Chapter 98: The Brawny Man Who Came to Provoke
Since Charles had already confirmed that the guards of the Serpent Empire in Rock Fortress were not targeting Serene Forest specifically, and Eck and Johann had no means to use the portal in Rock Fortress to return to their territory,
Thus, the group had no choice but to follow Charles's previous plan. Consequently, they moved forward in strict adherence to Charles's instructions.
In the following two days, they would stay within Rock Fortress, wandering around aimlessly.
If they could find some clues, that would be ideal. Even if they found nothing, it wouldn't be a big deal.
After a busy day, Charles and his companions returned to the inn where they were staying.
The innkeeper, as before, upon seeing Medusa, immediately sought refuge in a corner.
"It seems it's impossible for us to get any service from the innkeeper. He is simply too terrified of our companion here."
Charles, with a hint of humor in his tone, spoke to Eck and Johann.
Eck and Johann both nodded with smiles on their faces.
However, deep down, they too felt like they were in the same boat as the innkeeper.
Eck and Johann, both of them, harbored a slight fear of Medusa.
Although Medusa was exceedingly beautiful, beneath her flawless visage seemed to lurk a truly terrifying soul.
After retreating to their respective rooms, the group quickly settled in for the night.
In the dead of night, Medusa once again roused Charles from his sleep.
"The person who appeared in front of our door last night has reappeared. Moreover, I sensed some familiar aura from him." Medusa whispered.
Medusa's words caused Charles to feel a twinge of concern.
Charles thought there was no need to be as overly cautious as he had been before. Since the adversary was right outside the door, he could simply seize them directly.
Without informing Medusa, Charles leaped off the bed and forcefully slammed open the room door.
However, to Charles's slight astonishment, despite his swift action, he still saw no one after swinging the door open.
After a moment of astonishment, Charles immediately snapped back to reality.
He looked up at the ceiling and, sure enough, spotted someone hiding in the shadows.
Without a second thought, Charles drew his weapon.
A fierce killing intent surged directly toward the person concealed in the shadows on the ceiling.
Although Charles's attack was lightning-fast, the person hiding in the shadows managed to use the darkness to escape successfully.
Charles's strike merely created a gaping hole in the inn's ceiling.
The commotion caused by Charles's actions produced an incredibly loud noise, rousing everyone within the inn from their slumber. All the guests staying on the same floor as Charles pushed open their doors and peered in his direction.
"Nothing significant has happened. There's no need for concern. Please return to your rooms and continue resting."
With a calm demeanor, Charles addressed everyone present.
Eck and Johann, of course, heeded Charles's suggestion without hesitation, they intended to return to their rooms and resume their rest immediately.
However, the other travelers were not as easily placated.
A towering, burly man stomped over to Charles, cursing under his breath.
"What on earth are you up to? Standing in the hallway in the middle of the night? And you've put a hole in the ceiling too!"
The towering, burly man exuded an aura of intimidation, but Charles remained unfazed.
In fact, had Charles not needed to conceal his true identity, he would have eliminated the man the moment he approached.
"I already mentioned, nothing significant has happened. Just return to your room and continue resting. The hole in the ceiling can be fixed by the innkeeper tomorrow."
Charles reiterated, not wishing to escalate the situation.
Thus, after delivering his remarks, Charles proceeded to walk towards the door to his room.
A burly man of considerable stature immediately blocked Charles's path.
"You can't just walk away like that. You've woken everyone up, you should compensate us for the disturbance. We have important matters to attend to tomorrow.
If we don't get proper rest tonight, our performance tomorrow will suffer. This will significantly reduce the benefits we might otherwise gain."
The towering, burly man was now being utterly unreasonable.
He figured someone as unremarkable-looking as Charles would be easy to bully. He was determined to seize this opportunity to extort compensation from Charles.
Although the other guests didn't have the burly man's audacity, they were eager to see him confront Charles, hoping they might also benefit from the situation.
Charles responded icily, "Don't push your luck. Do you really think it's justifiable to demand compensation from me?"
Upon hearing Charles's response, the burly man let out a hearty laugh.
"Of course, I think it's justifiable. After all, a weakling like you—I could crush you with a single finger. So, you'd better hand over all your money, and maybe I'll be lenient."
Just as the burly man finished speaking, he suddenly sensed an ominous presence emanating from the direction ahead.
He looked up and was immediately captivated by the sight of Medusa's face.
Never had he seen such breathtaking beauty, he stood there, utterly stunned.
"Is there a problem, Master? Is someone causing you trouble?" Medusa asked Charles with a smile.
Medusa's words left everyone present utterly astounded.
Eck and Johann never imagined that Charles could be Medusa's master. In their eyes, Medusa's power should far exceed that of Charles.
The burly man's initial shock quickly morphed into intense anger upon hearing Medusa's statement.
"What right do you have to be her master?! Only a hero like me deserves to be the master of such a beauty."
he bellowed, reaching out with his left hand to grab Charles by the collar.
At this moment, Charles found himself in an inextricable dilemma.
If he revealed his true strength in front of everyone, his previous disguise would be completely ruined.
However, if he did not demonstrate his power, he would be deemed a coward, which would only lead to more trouble.
Just as Charles was caught in this predicament, Little Green intervened.
Without anyone noticing, Little Green swiftly severed the burly man's left hand.
When the burly man's left hand hit the floor, he finally realized what had happened. He let out a horrendous howl.
"My hand! My hand has been chopped off! Who did this?! Show yourself immediately!"
The burly man was not only in excruciating pain but also seething with rage.
Little Green, hearing the man's outburst, silently stepped forward to face him.
"So, it was you who cut off my left hand? I'll make you pay for this! You damn little brat!"
Ignoring the agonizing pain from his severed left hand, the burly man raised his right hand to strike Little Green. But before his right hand could make contact with Little Green's head, it began to rot away.
Now with his left hand severed and his right hand rotting, the burly man emitted an unbearable scream of agony.
Charles cast a cold glance at Little Green, signaling her to deal with the burly man promptly.
Things had escalated beyond Charles's expectations.
Charles was acutely aware that by the break of dawn, the Serpent Governor of Rock Fortress would surely have them all taken away.
Upon seeing Charles's expression, Little Green immediately understood what she had to do next.
Without hesitation, Little Green raised the dagger in her hand and slashed at the burly man's neck.
The burly man's howls ceased abruptly.
Except for the sound of the man's head hitting the floor, the hallway fell into an eerie silence.
"The matter is settled. Everyone should return to their rooms and rest. Or are you expecting compensation from me?"
Charles said coldly to the other guests.
The guests quickly retreated to their rooms and slammed their doors shut upon hearing this.
Charles looked at Eck and Johann with a slightly helpless expression.
"You must excuse my companions, they are indeed a bit peculiar. They insisted on acting this way, and I couldn't stop them. Perhaps you could help me persuade them otherwise?"
Eck and Johann hurriedly shook their heads in response.
They now realized that the most dangerous person beside Charles was not Medusa, but the silent little girl, Little Green.
Once everyone had returned to their rooms, Charles, slightly irritated, asked Medusa, "Why didn't you deal with the burly man directly? If you had intervened, we would have had far fewer troubles."
Medusa responded to Charles with a smile on her face.
"Master, I believe your previous actions were a bit too cautious. By drawing attention to ourselves, we can more quickly identify how many people are secretly monitoring us."
Medusa's words seemed to carry a certain logic.
However, Charles still issued a warning: "Let's put this matter behind us. If the same situation arises again, you must act swiftly to prevent any possible mishaps. After all, I cannot easily reveal my true strength right now."