After returning home with the chūnibyō girl, Argenti was still trying to process things when the system notification sounded.
"Th-this… already failed?"
He had expected this mission to be difficult, but not this difficult.
Blade's target had died almost instantly. That alone made Argenti deeply alert.
"Dark Mage, I strongly recommend that you stay by my side at all times. Your current situation is dangerous."
The girl waved it off casually.
"Relax. The combination of the Dark Mage and the Knight of Pure Beauty is invincible."
She paused, then added:
"By the way… are you really not going to become my Dark Knight?"
"Please allow me to decline."
"Alright then."
The girl sighed—but it didn't matter. Time was plentiful.
Just then—
"Where is that damn brat?! Get her down here right now!"
An angry roar echoed from downstairs.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no."
The girl instantly panicked when she heard that voice.
"Dark Mage—who's downstairs? An enemy?"
After Blade's employer had been killed so abruptly, Argenti was now extremely cautious.
"Yes, yes, yes. That's an envoy sent by the Church of Light."
"…The Church of Light?"
Argenti frowned slightly.
If it was light, they shouldn't be a particularly vicious group… right?
But seeing how terrified his employer was, he decided to go handle it himself.
After all, this was a game. Protecting the client was his duty.
"Dark Mage, hide yourself. I shall go meet this so-called Church of Light."
After telling her to stay hidden, Argenti pulled open the door and immediately spotted a middle-aged man sitting downstairs.
"Hm?"
He found it strange.
The man looked loose and untrained—hardly someone with combat ability.
How was this a Church of Light envoy?
Still, as long as the other party wasn't overly violent, negotiation should be possible.
Argenti walked down calmly.
In the living room on the first floor, the middle-aged man sat on the sofa, holding a test paper.
A huge 17 points was written on it.
"That damn girl—this is infuriating!"
Seeing that his daughter still hadn't come down, he shouted upstairs again.
"Get your ass down here right now! See if I don't beat you to death today!"
Oh?
Pretty arrogant, huh.
At this point, Argenti was certain—this man was an enemy, and a rather aggressive one.
"Sir Envoy, please leave. This is private property."
Without hesitation, Argenti strode forward and extended a hand, signaling the man to leave.
"…Huh?"
The man was completely baffled.
Why was there a strange man in his house?
"Who are you?"
"Argenti, of the Knights of Pure Beauty."
"…Knights?"
The man looked Argenti up and down suspiciously.
This guy must have something wrong with his head—why did he talk exactly like his daughter?
"Move aside. I'm going upstairs to find that damn brat."
He reached out.
Argenti blocked him again.
"Sir Envoy, I harbor no ill will toward your Church of Light. Please leave."
That did it.
The man exploded.
It was people like you, always speaking nonsense, who had corrupted his daughter!
Now he was being slapped with some 'Church of Light' nonsense too!
Fueled by rage, he grabbed Argenti by the collar and swung.
"Since you refuse reason, I shall resort to forceful expulsion."
Argenti caught the man's arm—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In just a few swift moves, he slammed the man to the ground, then lifted him up and carried him to the door.
With a casual toss, he threw him outside.
"Return and inform the Church of Light—so long as I stand guard, your plans shall never succeed."
BANG!
The door slammed shut.
The middle-aged man lay sprawled on the ground, face full of question marks.
Who am I?
Where am I?
Why was I beaten?
He looked up at the house number.
…This is my house?!
[Silver Wolf: 666]
[Sparkle: Heh… hilarious.]
[March 7th: Can't wait for Argenti to get kicked out later.]
[Sampo: Damn, this is straight-up squatting.]
[Stelle: Argenti's impressive. Ruthless.]
[Keqing: Didn't you say Knights of Pure Beauty help others and save people in need?]
[Mona: Yeah… this doesn't look like it.]
[Fu Xuan: …Speechless.]
[Guinaifen: Being a Knight of Pure Beauty is a waste. Might as well come to the Xianzhou and stir things up with me.]
[Sushang: What do you mean—can he smash rocks with his chest?]
[Guinaifen: Mmm~ you're better, Sushang.]
[Sushang: You know it.]
[Qingque: What are you even proud of?]
Inside the house.
Argenti returned upstairs.
"Dark Mage, you may come out now."
"My dad… uh… the Church of Light envoy—where is he?"
"He has been disciplined and expelled. I trust they will not trouble you again."
"Expelled—disciplined?! You hit him?!"
The girl stared at Argenti in disbelief.
"Yes. He initiated violence."
Argenti explained calmly.
He wasn't normally this violent.
"…We're doomed."
The girl panicked.
She yanked open the door and sprinted outside.
"Dark Mage! There may still be danger outside!"
"Danger my ass—you're the danger!"
What?
How am I the danger?
Argenti didn't understand, but he hurried after her anyway.
He had to stay by his employer's side.
The moment they stepped outside, they saw the girl helping the man up from the ground.
"Dad! Are you okay?"
"…Dad?"
Argenti froze.
Did he hear that right?
Wasn't this the Church of Light envoy?
And didn't he just threaten to beat her to death?!
What kind of father is this?!
"Hiss—! I'm fine… Do I look fine?!"
The man grimaced in pain as he was helped back inside.
"Explain," he said coldly.
"What's going on with this guy?"
"He's a Knight of Pure Beauty… the one serving my Dark Mage—"
"Speak human. Or I'll smack you."
"Uh… you told me to hire a bodyguard last time…"
"…I did."
The man remembered.
He'd heard his business rival hired people to kidnap his daughter, so he'd told her to find protection.
He hadn't expected her to beat him to it.
Just… with this bodyguard.
The enemy hadn't even shown up yet, and he'd already been beaten once.
"I apologize, sir."
At this moment, even Argenti felt awkward.
No wonder the man had been so aggressive—he had reason.
Click.
The door opened.
A well-dressed woman entered, walking straight to the man.
"Honey, I heard you were beaten. What happened? Who dared—?"
"Ask your daughter… hiss… damn it."
"Uh… that… my bodyguard did it."
The woman froze.
A bodyguard dared to hit her husband?
Her gaze moved to Argenti—
—and immediately lit up.
"So you're the bodyguard?"
"Ah… my apologies, madam. It was a misunderstanding."
Argenti apologized again.
"It's fine, it's fine. As long as it's cleared up."
This surprised Argenti.
She wasn't angry at all?
More than that—why did her eyes seem to be shining?
If he listened closely, he could even hear a faint slurp.
…No.
Something about this is very, very wrong.
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