“What are you doing, Sven?”
“Young Master Watson is questioning him. Aren’t you disrespecting him by rushing forward?”
When Allen and Liszt, the two leaders of the Blackmoon Knights, saw Sven had run to Watson’s side, they were the first to react.
Almost instantly, the two disappeared on the spot, transforming into blue waves and blue winds, respectively. They materialized beside Watson, their arms extended to stop Sven.
“Get out of my way, or don’t blame me for being disrespectful to you!” Sven gritted his teeth and yelled, his eyes bloodshot.
He watched Allen and Liszt run over just as he was mulling about how to kill the already dead Moriarty. As a result, he was unable to vent his anger at the two of them.
“Are you serious, Sven?”
When Allen and Liszt heard that, they frowned. What kind of strength did they have? They had already reached the peak of the gold tier. Furthermore, they had grasped the concept of the elemental body, which could render their bodies elemental. The elemental body was analogous to a sphere of elementary law. They could control the elements in a specific radius surrounding their body by converting themselves into elements. They were not far off the platinum tier status to be able to do so. Sven was only a lesser gold-tier warrior. How could he be so arrogant in front of them?
They were about to take control of Sven when Watson’s voice interrupted them. “Wait, Allen and Liszt! Sven, you said that Moriarty is your enemy. Are you sure?”
“I am certain!”
When confronted with Watson’s inquiry, Sven responded without hesitation. “I’d recognize that man even if I were to burn him to ashes. My home was decimated ten years ago because of him. My wife and two daughters, they were only a few years old—”
Sven could no longer talk; he remembered bright red flames, broken beams and floors, and people and children curled up in the fire.
Tap, tap, tap!
Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes. He had been a notorious and vicious bandit commander in the past. No one had ever seen him cry, but that was all he could then.
“My wife was a sweet and generous woman. She enjoyed helping the underprivileged. She frequently requested our cook to distribute food from our home! My two daughters were the most beautiful angels I have ever seen. When I read, they would lie in my arms and help me turn the pages. They’d beg to help when I am cooking. When they had nothing else to do, they enjoyed swinging in the garden.”
Sven’s eyes lit with nostalgia, and suddenly all the hope on his face vanished, and he turned violent. “They were innocent and kind. Moriarty, you are a demon without a soul. Why did you choose them to participate in the experiment? What have they done wrong?”
“You will have to ask the King about that. I work only for him! But I already know his answer. He will probably pretend that they were chosen at random.”
Moriarty gazed at Sven with a serene expression on his face.
Did he choose them randomly?
“You chose them at random?”
Those words reverberated in Sven’s head; they nearly drove him to insanity. He charged at Moriarty like a lunatic, but Allen and Liszt managed to stop him. They did not want Sven to go forward; they did not want him to interfere with Watson’s conversation. Plus, there was a significant discrepancy in strength, and they did not wish to kill Sven.
“Calm down, Sven.”
Watson activated the Strictly Enforced Words by waving his hand at Sven. Sven became more attentive and less angry after a gust of wind combined with chilly air blew over his face. The Heaven-devouring Rat King, who stood on Watson’s shoulder, squeaked and looked around curiously.
“I am pretty sure I understand what is going on. Moriarty conducted experiments in your territory ten years ago, killing a great number of people. Moriarty also destroyed the Dragonspine Snow Mountain ten years later, and it was all part of the King’s scheme! Even though I am not sure about the reasons for the King’s experiments, it is clearly not a good thing. I believe you should despise the King even more.”
Aside from the two catastrophes cited by Moriarty, Watson was also aware of other disasters. The Moon-eating Sky Wolf that killed Nightingale’s parents, for example, was also a magical beast created by Moriarty’s research, and the Demoness church that was formerly popular in the kingdom was wiped out. Still, traces of it were planted on the boundary. Perhaps the King had intended to create more magical beasts for the winter so that they would devour more humans.
If that were the truth, then someone else must have been carrying out those tasks before Moriarty; the occurrences during the winter had been ongoing even before the man’s arrival.
When Watson considered it, he shuddered with terror. He was at a loss for words when it came to describing the King. According to what he knew, the other party was not a good guy.
“Are you kidding me, Young Master Watson?”
Sven panted profusely. He had one goal in life, and that was vengeance. He had joined Blackmoon Town to gain more authority.
Moriarty was right in front of him, but Watson told him to look for the King instead. Even if he worked his entire life, he would not be able to kill the King, not with his identity. He could not do anything even if he knew the King was the mastermind. He might as well deal with Moriarty first.
“I will not tell you to let go of your hatred, Sven, since ordinary people prefer to do the easy thing over doing the right thing! I only have one thing to say—torture Moriarty or make him disappear, and you’ll have let the King free. Are you happy with that?”
“How can I be happy with that? But, Young Master Watson, what can I do? Do you think I can kill the King?”
Sven’s cheeks were swollen with tears. The gap between his class and the King’s was too broad. What more could he do if he did not give up on the impossible goal?
“No one in this world can remain unkillable forever. If you trust me, I will help you to kill the King.”
Watson maintained a calm demeanor, but what he said stunned many around him, especially Gerant and the people from the other towns. They looked sour. Watson’s statements were a kind of defiance. They could not possibly listen to such words. Did Watson not treat them as outsiders at all, or did he already think that he would kill them later?
“Watson, don’t say such things carelessly.”
Antonio could not stand it any longer. He stepped forward and chastised the young man. He peered around them as if he was worried the King’s eyes and ears would be among those present.
“I am not speaking carelessly, Master. What do you think of our current King?”
“I am not sure. I’ve not been interested in political matters in a long time.”
“I think if a king who can’t make his people happy is not a good king, let alone a king who harms his people,” Watson said as he tilted his head to look at the sky. “People are a kingdom’s foundation, not a tool of wealth. Since the King can’t please his subjects, then it is preferable to depose him. So, Sven, you don’t have to be concerned. You are a Blackmoon Castle resident; your adversary is my adversary.”
Sven was not alone in that. Watson discovered that the King had directly or indirectly harmed many people around him. He had wanted to get stronger to protect his family, but he had found another motivation. He wanted to topple the King’s cruel reign and build a new society.
“Young Master Watson, do you intend to go against the King in order to assist me, regardless of whether you are dealing with a person, a group, or a kingdom? Do you truly have that much guts?” Sven’s expression was filled with disbelief.
Who was he? Who was the King? It was almost like the difference between a beggar and a wealthy trader. Only a fool would choose to aid one and offend the other.
“Of course, a philosopher I admired once said that there was something more important than a kingdom, and that was a person’s conscience. Sven, I choose to help you because of the voice in my conscience, not because I pitied you. Do you understand now?”
Watson made a fist and tapped the man’s chest lightly.
“I understand, Young Master Watson.”
Sven’s lips trembled as his sobs worsened. He had held on for so long, and he could finally let go. He knelt beside Watson; his forehead was close to the earth. He was at a loss for words. He only understood that the other party’s life was more important than his own from the moment Watson said those words.
It was not just Sven. The people around him were also thinking about what Watson had just said—certain things were more important than a kingdom, and one of them was a person’s conscience. They had looks of admiration on their faces; they respected Watson for being unconcerned about his strength. Watson, who was only a little older than ten years old, had spoken such wise remarks. They felt humiliated; some of them had lived for decades.
“The importance of one’s conscience outweighs the importance of the kingdom. Well said, indeed.”
Sylvan clapped his hands in approval. His eyes gleamed brightly as if he had discovered a resonance. He had insisted on exacting revenge on the King because the King had killed his sister; it allowed him to know the essence of cruelty. Watson’s comments simply expressed his innermost emotions.
“Watson, the words of the philosopher you mentioned. What was the philosopher’s name? Can you tell me?”
“That person’s name is Roman Roland.”
“Roman Roland? How come I have never heard of such a noble in the kingdom?”
When he noticed Watson tilt his head, he was perplexed. “Roman Roland is not from the Holy Dragon Kingdom,” he stated strangely. “He is a bard from a faraway land. It was winter when I found him passed out in front of our house. I offered him a bowl of water, and when he awoke, he said that to me.”
“Really?”
Sylvan did not seem to trust him, but Watson nodded firmly and said, “Yes.” He noticed that Zeke, Zenoah, and Peter were looking at him curiously from the corner of his eyes, and his face was a little hot.
Roman Roland was a philosopher he knew in his previous life, not in his new life. He had accidentally spilled the beans when he wanted to soothe Sven, and to avoid embarrassment, he had to shift the subject.
“I’ve made a decision. When winter ends, I will go to the Royal City. Before I do that, I will stabilize the border. The key is to sign a contract with the four mayors! Speaking of which, Moriarty has just swallowed two mayors, so this is not going to be simple.”
Watson attempted to reach the Land of the Dead after killing Moriarty, but he could not locate the two mayors. It was a little odd. As long as the souls died nearby, they would be absorbed into the Land of the Dead. He could not find them as the two mayors did not perish.
“Moriarty, it seems like the two mayors you devoured did not die.”
“Yes, it is just as Young Master Watson suspected. I stored them in the extradimensional belly when I was the Heaven-devouring Rat King. They are safe and sound,” Moriarty responded modestly.
He had devoured the two persons to threaten them. He intended to savor them after the conflict was over. Who would have guessed Watson would defeat him without any explanation; he had died before he could devour them. “I remember their spatial coordinates. I can retrieve them immediately if you would like to see them, Young Master Watson.”
