Chapter 111

As she said this, the sparkle in Caerina’s eyes went far beyond interest. Cayna also wanted to know what would happen if she tried to pass on her skills but was reluctant to experiment after Lopus’s failure. “I can’t just walk out now. Don’t tell me that’s why you brought me all this way?” Cayna’s shoulders drooped as she stared up at Caerina with reproach. The knight hastily clarified. “Of course not. I would never dream of deceiving you, Grandmother.” It wasn’t like Caerina intended to force unreasonable demands on her grandmother, but the way she had antagonized a response rubbed Cayna the wrong way. The general trend of quests she’d accepted from royals, nobles, and other elites in the past added to her sulkiness. Call such quests an acquired taste if you will, but everything about them was absolutely foul. Each used the player’s moral conscience against them, and if you refused, a beloved NPC would be taken hostage. Upon completion of these quests, players flooded the forums with messages like “I wanna beat the crap out of whatever writer came up with that scenario. Disgusting.” and “The Admins will feel my wrath.” The volume became so great, it was feared their deep-seated resentment would give rise to something horrendous. Cayna was incredibly relieved Leadale was just a game, and such examples were precisely why it was no exaggeration to say Cayna wasn’t the only one with a distaste for royal and noble quests. Nonetheless, she mostly wanted to hurry back so she could keep an eye on Opus. After all, who knew what kind of mischief he was getting into? Luka was also with him, so this made Cayna even more nervous. She had asked Kuu to keep Opus in line but could just imagine the two cackling together. Her stomach twisted into knots. At any rate, Cayna’s sole mission was to finish up here as quickly as possible. She had to inevitably accept that Opus’s very existence was cause for concern. “Castles are massive no matter where you go, huh?” “The vast scale exudes a sense of authority. Ah, over this way.” Cayna wasn’t the least bit tired, but she’d grown bored of the long, repetitive scenery. Just as she was about to complain and ask how much farther, Caerina pointed ahead at their presumed destination. The extensive area Caerina called the training grounds was much like a stadium. Raucous voices rang out, and a large group of lightly equipped soldiers stood in a circle. Something was going on. As the two approached, they could hear jeers and a few scattered cheers. When the girls were finally close enough, the soldiers noticed Caerina and immediately stood at attention. “““Instructor! We apologize!””” “At ease. You’re still on break, aren’t you? Is he still in the center?” “Y-yes. The situation hasn’t changed.” Caerina offered a dazzling smile, and the soldiers stiffened even more with a collective blush. She seemed to be a celebrity among her subordinates. Cayna followed Caerina as the knight parted the crowd, and they drew close enough to see what was happening at the center. Two people were in the middle of a mock battle. The soldiers around them shouted things like “Get ’im!” and “You’re goin’ down!” One fighter was the (presumed) knight captain Cayna had seen before. A bearded man in his prime, he had intervened just as Cayna was about to finish off his opponent. His opponent, on the other hand, was a grimy, bloodied man who fell to the knight’s practice sword. His familiar horns and tanned skin told Cayna he was the bandit leader she’d bested earlier. Gritting his teeth, he endured the agony and forced himself to stand up. He picked up his practice sword, then faced the knight captain. However, the sway of his feeble body made it clear these efforts were in vain. The captain repelled him with one simple swing, and the bandit leader went flying. Even with the Punishment Collar, a player just under level 40 wouldn’t be expected to lose so easily. Moreover, level 10 or so should have been more than enough for a demon like him to put up a fight. “Um, isn’t this abuse?” “No, not at all.” Still unsure why she was called here, Cayna sought an explanation from Caerina. “I invited him to join our ranks.” “Pulling crazy stunts again, eh…? He’s probably gonna betray you.” “Unfortunately, he has been quite compliant.” “Huh…” Cayna’s gaze instinctively shifted to the collapsed demon player. What change of heart had this man who wailed so loudly back then undergone? “Grandmother, are you aware of the vicious monsters that have been appearing in the countryside lately? If we do nothing, the citizens will be in danger.” Yeah, I’m well aware! A snarky comment popped into Cayna’s mind, but her expression gave nothing away. For someone like her who had way more than an inkling of what was going on, Caerina’s report was old news. In all likelihood, the monsters were spilling out from the Abandoned Capital. Caerina didn’t say they ever lost, so the monsters appearing in Helshper were supposedly ones she and the knights could handle. Come to think of it, I forgot to ask Opus the details about the Abandoned Capital… “………” Kee didn’t voice his thoughts. Considering his connection to Opus, they likely shared a certain level of information, but something appeared to be preventing Kee from telling Cayna what that connection was. Caerina watched Cayna stand there in perturbed silence. She seemed to understand where her grandmother’s mind was. “He accepted our offer without question, and this is how we’ve been refining his character. Initially, he snapped at everyone and lived to antagonize. However, he never lost heart no matter how many times he was struck down. As you can see, he is now well accepted among our number.” A few shouts of encouragement could be heard among the crowd as well. “Do your best” and “Nice!” were fine enough, but the purpose of “Go, go, go!” was up for debate. “Grandmother, I would like you to unlock his full potential.” “…In other words, you’re asking me to take off his Punishment Collar?” “Yes. You live in the remote village, Grandmother, and I wish to treasure those residents by defending this nation. Enlisting this man’s aid will prove to be one way to combat this monstrous threat.” There was a fire burning in Caerina’s eyes. Cayna shrugged. “I handed him over to you in the first place. It’s your call, really.” “! Well, then!” After this offhand response, Cayna left her ecstatic granddaughter behind and approached the knights. The captain was the first to notice, and he stayed his weapon. The demon player didn’t see Cayna since he was staring at the ground trying to catch his breath. “Mind if I step in?” Cayna asked. “Not at all,” the captain replied with a slight bow. He glanced at Cayna as she entered the ring. When Caerina followed her, the soldiers stood at attention and saluted. She commanded them to be at ease, and Cayna walked over to the trembling demon who still hadn’t looked up. “Hey there.” “…Huh?” The demon player slowly answered her voice. The moment he saw Cayna, he tripped over his own two feet in fear and fell on his backside. His face was ashen, and his teeth audibly chattered. This was an understandable reaction when you were suddenly toe to toe with someone who had previously demolished you in both body and soul. Cayna raised a hand as she drew closer to the terrified demon player. Her hand glowed with a blue light, and the soldiers looked on nervously. Most thought she was going to kill him; however, they were mistaken. Caerina was certain Cayna would never do such a thing and restrained the soldiers who tried to rush to his defense. When Cayna’s outstretched hand touched the utterly terrified demon, she cleared away all the dirt and grime with Purity and healed his wounds with Dewl. The two spells left the rookie soldier looking freshly groomed, and the others stared in mute amazement. This was on account of the feat Cayna had just pulled, of course. “Get up.” “…Eh?” The cowering demon hesitantly looked up at Cayna. “…You’re not gonna…finish me off?” “Listen, Caerina’s the one who turned you into a soldier. I’ll look like the bad guy if I just do whatever I want. You think that’d be fun for me? Come on, get up already!” The stupefied player obeyed Cayna and slowly rose. She did a circle around him, then said, “Looks like you’re all healed up” with a satisfied nod. The demon had no idea what was going on and jolted when she reached for the black collar around his neck. He jumped back to escape. “Wh-why?” “I was asked to take it off.” “A-are you sure that’s a good idea…? If—if you take it off…I-I’ll probably kill people again…,” the demon player said nervously, his expression taut. Cayna responded to this self-damnation by casting several Active Skills and throwing him a dark stare. “In that case, I’ll turn you to charcoal where you stand…” “Grandmother…I must ask you to refrain from such behavior.” A clearly unsettled Caerina stepped in to intervene. Cayna canceled her skills with a sigh, then jabbed a finger right in front of the demon’s nose. “My granddaughter owns you, so I can’t punish you my way. But remember this: I released you because Caerina has faith in you. If you mess up again, my friend and I will erase you from this world!” “Y-yeah…” “Well? Do you understand me or not?” “I…I understand.” “Got it. Great. You better be grateful to Caerina for the rest of your life.” The demon player nodded meekly, and Cayna touched his collar. When she murmured “The Third Skill Master releases you,” it fell away instantly.