68 Ilnora's Hamlet

Aaron could hardly believe that the guy under his foot had acted so nobly, but the proof was visible in front of his eyes.

There were cuts and wounds on many of those who had gathered in front of him, and their faces really had expressions of those who had been through a lot of hardships. The way their eyes lingered on Max, as if they were indebted to him, were also clear indications of the truth.

Aaron had never been one to fixate on suppositions if enough proof was shown otherwise that it was not the case.

However, he decided to get some more proof first.

Turning to Anissa, he asked, "Is it true?"

After thinking for a bit, Anissa replied, "Yes, I think so. The reason-"

She repeated the entire story regarding what he had done and the reason behind him being put on house arrest instead of being executed, which was the judgment that had initially been passed.

After that, she said, "I don't know whether it was those people who were responsible for what happened here, though. Grandpa didn't mention it. Let me ask him, we should still be within range of the Town."

Saying so, Anissa closed her eyes, and Aaron understood that she must be using the A.A.

After a second, she smiled and said, "It's true! Proof was found that they were the culprits."

The tall man who had been watching abruptly walked forward as he heard this, but as Aaron glared at him, he stopped and said, "Miss, you are in contact with the World Government? Could you…ask what happened to those who were abducted?"

Hope appeared on the faces of the villagers as the man asked this, and Aaron remembered that he had said that the culprits had taken away a few people along with them when they had left.

Anissa's smile faded as she saw this, and she nodded before closing her eyes again.

However, when she opened them again, Aaron saw that they were filled with sadness.

"I am sorry, they were not found on the scene, and there is a possibility that they might have been killed. The World Government was going to send an Official to give you the news after further investigation, but my grandfather said that you shouldn't have your hopes up."

Loud cries echoed in the area as Anissa said this, and over 30 people collapsed to the ground and began sobbing loudly.

Those standing nearby started to console them, but suddenly, a shout rang out from below Aaron's foot.

"SHUT UP! I told you that they wouldn't live! Our deal was that you would stop crying if I succeeded! All of you better hold up your end, because I held up mine! They all died frothing and kicking on the ground, like the monsters they were!'

Aaron could hear…triumph, in Max's voice when he said that last part, and he even began laughing.

However, that got cut off when he coughed and then winced because of the pain that must have hit him, along with the realization that he was being stepped on.

Tilting his head, he said, "Er...have you mistaken me for a rock on the ground, good sir?"

The fact that he was a few inches away from Woof's teeth which were ready to tear him apart because of his antics before didn't seem to faze him, and he said this with that same cheekiness that had been on display before.

Frowning, Aaron ignored him and spoke to Anissa.

"Shift the bracelet first. And this time, make sure it's perfect."

Before, Anissa had told him that that previous act of his had only been possible because he must have tricked the guards somehow when they had been putting on the cuffs. Ordinarily, the cuffs would use DNA to lock onto the prisoner, and the moment anyone tried pulling them off, they would disable the one wearing them. The cuffs had been in a 'free' state before, so it had been possible to shift them to Anissa by keeping in contact with her skin. In that state, they would work on whoever was wearing them.

Walking forward, she used the same method as him, but as her hands were much thinner, she only had to struggle a bit instead of having to dislocate her thumb. After that, she pressed onto the cuff tightly, and because it had already been programmed with Max's DNA, it latched on and tightened before glowing faintly.

"That fool of a guard thought that he saw the glow when I distracted him, hehe."

After Anissa nodded, Aaron finally removed his foot, and Max stood up before taking support on one leg.

Seeing this, the man said, "Why don't you rest a bit inside? We were planning a feast, anyway, to lift the mood, and to remember those who passed away one last time. You are welcome to join!"

The word 'feast' almost made Aaron salivate, but the issue was Max.

As if understanding this, he raised his hands in surrender and said, "Hey, with the cuff latched on, I'm out of tricks! If you don't believe me, you can ask your Tera to shadow me. I really do want to allow my calf to heal, as I don't want to be stuck with a disability all my life which might happen if I strain it now. What do you say? Besides, I just wanted to get here because of my deal with the Hamlet…Incidentally, you can defeat this guy if you want another star on your Ascender card! That's if you still haven't finished challenging the required number of Hamlets, though."

That last part was clearly a test to see what rank of an Ascender Aaron was, but Aaron didn't care.

Indeed, why not continue his Ascender Path here?

So, he nodded, which made the tall man clap with delight and exclaim, "Great! Welcome to Ilnora's Hamlet!"