that Kusho hadn't really wanted to save that young man...

Otherwise, with his strength, saving the fellow would have been as easy as turning over his hand.

Kusho shook his head. He had only been somewhat interested in Li Ke, which was why he had spoken a few extra words, but seeing Li Ke like this, he lost interest.

"Forget it, it's clear you don't understand... Let us go, Shen. The matter here is finished."

Picking up his weapon, Kusho walked toward the gate, but before leaving, he turned his head to look at Li Ke.

"Young man, it is better to leave some room for maneuver in your actions. And be careful; you seem to have a constitution that attracts trouble."

The man had only stepped out for a walk and had encountered a rogue disciple of the Kinkou Order, a disciple possessed by a demon, and even while eating a meal, he had run into himself and someone on the verge of transforming into a demon.

Truthfully, Kusho felt Li Ke was deeply fated with the Kinkou Order. With the frequency of his encounters with spirits and demons, combined with that special magic of his, if he could become a Kinkou disciple, his speed in dealing with such Yazakana would likely increase significantly.

It was just a pity that Li Ke was already a disciple of Souma, so he could only advise him to think twice before acting.

Having offered his final piece of advice, Kusho departed.

Li Ke sent him off with a smiling face, but the moment Kusho vanished from his sight, his expression collapsed.

"Are you kidding me? That's just a curse, isn't it?"

What "constitution that attracts trouble"? Did he, Li Ke, look like a protagonist with a "taunt" face?

"Forget it, I can't stay in this town anymore. Better to leave quickly."

Having killed someone in this town, Li Ke didn't think he could peacefully recover from his injuries here, so the top priority was to leave immediately and avoid any further complications.

Thus, he unceremoniously paid for the damaged table, bought some beef and flatbreads, purchased medicinal herbs and salves in the town, and paid a high price to hire a carriage driver to take him to the Placidium.

After Li Ke departed, the Eye of Twilight and his son, who were still in town dealing with restless spirit beasts in the spirit realm, watched his hurried figure leave.

Shen didn't care; it was nothing unusual. Anyone would flee in a hurry after saying those things in front of his father.

But Kusho paused his movements, watching Li Ke leave, and shook his head slightly.

"He truly is a person who attracts trouble... No, perhaps it is more accurate to say that he and trouble are searching for each other."

Shen was curious. He knew his father rarely judged others, let alone spoke in such a manner.

But recalling Li Ke's performance, he felt that in his father's eyes, the man was likely just a third-rate swordsman with a mediocre weapon, nothing remarkable. Why would his father say such a thing?

Seeming to sense his confusion, Kusho spoke once Li Ke had moved further away.

"Based on that boy's itinerary, if he sets off now, he will arrive in Shon-Xan just as Zed goes there to deal with a restless spirit beast. And if there are no accidents, Zed and he will go to the same village to resolve two different troubles: a volatile spirit beast in the spirit realm and a restless magical beast."

Kusho paused, then continued.

"And given Zed's temperament, he will certainly kill that magical beast immediately after pacifying the spirit beast, so they will definitely cross paths there."

Shen looked up in surprise. Looking at it this way, this person named Li Ke was indeed deeply fated with their Kinkou Order.

But for an ordinary person, especially one without magic who possessed only a strange power, this was a truly incredible coincidence.

"Doesn't that mean he'll be in constant trouble?"

Kusho nodded. Every era had people like Li Ke—seemingly unremarkable, yet constantly surrounded by trouble and prone to encountering all sorts of bizarre events.

After a moment of contemplation, he spoke to his son.

"That is precisely why I say he and trouble are mutually attracted. Shen, once you have finished handling these matters, follow him. By following such a person, you should be able to witness some unique scenery. However, remember: no matter what you see, as long as it does not affect the Balance, you must not intervene."

Ionia was about to change.

It was time to let his son witness the darkness of Ionia.