"Haha… Village Chief, what nonsense are you spouting?" Balo put down his spoon, feigning composure as he looked at the somewhat abnormal Village Chief, "A Bandit Group massacred the Magic Knights?"
"Join you?"
"What is all this… We haven't even had a drink yet, have we? Why does it feel a bit… off? Don't you think so, Caso?"
Balo turned his gaze to the other person at the table, who was also looking at him. Their eyes met… a hint of playfulness mixed with the coldness.
What exactly is going on?
"Whether you're playing dumb or genuinely didn't hear me… either way, time is almost up. Let's chat for the little time we have left." The Village Chief rose from his seat and casually walked a few steps towards the center.
His previously hunched figure began to straighten.
Balo rubbed his eyes hard, disbelievingly watching the scene before him: "Is this real or fake?"
In the candlelight, the old man's wrinkled skin tightened, and his white hair was casually pushed back with a hand, as if styled with hair wax. A faint, ethereal sound quietly emerged: "This posture suits me better… I really miss the old days."
…What the hell, an old man in his twilight years turning into a white-haired youth… This is insane.
"You… aren't the Village Chief?" Balo asked the person in front of him.
"What, if I'm not the Village Chief, then who could I be?"
The white-haired man turned sideways, his full face exposed in the light… Balo had some impression; he had seen this face when he was very, very young, but how could that be?
Rejuvenation?
Does this world have such magic?
"You… Goth Gerard… This…"
"Balo, this is a miracle!" The old man, no, Goth, now returned to his youth, had a fervent flame in his eyes, "How about it, don't you think it's amazing?"
"Don't worry, there's something even more amazing…" Goth laughed loudly, patting Balo's shoulder, "Do you have a lot of questions right now? Tell me, I might be able to answer some of them."
…Balo, sitting in his seat, tried to calm himself down a bit. He thought for a while and asked: "What's going on with your appearance?"
"I already told you… it's a miracle!"
This old geezer… "You said earlier that the Bandit Group massacred the Magic Knights from the capital?"
"That's right."
"Then why did you say earlier that the Magic Knights repelled the Bandit Group?"
"Because I was afraid the villagers would run away."
Balo looked down at the hand on his shoulder; the fingers, originally thin as withered branches, had become slender and fair, completely returning to their youthful appearance.
"Run away? What do you want to do?"
"Isn't it clear enough?" Goth withdrew his hand and stood with his hands behind his back in the candlelight, "Why do you think we haven't been attacked by a Bandit Group until now?"
"Do you think other villages are really so generous to lend us grain?"
"Without me, Eldos Village would be in who knows what state." Goth sighed softly, "They'd probably still be worrying about food."
Balo had a guess in his heart, "You're part of a Bandit Group?"
"Wrong. I am… the leader of that group of bandits… the Red Blood Slaughter Gang."
"Leader?! What on earth do you want, you bastard?"
"Don't be so agitated, Balo." Goth turned around, "Why do you think I called you here so late?"
"Do me a favor. I hope that later you can persuade the villagers of Eldos Village to join the Red Blood Slaughter Gang."
"With you having trained several Magic Knights members… and possessing considerable prestige in the village, plus me as the Village Chief, I'm sure they'll follow and join."
"Heh heh…" Balo suddenly chuckled softly, "Why do you think I would help you persuade the villagers to join a group of bandits who everyone wants to kill, who commit all sorts of evil, and plunder everywhere?"
"I'm not negotiating with you, I'm giving an order. Think about your daughter, alone at home!"
Balo stood up furiously, his gaze fierce: "Try touching her!"
He needed to get home immediately to ensure Lily's safety.
His blue grimoire flew out from the satchel at his waist, "Water Magic, Torrent of the Mad Serpent."
Water serpents emerged ferociously from the grimoire, their sharp fangs tearing towards Goth.
But just then, a figure rushed in front of Goth, and a shield of crimson flames blocked the water serpent's bite. The water serpent was incinerated by the blood flames.
"These flames are?"
Balo's eyes narrowed, "Caso?"
"Caso! What are you doing? Don't you know he's part of a Bandit Group? Why are you doing this?"
Caso, standing in front of Goth, was expressionless. He said coldly: "So what if I know? If it means becoming stronger and defeating you, then anything is good."
"Blood Flame Magic, Scarlet Flame Wolves!"
Four giant wolves, burning with blood-red flames, stood before Caso. The next moment, they lunged towards Balo, and the simple room became even more dilapidated due to the appearance of the wolf pack.
"Water Magic, Four-Directional Water Prison Spears!"
Several sharp, flowing water spears appeared in the air. The spears shot through the air, directly piercing towards the advancing blood flame wolves. The four giant wolves seemed to have intelligence, swiftly dodging the azure spears.
The distance between the wolves and the man quickly closed. The foremost blood flame wolf directly leaped up, pouncing towards Balo.
Balo reacted quickly, conjuring a water magic longsword in his hand. He dodged the blood flame wolf's pounce and swung his sword at its head. Water and fire collided, mist diffused, and a corrosive sound spread from the longsword.
One blood flame wolf dissipated.
The three blood flame wolves behind surged forward. Balo prepared to swing his sword again, but found that the water magic longsword in his hand had been completely corroded away. The blood flame wolves bit him!
With a "boom," Balo was slammed against the wall. The blood flame wolves bit his arms and legs, and ripples of blood splattered on the wall. The burning and corrosive pain made him cry out.
"Don't kill him yet, we still need him later."
Goth's words made Caso stop. The biting blood flame wolves loosened their grip, but their burning eyes remained fixed on Balo.
"How could this be… Your magic and magical power, why did they… suddenly become so powerful?" Balo was curled up in the corner, seemingly unable to believe the scene before him.
He used to easily defeat him, but why now?
The change in the color of the Flame Magic… Besides fire, the magic also gained corrosiveness… His magical power is even higher than mine… Caso stepped forward, looking coldly at Balo on the ground, "This is the first time I've looked down at you from this angle. It's truly wonderful. I finally understand that… pity… in your eyes from before."
"Indeed, the strong only pity the weak; they never truly empathize."
"The Magic Knights, they… won't let you off!"
"If it weren't for their arrival, I wouldn't be doing this in such a hurry."
Suddenly, a series of firelights and explosions erupted in the dark night.
Goth murmured, "Has the time come?"
"It's begun."
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