Three people had appeared next to the carriage Isabelle had been riding. One was bishop Rain, and the two others were holy knights of Maal disguised as mercenaries. Bishop Rain approached the trembling Isabelle.

Do not be afraid. We are by no means the villains.

Isabelle looked at bishop Rain with fearfully.

Those words do not ring very convincingly to me.

Rain smiled bitterly as he glanced around his surroundings. The mangled pieces of human bodies littered the floor, and no amount of convincing would change Isabelles mind.

I understand completely. However, the first to initiate this feud was the church of Flora.

Bishop Rain pointed towards Earl Wellington, who was standing silently.

Five years ago, that persons granddaughter was discovered to have a high affinity for holy power. She had been a fervent worshipper of Maal ever since she was young and wanted to become a saintess of Maal. Unfortunately

Bishop Rain coldly stared at the beheaded corpse of archbishop Aznan.

The church of Flora wanted her for their own. They ambushed her and her escorts, an operation orchestrated by archbishop Aznan.

He could not fail to convince Isabelle to become a saintess of Maal, so he continued his explanation in an attempt to win over Isabelle.

Archbishop Aznan massacred all the holy knights escorting Lena, and tried to coerce her into becoming a worshipper of Flora. Lenas faith in Maal, however, remained strong and she adamantly refused to become a saintess of Flora.

Isabelle seemed to have calmed down at least a little bit, and stopped trembling

So, what happened to her?

That heinous criminal, Aznan, killed her to keep the ambush a secret.

Isabelles face paled as bishop Rain crossed his index finger across his neck.

He didnt seem like someone who would

Even we were surprised by the findings of our report.

Right then, Earl Wellington swung his head in a different direction.

Someone is approaching on horse. I can hear the horses galloping.

Bishop Rains expression changed. There could absolutely be no witnesses to the ambush that they had just finished.

The church of Flora was extremely powerful, and the small church of Maal stood no chance against them. Earl Wellington stepped forward, seeming to understand the bishops predicament.

It seems we should silence them?

Please, it will have to be you.

Earl Wellington burst into a run towards the source of the sound. The holy knights of Maal could only watch as the aura master ran off at an incredible pace.

As one might expect from a superhuman. Neither of us heard anything

Yeah, youre right.

It was just as the earl had warned. Two horses with a figure upon them appeared above the hill. It was Luke and Kurotan, chasing behind the track of Isabelle. Their faces turned pale when a bloody scene greeted them on top of the hill.

Wh-What the hell?

A carriage stood at a stop on the road, around which lay butchered corpses of the holy knights. Before they could even recover from the shock of witnessing the aftermath of a massacre, a blurry figure speeded towards them at a rapid pace.

Blame your poor fortune for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Earl Wellington spat coldly before releasing the full might of his killing intent. An intense force seemed to fall like a wave on Luke and Kurotan, binding them in place as a spider&rsqu

o;s threads would.

Paaht.

It was another skill unique to aura masters called fear, where they used their aura to stimulate the most primal sense of fear that all living organisms carried within them.

Hihihing.

The horses carrying Luke and Kurotan neighed out at the fear the earl was spraying out and collapsed. Luke and Kurotan both rolled to the ground unceremoniously. Lukes face stiffened.

Wh-Whats going on

The tendril of fear bound Luke, and he lost the feeling in his legs as his vision darkened. The aura masters fear was rendering Luke immobile. Earl Wellington suddenly appeared in front of Luke, having successfully bound him in place.

Good bye. I will send you off without pain.

A cold voice rang out as a cold white blur sped towards Lukes neck. Right then, a roar burst out from next to Luke.

Wuuhk!

Kurotan roared like an animal and stepped towards the earl, swinging his axe. He was free from the effects of fear, unlike Luke.

Pukaang.

Kurotans body repulsed away from the aura master at the same speed he had been running towards him. However, the earls body also skid back a large distance from the shock of the impact.

Who is this bastard? Why isnt he affected by my fear?

Earl Wellington had no clue. The fact was that Kurotan was an orc in the guise of a human and orcs were a fearless race that did not cower even in the face of a dragon.

Kurotan regained his footing and lifted his axe. About half of the axe head had been severed in the clash with the earl. Had it been a sword, it would have been cut completely in half.

Kewaaak!

Kurotan ran at the earl once more, swinging his axe. A surprised earl nonetheless lifted his sword to parry. A disbelieving voice leaked through the earls helmet.

Ive never seen such a brute.

The earl parried Kurotans blows a few times, after which his sword burst into purple light of his aura blade. Once the earl had recovered from the shock of Kurotans brutish charges and focused his aura into a blade, he was able to cut through the rest of Kurotans thick axe.

Kurotans hesitation after a part of his weapon to the ground allowed the earl to savagely kick him in the stomach.

Kwadang.

Kurotan fell on his back to the ground, as a cold voice crawled into his ear.

Your bravery is commendable, but its not enough against me. Good bye.

Right before the earls sword fell onto Kurotans neck, Kurotan whispered silently.

Oh great Maal. Accept me into your kingdom.

What the hell? This bastard is a follower of Maal?

The earl twisted away his sword as well as dispelling his aura blade in a hurry.

Puuuhk.

Kurotans heavy body shot away from the impact and skidded to a limp position far away. Earl Wellington, who had dispelled his aura blade at the last possible second made a conflicted expression. He did not want to take the life of a fellow worshipper of Maal.

Damn, this complicates things.

Earl Wellington looked away from Kurotans limp body. Luke still stood paralyzed by the fear that earl Wellington had exposed him to.

Luke began to cough and gasp heavily as the earl withdrew his fear.

Kolok, kolok.

The earls heavy voice rang out.

Are you also a follower of Maal?

No-No.

Earl Wellingtons eyes seemed to become chillier. He had no reason to spare someone that did not serve the same god as him. He had already revealed that he was a follower of Maal, so he couldnt afford to leave any witnesses that might reveal his role in the ambush.

However, right before the earl swung his sword, something unexpected happened.

Luke!

A sharp voice rang out as a figure ran towards them. Earl Wellington stopped his sword on reflex, and stepped backwards.

What is going on? Why would she?

The figure belonged to none other than Isabelle. She ran in front of Luke without hesitation and raised both of her arms to her side in a protective manner.

If you dare to put even a single scratch on Luke

Isabelle showed no more fear towards the earl.

You will not be able to gain a saintess.

Bishop Rain and his holy knights ran forward in a huff. They had not been able to restrain Isabelle because she had acted so suddenly. The earls face scrunched up inside of his helmet.

Damn it

The situation had truly become knotted up for him. Bishop Rain looked around to gauge the situation before speaking.

Well, I suppose the first thing to do would be to move to a different location.

The earl nodded. The bishop was right, they needed to leave the scene of the ambush before anyone else came along. He growled threateningly to Luke, who was holding Isabelles hands tightly.

There is no way that you can escape from me, so dont even think about running

Luke nodded with a pale face.

I have no plans of leaving Isabelle behind anyways.

The bishops eyes shone sharply at Lukes words. He had finally realized who Luke was.

Bring the rest of the people over

Yes, sir.

A holy knight speeded off to a side of the hill at the bishops orders. Kurotan seemed to have recovered his consciousness and raised his head.

Kurotan looked around in confusion for a while before his eyes settled hatefully on the earl. It was a behavior that could be expected from a fearless orc. Luke stopped him before he could jump towards the earl.

Stop it, Kurotan.

Kurotan audibly ground his teeth before picking up the pieces of his axe and standing behind Luke. The earl looked at him curiously.

You sure are one fearless bastard.

Anyone who experienced an aura masters fear would normally not have the courage to attack them again.

However, a brute that looked like a bandit was able to ignore the earls killing intent and fear, and did not lose his will to fight even on the brink of death. The earl felt an interest in Kurotan.

Basic swordsmanship as well as an aura that cannot hold a candle to mine, but the way you utilize these tools are that of a master. How unique.

Earl Wellington recalled the situation from just a few moments ago. It was only for a short while, but Kurotan had proven to be a slightly difficult challenge for him. It was unbelievable, especially because Kurotan only seemed to utilize basic swordsmanship.

Who are you?

Kurotan did not answer. He lifted his fist and put it to his mouth just as Luke had taught him, which baffled the earl even more.

Youre adamant about your silent training even in a situation such as this? I really have no answer for dealing with you.

It was right then that Luke interfered before the situation worsened.

Hes an apprentice knight that I took in.

The earls gaze turned towards Luke.

How is the apprentice knights skills higher than his lords? The so called lord couldnt even lift his finger against my fear.

Luke felt a sense of outrage at his words, but did not retort. The earl looked at Luke and Isabelle, who were holding hands tightly, and opened his mouth once again.

Are you her fiance?

Yes, I am.

You seem young, as well as reckless. Did you think that even if you chased her down, the church of Flora would just let her go? Very unwise.

The earl continued to taunt Luke, but Luke did not bite the bait. He had been educated in the court politics of nobles at a young age, as well as served as an officer on the eastern lines of a war for five years. He could control his emotions.

It was better than doing nothing, sir. I only wanted to accomplish one thing, and that was to let Isabelle know that I had not given up.

Isabelle blushed at Lukes words and leaned into his chest.

I didnt know that you would come looking for me this quickly.

You didnt dare to think that I would give up on you so easily, did you?

Of course. I know what youre like better than anyone else.

The earls face scrunched up in displeasure at the sweet words being exchanged by the two love birds.

These rotten bastards

The earl had sacrificed his youth as well as his middle age for the sake of training. He had also cast aside the bonds to his family. This was the exact scene that would taunt him the most.

The holy knights returned from the distance, with their companions that had been waiting from a distance. The bishop gazed around once more.

Let us hurry and leave this place.

The crowd of people mounted their horses and began to gallop away. The earls strict gaze never left Luke and Kurotan, as Luke took Isabelle onto his horse and rode to catch up to the bishop.