Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: A Question I Forgot to Ask

Lloyd actually held the Saint Statue and silently asked in his heart, ’She’s really going to involve me in this?’

But the Saint just gazed at him gently, saying nothing more...

In the end, the Chief Judge was the one to explain:

"Perhaps it’s because the Saint saw a glimpse of your Destiny. But on that topic, it’s best not to overthink it, ask too many questions, or try to fathom the Saint’s intentions. As her followers, we need only execute her will."

Then, for reasons of his own, he gave Lloyd a rundown on just how terrifying and powerful the Advisor was, along with a list of his ’glorious achievements’.

Lloyd was so scared his legs were trembling; he was on the verge of turning tail and running.

"Then... what about the Saint’s Grace Court?"

He then quietly asked a rather impolitic question.

Shouldn’t dealing with outlaws like him be the Saint’s Grace Court’s responsibility?

The Chief Judge, however, adopted the manner of the Grand Judge and replied:

"The Saint’s will does not include them."

’Just blame it all on the Saint, problem solved...’

So Lloyd had no more questions. He just went along with it, muddle-headed. Instead of sleeping, he’d spent the dead of night fighting for his life against the Advisor, a vicious and heinous super-criminal.

As the Chief Judge had said, as a member of the Sect, the Saint’s will could not be defied.

’Fortunately, the outcome was pretty good. I came out unscathed and even got a nice boost.’

’It’s just that the other two had a rough time and ended up in a sorry state...’

But as Lloyd touched those red, thread-like worms, he still had a faint feeling that the Advisor probably wasn’t completely dead...

The system panel’s prompts also confirmed this indirectly: Lloyd hadn’t received a Memory Fragment.

Although the Chief Judge’s plan had been a resounding success—forcing the Advisor to continuously expend his power until the body he controlled became almost identical to his true self...

...it was still just ’infinitely close.’

"He’s probably not completely dead."

After helping the Armored Knight clear away the last of the roots, Lloyd said quietly.

The Knight seemed to have expected as much and answered nonchalantly,

"I know. We’re talking about the strongest Eighth Tier Deputy. If he’d gotten his way today, he might have achieved Ascension as a ’Cursed Saint’ or a ’Calamity Saint,’ you know? How could the three of us possibly kill him for good?"

The Chief Judge added,

"But he has certainly suffered unimaginable damage and won’t be able to recover anytime soon. Furthermore, considering the inherent flaws of the Curse and Calamity Taboo Systems, he could very well die during his recovery...

Of course, you can’t let your guard down. He might make a comeback in a few hundred years, and by then, you might be the only one left to deal with him."

"Huh? A few hundred years?"

"Yes. His lifespan is incredibly long. Radiant City didn’t even exist the first time he made the wanted list. Now, our city is over five hundred years old."

"So, you’ve got to work hard, Lloyd. The protection of this world will be up to you young folks in the future."

"Alright, I understand."

Lloyd said, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief.

’Let him come back next time. Just you wait, I’ll show him what real pressure looks like.’

’If the Advisor really needs a few hundred years to recover, then he’d damn well better come back. I’d be disappointed if he didn’t.’

’This wasn’t baseless confidence. With that much time and the help of his system panel, if he still couldn’t take care of the Advisor with ease, Lloyd figured he might as well just drop dead.’

Soon, the Armored Knight’s legs were freed from the chasm. Lloyd then took the hammer, screws, and rivets the Knight pulled from his own torso and got to work on his broken arm, raising a cacophony of CLANGS and BANGS.

’And what’s this? An unexpected bonus?’

[DING! Madness Value +1]

[DING! Madness Value +1]

[DING! Madness Value +1]

Lloyd immediately slowed his repair work, continuing until the Knight prompted him impatiently,

"What’s the matter, kid? Why are you so slow with a few screws?"

"Almost done."

Not wanting to act too weird, Lloyd quickly picked up the pace.

In the end, it took him a little over five minutes, during which he netted more than 300 Madness Value.

The Armored Knight flexed his arm. It still felt a bit stiff, but he didn’t blame Lloyd. Instead, he spoke with grave importance:

"When you reach Tier Seven, don’t be like me or Tirtus. Don’t trade your humanity for convenience and end up in this monstrous state..."

With that, he glanced at the scattered remains of the Advisor and continued,

"And especially don’t be like him. That guy... though he’s a pathological liar who’s responsible for countless deaths, the one thing he said that was true was that he doesn’t like to kill."

"Hm?"

Lloyd was confused.

’A depraved, monstrous villain of epic proportions... claims he doesn’t like to kill?’

’Is this some kind of performance art?’

But the Armored Knight answered in all seriousness,

"The more people you kill, the farther you drift from humanity. He was afraid of that, too."

Just then, the Chief Judge’s figure drifted over from the distance.

He looked to be in surprisingly good shape. His clothes and mask were pristine, as if he’d just changed. The only oddity was the faint wisps of smoke still rising from his body. ’Was he actually cooked through earlier?’

The Armored Knight nodded, relieved. He then grabbed Lloyd’s hand with one of his and the Chief Judge’s with the other, raising them high as he let out a jubilant cheer:

ヽ(○^㉨^)ﾉ♪

He was clearly in a celebratory mood, but when he turned and saw the two silent figures beside him, he asked:

"What’s with you two? The three of us finally took down a powerful foe. Why not cheer up a little?"

The Chief Judge, as if forced to participate, let out a ’cheer’ completely devoid of tone or emotion:

(ノ￣д￣)ノ

Lloyd quickly followed his example:

(ノ#-_-)ノ

"Hahaha, that’s more like it! Alright, it’s getting late. That’s enough for tonight. I’m outta here."

the Armored Knight said boisterously. He let go of Lloyd and the Chief Judge and made to leave.

But he suddenly seemed to remember something. His head swiveled a full 180 degrees to face Lloyd as he spoke:

"Almost forgot. There was something I wanted to ask you, Lloyd."

Lloyd froze. His heart plummeted as if it had been filled with lead, refusing to beat.

’Did he... did he figure out that I’m an outlaw, too?’

’It has to be. I used every single one of my skills. He must have noticed!’

’What do I do? How am I going to explain this?’

Panic seized Lloyd.

The Armored Knight immediately sensed his distress and pressed him,

"Hm? Why so nervous, Lloyd?"

"I’m not... What did you want to ask?"

"I just wanted to ask, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Huh???"

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