"Kouske?" Liam was taken aback. In that narrow corridor, they were just seconds away from running into each other.
And clearly, they had also come here for the same reason that he had come here, to inspect the moss that was on the walls of the tunnel.
But they did not sound too happy?
There was still only one second before they turned around the corner but at the last minute, Liam suddenly had a hunch and he decided to set some things in motion.
Instead of letting them arrive in front of him, he quickly took a step, turned around the corner to stand in front of them.
"What? Why the long faces? Did your quest fail?" He smirked, his gaze as cold as ice.
Instantly, the group of four came to a screeching halt, and their eyes went wide.
The enemy that they had been running from for the past several hours was suddenly standing right in front of them.
"Holy shit! FUCK!" Madan was the first one to blurt out, as he looked at Liam clutching his heart. He stared at him as if he was the god of death himself.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
"Why are you here!!!"
"How did you know that we failed the quest?"
"You can't touch us here! There are guards ok! There is nothing that you can do to us."
"Madan!" Kouske shouted, immediately stopping him from speaking any further.
Only then did Madan notice that he had gone too far and said something that he shouldn't have. Since he was caught off guard, he foolishly let slip something.
He quickly stopped talking and zipped his mouth close. Kouske stepped forward instead. "Think carefully before acting, Liam." He said in a warning tone.
"It's nothing personal. We just happened to cross paths, and it is best that we go our separate ways."
"There is no enmity here and we don't need to harbor any grudges. Good luck with the game." Kouske said a matter of fact and started walking.
He did not wait for Liam to respond and casually walked past him. However, the next second, before he could take another step, he instantly stopped.
There was a dark purple sword blocking his path. Actually, it would have sliced him into two if it was not for the fact that he reacted quickly.
"LIAM!" Kouske exclaimed in anger and shock.
The others looked at him in confusion because they were a second late to realize what had happened.
"This is not a place you can mess around even if you are a D.U.K.E." Kouske said, particularly stressing the last word.
Liam sneered. "Oh, but I think I can. Do you want to place a bet?"
Madan. "Sure. What do you want to bet? You are only one person. There are four of us. Do you really want to try this? Especially here in royal city? Do you know-"
"MADAN!" Kouske once again shouted, preventing the blabbermouth from spilling all the beans.
Liam did not know Kouske well but even he could tell that the person was truly furious now. Too bad, he wanted to learn more things, but Kouske stopped it from happening.
"Don't say another word. Shut up. Let's go. NOW! No need to talk to anyone. He will not attack us. Not here."
"But…"
"LET'S GO!" Kouske did not seem to want to hear anything more. He gave Liam a stern look before stepping over the sword and continuing to walk away.
The others also did the same and Madan was the last to leave, as he awkwardly heaved his fat body up and stepped over the sword, almost stumbling and falling.
"Can't he put it back in already?" He grumbled in a low murmur as the group disappeared.
And just like Kouske had said, Liam also did not act. He simply gazed at the group from the back, amusement swirling in his eyes.
He had learned many things from this small interaction but mainly one thing was clear. They were upset. All of them had a frown on their faces as if they were dissatisfied with something.
Did they really fail the quest? Or was this all just an act?
As they completely disappeared from his point of view, Liam's lips curled up.
He had purposefully startled them and baited them and had also gotten the result that he wanted.
In case what the fatty blurted out was true… then that could only mean…
It was not Kouske, but him who had gotten everything!
His problem was… there was no way for him to confirm this. Or was there? Liam mulled over this issue as he walked forward to the inspection room to get the herb analyzed.
Inside the room, there was only one person seated, so he walked forward and handed over the specimen to him.
"Oh, this herb again?" The old man groomed his beard and exclaimed in surprise. He was visibly shocked to look at the same moss once again.
The group that had visited him just now also gave him something similar for inspection. In fact, not similar but it looked like it was the same.
How could such a precious item be popping up again and again?
The old man looked at Liam, knitting his brows together. He wanted to know where these younguns were finding such good things!
But as soon as he saw Liam, he was once again shocked. "Lord Duke. Please forgive me. I didn't greet you properly."
His eyes were only on the herb earlier so he hadn't paid any attention to Liam so far. Liam as well was surprised to find his Duke identity still working here.
This man was probably only a master then. Liam concluded. Because when it came to professionals above master class, even the king had to treat them with respect.
"Ha Ha Ha. Must be a coincidence." Liam awkwardly smiled, ruffling his hair. "Could you please tell me what this is? I am in a hurry." He urged him.
Without questioning him any further, the old man nodded respectfully and then closed his eyes, muttering something while holding a handful of the moss close to his chest.