The rather loud and harsh shout instantly turned the atmosphere tense.
Amidst the tension beginning to blanket the air, Allen and Alrian remained standing casually. Their posture did not stiffen in the slightest, as if the high-pitched, threatening words had never reached their ears.
Alrian, who had experience dealing with all sorts of stubborn characters during his time working at the guild, took a small step forward. His expression was extremely calm.
"Forgive us if our silence earlier has made you upset." Alrian said in a polite, measured, and highly professional tone, befitting a high-class receptionist. "However, we have no intention of cutting your line. The rules in the Astoria Kingdom explicitly prioritize pedestrians heading to the gate over wagon caravans in the event of a long queue like this one. We are simply following the applicable rules."
The answer, delivered in such a calm and polite tone, instead caused the burly man to misinterpret it.
Seeing the green-haired youth in front of him responding without resistance, the man concluded that Alrian was feeling intimidated by him. A sense of superiority instantly took over his mind, feeling as though he had completely dominated the situation.
"What did you say?" the man retorted, his voice deliberately made heavier and more intimidating. "Kingdom rules? Heh! Those ridiculous rules might apply to ordinary pedestrians, but they do not apply when we are here blocking the way!"
Goodness... this man... Allen thought, letting out a long sigh in his heart. He stared at the burly man in disbelief. Why is he becoming even more insolent and arrogant when someone else has already tried to be polite to him?
At that moment, Allen's fingers twitched slightly. He really wanted to act, step forward, and immediately cut off the arrogant man's words so their business could be settled quickly. However, before he even had the chance to open his mouth, Alrian had already responded.
"If I may know, what is the reason that makes you suddenly say the kingdom's rules do not apply to you?" Alrian asked in return. Even though his question was piercing, he still maintained a highly professional demeanor, controlling his emotions perfectly.
"Of course, it is because we are high-class adventurers!" the man answered with his chin held high and a condescending glare. "There's not a single person on this route who does not know the Brutal Cutthroat party! We complete high-level missions. If you do not want that handsome face of yours to get hurt, you better immediately—"
"Is that a threat?"
The high-pitched words were instantly cut off by Allen's voice. His voice was not too loud, yet it held an absolute firmness.
The pink-haired youth stepped forward, aligning himself with Alrian. He could no longer tolerate the escalating behavior of the man in front of him.
The burly man immediately shifted his gaze, glaring sharply at the pink-haired youth who had dared to interrupt his sentence. Veins of irritation began to bulge on his neck.
"You... dare to interrupt my words?" the man growled.
"Of course I had to immediately cut off your nonsensical words." Allen replied casually, looking straight into the man's eyes without feeling daunted in the slightest. "You are becoming increasingly arrogant and crossing the line toward someone who has been trying to be friendly and polite to you this whole time."
"And what if I act that way, Brat?!" the man challenged with a disdainful look on his face, feeling there was nothing wrong with his behavior. "You are just weak civilian brats. It has become an absolute law in this world that the weak will always be oppressed by the strong, has it not?"
"Hahaha."
A crisp laughter instantly escaped Allen's mouth. The laugh slowly hardened into a loud, uninhibited burst of laughter. The concept of the 'law of the jungle' he had just heard sounded so ridiculous to his ears.
However, Allen's attitude of blatantly laughing at him triggered a massive bout of anger. The man felt deeply offended, demeaned, and belittled in front of the dozens of eyes of merchants and other adventurers watching their altercation. His face turned red from embarrassment and fury.
"What's so funny that you dare to laugh like that, huh?!" the man snapped, growling in annoyance at seeing the attitude of the youth in front of him showing no fear at all. "Are you deliberately trying to challenge me, brat?!"
Hearing the harsh shout, the laughter on Allen's lips ceased instantly. The warmth on his face evaporated in the blink of an eye. He stared back at the burly man, and this time, his expression completely changed. There was no more friendliness. All that remained was a gaze so calm, yet as cold as ice.
"Me? Challenging you?" Allen repeated in a very cold and lowered tone of voice, piercing straight into the listener's ears. "I am the one who should be asking you. Do adventurers always act arrogantly and oppress people weaker than themselves?"
The burly man suddenly choked up. He was quite surprised by the change in the aura and facial expression of the pink-haired youth in front of him. For some reason, that cold stare made him feel as though he was being looked at by a deadly predator from the top of the food chain.
However, instead of realizing that he was an adventurer who was supposed to be a protector, the man acted otherwise. He bluffed even harder.
"That is the law of the jungle in this world, Brat!" the man retorted loudly, refusing to lose the argument. "The strong rule, and the weak are subjugated!"
Hearing that answer, Allen only let out a long sigh, his eyelids closing for a moment. He felt it was truly useless to waste time just arguing with such a shallow-minded man. He then turned to Alrian, who was standing beside him.
"Come on, let us just walk and head back!" Allen urged in a lazy tone, completely ignoring the burly man's existence. "I really want to take a bath right away. Standing here is only making me sweat more."
"Okay!" Alrian replied casually, returning Allen's gaze with a small smile. "Let us head back."
Wasting no time, Allen and Alrian immediately stepped toward the gate. They ignored the existence of the Rank A party members.
Feeling ignored and treated as if he did not exist, the man's anger peaked. Without thinking, his hand moved swiftly to grab the hilt of the large sword at his waist, drawing his blade and immediately pointing the sharp tip right at Allen's neck.
Allen and Alrian's footsteps spontaneously came to a halt.
Everyone who had been watching from the caravan queue all along gasped instantly upon seeing the behavior of a professional adventurer actually pointing his weapon at an unarmed civilian.
"What the hell are you doing?!" exclaimed a luxuriously dressed middle-aged man who stepped out of one of the fancy horse carriages nearby. He was the merchant who had hired their escort services. "Lower your weapon! Why are you pointing your sword at them when they are clearly just ordinary civilians?!"
The burly man did not lower his sword at all. His eyes were still glaring sharply at Allen.
"Mr. Loda, you do not need to interfere in this matter!" the man replied to his client in a loud and defensive voice. "This arrogant brat needs to be taught a lesson immediately so he can understand respect for those stronger than him!"
Hearing the baseless defense, the merchant named Mr. Loda could only smack his forehead hard. He sighed in frustration, truly unable to comprehend the narrow-minded of the man he had hired.
Goodness... Why could an arrogant person like him become an adventurer? The reckless attitude he is showing right now completely tarnishes the good name and does not reflect the honor of an adventurer at all!