Chapter 123: Chapter 122: When Someone Falsely Accuses You, Don’t Prove Your Innocence

"I was entrusted by Captain Basque of the Nomu Village guards to find Village Chief Reed."

"This is his token."

As he spoke, Jon handed an iron Badge to the young guard stationed at the office entrance.

"A task from Captain Basque?"

He had clearly heard the name before. After taking the Badge and glancing at it, his expression immediately turned serious.

"Please have a seat. I’ll go find Mr. Reed right away."

Jon wasn’t in a hurry. He watched the young guard leave, saw another guard emerge from a small door to take his post, and then walked over to the waiting area window with his hands behind his back.

He watched the light snow drift down and gazed at Big Mimi’s hazy silhouette in the square, contemplating how the enemy might try to probe him.

A moment later, the hinges of the door behind him creaked.

However, it wasn’t the big-bellied Village Chief Reed who emerged, but another man—a tall, thin, middle-aged man.

The man’s gaze swept over Jon without a trace of expression before he let out a light cough.

"Ahem, hello, sir. I am Reed’s colleague, Harir."

Jon turned to face the man, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Hello, Mr. Harir. May I ask why you’re the one meeting me?"

"Well, you see—"

The middle-aged man offered a polite smile.

"I heard you were entrusted by Captain Basque to deliver a message to Reed, but unfortunately, he left Birch Town last night."

"Did he say where he was going?"

Harir shrugged, his expression shifting perfectly from a smile to one of regret.

"I’m afraid not. While we are colleagues, we don’t pry into each other’s personal travels."

"If you have an urgent matter, I can pass the message along for you."

Jon didn’t answer immediately. He fell silent for a moment, his unwavering gaze fixed on Harir’s thin face, before he slowly replied.

"If he’s not here, then never mind. I can come back later."

As he spoke, he held out his hand and crooked his fingers.

"Oh, right. Give me back Basque’s Badge."

The expression on Harir’s face stiffened almost imperceptibly before relaxing back into a polite smile.

"Of course. Please wait just a moment."

With that, he turned and went back through the office door.

Jon, however, lowered his gaze.

’No wonder Paris has been gone for so long. There’s a mole in our midst.’

The reason he had been so lukewarm toward the tall, thin man named Harir was, of course, because the moment they met, the system had displayed a notification identical to the one about his reputation with the Blood Eye Association dropping!

——

[Your reputation with the Eternal Frost Sect has decreased. Current Reputation: Hostile (0/-30,000)]

[Warning: This faction will be extremely malicious toward you.]

——

Although it hadn’t reached the level of mortal enemy like with the Blood Eye Association, it was close.

There had been no one else around, and Jon was certain he had never met this Harir before. The origin of the reputation drop was obvious—the other man recognized him and was a member of the Eternal Frost Sect!

’If that’s the case, does this mean...’

Jon’s eyes narrowed slightly. He placed one hand on his hip, his fingers tapping gently.

’What will this person do with his position and power?’

This was a judgment he made based on experience and intuition.

And the sudden turn of events in the office the next moment proved his suspicion correct!

Harir, who had been speaking so pleasantly while supposedly "getting Basque’s Badge" for him, now burst out from behind the door with a squad of guards, looking utterly menacing!

"Sir, I don’t know why you forged Captain Basque’s Badge to come here and spy."

"But in these chaotic times, I must ask you to cooperate with our investigation!"

Standing behind several guards, the tall, thin middle-aged man’s gaze held not a shred of its earlier politeness.

He had slapped a heavy accusation on him, clearly treating Jon as a spy from an unknown faction!

Faced with such an accusation, Jon had no intention of defending himself. Instead, he smiled and glanced around at the guards who were subtly surrounding him.

"If I were you, I wouldn’t stand so close."

"What?"

Before the guards closing in on Jon could even process his words, a colossal beast smashed through the wall, bringing with it a torrent of wind and snow!

"ROAR—!!"

Glass and rubble flew everywhere as the beast’s roar shook the heavens!

The guards who had been so aggressive a moment ago were sent tumbling in disarray, some even crying out in terror!

"You fanatics just don’t know the meaning of patience."

"Tell me, if you had just bothered to look outside for a second longer, would you have made such a foolish decision?"

The dust slowly settled, revealing Jon standing beside the massive manticore. He rested a hand on its head, his icy gaze cutting through the crowd to land on Harir, who was now limp on the floor.

"Now, do you regret it?"

Faced with the pressure from Jon and Big Mimi, and with his words, Harir was clearly trembling uncontrollably.

’How did he figure out my identity!?’

He wracked his brain but couldn’t figure out where he had slipped up!

But no matter what, he couldn’t possibly admit to it!

So, suppressing his fear, Harir raised a hand and pointed angrily at Jon, trying to use his authority to intimidate him.

"You! You madman! How dare you attack the Lord’s Mansion!"

"So what if I did?"

"I’m not just attacking the Lord’s Mansion, I’m taking you with me!"

Jon sneered and pointed.

"Big Mimi, go! Just don’t kill him!"

"RAWR—!!"

Big Mimi let out an excited roar. Its massive body shot forward like a bolt of white lightning, wrapped in a frigid wind. It leaped over the guards sprawled on the floor and went straight for Harir!

Its scorpion-like tail, covered in Ice Crystals, tore through the air and struck with precision!

"PFFT!"

The sharp tip of the stinger pierced Harir’s thin shoulder blade without any resistance, lifting him off the ground.

"ARGHHH—!"

Harir barely had time to let out an inhuman scream before the frost poison from the stinger began to take effect!

A deathly white frost visibly spread from the wound in an instant, rapidly freezing his left shoulder, left arm, and even half of his chest. The gushing blood was instantly frozen into crimson icicles.

The extreme cold numbed the pain and froze any chance he had to resist.

"See? What did I tell you?"

Jon stood his ground, his expression unchanging as he watched the man’s instantly frozen, gruesome state.

"One should always act with caution."

"Now, you’re coming with me to the Sun Church to tell me everything you know..."

Hearing Jon’s words, Harir was clearly even more terrified. But with half his body frozen, he was unable to speak, able only to stare with wide, panicked eyes.

However, the commotion had finally alerted the Guardian forces stationed at the Lord’s Mansion.

"What madman dares!?"

A roar filled with furious Power exploded from the courtyard like a clap of thunder!

Immediately after, a figure as burly as an iron tower charged in, wrapped in a thick, pale red Battle Qi!

The newcomer was a brawny, middle-aged man with a full, bristling beard, clad in Fine Steel Half Armor.

When he saw the scene of a "Demon Beast running rampant in the Lord’s Mansion and attacking a steward," he was utterly enraged!

"Beast! Let Steward Harir go!!"

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