Hurled Dagger (UPDATE)

Cassius wandered leisurely around the gate, a relaxed whistle escaping his lips. Patrol duty wasn't exactly glamorous, but someone had to do it.

Besides, he didn't have much work to do since the supervisor tasks were already completed.

Another reason was he had heard whispers questioning Lucien's credibility as a leader, and it irked him to no end.

Cassius wanted to punch those whisperers to a pulp, but he realized the whispers had started because of his and Amane's foolishness that had brought chaos to the village.

So, he promised himself to think before acting and to help Lucien develop the land.

Usually, he'd be accompanied by Amane, but today she was off imparting her culinary wisdom to Tilly, the head of the public kitchen.

However, it was more like a puzzle than a recipe since Amane didn't give a clear measurement for spices and other cooking ingredients.

She just wrote: "Stop until your ancestors give you a nod."

That was the reason why Amane food tasted like poison.

As Cassius patrolled, he cast a thoughtful glance at the Giant Wall of Euclier. Some sections were in dire need of maintenance, with holes scattered here and there.

'I'll have to inform Lucien about these repairs,' Cassius mused to himself.

Though the wall didn't encircle the entire village, it served as a crucial barrier between the Holy Forest and the outside world, a silent sentinel standing guard against the unknown.

"Boss, we've already patrolled the left side!" came a voice from behind Cassius.

Turning, Cassius found two figures approaching him, both sporting identical grins. Dressed in black suits, Kleith and Clyde stood before him.

Cassius clapped them both on the shoulder with a bit more force than necessary, eliciting a pained wince from the twins.

"Good job, Kleith, Clyde!" he commended them.

The twins beamed with pride, responding in unison, "Yes, boss!" while saluting.

Keith and Clyde were identical twins, their black hair and green eyes making them virtually indistinguishable. The only telltale sign was Clyde's distinctive mole near his eye.

Ever since witnessing Cassius in action, the twins had become his devoted followers, awed by his prowess in dispatching monsters, especially with that strange weapon of his—a gun! In a world of fantasy, it was their first encounter with such advanced technology.

As they continued their patrol along the wall, Cassius stumbled upon something unusual: scattered armor strewn across the ground.

Instantly, memories flooded back—he recognized these as the suits worn by the knights he'd defeated upon his arrival in Nereideia.

Some of the armor lay in ruins, with bones and decomposing corpses scattered amidst the wreckage.

"Hmm... Did the villagers leave the bodies here for the monsters?" Cassius mused aloud.

"Yes, boss! It'd be a hassle to bury them all," Clyde replied.

"Gibson suggested leaving them to avoid suspicion if Lord Edgarda were to send more knights," Kleith added.

Cassius nodded thoughtfully. "I see... burying the evidence, eh?"

"But won't Edguarda? Edar? Argh! Whatever his name is would grow suspicious and send more knights anyway?" he pondered further.

"We'll just blame it on bandits," Clyde suggested.

Cassius raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You think they'll buy that?"

The twins exchanged a glance, remaining silent. Realizing the complexity of the situation, Cassius turned his attention to one of the intact armors and examined its contents.

Inside, he discovered the decomposed remains of a figure wearing a shabby brown cape.

"Hmm, this cape seems too cheap for a knight," Cassius remarked, running his fingers over the fabric.

Clyde leaned in for a closer look, his expression turning grave. "That's... a bandit's garb."

Kleith, equally surprised, joined them. "It's from the Brown Fox gang. They have a hideout near here—I've been robbed by them once," he admitted sheepishly.

Then, Cassius could feel something, like an electromagnetic pulse in his mind. It set off alarm bells in his head—a gut feeling that something was amiss.

"Let's head back to the village. I've got a bad feeling about this."

***

As they arrived in the village, Cassius could see the villagers crowding around something, their murmurs filled the air.

Pushing through the crowd, he was taken aback to find his son, Lucien, with a deathly aura, choking a man who wore the same robe as the knight he had found earlier.

Everything clicked into place, and Cassius knew he had to intervene to ensure the safety of the man and his companions.

Although he was more surprised looking at Lucien lost his shit like that. It rarely happened, he always stayed composure with every foe and ally he had. But he needs to stop him.

Running towards Lucien, Cassius grabbed his son's shoulder firmly, his voice steady and reassuring. "Calm down, son. Just do as I say."

He continued, "I know what this bandit wants."

Gradually, Lucien's grip loosened, his composure returning. Of course, until the bandit said something stupid again:

"Are you afraid? Let's make a wager: if I win, I take one of those cunt, but if you win, you can do whatever you want to me."

Yes, that's off-limits. Cassius always teaches Lucien how to treat women gently and with respect, especially his "woman." if someone dares to touch or mock her, he says this to his son:

"Pull that motherfuckers apart until their tongue couldn't blabber any bullshit anymore."

So, Cassius pushed Lucien to duel with that disgusting bandit. He knew his son would win, and as a parent, he made sure that all of his children had defense mechanisms so they wouldn't be looked down on and to stand proud.

The duel then started as Lewis lunged at Lucien first and was parried by him. Cassius who watched his son duel, a swell of pride filled him.

Despite not having honed his skills, Lucien effortlessly parried every attack and deftly countered with precise slashes.

The only reason he could do that was because that bandit was arrogant and suck with sword.

There were many openings in his move, he missed many chances to attack, and too much flashy movement.

Reflecting on his wife Amane's teachings as a katana wielder, Cassius understood the importance of elegance, focus, power, and precision in combat.

But it was enough since Lucien at least didn't embarrass himself in front of his underlings. Observing the reactions of the villagers, Cassius noted a mixture of pride and astonishment at Lucien's prowess.

Cassius was certain that, from this day forward, his son would be both appreciated and respected by all who witnessed his skill.

The duel comes to an end when Lucien attempts to decapitate Lewis. But Cassius instinct tingling, his attention was drawn to the other bandit, the larger one, who hurled a dagger at Lucien's side.

Knowing he couldn't physically protect his son, Cassius shouted a warning, "Brigantiea!"

While swiftly drew his gun, firing a shot that struck Robby in the shoulder. Startled and in pain, he fell to the ground, adding to the chaos of the moment.

Relieved to see Brigantiea summon a barrier to shield Lucien, Cassius winked at her and gave her a thumbs-up before turning his focus back to his son.

He also noticed one of the bandits was gone, the woman who looked like a fortune teller. But it was another matter, he approached Lucien, looking at his son that also a little bit stunned by what happened.

"That was close, huh? I told you not to talk bullshit while you're not winning yet, remember? Everything could happen in combat."

"You don't know how and when you will die, so you need to stay vigilant." Cassius then grabbed his son's shoulder hard.

Lucien felt a surge of pain after being grabbed like that by his father, and answered, "I know that, it was just a mistake, alright?" his other hand tried to slap Cassius's hand away.

"So, what's the plan for him?" he asked, gesturing towards John who already looked like a dead man.

"Well, what do you think?"

"Just do whatever you want to do. We have one in run and one still alive anyway." Cassius said while walking toward Robby who was still on the ground.

"Old man!" he shot his gaze at Gibson and said, "Call the healer here! We can't let him die."

So Gibson did what he said and frantically looked for Dr. Amanda.

Lucien just sighed and glanced at Lewis, "What a shame, your only way to survive is gone. Goodbye John, maybe in another life, don't be a pathetic jerk."

He raised his sword and swiftly ended Lewis's life with a single slash, the sound of his head rolling to the ground echoing through the air.

As blood splattered across the ground and even onto his face, Lucien wiped it away with a calm demeanor, knowing that this incident would only add to his responsibilities as village chief.

[Congratulations!]

[You level up your Mage class lvl 5 -> 15]

[MP: 50 -> 100]

[Attribut update]

[Attack: 50, Strength: 35, Agility: 30, Defense: 13, Stamina: 100, Intelligence: 75]

'Huh? I'm already level 10? Why don't you give me this update frequently?'

[The system only notifies you about class level-ups when you've killed a monster or human.]

'Ah, right. The rest must be due to my passive skill.'

Lucien sighed, another added task. Nice.