In the safety of the cellar, Vankel Knight Baine took a handful of coins from his hoard and sprinkled them on his niece.
He let his niece rest on his hoard until its warmth helped her forget her captivity at the Batmon's hands. However, despite his best efforts, she remained quiet and a little afraid of the outside world. "Uncle," Julie asked him finally. "Do I have a birth defect?"
"Of course not!" Winkle comforted her. "You're almost as perfect as me!"
"But daddy died and they hurt me!" Unfortunately for her uncles, Julie may be young, but she's also smart. Her missing horn will constantly remind her of her imprisonment. "You always told me pain was a birth defect."
"Because you are too young and don't know the truth." Winkle said, he himself only recently learned about the shameful secret of the Dragon Clan.
He could no longer understand her feelings.
"Pain and death..." Winkel struggled to find the right words to tell the terrible truth. "Pain and death are not birth defects! Every dragon has them!"
Julie's eyes turned into an expression of pure terror and terror. Although she knew the truth deep down, hearing this from her dear uncle must have been a shock to her. "Even you?"
"Even..." Wenke's voice became hoarse. "Even me".
This discovery made her even more afraid of the outside world.
"Julie, through my journey, I've learned that true confidence is not knowing nothing about death," Winkle told her, trying to cheer up his niece. "True greatness is being who I am: fighting to the end because I know that despite the risks, I will always prevail. Because I am who I am." Even death bows before my strength, wealth, and unparalleled genius!"
"So if I become as strong, tall, and rich as you, I can defeat death?" Julie looked up.
"Exactly!" Winkle encouraged her. "But if you stay at home all day, you can't become as great as me. You have to get fat by raising cattle, training the best minions, destroying enemies, and being rewarded with wealth! This is the happiness of dragons the road!"
His words ignited a fire of passion in his niece's eyes.
The doorbell to his vault echoed off the walls, and Winkle muttered as he opened the door.
He found K
ight Kia is waiting in front. "Julie-"
Before she could finish speaking, Winkle closed the door, intent on keeping her out. But unfortunately, his niece heard the sound. "KIA!" She immediately stood up to greet her perverse excuse of a servant, forcing her uncle to open the door.
"I'm sorry." The knight hugged the dragon and apologized. As if this makes up for her incompetence as a slave. "I'm supposed to be with you all the time. Did they chop off your horns?"
"Yes, they even took my blood! They wanted to seal my uncle in a bottle!"
The knight scratched Julie behind the ear, as Fankle often did; the sight made him jealous, though he was too nice to show it. "This is just the beginning," K
ight Kia said. “Once a Fomo man makes up his mind, he never stops.”
"You're not leaving again, are you?" Julie asked her subordinate.
"No, at least I will stay with you this time." Until you have enough level to protect yourself. I'll train you until you're an unstoppable paladin who can eat vampires for dinner. "
"Good, because if I find anyone harming my niece again while in your care, you won't have anything to breed with," Winkle warned Manlin, and he meant it.
As for the fairies, the dragon could no longer ignore their wiles.
Now is the time to act.
Victor, sitting on horseback with a group of priests, kobolds, and ghouls behind him, glanced at the barricaded house in front of him. The search took much of the day and last night, but this was the last warehouse to be raided.
"Sir, what should we do?" Julius asked, looking at the closed windows.
"If she's not out in five minutes, break in and kill them all," Victor told his troops. "No."
Fortunately, the door opened and Saulus stepped out. A dozen vampires followed her, their hands behind their heads. Charlene ended the parade.
As Saulus told them, the Nightblade had turned her into a vampire. Her skin became pale, her eyes were red, and she lost a lot of weight. She looked more attractive, more confident, and predatory.
"We'll find a cure for you," Victor assured her, climbing off his horse, bazooka in hand.
"Treat what?" Cha
le
e replied. "My newfound immortality?"
"Aren't you angry about the situation?"
"No! Being a vampire is awesome!" she put her hands on her hips, showing off her new figure, "I feel so much healthier and stronger! When my elixir runs out, I will Have to hide from the sun, but I will stay young forever! My back never hurts anymore!"
Victor thought she would feel conflicted about losing her humanity, but she was very calm. "Nice to see you again."
"Let me tell you, things will change," Charlene replied, her bloody eyes full of authority. "When I find that traitor croissant, I'm going to suck him dry, and not in the way he imagined."
Victor has already planned to decide the fate of him and his sister after this matter is resolved. "Where is Emile Ravel?" he asked the prisoners. Lucy's second-in-command was the last problem he had to solve.
"When he refused to surrender, we trapped him in a coffin," the assassin replied. "None of us here are going to fight for a dead woman."
"Shoot arrows into the coffin, examine the body, and cremate it," Victor ordered Jules, the necromancer who entered the house under escort. With the emir gone they have destroyed the guild in Mu
mu
i
leadership.
As for the minions... "You're fighting the law," Victor warned them. "Having caused us a lot of trouble, created chaos, and threatened the Emperor's subjects. Do you have anything to say?"
"Did we surrender?" said one of the scoundrels. "Can't you be merciful?" I mean, Savi got away with it.
"Not really," Saverus sighed.
"I sentenced her to five years of community service," Victor said, referring to the chef's duties. "Unlike you, she is very cooperative."
"So we're sorry and we won't do it again?" one of the vampires replied shyly.
"Yes, you are terrible, sir," replied the other gangster. “And he’s handsome!”
"Affi, I thought you needed some backbone to become an assassin now." A new, mocking voice mocked these cowardly killers. "I admit my mistake."
Victor raised his eyes and noticed someone on the roof.
It was a human-like crow with feathers as black as the night and eyes that shone like stars in the dark. He wears a ridiculously over-the-top crimson clown costume and wields a scythe covered in wailing souls. He was jumping up and down on the roof, clearly enjoying his shyness; somehow, looking at him, it didn't feel right to me.
How did he sneak up on everyone? Why did he look like... like...
…
impossible.
"Who are you?" Victor pointed the rocket launcher at the newcomer.
"I am the Death Clown." The Bird Clown pretended to bow, announced himself, then jumped off the roof and landed gracefully in front of Victor. "God, the Prince of Sin. Accepts no substitution."
Deathjeste
God (guess my type! Avian Flu/Holy!)
Strengths and weaknesses mean nothing to me; all are subject to my will.
Yes, it’s me, I’m the real deal. He is the patron saint of criminals, troublemakers, liars and birds (because birds are scary). I killed every creature at least once, even the Mithras. I could tell you the gory details, but it would be enough to make a complete dark comedy novel.
Fffffffffff…
"That's true," Victor whispered in shock. "This is Deathjeste
!”
The entire retinue turned their weapons on the birds, and the nightblades, including Savuluse, immediately bowed to their patron. "God!" they sang with reverence.
Death's jester responded by raising his claws, turning every spear and arquebus aimed at him into feathers, much to the kobold's surprise. "Now, you all know my history with the law," the crime god said. "But I come for peace. Honesty."
Victor didn't know how to react. He had lost interest in the gods, but this one was murder incarnate, Evil with a capital E.
"Thank you, thank you, you're so kind," God replied vainly, clapping his hands, "As unbelievable as it sounds, I'm not here to kill anyone. In fact, I'm here to bless you...please Forgive my followers, although I am somewhat ashamed of their cowardice.”
"You're... applauding me?" Somehow that made me feel ashamed.
"Victor, Victor, I am a friend to all those who walk the roads of chaos," the god said, patting him on the back, and everyone stood in silent amazement. "Since you failed to steal the sword from Fankle's hoard, Ofremont has entered a time of change and chaos. You and the dragon are a walking disaster, and I love, love. Now, You're my favorite troublemaker. I even decided to give you a sweet reward."
The light shines on Victor's left shoulder through the gaps in the armor. He supposed the symbol of the raven god appeared on his skin.
You get a personal perk [as claimed by Deathclown]!
[Death Clown Claim]: When you level up, you have an additional 10% chance of gaining a skill or charisma point. You can fake your karma as you like, your lies cannot be detected by any magic.
"That solves your angel problem," God said, apparently trying to get Victor to commit insurance fraud.
"Did you know that Xie Sha has claimed me?" Victor pointed out. “Shouldn’t you cancel each other?”
"Well, you know, there's a lot of gray area in our portfolio," God responded. "Like drugs or prostitution."
After being claimed by four gods, Victor wonders if he should capture them all. "Well, don't expect any 'good' god to look kindly on you," Death Jester said, confirming that he could read the Prime Minister's mind. "Maybe except Se
g and Cybele, because you are the easiest to get along with. "
"Hey, what does this mean?" Does the person upstairs think he is a male prostitute?
"Not just upstairs." Death Jester shrugged. "Now, I have a proposition for you."
"An offer you can't refuse, or an offer that's an offer?" Victor asked doubtfully.
"I have something new at Night Blade, and with little Lucy gone, the organization will be in chaos," Joker replied, ignoring the question. "While I am all for the age of struggle, it will make law-loving Mithras happy, and his happiness is my misfortune. I also believe that you have a good chance of becoming a villain, and not just because you participated in a seminar meeting."
"You want me to take over Night Blade?" the minister guessed.
"Yes, but only if you spare my lovely assassin." "Someone has to take care of the scum and outcasts of the world. So. Do you want to be the Napoleon of crime, Vic?"
Frankly, if Savuluse had asked him to run a chapter a few months ago, he would have said no.
But now, Victor isn't sure what to do. Controlling the Night Blades would help repurpose their vast resources to serve him and Winkle rather than their predecessors. He could reform the organization and make it more productive than employment. On the other hand, his karma will take another hit.
"I don't really feel like a villain or someone on a path to chaos, as you say," the minister argued. "If anything, I'm the main reason this country is half-functioning."
“You are aligned with the Happy World, you lead a nation of monsters, you turn witchcraft into a state-sponsored trade, and you hunt your own kind ruthlessly to protect a ravenous, destructive dragon. …Should I continue?”
"I did most of this for Waikr. I owe him my life."
Even if he listens to you and you don't resist very hard, the key words are the most important. It is you who allow "Friends" to operate there without Wacker's intervention. You are not evil, because only angels believe in absolutes, but you are not made to be a hero either. Face it, Vic, deep down you're a gangster; if that's the kind of person who has the foresight and virtue. "
"That's a good sales pitch," Victor deadpanned. "What's next, 'Join the Dark Side and Eat Cookies'?"
"Here's what you don't understand yet: without faction, you get whatever you want." Death Jester shrugged. "So? A deal?"
Victor considered God's words until the answer became obvious. "I accept."
"Glad to hear you say that," the god replied, then reached out a paw from under his jester hat and pulled out a letter. "Also, if one day you want to go beyond just attending a seminar and learn more about how to be a monarch, my friends and I offer an entire class for aspiring social climbers. Here's your invitation."
Victor snatched the letter and read it carefully. The seal on the back represents a black lightning bolt, and someone has written the word "Shilin" on the front.
"Remember, Vic," Death Jester said, rising into the sky through a shaft of light. "Always lie, cheat, steal, flout the law, and be a paladin! That's what life is for!"
"How to twist it?" Victor said expressionlessly.
"This is the spirit, my boy!"
Then God disappeared before everyone's surprised eyes.
Congratulations! Through clever and cunning means, you dismantled the Night Blade's Mu
mu
i
Branch, harvest souls until you are satisfied, and save your master on horseback, you in [G
a
d Vizie
] obtained level three in [Reaper], obtained level two in [Assassin], and obtained level one in [Chaos Knight].
You gain the [Forked Tongue], [Jealousy], and [Soul Master IV] career perks.
+180 hp, +40 sp, +5 st
, +2 vit, +10 ski, +5 agi, +5 i
t, +8 cha, +7 lack.
When you lie, you gain a +5 bonus on Charisma checks.
[Jealousy]: A skill where you can steal a positive ailment (such as regeneration or physical protection) from an enemy or ally and apply it to yourself.
[Soul Master IV]: Your knowledge of souls opens you to more paths to power than just sorcery. You can now learn and use [Necromancy], [Ritual], and [Demonic] spells up to fourth level. Reaper levels now count as caster levels for class restriction purposes, and if a class grants you a casting stack in your particular school of magic, they will stack with Soul Master IV. This replaces [Necromancy III].
Congratulations! By gaining enough levels in a specific profession, being chosen as the leader of a crime syndicate, and receiving the blessing of the God of Crime, you can now merge the [Assassin] and the [Grand Chancellor] into the famous [Moriarty] ]Profession.
Moriarty: A criminal emperor, a diabolical mastermind who manipulates entire nations from the shadows. Specialties: Leadership, illusions, stealth, small arms. Major increases in skill, intelligence and charisma. Affected skills: [Is-No-Good], [Blade Stab], [Forked Tongue].
good. He has work to do.
In the first hour after dawn, Winkel summoned almost all of his entourage in the central square to address the crowd.
Because things will change.
Vankel observed the inhabitants of the city, who all gathered to hear his words of wisdom, from the humblest clay figure to the tallest dwarf. He could smell their worry and fear. They spent a horrific night witnessing Manlin Victor's own home being engulfed in flames. They want reassurance.
They will be satisfied and more.
"Mu
mu
i
citizens,” Vai
queue
He cleared his throat and began to speak. "You have been afraid of the night for a long time. In recent days, the vampire rebels led by Bat Ravilai have waged war on my city. They burned your house, slaughtered my livestock, corrupted the hearts of the old servants, and even Threatening what I hold most dear. The rebels cowardly hide in the shadows and seek to divide you through fear and distrust."
His eyes fell on the demon Malfoy and the angel Mir. The former is still in a wheelchair, although he has recovered somewhat; the latter's identity has been clarified thanks to Winkel's own genius and the testimony of the repentant Saulus. But now, they join forces to fight the real enemy.
"But the battle is over!" Long raised his left hand happily and held it tightly. "The Bat Chief was burned to death by my fire, she was crushed like a vermin!" As I speak, my troops, led by the Prime Minister, are crushing the last resistance! As long as you are mine Under the wings, everything will fall before the power of the empire!"
The crowd immediately responded with joy and enthusiasm, but all enthusiasm was pent up. While his most ardent minions applauded as usual, most feared these attacks were just the beginning of a war. Tensions remain palpable. Winkle decided to relieve this pressure by bestowing honors on those servants he felt deserved them. "Kobold ranger, step forward."
After Manlin Victor, his eldest and most respected servants gathered before him and bowed in a line. They were clothed in glory in the night, and today, He will reward them.
"When I discovered you, you were just kobolds." "However, I immediately saw the seeds of true servitude sleeping within you, ready to be released. Now, you have grown in power and become me The cream of the crop among lackeys. You are everything a master could ask for in a servant.”
His servants trembled at his praise and bowed so deeply that the dragon feared they would break their backs.
"As a reward for your long and loyal service, I promote you to Knight Winkle and Guardian of the Niece," Winkle announced. "You shall protect one of my three greatest joys: my beautiful niece, Julie. You shall protect her like my gold, and triumph where Knight Kia proves herself inadequate."
"Your Majesty," Rhett said on behalf of the entire team, who all had tears in their eyes. But it must be the condensed water of the undead. "We will bring you glory in return!"
"I know, Minion. Now, kiss my ring." Winkle held out his hand to them, and they all embraced; the dragon quickly walked toward the hero of the day. "Allison, goddess of the forest, please come forward."
The dryad approached shyly.
"I used to despise you because I didn't think you were a slave." He was too thin and couldn't eat Rollo. Over time, he came to appreciate the golem's ability to provide for him enough to forgive this shortcoming. "You have proven yourself worthy of my trust."
"Well..." The plant couldn't hear what she said and was frightened by the honor. "All right……"
"In view of your performance against the rebels, I now appoint you as my new magic teacher. You must help Victor Manling and make me stronger."
"So...keep doing what I've been doing?"
"Yes, but now your contribution is recognized," Winkle said, demonstrating his generosity. "Now kiss my ring."
Afterwards, Winkle addressed the crowd again, albeit with less enthusiasm than Ranger. "However, citizens, as a good dragon I will always tell the truth. The Vampire Rebels are nothing but soldiers of an older threat. The Fae."
"Elves? "The Formers?" "They're back?!"
Winkle listened to the whispers of his servants and discovered that they both feared his old rival and respected the dragon. Their ancestors either died at the hands of these creatures or toiled like slaves.
This time, however, they went too far. They spit on the volcano. "
To emphasize his statement, Winkle fired a beam of fire into the sky, immediately silencing his adoring fans.
"Minions, the fairies have declared war on me," Winkle said, a puff of smoke coming from his nostrils. "They freed the Golden Killer Freeborn from the seal that controlled his evil. They attacked my servants and threatened my niece. They broke the dragon peace that had been maintained since the birth of the world. If they forget who Having won the first war, I will remind them in the second.”
The dragon proudly spreads his wings, bathing all his minions in his majesty.
"For I, Vanquil Knight Bane, his name, catastrophe of the times, defender of treasures, greatest gladiator, genius president, Mu
mu
i
,Ishfa
ia and the Emperor of the Alban Mountains, declare war on the ancestors!”
Charisma check successful!
His servants raised their hands in bloodthirsty cheers, thirsting for vengeance. "War!" they shouted suddenly, their screams becoming deafening, "War! War! War!"
"The Mel family, who have been against me since my awakening, should understand their place! Nowhere in this world can they be safe from my wrath! I will raze their lairs to the ground and empty their livestock." Column, take their wealth as your own!"
Fankle waved dramatically. "As a first measure, I hereby order the creation of the Vanquish Watch for the total annihilation of the Elves; an institution dedicated to finding new and creative ways to deal with previous problems! I invite any creature willing to fight for justice, Join this golden expedition!"
No one liked this decision more than the dwarves. They eagerly welcomed his orders, prepared for Freeburn's return, and couldn't wait to test their weapons on new targets.
"As my second measure, it's time for this country to live up to my reputation," Winkle said. "All my minions will be trained and well equipped so that in the near future we can wage war against the fairies instead of letting them invade us again! I will expand my empire beyond this city and beyond. Sea, enter the island of Prydan! Under my wings, we will surely win!"
As his citizens applauded the Declaration of Independence, Winkle lost himself in his imagination, thinking about the future. He salivated at the thought of the vast treasures that would surely fall from the miners. He has a lot of work to do because the fairies are very vicious. The puppets they made could even challenge him. They had modernized, just as they had when he embraced the dragon's system.
He also had to modernize his empire. While the growth of his treasure remains his top priority, he will ensure that his empire grows stronger under his rule. While he was content to let Manlin Victor handle servant matters, he would now provide direct guidance until his realm had expanded tenfold.
One day, soon...
He will even conquer the moon!
