Evolution begins with an ant colony

Chapter 268 Wounded Honor And A Guardian's Desire For Fun

As Hestria gazed at the man who had approached her while she was with Oliver and Leona, beads of sweat formed on the side of her forehead, streaming down slowly. "It's Aron. What is he doing here, and at a time like this?" She gritted her teeth slightly, hinting at the fact that she was worried about what Leona and Oliver would do to him if he became a problem standing in the way of their mission.

Wanting to find the right words to deter him without giving the idea that she was in a rather complicated situation, she began to stutter, "W..well, you see, the others, t-they, um, well..."

Aron started to notice something amiss. He momentarily observed Hestria's body language, her tone of voice, and then Leona and Oliver, who seemed to exude a rather strange air of confidence despite the situation.

Although he wasn't entirely sure what was going on, he sensed that something wasn't right. He was just about to reach for his sword on his belt, hoping to arrest Leona and Oliver and get Hestria to fill him in on what was happening.

As he gestured for his sword, Leona, Oliver, and Hestria could all obviously tell what his intentions were. Leona chose to remain calm, knowing that no matter what happened, it wouldn't really hinder their mission.

Oliver and Hestria, on the other hand, had their thoughts running in hyperdrive. In those short seconds before Aron's hand got anywhere close to the hilt of his sword, Hestria mused, "You idiot, if you pull that now, they will most certainly kill you." She began to slowly reach out, wanting to stop him in his tracks.

Oliver, on the other hand, flashed a smug grin. In that split moment, he moved over to the front of the guard and patted him on the shoulder. With the speed he used, it felt more like a slap, stopping the guard and catching him off guard.

Hestria, seeing this, was slightly shocked and worried, but she didn't want to make a scene in the middle of town.

The guard, Aron, surprised at Oliver's sheer speed from moving a few feet away to directly in front of him, couldn't help but muse, "T-this man, he's strong, very strong." A bead of sweat formed at the corner of his forehead, instantly realizing he was no match for this man who had placed his hand on his shoulder.

Oliver then chuckled, catching both Aron and Hestria off guard. Once he was done, he leaned in close to Aron's face and muttered, "Well, well, well, aren't you a thoughtful guy, wanting to save the damsel in distress. But now it seems you might have bitten a little more than you can chew.

My advice: you should stay away from us for a while, so these streets don't have to get painted red." Although Oliver wore a smile on his face, he seemed to exude an intimidating aura that made the air around Aron a bit hard to breathe.

Curious and confused, Aron sought clarification from this mysterious man who seemed to be suddenly giving him some sort of warning to keep away. Mustering up the courage, he asked, "Who are you people? Where are the other magic knights? And what do you plan to do with Hestria?"

Oliver acted like he was trying to remember something as he said, "Hmm, that's a tough question. I'm gonna have to think long and hard on that one. Hmm, oh! I know." He then leaned in to say, "Well, we are the guys who came here to grab your king and take him back to ours so they can both have a nice long chat." He said playfully, closing both of his eyes and smiling at the end.

"What?" Aron asked, clearly more confused. He mused inwardly, "Wait, if they were really an enemy, would they just reveal their entire plan to me like this? I don't think that would happen." And then it hit him, "Unless... he doesn't see me as a threat." Aron gritted his teeth, feeling insulted. He wanted to redeem his knightly honor.

"How dare—" Before he could finish his statement, Oliver gave him another powerful tap on the shoulder, so forceful this time that Aron could feel the bone in his shoulder dislocate and crack in the process.

He wanted to yell in pain, but Oliver placed his hand on his lips as he said, "Now, now, you can't go creating a commotion in the middle of town. People would start to look at us like something bad is going down."

Suddenly, a voice called out impatiently to Oliver, "Oliver, enough of your games. You are wasting our time. We should continue on our way and get this over with. I and Hestria will continue on our way. Make sure you follow behind." With that, Leona had Hestria continue directing her to the royal castle.

Oliver then gazed at Leona as she continued on her way and spoke playfully, saying, "Oh, come on, Leona. I thought you were supposed to be the level-headed one between the both of us. Anyway, I'll catch up soon." He waved with his other hand. Once Leona and Hestria got a bit far away from him, he redirected his gaze at the man whose shoulder he was holding and said, "So, are we clear?"

Aron, although he wanted to fight back, realized the obvious power difference between him and the man he was up against. "That woman with Hestria might just be as strong as he is," he mused, using his other hand to support his dislocated shoulder.

Aron then replied to Oliver, saying, "Crystal." He muttered under his breath, clearly in serious pain from his shoulder and sweating all over. Oliver smiled and said, "Good." He then slowly turned around and continued on his way, waving at Aron as he added, "Take care now. You won't be able to fulfill your knightly duties if you don't take care of that arm."

Aron gritted his teeth, feeling further insulted and powerless. Inwardly, both Oliver and Aron had something else in mind by letting things play out like this.

Aron mused inwardly, "Although I might not be a match for them, once I get reinforcement, I'll be sure to make them talk."

Oliver mused inwardly, "I spared him, knowing fully well he will go call for reinforcements. After all, the more to the party, the merrier." Oliver was planning to have a real free-for-all in the royal castle, and he wanted all the guards to be there, wanting to see just how far he could go outside the confines of the forest.

Such is the kind of thing the Shadow Shot Ant Guardian, Oliver, finds as entertainment. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire