Chapter 59: Debt 59 - Rescue or Death

The fact was that for Ryan, and even for Karol.

Meeting Beatrice again had been, until this moment, something unthinkable.

There was no reason for them to ever cross paths again after parting ways on the demon continent.

But now it was a reality—not just a chance encounter, but the fact that she was about to be executed.

Even though Beatrice is a demon.

And even if it was only for a short period of time.

She had been a part of Ryan’s party.

And he knew very well the reasons Beatrice had back when he first met her.

And somehow, despite having the power to end the life of the viscount’s son, she hadn’t done it and had protected him instead.

Those thoughts, at this very moment, began to flood Ryan’s mind.

While the fire magic was charging up, the crowd cheered for the death of the demon.

Helen stood there watching Ryan; in some way, she understood that something was happening, although she surely couldn’t imagine why he was so tense.

Karol, who was still clutching Ryan’s arm, kept her gaze averted and did not dare to look back.

The clamor of the crowd was growing louder.

It seemed like only a matter of seconds before the holy knight released his attack; in a way, it seemed he was holding it back just to stoke the people’s desire to see the demon’s body burn in flames until it turned to ash.

Ryan looked at the girls in his party with a faint smile.

He pulled away from Karol’s grip and took several steps forward.

"Ryan, what are you...?"

Karol uttered.

But he ignored her.

’There was no point in overthinking it from the start.’

Ryan observed the holy knight in detail.

And when the knight moved his lips.

Ryan did as well.

"Fire Wall."

At the same time, the mage launched the fire attack.

And it impacted against the fire wall of Ryan’s skill.

The impact made the very air tremble, creating an intense heat and brilliance.

It caused everyone in the plaza to look away and bow their heads, covering themselves.

Ryan walked until he was standing in front of the cage, now equipping his boomerang in its normal form.

"Who are you!" shouted the holy knight with the staff.

"It can’t be, you’re the boy from the tavern. Why are you here?" another one of the knights commented.

But Ryan’s only response was to hurl the boomerang at the knight with the staff.

The man jumped back to avoid it, and the boomerang embedded itself in the ground, right between Beatrice and the rest of the knights.

They didn’t move; for a moment, they stood there as if processing the fact that a human was actually attacking them.

"Why are you doing this? You must let me die; I had already accepted my death," Beatrice said, tears streaming from her eyes.

Ryan positioned himself in front of her, right next to the boomerang. He placed his hand on the weapon.

"With a face like that, you don’t look like someone who is ready to die," he told her, and he immediately pulled the boomerang from the ground, cutting Beatrice’s chains with a short, swift movement.

But the instant he freed her, the fire attack charged up once more and was directed straight at Ryan with all its power.

"That won’t work."

Ryan activated his fire wall again, and the knight’s attack was blocked, but in that same instant, he threw the boomerang.

It pierced through the flames.

"What the hell!" the knight shouted and dodged; the female knight also moved aside, but the other one couldn’t react in time and the boomerang hit him full force.

The girl lunged at Ryan with her sword in hand.

Five thrusts. They were all dodged with ease.

On the sixth, Ryan deflected it with his hand and delivered a powerful blow to the center of the girl’s stomach.

She fell to the ground, losing consciousness.

"You! You bastard! How dare you? Is that demon controlling you? You’ll pay dearly for this. Neither the Church nor the adventurers of the world will ever leave you in peace. I will do everything in my power to hold you here until reinforcements arrive."

But that was already a given, after all.

The plaza was full of adventurers, all of them stunned by what was happening.

"Don’t just stand there, you idiots! Attack him!" the knight with the staff screamed toward the crowd.

Upon hearing those words, everyone reacted and began to attack.

One after another came running toward Ryan, and he neutralized them; he began to invoke skills upon himself.

Now, with his body buffed, he began to fight with greater speed and power.

With every blow, the adventurers coming after him ended up on the ground, either immobilized or unconscious.

"Don’t keep doing this... why are you doing it... Ryan!" Helen shouted from the distance where she stood.

Ryan reacted to her voice.

But he did not return her gaze.

Beatrice remained wounded on the ground.

Three fire attacks began to pursue Ryan. He ran through the plaza, dodging one after another as he dashed toward where his boomerang was.

Once he took hold of it.

A much more powerful fire attack came flying straight toward him.

Without letting go of the boomerang, he swung it forcefully, slicing the attack into two halves.

When they split, he jumped through the middle of them and ran straight toward the mage.

Crash!

The sound that rang out was that of his leg breaking.

Ryan slowly withdrew the boomerang.

"Do you have any idea what you’re doing, you son of a—"

The mage’s words were cut off.

This time, the blow went straight to his face, knocking him unconscious.

The people in the crowd began to flee.

And only the adventurers remained present.

"Ryan, why didn’t you let me die... even if you save me, how do you think I can live in peace? If you help me escape, I... I can return to the demon continent, but what about you? You won’t have a place anywhere..."

"Shut up, you’re being annoying. That’s not what I want to hear after saving you. Now, I’m going to heal you and then we’re leaving."

Ryan extended his hands toward her.

But then, the whistling sound of a rain of arrows echoed through the air.

When Ryan turned.

Mirian’s arrows.

They were flying straight in Beatrice’s direction.