Chapter 107: The Bold Departure

The woman he had been thinking about for so long—how could she have been harassed by someone else?!

Shaya’s fury erupted with unmatched intensity.

What does it mean to be uncontrollably enraged? This was exactly Shaya’s state now.

The rustic man’s hair bristled with anger; his eyes widened in shock. With a roar, he turned his back, ignoring the fallen clubs beside him. Spreading his arms wide, he grabbed two soldiers by their necks, slammed them violently into each other, and threw them to the ground. Then, with a swift kick, he overturned a chair, breaking two of its legs, and charged into the throng.

His martial prowess was formidable. Though he did not unleash his crimson killing aura, he employed the “Thousand Armies Broken” technique—the perfect skill for combat against multiple foes. Coupled with his dragon-blood-enhanced physique, the wooden clubs wielded by the soldiers couldn’t even scratch a hair on his head.

In a few swift passes, nearly half of the soldiers were knocked sprawled by Shaya’s blows. Shaya howled like a beast, charging back and forth. With his monstrous strength, how could these drunken, disorderly soldiers stand against him?

The regulars in the tavern now had a powerful ally, and the tide of the skirmish turned rapidly. In no time, all the soldiers were defeated and lying on the ground.

Yet Shaya’s fury still simmered. He ran to a pit near the wall, yanked the drunken officer out, and slammed him heavily onto the floor. Raising a half-broken club, he smashed it down on the officer, who immediately bled from a split head, screaming pitifully and begging for mercy.

Seeing Shaya’s terrifying demeanor, everyone’s drunken stupor vanished. Watching the officer being brutally beaten, even his few loyal men dared not intervene. No one wanted to risk death at that moment.

The one-eyed man cursed loudly, pointing at the officer: “It was this brat! He touched her with his right hand!”

Shaya chuckled coldly, grabbed the officer’s right arm, and pinned it to the table. With a swift motion, he drew a fire fork.

“Good! Then we’ll cut off the right arm!”

The officer’s soul almost fled his body. He never imagined that casually harassing a farmer’s daughter in a tavern would cause such a calamity. Initially, he had planned to stay silent and endure a beating, thinking he could gather reinforcements later to exact revenge.

But now, seeing this demon-like figure raise the fire fork with such deadly intent—this was no joke. The officer trembled, pleading desperately, “Don’t! Don’t! Don’t cut it off!”

His face turned pale as he cried out, “My uncle is a general of the Seventh Legion! You can’t harm me!”

“Oh?” Shaya paused, lowering the fire fork.

He scrutinized the man’s eyes carefully. Seeing Shaya ease his grip, the officer’s heart relaxed. But Shaya frowned and said, “Hmm… nephew of a general, huh? That calls for some respect.”

The officer’s face brightened instantly. “So… you’re going to spare me?”

Shaya shook his head solemnly. “How about this… originally, I was going to cut at the elbow, but since you’re a general’s nephew, I’ll give your uncle some face and cut at the wrist instead.”

Everyone around was speechless.

The officer turned ashen, unable to speak before Shaya’s fire fork slammed down!

A scream of agony pierced the air as the officer’s hand fell to the floor, dripping blood…

※※※

Rour cursed under his breath. He hadn’t expected the rustic to be so ruthless—when he said he’d cut, he truly did, without mercy! Rour had hoped Shaya would just teach them a lesson and let it go, staying silent and not intervening. But when he saw Shaya’s strike sever the hand, he wanted to shout out but was too late.

The officer’s screams were like those of a slaughtered pig, writhing in pain on the ground. The nearby soldiers were pale with fear.

Shaya wiped the fire fork clean and thrust it back into his waist. “Aren’t you all going to scram? You wanna lose a hand too?”

The clever ones immediately jumped up, lifting the injured officer and rushing out the door. Another grabbed the severed hand but fled in such haste that he knocked over two tables and tumbled.

The remaining soldiers scattered like rats.

Before they could escape, Shaya shouted loudly, “I serve under General Rour of the Sixth Legion! If you’ve got the guts, come and seek revenge!”

These words nearly made Rour’s eyes pop out in shock.

The fat man was furious, almost spitting blood, storming up to Shaya and shouting, “You bastard! Are you trying to get me killed?!”

Shaya looked calm but oddly stared at Rour. “You were standing right there watching when I started, didn’t stop me. When I was beating those guys, you almost applauded. I thought you were in on it…”

If Rour hadn’t come out unarmed, he might have truly wanted to cleave this rustic in two.

“Hmph, if I’m the one fighting, you can’t just watch and enjoy the show!”

Ignoring Rour’s scowl, Shaya turned and helped the one-eyed man up, greeting the tavern patrons who had assisted him. The tavern was a wreck, and with the fight over, everyone took their leave.

The rustic harbored a flicker of other thoughts. As he helped the one-eyed man, he treated him with more warmth than usual. Yet while speaking, his eyes couldn’t help but dart nervously toward the girl hiding behind the door.

Fortunately, the one-eyed man had only one eye and failed to notice Shaya’s strange expression. Grateful, he grumbled, “Those Byzantine bastards… I don’t know when they’ll finally leave Wildfire Town. Damn it! I’m old now, but if I were still at sea twenty years ago, I’d draw my sword and fight them to the death!”

Shaya replied casually but was inwardly scheming how to steer the conversation toward the girl.

At that moment…

A small child, no taller than the rustic’s knees, stumbled out the door, barely steady on his feet. The child rushed into the arms of the farmer’s daughter, tears streaming down his frightened face.

Shaya’s heart sank—he sensed something was terribly wrong.

Sure enough, the child pouted and clung to Sophia’s niece, crying loudly, “Mama…”

In that instant, the rustic’s heart shattered…

Shaya himself barely remembered how he was dragged out of the tavern by Rour and the others. Before leaving, the one-eyed man expressed his gratitude, but Shaya heard none of it, overwhelmed by a helpless sorrow.

(A virgin! A virgin, damn it…)

Rour, battle-worn and irritable, saw through Shaya’s mood clearly. Though annoyed that Shaya had taken the blame for the incident, seeing his dejected state secretly pleased him.

“So, you’ve got bad luck too, kid! Hmph… but does your eye have a problem? What’s so special about some farm girl to get you so worked up?”

Unable to resist a gloating tone, Rour asked. Distracted, Shaya confessed his feelings honestly, nearly making Rour fall off his horse laughing.

The rustic snapped furiously, “Rour! Did you just mock me? Even if you’re a general, you can’t trample on my dignity like that!”

Rour held back laughter, muscles twitching as he lowered his voice strangely. “Kid, you’re the most exceptional rustic I’ve ever met. Fine! I swear to you! It’s just a woman! Come back with me to the imperial capital. Girls like that, with that kind of looks? You want them, I’ll find you as many as you want!”

Shaya’s eyes brightened. Deep down, his feelings for Sophia’s niece were nothing but youthful infatuation. Hearing Rour’s generous offer, hope stirred within him. Yet he hesitated, “You say that? But… but… such a beautiful woman isn’t easy to find…”

If Rour weren’t so skilled a rider, he might have really fallen off. Gritting his teeth, he growled, “Cut the crap. If I promise you, I can deliver! But… you dared to frame me earlier. How do you explain that?”

Shaya grinned, “We share hardships. We’ve fought side by side on the battlefield. Though you’re a general and I’m a soldier, I think you’re interesting. I’m willing to be friends…”

Rour’s eyes widened.

Damn, he had seen shameless before, but never someone so shameless as this kid! He’s a general, he’s just a soldier, yet he talks like he’s the one lucky to have him!

Still, Rour sighed. If what Adric said was true about this kid’s hidden identity, then befriending him was the real honor.

Rour shook his head and said loudly, “I won’t argue with you. That kid you cut off is from the Seventh Legion, and Wildfire Town’s defenses are now under their control. If they come looking for revenge recklessly, it’ll cause trouble. We better leave the city immediately!”

Shaya was cunning and agreed at once. They returned to their quarters, gathered Rour’s personal guards, and rode out without delay, heading south.

Thus began the rustic’s journey through the Byzantine Empire.

Before him lay a land he had never set foot on—the Byzantine Empire.

This was also his first time leaving Wildfire Plain. What awaited him on the road ahead remained unknown.

A fierce life—Shaya’s adventure—had just begun…