On the street, a petrified Green stood dishevelled in the breeze. It took him a long while to snap out of it, pointing at Jiji in disbelief. “Her? The Valkyrie? But… that’s impossible!”
“Jiji, jiji~” The little girl, held in Ye Chui’s arms, chirped happily, her bare feet kicking joyfully in the air. Her innocent, adorable demeanour was exactly like a child being lifted high by family, shattering Green’s heart even further.
“She’s the Valkyrie’s juvenile form, but her personality is the same as the adult Valkyrie’s,” Ye Chui said, unsure how to console the gambler who’d had nothing but bad luck since meeting him and Debbie. “Though she has noble and steadfast beliefs, she’s essentially like a child, barely understanding the outside world.”
Debbie patted Green’s shoulder. “The world’s big. I’m sure you’ll find a girl you like.” Then, with a finishing blow, she said to Jiji, “This is your Uncle Green.”
Never mind that Green was four years older than Ye Chui and Debbie, or that Jiji’s five-thousand-plus years made her far too old to call him uncle. Whatever.
Green’s face was on the verge of tears, his first love over before it even began.
In the end, he followed Ye Chui and Debbie to the mercenary guild, dejected. His eyes kept tracking Jiji as she scampered about. Thinking back, even in the ruins, the terrifying-looking Jiji had shown childlike traits, like collecting random items as treasures, such as the pot Debbie used.
He’d thought her innocent then, but now he realised it was the purest kind of innocence.
“Oh, right…” At the entrance to the mercenary guild, Green remembered something important. “I just left the Blue Horn Guild.”
“Huh?” Debbie looked at him curiously.
“The Blue Horn Guild never liked adventuring. Its members prefer pleasure and peace. I used to love that vibe, but after what we went through in the ruins, I realised I’ve grown to love adventure,” Green continued. “So I left the Blue Horn Guild. Have you ever thought about starting a new magic guild?”
Green’s intention was clear. He wanted to stick with Ye Chui and Debbie, experience interesting things, and go on thrilling adventures. He knew staying with them would never lack for such opportunities.
Ye Chui and Debbie exchanged a glance. Starting a magic guild? They hadn’t considered it before, but it seemed like a promising idea.
Before they could discuss it further, a crisp “slap” echoed from inside the mercenary guild, sounding like a slap across the face.
Ye Chui and Debbie froze. Who was getting slapped? Eager to see the commotion, they rushed into the guild hall.
It was the afternoon, and the hall wasn’t crowded. Most mercenaries had already taken their tasks and left. Los’s mercenary team, who had treated Ye Chui and Debbie to lunch, was out on an escort mission. The few people in the hall were gathered in a circle.
As Ye Chui entered, he heard a harsh voice say, “We’re just asking you to introduce us. Why are you dodging it?”
“Why don’t you go find them yourself instead of begging me?” came an angry female voice, one Ye Chui recognised as Shelith’s.
“Because you know him. We heard you were looking after him while he was unconscious. Heh, some say there might be something shady between you two. After all, everyone knows our Guildmaster Shelith is a captivating beauty,” a leering voice said. There was some commotion among the onlookers, a brief shuffle, then silence. The voice continued, “You want to hit me? Heh, don’t forget, you’re no longer a mighty mage. You’re just an ordinary woman now, my dear Guildmaster.”
“Let go of me!” Shelith’s voice came urgently.
“Haha, the once-proud Guildmaster Shelith, now just a lamb for the slaughter. Honestly, I’ve been dying to taste that tempting body of yours,” the lewd voice said, followed by several mocking laughs.
Ye Chui, Debbie, and Green reached the edge of the crowd. Ye Chui pushed someone aside to look in, and the person, about to snap, saw it was Ye Chui and immediately showed deference.
In the centre, four men in Bullhead Magic Guild robes stood arrogantly before Shelith. One blue-haired man gripped her arm. Shelith’s face was humiliated, struggling to break free but unable. A swollen mark on her pale cheek showed the slap had landed there.
“What’s going on?” Ye Chui’s voice turned icy, questioning someone nearby.
“They’re from Shelith’s old magic guild. After her guild disbanded, they joined the Bullhead Magic Guild. Now they’re back, wanting Shelith to introduce them to you,” the person explained hurriedly.
The cause of this was Ye Chui.
The Bullhead Magic Guild’s leader, the magic swordsman Thorne, had died, along with several guild experts, either in the ruins or killed by the one-punch heroic spirit. The Bullhead and Goddess’s Kiss guilds were weakened, possibly facing dissolution. In Stan Town, Ye Chui was now the most prominent figure. These former members of Shelith’s guild, knowing she was close to Ye Chui, came to her, hoping to connect with him through her.
No one knew what happened in the Gods’ Ruins, so some might think Ye Chui and Debbie used tricks to kill the guild leaders and experts. But the one-punch heroic spirit’s massacre was witnessed by many.
Their strength was undeniable, and aligning with them promised a bright future.
But Shelith refused them.
Angered and humiliated, they decided to teach and toy with her.
To them, Shelith, who had lost her grimoire, was far less important than them, decent mages in their own right. They didn’t worry about upsetting Ye Chui by treating her this way.
By now, the guild members noticed Ye Chui and Debbie’s arrival and parted to make way. The blue-haired man holding Shelith’s arm saw Ye Chui, his face lighting up. He released Shelith and hurried over. “Mr. Ye Chui, I’m Abby, a mid-level mage. You might have heard of me…”
“Sorry, I haven’t,” Ye Chui cut him off coldly.
Abby, in his thirties, felt a shiver under the teenager’s cold gaze. He gave a nervous laugh. “I know there’ve been misunderstandings with the Bullhead Magic Guild, but with the leader and deputy dead, we’ve decided to leave. Have you considered starting your own guild?” He put on a fawning expression. “If you’re willing, you could join the Bullhead Magic Guild. With our help, you could even become its leader!”
His eyes grew fervent, caught up in his own pitch.
But Ye Chui’s face remained cold.
“Stand still and don’t move,” Ye Chui said flatly, stepping back a few paces.
“What?” Abby was confused but obeyed, standing straight.
Then, Ye Chui swung his arm and landed a resounding slap on Abby’s face.
This slap was far heavier than the one Abby had given Shelith. Ye Chui’s hand stung, and he winced inwardly but kept his expression calm. “That slap was for Shelith!”
“You, you—” Abby clutched his face, furious but too scared to lash out, his eyes showing a flicker of fear.
His companions tensed, but Debbie stepped forward, arms crossed, her face tilted up with a “hmph” sound. They immediately abandoned any thought of summoning their grimoires, well aware of the Golden Swordswoman’s power.
Little Valkyrie Jiji mimicked Debbie, crossing her tiny arms and glaring at the men. “Hmph jiji hmph jiji.”
“Get lost!” Ye Chui said coldly, discreetly shaking his stinging hand. “Don’t bother Shelith again, and don’t let me see you, or else… heh.”
Abby and his group paled, trembling as they scurried away. Normally, when defeated, they’d leave with some bold words, but the fear of the Silver Swordsman and the one-punch heroic spirit left them too terrified to utter even a “you’ll see.” They fled, thoroughly cowed.
Watching them leave in a panic, Ye Chui mused to himself: they’d reached the point where their reputation alone was enough to intimidate.
