In the evening, the incident at the temple reached the palace.
"What did you say? The ritual was successful but the hero they summoned is a psychopath!?"
"Yes, that's what the eyewitness said, your majesty."
The king was shocked by what he heard.
A psychopath?
Such a dangerous person.
How did this happen? Is this the will of Goddess Omera?
He asked himself.
The king fell silent and thought deeply.
'What the hero did was a great sin. But before I can judge him, I need to know the reason why he killed those people. Besides that, he has the Divine Seal, so there is no doubt that he's the chosen one to kill the Demon King…'
He paused and caressed his chin.
'..…Well, if worse comes to shove, then I can use that artifact…'
Soon, the king opened his mouth again.
"Give my message to Commander Ruth. I want him to assemble a team to look for the Hero…!" He paused for a moment before continuing. "I want him to bring the hero here in front of me!"
"Yes! Your majesty!"
In the streets near the market, you could see the streets outside were empty of people. Even most of the shops nearby were closed. It wasn't even late at night yet, in fact, it was still so early. But why weren't there any more people wandering around outside?
This kind of scene was no longer strange to the residents here. Everyone was afraid of the danger that the Demon King's demonic minions may appear at any time. That's why most people rather stay in their shelter and let the night pass peacefully.
However, on one of the streets, there was a shop with the lights on.
Looking at it from the outside, it turns out to be a bar.
Some people wearing silver and iron armor stopped in front of it. When they climbed down their horses, they heard a loud noise coming from inside.
"I said I lost my pouch where my money was kept!" A man reeked of alcohol barked angrily in front of the barkeeper.
"What is that? A commotion?"
A white-haired young-looking knight asked.
"It seems someone was drunk."
"I see. Let's check inside."
"Okay."
Inside the bar, a troubled expression was apparent on the barkeeper's face. "O-okay, but I think you should calm down first."
After chugging a glass of alcoholic beverages, the huge man in front of him complained once again.
"What are you saying? As I said, my pouch suddenly disappeared this morning!"
The man continued to insist that his money was lost. The barkeeper on the other hand was still trying to calm him down.
He asked him whether he lost it by himself or someone had stolen it. The drunk man stated that someone probably stole it, but his expression said he wasn't sure how he lost his pouch.
The other customers around could be heard talking about an ongoing case of robbery. It wasn't new that someone lost their money, especially in the market where there were many people in the morning.
"However, the number of people who got robbed this morning is simply too many," said one of the customers.
"That's right. And who would have thought that someone like Bogart would be one of the victims?"
"True. Who would have the courage to take his money? Bogart has a thuggish face after all. Moreover, his height and size are really intimidating. He can tower over any ordinary person."
"Exactly! Well, we still don't know if his money was really stolen."
"Ssshh. Don't let him hear that—"
"Huh?! Are you talking about me?"
Hyiiiee!!!
The two people shrieked nervously when they noticed Bogart appeared right beside them.
"You bastards, are you gossiping about me?"
"No no no! We are not!"
Bogart grabbed the collar of one of the two and was about to punch him when the door suddenly opened. Everyone looked in that direction. They saw three people wearing armor enter the place.
The one in the center was more distinct compared to the other two. While the other two were wearing dull-looking iron armor, the one in the center was wearing an expensive sparkly silver chest armor over his noble dress suit.
"Who are they? Some knights from a noble family?"
The person in Bogart's clutch asked in a mutter.
In their eyes, they didn't look like patrollers and their armor didn't bear the insignia of the royal family, so they were probably private knights from a noble family.
One of them looks rather young. Maybe he's a son of a noble family? They thought.
After stepping inside, the trio looked around. Without saying a single word, the young knight in the middle approached the counter and faced the barkeeper. The others remained on the door while the rest of their companions were waiting outside. Each of them had a sword strapped on their waist.
"What can I do for you, our good guests? Do you want drinks, meals, or both?"
"No, we'll pass that." Immediate refusal by the young knight. "I just wanted to ask if you have seen any suspicious people around here today."
Before the barkeeper could answer, they suddenly heard Bogart's loud intervention.
"Oi oi! Do you think this is a lost and found place? Don't you see what kind of place this is?!"
Bogart approached and looked down at the young knight.
The two customers in the distance looked shocked.
"Bogart is a tough one, huh? He's not even afraid of the soldiers."
"That's natural because even though he looks like that, you can't deny that he is a Bronze Rank 3 Star Adventurer."
"Oh, you're right."
Bogart smiled wickedly when he noticed that the person in front of him was so young. Bogart thought he (Young Knight) was just a spoiled brat who likes dressing up into a cool-looking knight.
Since he could not recognize them, they were probably from a different town.
Anyway, he looked like a wimp, someone easy to fool and scare. Hehe. Perhaps he could even extort money from him.
Knights, huh? Ptui!
Bogart spat at them internally.
He had no ounce of respect towards them. Adventurers like him (Bogart) pretty much had more experience in battle than these so-called Knights.
Where are they when one of the Demonic Minions rampaged in the city? Most of them did not show up. Some faced the Demonic Minion, however, they were killed easily. But to be fair, he heard that there was one who fought splendidly and defeated hundreds of Demonic Minions. However, not everyone was as talented as that person.
Regardless, most knights were not admirable. Maybe the local patrollers were even more experienced than them.
For Bogart, most knights were just wannabes.
To Bogart's surprise, the young knight in front of him just ignored him as if he were an air.
"So?" The young knight inquired the barkeeper about his question.
"Uh.. w-well… I—"
The barkeeper as he talks darted his eyes from the young knight to Bogart then back to back.
However, Bogart interrupted the barkeeper once again.
"How dare you snub me!"
With an angry expression, Bogart brought his face closer to the young knight. He even had to bend a little because of his height.
"Bastard!"
The two knights at the door shouted at Bogart for his rude behavior. They were about to draw their swords, but when they saw that the young knight raised his hand, signaling them to stop their actions, they hesitated to follow but eventually move their hands away from their weapons.
Noticing that, Bogart grin. 'See? They're pussies. Hehe…' he thought.
"I'm sorry if you thought I snubbed you, mister. But you see we're in a hurry. So, can you do us a favor and not interrupt us?" Pleaded the young knight.
But it seems Bogart wasn't pleased by it. His eyebrows were twitching.
"Do you think I care about your business here?!"
Bogart sent a punch flying towards the young knight's face. He was confident of his strength. He would also take care of the other two knights after beating up the young knight first. Well, he didn't really intend to kill them. He just wanted to beat them a little.
Seeing Bogart's action, the barkeeper and the other customers widened their eyes. Bogart was after all a Bronze Rank 3 Star Adventurer, so his attack wasn't ordinary. His punch could kill the young knight on the spot.
BAM!
Everyone gawked at what happened. Bogart found himself upside-down on the floor after a loud crash.
He had no idea what happened. His vision spun around and before he realized it, he was already facing the ceiling.
Other than his back that hit the floor when he fell, he felt no pain in any other part of his body.
He was about to get up but the scabbard of the sword hit him in the face causing Bogart to lose consciousness.
"He beat Bogart that easily?" One of the customers asked in disbelief.
After defeating Bogart, the young knight continued his questioning. The barkeeper shook his head and so did the two customers. They said they did not see any suspicious people. But this place was often visited by travelers from different places. So if he asks about strangers, it is difficult to determine who among them he was looking for because every day there are strangers who pass by this place.
The young knight understood what they wanted to convey. It looked like they would have a hard time finding that person.
"Commander Ruth, I think it would be better if you describe the appearance of the person we are looking for," suddenly suggested one of his fellow knights.
"Oh, you thought right."
Commander Ruth immediately described the appearance of the person they were looking for.
"A teenager of about 15-year-old with a thin build and a little messy hair where his bangs slightly block his eyes?"
"Yes. Has anyone seen such a person today?"
The barkeeper and the customers pondered for a moment before they shook their heads at the same time.
"S-Sorry, I don't think I saw such a person today."
"Yeah, me too."
"Me too."
All of them denied seeing such a person.
After stepping outside the bar, one of his companions asked whether he believed them. Commander Ruth didn't answer, instead, he asked one of his men to investigate the bar.
He had a feeling that the barkeeper was hiding something. He looked hesitant when he replied to his question.
"Alright, sir!"
"Let's go!"
Commander Ruth urged them to mount their horses.
"Where are we going?"
"Let's check all the Inns in this area."
"I see. I think that's a good idea, sir."
Inside the bar, one of the customers asked the other one whether he remembered what one of the knights called the young knight.
"Isn't he called him "Commander Ruth"? Wait! R-Ruth?!"
Shocked, the two looked at each other.
"Doesn't it sound familiar?"
"Indeed. In the palace, there's a well-known young commander who is said to have killed hundreds of Demonic Minions. He's a talented young man who became a commander of the Royal Knights at such a young age."
They wondered if it was him? The person who got the nickname "Ruthless Commander".