Chapter 265

265

Originally, watching fights is the most entertaining way (12)

“Achoo!”

“What’s wrong?”

Iron Bat frowned in response to the sudden sneeze.

“You just sneezed on me!”

“Oh, sorry.”

Ahem, ahem!

He wiped the sneeze off with a handkerchief.

“What’s this? Who’s cursing at me?”

“There are... so many people cursing at you. Surprising, right?”

“Well, it’s not that bad.”

“Thousands, at least?”

“Why would there be that many?”

Even if I’ve done a lot, would there really be thousands cursing me? That’s crazy.

“First of all, there are those chasing after the owner.”

“But wouldn’t that be a small number?”

“Not just those known to you. What about all the subordinates?”

“Ah... true.”

“That alone could be a thousand.”

“Well... I concede to that.”

We’ve already counted a thousand, but there are thousands more.

Can Iron Bat really manage that many?

“And every time the King is active, the owner gets cursed.”

“What kind of logic is that?”

“The owner is a devil’s follower... umm!”

“What nonsense is this?”

Iron Bat quickly covered the speaker’s mouth and got up.

-What are you doing!

-This is what I should do, fool!

-A fool? Being called a fool by a goddess, am I cursed?

-If there’s a curse, it feels like I’ve already received it.

Just this guy’s existence was a curse.

Because of him, I can’t use magic, I’m hunted by dark students, separated from my family, and even after defeating the King, I still have to flee.

“Umm, umm, umm!”

-The last one is because of the owner! It’s unfair!

-I won’t deny the previous charges!

Yet, Iron Bat had become more conscientious than before.

-Isn’t it unreasonable for the owner to mention conscience first? And how long do you plan to keep silencing a goddess?

-Until you think and speak?

-I always think and speak!

-Is that what you call thinking and speaking?

Calling someone an apostle of evil in the middle of town is what you call thinking and speaking?

-I’ll have to shut this mouth forever!

-Hey! People of this town! There’s a bad apostle of evil kidnapping our cute goddess here!

An evil calling another evil an apostle of evil. Such nonsense didn’t even exist in nonsense.

“Help, help!”

Trying to block Iron Bat’s nonsense, someone’s voice was heard not too far away.

“The heroes are on the move! To defeat the wicked King!”

Usually, this statement would be followed by distributing detailed papers, but reality was different.

“For just one silver, you can confirm the details!”

Information is money. Everyone knows that.

And this information was on paper.

Even in past eras with advanced technology and mass-produced paper, it still cost money.

So, does spreading news by tossing papers around a fantasy world make any sense?

Selling it at a high price made sense.

“It seems things are starting to move.”

“Is the King dead?”

Both I and Iron Bat were interested in the news, so we approached the boy selling the papers.

“Partially.”

“That’ll be one silver!”

It was pricey, but reasonable when you considered the cost of paper, gathering information, and the boy’s commission.

Of course, given the flashy title, it might lack substantial information.

“It’s not completely lacking in content, right?”

“It wouldn’t be. This is a verified news source from Pecanes.”

With that thought, I turned to the next page and found unexpected content.

“What? They’ve already fought?”

It was truly unexpected.

Normally, these newspapers end with, ‘The heroes have set out, and the King will fall, bringing salvation!’ But here, with several pages left, they were already detailing the clash with the King.

“Has the fight already ended?”

Unlike the Empire’s mages’ page, this one had accurate information stating that the heroes had already fought the King.

“The Apostle of Evil, the King! Proving the power of that name!”

“The overwhelming force of the King that brought down dozens of heroes in a short time!”

“Despite many sacrifices, they couldn’t bring down the King!”

“The defeated King, but the King who escaped!”

“Heroes victorious in battle. But a victory with only scars.”

“If it weren’t for the Empire’s army, could we have defeated the King?”

Every article was negative. Even the detailed information was the same.

They could defeat an overwhelming force of evil during the fight with the King, but the main King couldn’t be captured, according to the newspaper.

“Hmm... It was good they escaped.”

Underestimating the King’s power in a fight could lead to a premature death, as many heroes had experienced.

Thirty heroes had died, and it seemed the hero I saw earlier had also suffered significant injuries.

Though he managed to inflict substantial wounds, if the Empire’s army hadn’t defeated the overwhelming evil force in time, the hero would likely have perished.

“Was the King always this strong? Is everything in history a lie?”

History is often written by the victors.

They exaggerate the good and minimize or omit the bad.

I wondered if the information about the King was also manipulated in such a way.

“Well... the King is definitely stronger than recorded. Temples write the truth, but not the kingdoms.”

“True.”

For me, temples were even further away than other races.

While an ordinary person could visit a temple daily, I didn’t lead an ordinary life? Apart from visiting the Earth Temple and the Temple of Life to pray for my parents’ souls in my youth, I had never visited other temples.

So, I had no way of knowing the records written in temples.

“Anyway, the fact that this King is an unreasonable irregular doesn’t change.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Usually, even if they’re strong, they fight to the end and die.”

Iron Bat’s words implied that if it were a normal King, the hero would have died.

“Well... that’s a shame.”

“People need to appreciate your character, right?”

For me, the hero and the King fighting to the end is the best scenario.

With those two knowing my information, their deaths would complete my peace.

“Sigh... what happens now?”

As I turned to the next page, there was more about the hero’s face and the events after the battle.

“The near-destruction of the overwhelming force of evil!”

“The experiences of many heroes. What about the remaining ones?”

“The rapid replacement of heroes. Heroes without basic skills.”

“Heroes being brought to the frontlines immediately upon selection. Is this okay?”

It felt like reading a commentary section.

It exposed the plight of heroes who were suddenly chosen, had no proper training, and had to fight against an overwhelming force of evil.

It was informative and important, but...

“Skipping.”

It had nothing to do with me, so I skipped it.

“Well... at least the important parts were covered.”

On the last page, I found information that the hero had recovered and was now chasing the King with the Empire’s army.

And more importantly,

“The crazy guy is still following till the end.”

The pursuit was blatantly directed toward me.

It meant the King was aiming to catch me as a last resort.

“Are we fleeing again?”

Iron Bat, having finished his meal, swung his legs cheerfully.

Well... fleeing would be a good idea.

There was a risk of getting caught by the King, and then by the Empire’s army following him.

But...

“As the saying goes, life is a tragedy up close and a comedy from afar.”

“Huh? What nonsense is that?”

“Anyway, if the King doesn’t die, my location will inevitably be revealed continuously, right? So, it’s better to wait at a suitable place and create a meeting ground.”

If I have to face the end, it’s better to do it while I’m still young.

So,

“Get some popcorn and get ready to watch the fight.”

After all, watching a fight is the most entertaining.