77 So-Called Virtues

After specially spending some of his time strengthen his physical ability since the assassination in the tunnel several months ago, Han Jin's response had been greatly quickened. Despite the sudden attack, he immediately dodged the dagger by backing up a few steps upon noticing the coming cold light.

The man who broke into Han Jin's room was awestruck when he realized his attack had missed, but he moved a few quick steps forward and approached Han Jin again. "Don't move!" he ordered.

Han Jin did not listen to him. Even a woman would shout in this case, let alone him, who would never surrender himself. Han Jin stepped a pace back for the second time, and waved his right arm. A puff of glaring fire sparked out.

The man was shocked and darted to the side without delay. The fireball brushed against his shoulder and precisely hit the wall. With a loud sound of collision, a big hole appeared on the wall.

"Damn, what happened??" Moxinke cursed in the distance.

"You are a magician?!" exclaimed the assassin with his teeth gritting. Then, his body gradually faded, and finally disappeared into thin air.

Han Jin sneered. After a swing of his hand, a wooden puppet emerged from the place where the assassin had disappeared. The puppet stretched out its arms and thumped around randomly.

These aimless strikes hit the man someplace on his body. He stumbled and turned visible again, then heavily knelt down on to the ground. Only then did Han Jin spot the two black arrows on his back. Fresh red blood was still flowing down from his deep wounds. He must have been hurt for a short amount of time, at most within half an hour.

"You..." The assassin struggled to look up and say something, but the wooden puppet had already reached him and was pounding him with its two fists held together.

The man laid on the ground and could only stare at the coming fists, as he was too weak to dodge them. The fists of the wooden puppet pounded heavily on to his back, tearing his wounds, and making his blood splash out in all directions. He let out a moan and collapsed to the ground.

"What happened?" Moxinke rushed in, holding his sword, and exclaimed when he saw the assassin on the ground. "Who is this guy?"

When Han Jin wanted to reply, Cessacioun's voice came from outside, "Wake up! Wake up! Quick..."

Han Jin was shocked. He had no emotion to deal with this unidentified man anymore, but hurried rushed out from his room, and nearly bumped into Cessacioun who was dashing to him. "Hurry up!" Cessacioun gasped, "Get our stuff ready and leave here as soon as possible. The soldiers are coming for us!"

Sunier also left the main room, inclined her ear, and listened attentively. "It's too late. They have knights." She shook her head.

"Everything was fine a moment ago!" Moxinke exclaimed, "Why are they charging at us all of a sudden?!"

Han Jin quietly looked back at the unconscious man. After a long time, he said, "Perhaps, they are coming for him. Throw him outside."

Not long later, a group of knights rushed in. It was a small village, and the figure outside on the ground could be easily found, so there was no need to waste time and energy searching house by house. A knight dismounted, strode to the lying figure, and rudely grabbed his hair. "My Lord, it's him!" he turned around and shouted after a clear look at the figure.

"Young Master... Young Master..." Someone among the group of knights burst into tears.

Following the direction of the cry, Han Jin saw an old man in his fifties whose hands were tied behind his back. He was struggling fiercely, and fell down from the horse. The knight who failed to grab him cursed and held out his lance. As soon as the old man tried to climb up from the ground, the knight slapped his thigh with his lance like a striking viper. 

"Ha ha..." The other knights roared in laughter when they heard the old man moaning.

Modesty, honor, sacrifice, valor, compassion, faith, honesty and justice; these should be the virtues by which a knight lived by. However, this world had been plunged in chaos for such a long time that knights had deteriorated from the keepers of righteousness into the tools of rulers. There might still be knights who kept these virtues in mind, but the laughing bastards in front of the house obviously didn't.

"Young master..." the old man cried. He was unable to stand up due to his tied hands and injured leg, but he still slowly wriggled towards the unconscious man with difficulty.

Han Jin's heart had a sharp beat. The cry of the old man had reminded him of the first day he had come to this world: when Steelberg had called his name again and again with the same dismal voice. But now, he just moved his eyesight away, for fear of getting themselves into trouble.

"Young master..." The old man kept crying and finally reached the young man. He knocked at him with his arms, trying to wake him up, but the young man was too seriously hurt, with both his injuries before and the later received punches by the wooden puppet. It was impossible for him to wake up within such a short time.

"Old thing, why bother?" A knight sneered. "Come with us to see the castellan."

"You... you are a herd of beasts!" the old man stared at him sharply and growled with all his strength.

"What did you say?" The knight's expression turned ferocious.

"Youkedo, did you forget how the old master treated you in the past? If it were not for the old master, would you be standing here today, you monster?!" The old man continued without a trace of fear, "But what have you done to him and the young master?!"

"Old thing. They asked us to capture Reg alive, but not you! I allowed you to go with us just for young master's sake." The knight said in an insidious tone, "If you dare say that again..."

Though the knight sounded very tough, he still showed a hint of fear. He called the young man 'young master', and left some leeway for both himself and the old man.

But the old man did not seem to appreciate it. He knelt on the ground and sat up with his head as the support. Then, he sneered, "Don't forget how you acted to please the old master and young master, Youkedo. Haha... you were just like a dog wagging your tail for food. What are you going to do if I call you a beast again? Beast! Beast! Beast..."

The knight's face turned a ghastly pale. He suddenly held out his lance and charged at the old man. Perhaps the old man had prepared to die. He raised his head and cursed louder and louder, until the lance thrust into his mouth and pierced out from his hindneck.

"Spat!" The knight spat on the old man and raised his lance to throw away the dead body.

Tears were shedding down from Miss Keeley's eyes. She was deeply touched by the old man's loyalty and bravery, which reminded her of the guards who had sacrificed themselves to kill the Human-faced Eagles to protect her. She nearly burst into tears.