Chapter 230: Fruitless Works
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
There were very few men who would dare to tempt a lion. After seeing Anfey defeat three men so easily, the marquis’s men split into two halves. One half did not want to keep fighting, and was backing away from the fight slowly. The other half charged at Anfey, waving their weapons.
Anfey twisted his body and avoided a swordsman’s attack. He kicked the man in the knee, and the swordsman fell to the ground with a scream.
A swordsmaster jumped into the air, his sword was covered in combat power and pointing at Anfey. Anfey did not have enough time to lower his leg, and it was difficult for him to change his position. He turned around and made his body parallel to the ground. He let himself fall, and right before his body hit the ground, he pushed himself up with his arms.
The swordsmaster passed over Anfey, who hit the man with his shoulder. The swordsmaster crashed into the ground. He had combat power, and the fall would not harm him much, but it was very embarrassing for him.
Another swordsmaster charged. Anfey grabbed his wrist and threw the man away from him. The swordsmaster crashed into the ground and tumbled into the crowd.
The only thing Marquis Djoser wanted was to accuse Anfey of murder and ruin his reputation. He did not want to have a physical conflict with him. Except for the two swordsmasters, he left the other more powerful men behind. He was a poor old man in distress, not someone seeking vengeance. The only reason he brought the swordsmasters was because of the slim chance there may be a possibility they could take Anfey down. However, he knew it was almost impossible because of Miorich’s presence. Now, the two swordsmasters were defeated, and the only ones remaining were the swordsmen. If the swordsmen had the advantage, they would not lose. Now, however, the swordsmen had no chance of winning.
The marquis began backing away, cursing Anfey and regretting his decisions. He knew that he was the target, and he had hoped his men could stall a little longer so he could get away.
The marquis was right, because Anfey’s target was him. The marquis was only a few steps away from disappearing into Miorich’s guards, and he had to catch the marquis before he disappeared. If he hadn’t been fighting the marquis’s men in front of a crowd, they would have been dead already. Now, however, Anfey needed to get the trust of the guards. He knew that if he killed the marquis’s men, he would put him and Miorich into an even more difficult situation.
Anfey knew he could match Miorich or Suzanna in speed, but he was faster when he was not going in a straight line.
Miorich smiled as he watched Anfey jump through the crowd.
A few moments later, Anfey appeared in front of the marquis, avoiding every attack.
“Stop!” one of the swordsmen bellowed. He did not want to fight, but he couldn’t just let Anfey hurt the marquis. He would never find another employer then.
Anfey did not look at the man. He kicked the swordsman and the man’s body flew back, crashing into the crowd.
Anfey turned to the marquis and grabbed the old man’s shirt, lifting the man into the air. The marquis’s face flushed, but he did not say anything. He kicked at Anfey, but his feeble attacks did not affect Anfey at all. Anfey’s hand on the marquis’s neck tightened.
“You’re scaring me?” Anfey asked, smiling. He looked at the marquis and frowned. “If I wanted to kill you, none of these men can stop me.”
The men around the Marquis did not say anything. One of the swordsmasters was trying to pull his sword out of the ground, but his right arm was broken. When he finally pulled the sword out, he tried to charge at Anfey with the sword in his left hand, only to be stopped by two nearby servants. If he could not defeat Anfey using his dominant hand, what more could he do using his non-dominant hand?
Anfey loosened his grip and the Marquis fall to the ground. The servants gathered around the old man. Some were helping him up while the others dusted off his clothes. A few others approached Anfey with swords in hand.
“What more do you want? Where do you think you are?” Miorich bellowed suddenly. He walked forward slowly, looking at the crowd.
After seeing Anfey defeating the marquis’s men so easily, Miorich’s guards remained silent. If Anfey could defeat so many men so easily, the marquis’s accusation could not stand. In order to become a knight, a man must undergo intense training. He must be educated on not only combat skills, but also on how to speak and act. Knights were all very knowledgeable and experienced. The knights in Miorich’s team were even more so. There might be a few reckless ones, but most of them knew how to distinguish right from wrong.
“I think you must be mistaken, marquis,” Miorich said. “If Anfey wanted to kill you yesterday, I don’t think you would be alive to today.”
The Marquis frowned and stood still, but did not say anything. He did not respond to Miorich, but did not claim Anfey committed those murders, either.
“I assure you, marquis,” Anfey said with a smile. “I will investigate and give you an answer. Your men’s deaths will not be unanswered.” Anfey could tell that Miorich did not want to touch the marquis, at least not yet.
The marquis glanced at Anfey, but did not say anything. He tried hard to plant the murders on Anfey. He bribed two patrol guards and found a few bodies where the last fight happened. Then he hired a two-disciplined swordsmaster and instructed him to leave suspicious but distinct wounds on bodies of Sneferu and a few other men he had killed. He had ordered the swordsmaster be executed in order to hide all evidence. He never imagined that the swordsmaster would turn himself into an element bomb like a dying mage. The swordsmaster blew himself up, but injured several of the marquis’s men in the process. The marquis only had a few swordsmasters working for him, and the explosion injured three of them.
Usually, hard work was rewarded with a good result. The marquis had hoped that he could find a balance, but the information he gathered and the reality were completely different. The marquis just wanted to find the man who told him that Anfey was a two-discipliner with fire magic and strangle the man. His mind was too clouded now, however, to remember anything.
“Urter,” Anfey called.
“Yes, my lord?” Urter said as he jogged over.
“Inspect the bodies.”
“Yes, my lord,” Urter said. He glanced at the marquis before walking over to the bodies and began inspecting them. He was the sheriff of the city, and had seen plenty of murders. He wasn’t a stranger to bodies.
After inspecting a few bodies, Urter frowned. These bodies were almost identical to the one in the city morgue. The body was sliced open with a flame sword, and the wound was cauterized without leaving a drop of blood. The muscles along the cut were burnt and blackened. If Anfey did not seize the marquis, it would be very hard for him to prove his innocence.
