Chapter 22: You Must Be Truly Starving

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Acquiring a new spell should have been a cause for great joy. But at this moment, Ron’s mood was exceptionally foul.

Because his home was gone.

After emerging from the "Magic Hearth," he hadn't chosen to return to the Stardust Society. Instead, he had headed straight back to his cozy little nest, eager to study his new magic. However, the moment he entered Dawn Alley, he saw from afar that the entire apartment building was surrounded by a squad of knights, packed so tightly not even water could pass through.

For a fleeting second, Ron feared that his unexplained absenteeism had been discovered by that violent woman, and that she had dispatched a squad to drag him back to work, intent on squeezing out the very last drop of his value.

But the boy quickly dismissed this terrifying thought. It was clear that this squad of knights was not here for him.

He watched as the apartment’s front doors and windows were violently smashed open, with piece after piece of furniture being tossed out. The sound of wood colliding with the cobblestone street was sharp and clear. Nearly all of his neighbors from the apartment building were being held at the corner of the wall by several knights. They held their heads in their hands, squatting as low as they could, faces buried between their legs, as if they had committed some unspeakable crime.

The scene before him destroyed the boy’s good mood, his heart feeling as though it had plummeted into a glacier. His home had received the same treatment; his precious magic notebooks, which he prized above all else, were scattered everywhere. They lay on the filthy cobblestones like broken toys, left to be trampled at will by the armored knights.

"That’s... Miss 'The Four Basic Elements of Holy Light Construction'!"

"And Lady 'Compendium of Convenient Mana Conduction'!"

What was even harder for Ron to bear was that Mrs. "Wizardry from Beginner to Master" had been cruelly torn in half. These books were family, comrades who had accompanied him as he grew up! He would never let the culprits behind this go without a compensation of one thousand gold lions!

"Let her go! What are you doing!?"

At that moment, a familiar shout pulled the boy back to reality. He looked toward the sound.

He found that at the apartment entrance, the landlady was being hemmed in by four or five knights. Her daughter, Miss Beatrice, was standing a few meters away, being forcibly held against a tall, blonde-haired knight. No matter how much Beatrice struggled, it was to no avail.

A blondie!?

The unsightly scene before him instantly caused Ron to piece together what was happening. Harassing someone’s daughter, and making them watch!?

Ugh!

It was absolutely disgusting. Without hesitation, he rolled up his sleeves and prepared to rescue the landlady.

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Just as he moved, Ron’s wrist was suddenly grabbed.

"Don't go over there. That’s the Templar Order. They are searching for rebels!"

"They claim that a witch is hiding in Caroline’s apartment. They’ll leave as soon as they finish searching."

The person speaking was Victor, the owner of the Dawn Alley tavern. He seemed to be warning Ron not to meddle in affairs that didn't concern him!

Searching for a witch? Chasing rebels?

Ron paused upon hearing this, suddenly remembering what Olivia had mentioned in passing that morning. He looked back toward the apartment entrance and saw that the landlady still hadn't broken free from the knights' encirclement, and her daughter, Miss Beatrice, was now being forced face-to-face with the blond knight.

Such a horrific sight made the boy’s face pale. He suddenly understood the gravity of the situation—it concerned the darkness within the kingdom. He had heard that for the past few centuries, the kingdom’s Templar legions had been a mixed bag, having long since lost many of the virtues of true knights. It was common knowledge that they used the missions given by the kingdom’s upper echelons as an excuse to exercise their power arbitrarily.

Searching for a witch?

It was clearly just a pretext to bully the weak and seize their property!

However, one thing exceeded the boy’s expectations. He never imagined that even Miss Beatrice—who was beautiful as a flower, weighed over four hundred pounds, and had remained single since birth—would one day fall victim to such a heinous act.

He looked at the lead blond knight and couldn't help but sigh inwardly: You really are hungry, aren't you!

Unable to contemplate the infinite diversity of human nature, Ron shook off the tavern owner’s hand, pushed through the crowd, and quickly squeezed his way to the apartment entrance. Regardless of anything else, Miss Beatrice was the one being forced. Ron could not allow her to be branded a witch and carried off by the blond knight to live a life of misery.

But just as the blond-haired boy poked his head out from the crowd, he heard Miss Beatrice let out a shrill scream:

"Ron Griffith, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business!!!"

The boy’s breath hitched, feeling as though his burning heart had been doused with a basin of ice water. He couldn't understand why Miss Beatrice, who was being harassed, would reject his help.

But the next moment, Ron understood why she had said that.

He saw the tall, four-hundred-pound Beatrice clinging to the nearly two-meter-tall blond knight like a black bear. At the same time, she was saying very lewd things like, "I am a witch, take me away quickly," "Brother, I like you," and "I’m very easy to provide for."

In truth, by Ron’s estimation, the image of the Azure Witch currently circulating throughout the capital was indeed not much different from Miss Beatrice. But he was very confused as to why the blond knight refused to accept the credit. Was it because he couldn't handle it?

"Don't interfere with official business! Get lost!"

Seeing that beautiful face getting closer and closer,

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feeling the breath like that of a brown bear blowing against the fine fuzz on his face, the blond knight finally grew anxious. He balled his right hand into a fist, the muscles beneath his armor bulging, and delivered a heavy punch to Miss Beatrice.

The force of the punch stirred up fallen leaves that brushed against Ron’s cheek, while Beatrice’s heavy body flew uncontrollably, falling ten meters away in the blink of an eye.

So strong!

This level of power must be at least a Third-Tier knight, right?

The golden-haired boy marveled at this, but he felt no cowardice or desire to retreat. In his eyes, Miss Beatrice had undoubtedly been forced to compromise, using her own body to trade for the safety of her mother and the residents of the entire apartment building. Although her appearance and physique were indeed not ideal, and there was a suspicion of forced transactions, she should not be mocked.

At the very least, when faced with darkness and injustice, she had stepped up at a critical moment!

This made Ron feel the activation of Holy Light elements and gave him a deeper insight into how to perform acts of righteousness. He was about to step forward to continue this cause of justice when he saw the blond knight reach the landlady first, gently stroking her face with his palm.

?

The knight looked greedily at the trembling Caroline, combed back his yellowish hair, and a meaningful smirk curled at the corner of his mouth.

"My lady, there is nothing left to argue about. The knights present have all found evidence in your apartment. You are the witch, aren't you?"

"According to the laws of the kingdom, anyone associated with rebels or witches must be put to death!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the tenants being held against the apartment wall by several knights. The landlady was already too terrified to speak. After a full few seconds, she finally shrieked:

"Beatrice! Beatrice!"

"What did you do to my child? What did you do to my child!?"

"I am already over fifty, how could I possibly be a witch!?"

Caroline’s voice grew louder, but she was immediately silenced as the blond knight clamped his palm over her mouth.

"My lady, that is not important. What is important is that we have the 'evidence' in our hands."

After saying this, the blond knight waved his men away, leaned in close to the landlady’s ear, and whispered:

"If you behave and become my lover, and turn over all the property deeds under your name to me, I guarantee that your tenants will be safe."

Listening to the transmission of the Holy Light elements, Ron stared blankly at the scene, his mind going completely blank.