Chapter 129 : Collecting Interest, with Interest

It was another quiet night. The mud on the tables had dried a little, but that was fine. Quiet meant no drunks causing trouble.

“I tell you, kid.” He took a sip of the ale on the table. Only here could they have a drink on the job.

The young knight beside him stared out the window, restless. Glen knew what he was thinking. “It’s much better here than at the city gate. Those brainless demon whelps!” He took another swig, his spirits rising. “They all try to sneak in through the main gate. They deserve to be chopped into pieces by the knights.”

The young knight, Myron, kept rubbing the hilt of his sword, his eyes fixed on the city. “I heard that demon girl is heading this way. The others have all gone…”

He had heard that if he caught her, he would not only get a reward that would last him half a lifetime, but also the favor of the Church. Maybe he could even join the Platinum Knights, instead of guarding this boring slum, his life stretching out before him, empty and predictable.

“What’s it to us!” Glen slammed his mug on the table, startling the young knight. It was the first time he had seen him so agitated.

“A few smugglers using that well-known secret passage, a few drunks causing trouble, a few beggars dying in a fight every now and then, you understand? That’s our job. Don’t get involved in things that don’t concern you.” He finished his ale and slammed the empty mug on the table. “As for catching demons? That’s a good job, but it’s already been snatched up by the big shots in silver armor. You think you’d have a chance?”

Myron was about to retort when he saw a flash of lightning outside. He rubbed his eyes. It shouldn’t be lightning on a clear night. But he also heard a distant roar, like thunder.

Maybe it was the demon girl. Even though the old knight had said all that, he still wanted to try his luck. What if he was the one to catch her?

Glen was muttering again, complaining about the sour ale. He had been complaining for nights.

Shortly after the thunder, Myron heard another noise, from the direction of the city wall.

“Senior, I think there’s something.”

“If there’s something, it’s the big shots’ problem, not ours.” But seeing the young knight’s face, he continued, “Go hang our tattered flag with the holy emblem. Whether it’s a demon or a monster, they have to go around when they see the Church’s flag, unless they want to die…”

Before he could finish, a piercing alarm shattered the night.

Glen, who had been a little drunk, was instantly sober. There was trouble at the city wall. Someone had attacked the guards.

“Damn it, they’re asking for it.”

He and Myron rushed out. He looked up. In the distance, a white figure was silhouetted against the moonlight. In her hand, a blinding lightning bolt, tearing a squad of silver-armored knights to pieces.

The young knight’s mouth was agape, unable to believe what he was seeing.

He had heard that the demon girl’s magic was gone, that she was no threat. That anyone could bring her back. But why?

The blinding lightning almost turned the night to day. The silver-armored knights he had once admired were torn to pieces by the current.

In the moonlight, the demon girl, who he had thought was weak and harmless, had become a white demon, each strike taking the lives of several of his comrades.

“Hey, kid, if you’re scared, go back.”

“I’m not.”

“Still talking tough. Damn it, you’ve wet your pants.”

Only then did the young knight notice a warm wetness between his trembling legs.

“Kid, take this.” The old knight placed a transparent crystal in his hand. “Go in that direction. If you’re afraid of dying, activate the barrier.”

“But…” The young knight still wanted to argue, but the old knight cut him off. “Listen to me. You’re still young. This world is much crueler than you think. You think those demons are like in the stories, that you just defeat them and everything is fine? You think the demons you’ve defeated are the real ones?”

Activating the barrier and trapping her was a great achievement.

The old knight knew that the silver-armored knights were being torn to pieces. If he went now, he would just be another casualty. But, as the young knight had said, what if. Reinforcements were coming. All sorts of magic flashed in the sky, a barrage aimed at the demon girl. There were so many of them. They could just overwhelm her.

Even though he had said all that to the young knight, the old knight knew that he couldn’t resist the temptation either. And now, the opportunity was right in front of him. He just had to sneak up behind her and deliver the final blow before she was overwhelmed.

Even if he didn’t get the main prize, a small piece was enough.

In the face of such wealth, almost no one could resist.

…

Phew…

It was getting a little out of hand.

From the moment the alarm sounded, pursuers had emerged from the dark streets.

Milly had used her God’s perspective to confirm that there were many hunters in the slums, but not this many. The moment she had appeared, they had seemed to spawn around her.

In the distance, colorful magic circles lit up, and countless magic missiles flew toward her.

She had no time to analyze each spell. The intense electricity from her hand tore them all apart. The mages’ first attack had drawn her attention. Below her, knights, blessed by the holy light, charged at her with their longswords.

But they were torn to pieces by her lightning before they could even get close. More knights charged over the remains of their comrades.

She was being attacked from all sides.

She couldn’t see the casters in the darkness. And there were too many of them, too spread out. She couldn’t take them all down at once. When she was distracted by the mages, the knights would attack from below.

Troublesome…

Sweat dripped from her chin. The electricity she was releasing was much stronger than before, but the continuous, high-intensity output was quickly draining her stamina.

The interest was almost collected. She had no intention of continuing this fight. She had caused enough trouble. The old fool in the Church probably wouldn’t be able to sleep well.

But before she left, she had one more gift for them. She raised her hand, a blinding light gathering at her fingertips. She aimed at the sky above the slums.

As she waved her arm, the light shot up and exploded, a brilliant display of fireworks, countless small currents of electricity raining down.

The mages hidden in the darkness had no time to react. The falling currents rushed toward them.

Screams filled the air. The electricity accurately targeted every enemy who had released a current, whether it was a mage hidden in the darkness or a knight with a shield. All were pierced by the raging current.

Milly’s red eyes reflected the rampaging lightning. She had been chased for days. It was time to collect interest, with interest.

After delivering her gift, she spread her wings and prepared to leave the city. But just as she was about to fly out, she slammed into a transparent wall.

“What the? A barrier?”

Before she could rub her throbbing forehead and release a current to break the barrier, she realized that her gift had completely drained her. It would take some time to recover.

Just then, a whoosh.

She turned, but an arrow of holy light pierced her wing. She lost her balance and fell. The surviving knights surrounded her, their swords pointed at her.

“It’s over, whelp.”

“Cut off her wings first!”

The nearest knight was about to act when she felt a tearing pain in her palm. A black tentacle shot out, and with lightning speed, pierced the knight’s chest.

“What?!”