Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

The dragonborn's unique body structure made it difficult for them to convey their emotions through facial expressions, but at this moment, the scales stretched out in the air were enough. He stretched out his hand, and a nearly two-meter-long acacia wood wand appeared out of thin air in his hand.

"It's 'Golden Enlightenment'!" Ellie screamed in horror, "It's in your hand! Of course it's in your hand!"

The maid pounced on the boy, attempting to kill him again, but all that remained was a cloud of silver mist. Farther away, as Edward reappeared, a glowing ball of acid had already formed at the tip of the staff.

"Not anymore," the ferocious-looking Black Dragonborn said in a sinister tone, "It is now just like me, a 'mistake'. Face it!"

Chapter 236 Interrupting Spellcasting

When a ball of concentrated acid, less than half a meter in diameter, exploded, the spray of acid nearly flooded half the alley. The pitiful betrayer only had time to let out a series of cries before being burned into an unspeakable pile of dregs.

But more enemies survived as a protective barrier was opened, without even the corners of their clothes being damaged.

"Kill him!" The woman hid behind and gave orders in a fierce tone.

"You should thank me, child," a man with a long beard, holding a staff and wearing armor walked out. "If it weren't for me, your parents would not even have bones left."

"To repay this favor, it would be best if you died here, so your relatives can bury you back in the cemetery. By the way, don't get up again this time."

"Although you are a living person, you are no different from the undead. You only hurt those closest to you—"

"Hurt yourself!"

A lightning bolt as thick as a bucket arrived faster than the sound, but was still blocked by the armored spellcaster.

"Xiao Li, I think there's something wrong with what you said. You should...oh, now doesn't look like the time to joke around."

As the two voices rang out, several figures appeared at the entrance of the alley, almost half of them were dragonborn.

"Konuma, what's going on?"

"Ah, it looks like someone's coming," the spellcaster on the opposite side nodded, turned around and walked towards his mistress, "We shouldn't stay here any longer, let's leave."

As he spoke, a whirlwind arose under the feet of these murderers. If this spell was fully cast, they might really be able to escape so easily.

However, just when the spellcaster was about to take off into the air, a noise so loud that it could make one's eardrums pierce suddenly interrupted his spell.

"What's going on—" The caster immediately sensed the magic hidden in the noise. "Bard?"

"You can only leave when we tell you to!" Daisy leaned against the wall at the entrance of the alley, holding her piano in her hands. "You set the fire, didn't you? You can't even keep the kids quiet in the middle of the night. You deserve to die!"

"That's not all," Poison Wing was still in her pajamas. It looked like she had gone to bed before everyone decided to take action to see what was going on. "They also killed people, Brother Swampthroat, who were those people?"

"My parents," the tall Black Dragonborn sighed at this moment and removed his disguise. "It seems that I was indeed a mistake. Look at what I have done..."

"That's not important," Bella put her hand on his shoulder from behind, "I don't know why you're a... child, but you're still just a child, right?"

"In the name of Eldath," the druid took a deep breath. When she stood up again, a long sword made entirely of fire appeared in her hand. "It doesn't matter whether the goddess has mercy on you or not. You deserve to die."

"It seems we've gotten into trouble," the man with the throwing knife whistled. "Wizard, can we run away?"

"Stop them! Buy me some time!" The spellcaster glared at him, then, after a brief chant, released a fireball to fill the gap between the two sides. "Go for it!"

"Take me away first! If it's just the two of us, it shouldn't take so long, right?" The woman panicked. She didn't expect that there would be "heroes" in the upper city area of Qingzun City. Everyone here is aristocrats!

"Ma'am, but..." "This is an order! I didn't pay you to share their hardships!"

"Okay—" The caster was about to cast another spell when the biting freezing rain and hail interrupted his spell before it could even form. Furthermore, the frost, whether already on the ground or not, quickly transformed into a continuous cloud of water vapor, completely obscuring the surroundings. Even a few steps away, no one could be seen.

But one could hear the screams of the mercenaries who had made it to the top. Even more terrifying than their companions' screams were the roars that couldn't possibly come from a humanoid creature—what was that?

The caster tried to cast the spell again, but it was too late. An emerald green sword emerged from the mist, striking the shield with dazzling sparks.

"Elf?" The mage felt the subtle magical fluctuations on the sword were somewhat familiar, and with a thunderous roar, he lashed out with his backhand. "Get out of here! I don't intend to compete with you pointy-eared people!"

Lei Mingbo pushed away the sword's owner and the surrounding clouds and mist, but the sword blade suddenly turned into a shield, blocking most of the magician's spell. Following closely behind, the repelled girl leaped out of the mist and charged towards the caster with the sword again.

"This is a battle for truth and a battle against evil." If Angelita's voice had been used at any other time, it would have aroused the woman's infinite jealousy, but now, she only cared about her own life.

A hazy emerald green light appeared above Shouzhi's long poem. The next second, the armored spellcaster felt as if his existence was locked by something. In a hurry, he only had time to raise his shield, trying to use physical defense to resist the physical attack.

However, Angelita's sword slid across the side of the shield in his hand, and the protruding guard accurately hit the side of the caster's neck. Before he could react, a palm surrounded by deadly electric light had already touched his chest!

"Ahhhh!"

It's the electric claws! Why did he wear that armor?! He'd spent so much time trying to prevent the armor and shield from hindering his spellcasting! And now it was all the cause of his death!

The caster could no longer maintain normal thinking under the fatal electric shock, but this did not last long. When Angelita withdrew her hand, the sword in her other hand had already cut his throat.

The only person left in front of her was the fat woman.

"Don't, don't kill me, girl!" The woman retreated tremblingly, the flesh on her face twitching. "I am the future head of the Popenos family and the heir to the throne of the Pope Kingdom! I can give you many benefits. Can you let me go?"

"After your trial," Angelita stepped forward and knocked him down with the hilt of her sword, "now be still, or I'll have to execute you the 'Restlover method.'"

The girl suddenly heard a dangerous gust of wind behind her ears, but it was too late to dodge. The fatal flying knife ultimately failed to injure her, instead striking a part of her cloak. The numerous cords sewn into the cloak's inner layer immediately disrupted the weapon's trajectory, preventing it from even breaking through the cloak and dropping to the ground.

"Then you should also try the 'Reslaufer Method' and attack carefully," the belated mercenary took the Shouzhi Long Poem from Angrita and pointed it into the still-clear fog. "In all of Inassus, I can only think of one person who's skilled with throwing knives. Can you tell me the answer?"

Chapter 237 Creativity

"You are...Reslaufer?!"

The clouds and mist gradually dissipated, and the knife thrower who had lost his concealment was revealed again. The same was true for the other mercenaries, but with some minor differences.

The knife thrower was still standing alive, but among the others, only one had a complete corpse left. After all, the magic and elements driven by the dragonborn were extremely violent.

"As expected, Randolph," Leslaufer said, seemingly unsurprised. "I heard you went to the Empire with the September Mercenaries. I didn't expect to meet you here."

"Vilveti has been defeated. I don't want to continue fighting guerrilla warfare with him in the mountains of the Empire," Randolph snorted, looking at Angarita rudely, as if looking at a lump of gold. "Ah, it seems that the lucrative job you found was almost ruined by me. How about I treat you to a drink someday as an apology?"

As he spoke, the knife thrower, seeing the bad situation, immediately took a step forward, trying to get past Leslaufer, but the man took a step sideways, blocking him right in front of him.

"Hey! You—" Randolph tried to avoid him, but that was impossible. Although Randolph could easily pull out a throwing knife or dagger, not everyone had the courage to do so after knowing who was standing in front of him.

"You can only leave when I tell you to."

"But I didn't hurt your little golden goose—you know, the kind that lays golden eggs."

"I've accepted two commissions at once," Leslough said, pressing Randolph's head with his hand and turning him around. Edward, now back to his childlike self, was walking towards them, dragging his overly long staff. "That's the other one. I thought the commission was completed, but now it seems there's still some after-sales service."

"...I (Inassus swear)."

"I should be the one saying this to you, but I don't have time for you right now." Edward gave the man a cold look and walked straight towards the culprit. "House of Popenos, why on earth did you do this? If a king died, we would all have known about it long ago."

"Just to keep you from knowing," Randolph confessed before the woman could speak. "Old King Pope died a few months ago, but they left the body in the bedroom. When I went to see it, flies and maggots had almost eaten it all, but they were still busy killing each other!"

"The struggle for royal power is so cruel, little bastard," the woman said with a ferocious yet pleased expression on her face. "Learn well, but you won't have another chance to try! You're dead!"

Only people within the family can participate in this crazy murder feast. Edward may have a chance to succeed his mother to the throne and bring the kingdom to the Maple Springs family, but now he has no chance.

"It's okay, you don't have any either," Edward poked the man's face with his staff, "Perhaps you'd like the feeling of having your head doused in acid? Or should we start from the inside?"

"Swampthroat, don't!" Shimmering Stone tried to stop him. "We don't need to be so cruel. Your parents still have a chance..."

"No more. Those throwing knives were specially made by the Church of Angora. Those killed by them cannot be resurrected," Edward interrupted her. "Also, I'm not some Swampthroat. I'm Edward, a little con man whose only purpose is to hurt others."

"There's no need for you..."

"But at least now, I can hurt the right people."

"You can't!" The woman, feeling the staff charging, panicked. "The Popenos family can't be killed by outsiders! You pathetic little bastard, if you dare to kill me, my family and I will never let you go! You're facing an entire kingdom!"

"Excuse me, I think you pronounced it 'empire'?" Angelita punched her, causing her already bulging eyes to swell up completely. "Accept your fate, you deserve it!"

"Ms. Barty, don't do it," Edward stopped Angelita's next move. "She killed my parents, and I should be the one to deal with her."

"Okay," Angelita reluctantly stepped aside, "You're right, but... don't go too far, little brother, you'd better not--"

"Mr. Reslaufer," Edward turned to look at the mercenary, "you mentioned after-sales service just now. Could you please ask all irrelevant personnel to leave and give me some advice?"

It’s over.

Several Dragonborn were still confused, but Angarita and the others had already begun to push them out of the alley, taking care of any guards who might arrive late. Meanwhile, Reslaufer raised his eyebrows exaggeratedly and looked down at Edward.

"Are you sure? This is like 'drunk killings'. If you indulge in it, you'll definitely become an alcoholic when you grow up."

"I am much smarter than you, Mr. Rathlover. That's why I can learn magic beyond my natural talents, while you're just a warrior. I know when to stop."

"Well, if you say so, then so," Raslaufer shrugged. "So when are you going to stop?"

"Until Popenos becomes a mistake."

The woman's eyes widened in horror. She could sense... this was probably not a vow made on a whim.

"I want every one of them to regret the fact that they were born."

"Oh, that's a big job," Randolph interjected. "It sounds like you need some help. You know, I can help you if you can afford it. These are just small things—isn't that right, Rathlough?"

The knife thrower, who hadn't yet grasped the seriousness of the situation, tried to seek help from his colleagues, but Reslaufer's large hand prevented him from raising his head. "Reslaufer, Reslaufer?"

"Shh, shh, shh, shh." He held the knife thrower's chin with his other hand. "Never stifle a child's creativity. And..."

With the sound of broken bones, Randolph's head finally left his body and rolled to the ground after rotating 270 degrees.

"I've always felt that the so-called 'Death Blade' Randolph was greatly exaggerated. Throwing knives aren't that difficult to use, especially those blessed by Angora."

"Alright kid," Leslaufer said, glancing at the blood and filth on his body before laying the headless corpse flat on the ground. "Now that our template is immobile, I'm happy to give you some guidance. But, you know, it's just like you said."

"You are much smarter than me. You know magic and I don't, so I hope you can be more... creative based on what I do."

Chapter 238 Clans and Families

It's rare to see a scene of corpses that can be described as "corpses everywhere", but when Edward walked out of the alley, this was indeed the scene behind him.

But there is no need for other companions to witness these things with their own eyes.

"Better? Or not at all," Raslaufer said, standing behind the child with a nonchalant expression. "If you're sure this isn't enough, I know an organization that can train you. It might take a while, but the best thing is they can help you succeed."

"No need," Edward put away his staff and entrusted his parents' bodies to Jinmang and others waiting outside. "I can't wait that long."

"I'm sorry, Sister Jin, it seems that the spellscales only have four friends again, or it always has. I'm not a dragonborn, and I'm not worthy to stand with you. Please take them back to the Maple Springs family, I have to leave now."

"Leave? You want to seek revenge on them by yourself? That's the royal family of the Kingdom of Pope! You have to face an entire kingdom!" Cinder Crown slapped Edward's face with one claw, "You must be crazy to plan to do such a thing alone!"

"I wouldn't mind getting myself a commission first," said Leslaufer, crossing his shoulders. "But you know, commissions."

"Thank you, but I have nothing more to give you," Edward shook his head. "And I don't intend to let others do it. I must collect this debt myself."

"Mr. Raceloff is considered an outsider, but are we also considered one?" Frostbone glanced at Shimmering Stone and Venomwing, asking them to stop Cindercrown from losing her temper again. "Swampmaw, you've been disguising yourself very well. You look like a true Dragonborn. You must have done a lot of research on this, right?"

"I...since I was eight years old, I realized that maybe I prefer scales and claws to humans," Edward said self-deprecatingly, "but I'm afraid I'm not worthy of them."

"Then do you know what is the most important thing for the Dragonborn?" Frost Corpse continued to ask, as if he didn't hear his words.

"Clan? I've lost it. I killed my parents..."

"If being born is a mistake, then Dragonborn are probably one of the most wrong races in the world. Even Demonborn can't compare—after all, they truly do have the blood of demons flowing through their veins." As Frostbone spoke, a chill emanated from the air around him, soothing Edward's restless heart. "But what's the point? We still survived. Even though other races feared and were wary of us, we still established settlements in the wilderness and lived together until this day."

"It is the clan that gave us all this. The clan will not abandon any of its members, no matter what their past may be. Unless... you abandon it first, abandon your identity and responsibilities in the clan, and abandon the obligations you should fulfill."

"Are you sure you want to do this, Edward Maplespring, or rather, Eslide Swampmaw?"

Edward stared at Frostbone blankly. As a thirteen-year-old child, his mind was still at a stage where it was relatively easy to induce, even though he had outstanding arcane talent.

"I...but I don't know this yet..."

"You're one of the Spellscale Five. Look at us," Frostbone pointed at himself and the other three dragonborn. "How long do you think it will take us to find another black dragon sorcerer to take your place? What do you plan to do with us in the meantime? And even if we put aside Sister Jin, me, and Shimmering Stone, who will continue to teach Little Wing magic? Do you think you can just suddenly appear in someone's life and then disappear just as easily?"

"If you really think that, then maybe we really have the wrong person, and that would be the biggest mistake we've ever made in our lives—and your mistake, too."

"Do you really want this?"

"No, I don't want to!" Edward shouted immediately, "But I don't want to drag you into this. That would be a mistake too! You should be good people who do good things for justice, but I want revenge and I want to kill! Every member of the Popenos family!"

"If you think so, then you're not yet a true Dragonborn," Cindercrown finally broke free from her two sisters and rushed to Edward. "Tell me what's most important!"

"clan?"

"If a member's family is murdered, what should we do to uphold the clan's honor? Only revenge, revenge!"

"But that doesn't conform to the usual sense of good and evil, and you—"

"If the Dragonborn wanted to conform to the other races' views of good and evil, perhaps they should have exterminated themselves long ago." A voice familiar to Edward came closer from afar. He looked up and saw that the person who came was the person he once suspected, Otto Maple Spring.

"I just heard about what happened here on the way," Otto said solemnly, bidding farewell to the two elders before turning to Edward. "Philip didn't even notice you were colluding with these dragonborn along the way, but I don't care. Besides taking care of the follow-up matters, I just want to ask you a question."

“Brother…” “Don’t call me, it was Grandpa who asked me to ask.”

Grandfather? Edward was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Yes, the old man has already heard about it, so he asked me to ask you, after being out for so long, do you still remember what the Maple Springs family motto is? Philip said he might have mentioned it when he was chasing you."