Gasping for breath in front of the gate, Marius released the goddess's hand and hunched over, clutching his knees. He was completely breathless after sprinting for a solid 10 minutes.
Despite his constant worry that they could have caught up with them at any time, they never made themselves known. Which was a good and bad thing.
Good—because he wasn't chased down and could have been easily caught, as he lacked the strength to defend himself, and now he had the protection of the guards for the moment.
Bad—because he's unaware of their whereabouts, and they could be anywhere, observing.
Without showing any signs of exhaustion, Ayla approached the gate guards and briefed them on the situation.
The guards experienced a range of emotions when they heard this—as a noble almost lost their life in their village. This incident could lead to an execution and punishment for such a crime, as heads may could roll because of this.
This prompted an immediate response from the guards, who swiftly employed a communication orb to request backup and notify the village's Knight Order to conduct a thorough patrol of the entire village.
Additionally, they lowered their heads in front of Marius, begging for his forgiveness, and presented a multitude of excuses regarding the village's inadequate security measures.
The guards knew they were situated near the border and had the responsibility of safeguarding all life within these walls, especially the Holy Kingdom's territories.
If word got out that a nobleman had been attacked, potentially resulting in his death, the repercussions would be severe.
They would face the loss of business from the nobility, causing their already fragile economy to collapse, and they would also experience a decline in tourism.
It would also damage the village's reputation but also undermine the guards' trustworthiness.
Hence why the guards needed to beg. They wanted to live! They had families to feed!
However, Marius was too preoccupied to pay attention, as he cast a quick glance towards the merchant, positioned behind his stall, his carriage fully loaded with fantasy-like goods and enticing items.
Despite being taken aback by the presence of a noble, the merchant managed to hide his astonishment and maintained a professional attitude.
He was dressed in more luxurious attire, donning black tunics and doublets, along with a black overcape adorned with golden stripes. In addition, he was wearing jewelry on his fingers.
Setting eyes on a set of silver armor, Marius put on a fake-smug smile as he straightened his back, hiding his exhaustion, and walked over to the merchant.
Ayla followed behind, with her hand tightly holding her staff.
Marius extended his hand as he greeted the merchant. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for my current appearance. As you just heard, I was assaulted earlier."
Without any hesitation, the merchant reached out his hand and firmly shook it while expressing his complete disbelief.
"I am in shock that this village failed to protect a noble. I plan to move shortly, but for now, how can I be of service to you?"
He smelt coins! He was happy that he had chosen to come here.
Marius was relieved that the merchant hadn't asked for his name, the same as everybody else. He guessed it was rude to ask for a noble's name? Though he wasn't sure.
He didn't want his name to be revealed. The news about him, a noble, seemed to spread quickly, and he was uncertain about the extent of its reach. If his identity became known, he would be in serious trouble.
'Though my appearance is probably known now…' Marius clicked his tongue. This was too troublesome. He really needed to get stronger fast. He hated being so weak.
Looking at the entire carriage, his gaze shifted to the front, where he noticed a big, black horse that had green eyes and scars all over its body.
Seeing that it was harnessed to the carriage, Marius came up with another plan that he knew was stupid. He closed his eyes. Prepared to lose some brain cells.
He reopened them. "Bony," he muttered. He sensed a small energy leaving his body. This time, his legs didn't feel as weak as before.
Just like the last time he used his default skill, appearing on the ground, a small black and gray circle with a miniature tombstone on it began emitting a faint blue glow.
The guards, merchant, and onlookers observed with confusion as this spectacle unfolded, but their confusion quickly turned into horror.
Bony emerged with an enraged expression. "It's you! You damn mortal! How dare you summon me once again! Especially after you treated me, the king of the undead, so badly!"
The guards, two of them, quickly unsheathed their swords.
One guard advanced, his grip tightening on the hilt. "You are no noble! You possess a dark class!"
The second guard followed, his eyes burning with hatred. "As followers of the Goddess of Light, it is our duty to execute you! You heretic!"
Not wanting to have them step another foot forward, Marius glanced at the goddess and yelled, "flash all these motherfuckers!" He covered his eyes.
Quickly, doing as she was told, Ayla held out her staff and uttered, "flash." It let out the sound of a flash bang, instantly blinding anyone nearby.
Both the guards, merchant, and onlookers were startled as they were blinded.
The merchant was then forcefully yanked across the stall by Marius, who then grabbed Bony, who was flailing his arms and cursing, and hurled him towards the lever, which the little skeleton clutched onto and pulled down.
Because of that impact, he dissolved into tiny blue particles, as his HP: 1/1, turned to 0/1.
[Ding! Bony has been killed by Hero]
[Cause: blunt force trauma]
[Cool down: 1 second]
With the gate opening, Marius jumped over the stall and into the carriage, getting to the front seat. "Get in, Ayla!"
"Don't let them escape!" One of the guards, recovering from his blinded state, sprinted towards the communication orb. "Alert the Knight Order! A heretic is on the loose!"
The second guard, still somewhat blinded, tried to move forward but ended up tripping over a rock and landing face-first on the ground.
Ayla, holding her staff close to her chest, attempted to climb over the stall but couldn't, so she decided to go around and push herself up onto the back.
Meanwhile, the merchant still remained on the ground, crying while extremely angry. Today was the day he intended to recruit individuals with tracking and protection skills to install them on his carriage.
As soon as Marius saw the goddess completely inside, he took hold of the reins and lashed the horse, prompting it to make a loud sound before galloping forward and through the gate.
Despite the jolting of the carriage and the loss of some items inside, and Ayla holding on for dear life, he had a big grin on his face as he shouted ahead:
"Get me the fuck out of here!"