Chapter 86: Taken Away in Public!

"Something unclean..." The two elven commanders hadn’t intended to approach, but when they saw the elven lady standing beside Roy, concern written on her face, they pinched their noses and came closer. Their gazes toward Roy grew even more disdainful.

"He's... probably fine, right?" The elven lady faced Roy, her back to the two heroes from the Association.

Just a moment ago, she had steeled herself for the worst. If they decided Roy was an evil necromancer, she would not hesitate—she’d strike then and there, ensuring these two would never leave. Under no circumstances could the secret of Roy’s knowledge of necromancy be revealed, nor could she allow him to come to harm!

"No problem, it's just a minor issue." The cleric of Holy Light exchanged a glance with the truthseeker beside her, privately musing: Yan Bao’er, this elf and Roy—there’s definitely something between them!

When they’d first heard the rumors, they’d hardly believed them. First of all, it was common knowledge among all races that a relationship between a human and an elf was simply impossible. Second, the gulf between the two was vast—they should never have had a chance even to meet.

Ahem. As long as Roy didn’t commit any heinous crimes, no matter how sharp the Elven Inquisitor’s sword, it would never touch him.

Thirdly, though they’d never seen her themselves, it was said this Elven Inquisitor was breathtakingly beautiful, and there were endless rumors about her—none of which were ever true. The presence of the truthseeker was proof enough. Who had so much free time to invent such baseless tales?

Casting a glance at the two elven commanders standing like guards on either side of Yan Bao’er, the cleric of Holy Light cleared her throat and said, "Roy, what did you come into contact with before? Why is there a deathly aura clinging to you?"

"It can’t be anything good!"

"Has Roy fallen?" The two elven commanders, ever eager for drama, each added a comment. Their sharp, challenging glances sparked as they exchanged looks, then simultaneously turned away, refusing to meet eyes. Clearly, this was a well-worn routine.

But no one noticed that the elven lady was on the verge of erupting. If anyone present said the wrong word, she’d silence them all in an instant.

"Uh... I was just sorting through some stock I received from the magic shop, doing a thorough inventory..." Roy gestured as he spoke.

The elven lady let out a discreet sigh of relief, her hands still roaming over Roy, searching for reassurance. "Are you really all right?"

She feared Roy might suffer backlash from the Holy Light, since he harbored the kind of dark power that, to a cleric, demanded utter annihilation.

"I'm fine..." Roy took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, winking at her, then turned to the cleric. "Could you check me over again, just to see if there's any lingering taint?"

With that, Roy stepped forward, standing openly before her, his expression calm, showing no sign of unease.

"Very well." The cleric nodded, raising her staff. A soft light blossomed from its tip, enveloping Roy completely.

"Roy, describe in detail what happened while you were sorting those goods—how did you end up contaminated by such filth?" The truthseeker, all business, opened her Book of Truth, ready to take notes on the spot.

"This is what happened." Roy recounted the incident with the stone statue.

"What?! Such a thing occurred?" The elven lady gasped, her relief quickly giving way to dread—if anything had happened to Roy, the elven race would truly be without hope. The world itself would soon face destruction...

"Where is that statue now?" the truthseeker asked.

"It's broken, in the basement—I haven’t cleaned it up yet," Roy replied.

"Since you are under the protection of the Holy Light, why didn’t you use your artifact to cleanse that filth?" the cleric asked.

To her, the Holy Light artifact Roy possessed radiated a purity identical to her own faith and practice. That was why she treated Roy so kindly.

"She..." Roy felt a pang of regret. Due to this accident, the Angel of Holy Light had fallen into a deep slumber. He didn't know when—or if—she would recover.

Thinking of this, Roy cupped the chibi-form Angel of Holy Light in his palm and held her out for the cleric to see.

"So that's why..." The cleric was momentarily speechless, regretful, but also aware of the gravity of the situation. "If not for that artifact, you would likely have already fallen."

"Well... that's hard to say," Roy shrugged, putting the angel away.

"Take us to the basement so we can see for ourselves," the truthseeker said.

"All right." Roy led the group down to the basement.

"Such darkness and death!" The cleric frowned as soon as she entered, her staff glowing once more to purge the lingering deathly aura.

"There," Roy pointed to a small pile of stone fragments in the corner.

Without a word, the cleric cast a prolonged Holy Light spell, so intense Roy felt for a moment as though he stood at the edge of time itself, witness to eternity.

"Done," she said as the light faded. She paced the room, then, satisfied that all was well, remarked coolly, "Originally, we overlooked checking your inventory because we wanted to help you open your shop quickly. In future, we must be more cautious."

"We'll follow proper procedure from now on," the truthseeker said.

"Fine. When all this is settled, we'll discuss our partnership. By then, Roy, you won't have any reason to refuse us, will you?" The cleric and the truthseeker exchanged a knowing look, mysterious smiles playing on their lips.

Roy: "..."

His little shop had been so thoroughly claimed by others that every coin earned would now have to be split many ways. Still, looking on the bright side, these people were now firmly allied with him—a force to be reckoned with!

"Roy, how did you end up like this?" Watching Roy inlay rune gems onto his longsword one by one, the elven lady asked in confusion.

"Your so-called knights insisted on dueling me. I had no choice," Roy replied flatly.

If it had been any other girl, she would probably have walked away at that remark. But the elves were different—straightforward to a fault, always saying exactly what they thought.

Roy’s strength was plain for all to see, and the elven lady knew it well—there was no point in pretending otherwise.

"You two, behave yourselves for now. Don’t cause Roy any more trouble, or don’t blame me for being unkind," she said sternly to the commanders, showing no favoritism despite their supposed roles as her protectors.

"Bao’er, why is this happening?" the mountain elf asked, bewildered.

"Bao’er, I understand if you dislike that arrogant fellow—he’s not a good catch. Even if you won’t choose me, I can accept that. But why a human?" the valley elf lamented. "And such a weak human, at that! If he were a mighty hero, I could understand..."

"Bao’er, you know how deeply I care for you. Why...?"

"Enough! Two grown men, in front of everyone—including children—can’t you restrain yourselves? Enough with the sickening declarations!" Roy, in front of everyone, took the elven lady’s hand and said, "Bao’er and I need to talk. The rest of you, stay here. Especially you two—"

He pointed at the two elven commanders. "You two, with the pointy ears—stay back and no eavesdropping, or I’ll take Bao’er away and you’ll never see her again!"

"You—"

"Roy, I challenge you! One of us must die!" The two were furious, and if not for the elven lady’s presence, would no doubt have torn Roy apart on the spot.

"Not interested. Out of my way..." Roy waved them off mercilessly, leading the elven lady out of the camp.

When their figures finally disappeared, the two previously aggressive elven commanders slumped to the ground, utterly deflated.

Roy’s team of beauties stood frozen, petrified by what they’d witnessed. From the start, they’d had no chance to approach, let alone speak. The name of the Elven Inquisitor was legendary in these parts—stunningly beautiful, powerful, and not to be trifled with. No one wished to discover firsthand what it felt like to be struck by the Sword of Judgment.

"What’s so serious?" After walking a good distance, the elven lady, who had quietly followed Roy, finally spoke. Her cheeks were flushed, but she still didn’t withdraw her hand from his.

"After the statue shattered, a black scroll fell out. I opened it and learned a new skill," Roy replied, turning to face her with a serious expression.

"Ah!" The elven lady exclaimed again, scanning Roy from head to toe.