The carriage rolled slowly along the main road. Merlin was resting inside with his eyes closed when he suddenly felt the carriage jolt violently, accompanied by the shrill neighing of horses outside.
"Moss, what's going on?"
Merlin lifted the curtain and asked Moss with a frown.
Moss was struggling to control the panicked black horse. Hearing the displeasure in Merlin's voice, he said uneasily, "Young Master Merlin, a group of knights came charging up from behind. I don't know who they are, but they're tearing wildly through the streets."
Merlin raised his head and looked into the distance. Sure enough, a group of knights in gleaming armor was galloping ahead, completely disregarding the pedestrians and carriages on the street. For a moment, the entire street was thrown into chaos, mixed with countless curses.
These knights were not dressed like knights of the City Defense Corps, and Merlin had never seen them before.
"Hmm? Merlin?"
A familiar voice suddenly reached Merlin's ears from nearby. He turned his head and saw a carriage pulled over at the right side of the street. The driver was desperately calming the frightened horses, while the person in the carriage was none other than Kailisi, whom he had not seen for over ten days.
"Miss Kailisi."
Merlin hurriedly got out of his carriage and walked over to hers. "Miss Kailisi, are you all right?"
Kailisi shook her head slightly. "The horses were merely startled. I'm fine. By the way, I went to visit Mr. Aita again a few days ago, but he wasn't home. Do you know what happened?"
"Teacher Aita said he had some personal matters to deal with and needed to leave Blackwater City for a while. I was planning to see whether Teacher Aita had returned today."
A faint smile appeared on Kailisi's face. "What a coincidence. I was also planning to visit Mr. Aita again. Why don't we go together?"
Merlin nodded. Thus, their two carriages headed toward Old Aita's little wooden cabin, one after the other.
Before long, the carriages gradually came to a stop. Moss lifted the curtain and said helplessly to Merlin, "Young Master Merlin, we can't get through ahead. The road is blocked."
"Blocked?"
Merlin frowned and looked up. Not far from Old Aita's wooden cabin, a crowd had gathered, completely blocking the road.
"What's going on?"
Kailisi also stepped down from her carriage and glanced at Merlin, looking puzzled.
"Miss Kailisi, it seems the road is blocked. Shall we go see what's happening?"
So Merlin and Kailisi got out of their carriages and walked forward. They were both rather tall, so even from the edge of the crowd, they could see what was happening inside.
"Those knights again? Miss Kailisi, do you know who they are?"
Within the crowd stood more than twenty knights clad in silver-white armor. They had charged recklessly through the streets earlier, causing chaos, and now they had blocked the road here, refusing to let anyone pass. That was why so many people had gathered.
Kailisi frowned and carefully studied the knights' attire. After a long while, she said in a low voice, "I'm not entirely sure, but judging by their clothing, they resemble Guardian Swordsmen of the Light Church. However, Blackwater City has no Guardian Swordsmen, so I can't be certain."
"Guardian Swordsmen?"
Merlin repeated the words. He immediately thought of Kadoron. After becoming a Light Swordsman, Kadoron had directly become a Guardian Swordsman of the Gran City Church.
"Could they be Guardian Swordsmen from Gran City?" Merlin guessed quietly.
"Gran City? That's possible. But for so many Guardian Swordsmen to come to Blackwater City at once... could something major have happened?"
Neither Kailisi nor Merlin dared to be certain. Every Guardian Swordsman was an important figure, especially in a small city like Blackwater City. In a sense, Guardian Swordsmen of the Church were equivalent to nobles.
For more than twenty Guardian Swordsmen, each comparable to a noble, to be dispatched at once, something major must have occurred.
Just then, another group of knights arrived from behind. Merlin recognized their attire immediately. They were the knight squadron of Blackwater City's City Defense Corps.
The crowd immediately parted to let the City Defense Corps knights through. The leading knight shouted at the unidentified knights, "Where are you knights from?"
A knight wearing a silver helmet stepped forward and said arrogantly to the City Defense Corps knights, "We are Guardian Swordsmen of the Gran City Light Church!"
"Guardian Swordsmen from Gran City?"
The City Defense Corps knights were stunned. Under normal circumstances, even the arrival of a single Guardian Swordsman from Gran City would require the city lord to treat them cautiously, let alone more than twenty arriving at once.
"May I ask what business brings you great swordsmen to Blackwater City?"
The City Defense Corps knight asked carefully.
"By order of the bishop, we have come to capture an evil heretic from the Black Moon Kingdom. All of you, move away at once, or you may be harmed by the heretic's evil Spells."
"An evil heretic?"
As though they had heard something terrifying, the crowd, which had been tightly packed moments ago, quickly retreated. In the blink of an eye, they had moved far away from the Guardian Swordsmen.
Even the young knights of the City Defense Corps were frightened, their faces showing fear.
Merlin did not know what an evil heretic was, but seeing the reactions of those around him, he could roughly guess. It was certainly someone people deeply feared.
"Knight Borg, the evil heretic is in the wooden cabin ahead. Take men and surround it."
A man dressed in white robes with light armor over them gave orders to the Guardian Swordsmen around him.
Borg's heart tightened. They had indeed found the evil heretic. He did not dare delay and immediately drew his greatsword. Treating it like a formidable enemy, he had more than ten knights swiftly surround the wooden cabin.
"Ah? Isn't that Mr. Aita's house?"
Kailisi cried out in alarm. Fortunately, the surrounding crowd was so noisy that her voice was drowned out.
Merlin hurriedly grabbed Kailisi's hand. Not bothering to notice how it felt, he said in a low voice, "Miss Kailisi, don't make a sound."
Merlin had naturally realized that the Guardian Swordsmen's target was Old Aita's wooden cabin, where the old man had always acted so mysteriously. He knew that since these Guardian Swordsmen had come, they must have received some information.
"Merlin, I wonder whether Mr. Aita has returned. But judging from the situation, it doesn't seem favorable for him. I hope he won't be implicated."
Kailisi said softly.
Merlin's expression was grave as he shook his head slightly. He had a bad feeling that this matter was inseparable from the mysterious Old Aita.
More than ten Guardian Swordsmen surrounded Old Aita's wooden cabin. The helmeted Knight Borg respectfully asked the man in white, "Lord Jason, what should we do now?"
The man in white narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to see what was inside the wooden cabin. However, its doors and windows were tightly shut, and no one could see anything within.
After a long while, the man in white waved his hand. "Knight Borg, go in. It would be best if you can capture the heretic alive."
Knight Borg froze slightly, bitterness rising in his heart. Everyone knew how terrifying evil heretics were, but Jason had given the order. Even though Borg was a Second-Level Light Swordsman, he could only obey.
Thus, Borg waved over three Guardian Swordsmen and charged into the wooden cabin with them.
Everyone stared intently at the wooden cabin. After the four Guardian Swordsmen entered, there seemed to be no movement at all. Even the man in white frowned and muttered softly, "Could the information have been wrong?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, several muffled blasts rang out from the previously quiet wooden cabin. The Guardian Swordsmen who had just rushed inside were sent flying directly out of it, their bodies charred black as though they had been scorched by flames. There was even a foul smell of burnt flesh in the air.
After those Guardian Swordsmen crashed heavily to the ground, they did not move again. All of them were dead.
The City Defense Corps knights who had been closest to the wooden cabin saw the three charred corpses and could no longer conceal the fear in their hearts. They all turned and retreated far away.
These Guardian Swordsmen were no ordinary people. Every Guardian Swordsman was at least a First-level Light Swordsman, which meant they were all powerful Elemental Swordsmen.
Yet now, after only entering for a short while, these Elemental Swordsmen had died for no apparent reason.
Holy Light Slash!
At that moment, a loud roar came from inside the wooden cabin. Four Guardian Swordsmen had entered the cabin. Three were now dead, leaving only Knight Borg inside.
That roar had come from Borg.
The instant the cry rang out, a figure leaped directly from the wooden cabin amid dazzling white light. It was none other than Knight Borg.
"Lord Jason, the evil heretic is inside."
Borg's entire body was shrouded in dazzling white light, but his clothes could still be seen hanging in tatters. Blood dripped from his right arm onto the ground. He was clearly injured as well.
"A Second-Level Swordsman... he's actually a Second-Level Elemental Swordsman!"
Kailisi, standing beside Merlin, spoke in an incredulous tone. Merlin's heart also tightened slightly. A Second-Level Elemental Swordsman would likely be the undisputed strongest expert in all of Blackwater City.
Knight Pero was only a First-level Flame Swordsman, while the battle-hardened Old Wilson seemed to be a First-level Peak Elemental Swordsman. Yet neither had broken through to the second level.
But now, such a powerful Second-Level Elemental Swordsman had fled the wooden cabin in such a miserable state, almost in utter panic.
The man in white cast Knight Borg a cold glance. Then he took a deep breath and shouted toward the wooden cabin, "Heretic, God is merciful. As long as you return to God's embrace, believe in God, and become one of God's people, the sins upon you will be purified."
"God? Is there a God in this world? After all these years, your Light Church is still as hypocritical and laughable as ever. Truly laughable! As a First-level Spellcaster, don't you know about the ridiculous lies of your Church? I believe only in truth, in the true essence of magic, not in the illusory God you speak of."
A hoarse voice came from within the wooden cabin, followed by a figure slowly walking out.
Before you continue