บท 10: 10
#10 - The Holy Light
Forseti wielded Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros in his left hand and Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker in his right, transforming into an ancient king's guard—an imposing figure befitting a Templar!
The immense power of the Holy Light surged forth, immediately silencing the elderly gentleman who then apologized to the people of Asgard!
—This was Forseti's vindictive daydream after hearing Gena's accusations.
This old fellow was shameless!
As the crowd gathered around, Forseti seethed with anger and nervousness. "If I were the thief, why would I return the stolen money to you?"
Gener, however, showed no intention of reasoning. He loudly proclaimed, "Everyone, gather around! This young man claims he helped me recover my stolen money, but when I asked him who the thief was, he refused to say... Doesn't that seem suspicious to you?"
The crowd murmured.
"Who is the thief, young man?" asked an elderly woman.
"The thief? That's an unfamiliar term..."
The buzz of the discussion indicated that curiosity was natural to all intelligent beings, even among the Asgardians.
"I promised the thief that I wouldn't expose him as long as he refrains from further crimes," Forseti quickly explained to the curious onlookers.
In the crowd, a young man with black hair asked, "Why did you make such a promise?"
"I believe he committed a minor offense and deserves a chance," Forseti replied.
The youth's response was cold. "That's just a cover-up. Every Asgardian is obligated to report criminals to the sheriff."
"I..." Forseti was momentarily speechless.
Gener interjected, "Exactly! It's a cover-up, explicitly prohibited by Asgardian law. It's also likely that he's the thief himself."
He approached Forseti step by step. "Name the thief or admit you're the thief. You're afraid of being caught, so you made up this excuse to return the money."
Forseti clenched his fists, feeling a fire burning in his chest.
He almost unleashed a Light Strike but managed to restrain himself at the last moment.
Forseti had assumed that after returning the stolen property, the owner wouldn't force the person who helped retrieve it to break their promise and reveal the thief's identity.
Especially not someone like Gener—an overweight elderly man who seemed amiable.
Little did he expect Gener to be so vengeful and audacious, insisting on uncovering the thief's identity even at the cost of attacking and intimidating the one who had helped recover his property.
Just then, two guards approached from a distance. One of them inquired, "What's going on here? Why is everyone gathered?"
Gener immediately spoke up. "He found the person who stole my belongings but refuses to tell me who it is. I suspect he's involved in a cover-up, yes!"
The guard frowned, looking at Forseti. "Is this true?"
Forseti hesitated. "..."
Another guard chimed in sternly, "If you don't want to face charges for obstruction, tell us the thief's name, and we'll handle the rest."
Forseti wrestled with his thoughts. Just as he was about to give up, he glanced at Gener. "Mr. Gener... I believe mercy should prevail. You've already recovered what you lost."
"Hmph." Gener snorted disdainfully.
Forseti sighed helplessly. He didn't want to betray his word, but he also couldn't bear the guilt for someone he hardly knew and had no familial ties with. Reluctantly, he turned to the guard and said, "It's Yaerlin..."
"Yaerlin? So it was him!" Gener was momentarily stunned, then seemed to recall something. He turned away angrily and left. "He must pay for this!"
Accompanied by the guards and a few curious onlookers, Forseti hesitated briefly before following them.
The group soon arrived at Yaerlin's doorstep.
Compared to most homes in Asgard, Yaerlin's residence appeared somewhat dilapidated.
"Boom!"
Gener banged on the door without ceremony. "Come out, Yaerlin, you despicable thief!"
"Open up!"
As Gener shouted, the door suddenly swung open. Simultaneously, a dagger thrust towards Gener's throat!
"Charge!"
Quick-witted, one of the guards deflected the dagger mid-air and swiftly entered the room with his companion. They subdued Yaerlin in a matter of moments and escorted him outside.
Yaerlin's right hand was bandaged, likely from Forseti's earlier Holy Light Strike.
Glancing at Yaerlin being led away by the guards, Forseti wanted to say something but found himself at a loss for words.
Yaerlin seemed to sense something as he looked up, eyes filled with hatred. Through gritted teeth, he said, "...It seems your so-called Holy Light doesn't include trust."
Forseti's hands trembled slightly.
"Charged with theft and attempted murder, it seems you'll be spending quite some time in prison," the guard remarked icily to Yaerlin.
Subsequently, Yaerlin was taken to the town's security station by Gener and the guards, while the crowd dispersed gradually.
Forseti sat alone on a nearby rock, feeling despondent. Despite retrieving Yaerlin's apology letter earlier, he had initially felt like a heroic god. Now, sobered by reality, he was merely mortal—perhaps inherently flawed, even if he were to become immensely powerful one day...
"Hey." One of the onlookers who had watched the events approached and sat beside him. "My name's Bart. Mind if I ask you something?"
Bart was a blond youth who appeared youthful but sported a wispy mustache.
"What's on your mind?" Forseti replied, head lowered in contemplation.
"That guy mentioned Holy Light earlier. What exactly is Holy Light?" Bart inquired.
Forseti remained silent for a long while. "Holy Light... It's a realm beyond mortal reach."
Bart seemed puzzled. "But aren't we gods?"
"Perhaps," Forseti murmured.
...
At night, Forseti tossed and turned in bed, feeling restless. Eventually, he turned over and muttered a few curses under his breath.
After some contemplation, he retrieved the holy deed, turned to the "Book of Experience: Kobold Miner," and entered the experience realm.
"You can't take my candle!" In the dark, narrow mine, a kobold miner charged forward with its distinctive candle-topped head.
Forseti restrained his impatience and met the charge head-on.
However, the cramped mine made maneuvering difficult; each jump threatened to scrape the cave ceiling. In contrast, the kobold, with its diminutive stature, navigated the space effortlessly.
Lacking a weapon compounded Forseti's struggle. After a fierce struggle, he fell victim to the kobold.
Once more!
Forseti re-entered the experience realm.
"You can't take my candle!" The kobold returned, nothing new in its approach.
This time, the kobold swung its pickaxe, striking Forseti hard in the abdomen.
Though the experience realm was virtual, the pain felt as real as any physical injury. Forseti couldn't help but cry out, but he gritted his teeth through the pain, seizing the opportunity to wrest the pickaxe from the kobold's grasp.
With a mighty tug, Forseti disarmed the kobold and hurled its pickaxe away.
Now unarmed, the kobold's advantage evaporated instantly. After a brief struggle, Forseti managed to overpower and subdue the kobold, delivering a relentless flurry of punches.
"Boom!"
Moments later, the kobold emitted a whimper, dissipating into smoke. In its place, a flickering piece of parchment lay on the ground.
Forseti took a deep breath and picked up the parchment.
Acquired "Piety 4.21," "Book of Experience: Big Candle Garg."
The piety was expected, but the dropped book of experience took him by surprise.
Big Candle Garg? The name sounded vaguely familiar.
A rare creature indeed, but Forseti didn't have much recollection of it. After all, kobolds were considered novice monsters, and their appearances tended to be quite common.
In World of Warcraft, rare monsters were special creatures that were scarce in number and spawned randomly. They were significantly stronger than their regular counterparts and often dropped valuable loot.
First, he decided to investigate.
Forseti nodded to himself and then entered the realm of experience known as Big Candle Garger.
The setting was still a mine, but compared to the cramped training area of kobold miners, this mine appeared much more expansive.
"You can't take my candle!" echoed the classic kobold threat, yet no footsteps approached.
Suddenly, a burst of flame illuminated the dim mine, followed swiftly by a fireball hurtling from its depths, striking Forseti squarely.
The impact scorched half his body, prompting him to swiftly exit the training space.
It appeared he was facing a kobold mage.
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