Once the three of them stepped outside, they immediately went their separate ways.
As for Rohan, he began walking toward the city gate, but this time at a relaxed pace.
For his plan to work without getting himself killed, he needed to wait until the Lightbringer and the Armor of Asgard were available for use. Without them, he could not return to that building with only the Ring of Punishment as his weapon.
'I did promise that I would destroy that building once I got stronger...'
But the main reason he wanted to return was not for revenge. It was information. The easiest way to learn about the Shadow Cult was to revisit a place they had once used as a secret hideout.
Logically, after six of their members had been killed, they should have abandoned the building. But who knows? Cultists were crazy. It was entirely possible they would send more people there and continue their operations.
Either way, Rohan believed that if he went to that building, he could find some clue related to the influential members of the Shadow cult hidden within the city, considering that the distance between the city and the building was not very far.
The thought of the building that had brought him death but also marked the beginning of his new hope lingered as he walked along the stone road, surrounded by people and passing carriages, until a commotion in a small alley caught his attention.
From afar, he saw two figures wearing academy uniforms kicking and stomping on a girl who appeared to be wearing the same uniform.
At a glance, Rohan could tell that these students were still Violet mages, as they seemed to be around his age.
Since it was within his capabilities and he felt pity for the girl, it did not take long for Rohan to decide to intervene.
As he walked closer, the two male students stopped their assault and turned their attention to him.
When Rohan stopped a few steps before them, one of the students with long black hair gave him a slow, unimpressed look before speaking.
"Name's Michael Lastbender. Lemme break this down nice and easy for you. If you ain't in the mood to have your day take a sharp left turn into a bad time… you turn around, you walk away, and you keep your nose outta business that ain't yours, kid."
After hearing Michael's threat, Rohan quickly covered his mouth, trying his best to hold back his laughter as a smile crept across his face.
The thought of presenting your name as a threat was highly amusing to him.
'He must be from a rich family I assume...'
Once Rohan calmed himself, he began to speak, raising his right hand toward the sky while his left rested against his chest.
"As a devout believer of the Storm God, it is my duty to protect the weak and innocent."
He then lowered his right hand and pointed at Michael.
"Leave the girl alone and never bother her again, if you do not want to feel the wrath of the Storm."
Michael and his friend glanced at each other before bursting into laughter.
The girl on the ground also lifted her head and looked at Rohan, appearing both surprised and confused.
Rohan himself was not bothered by their reaction because he also realized how ridiculous he sounded.
Still laughing, Michael tilted his head toward his friend. "Garo, do me a favor. Go over there and crush his balls."
"Consider it done," Garo replied with a grin.
Sensing danger, Rohan moved immediately. He directed his essence into the purple ring, which began to glow in response.
In his mind, he recited,
'Dragon Law.'
'Anyone who seeks to harm me shall be punished here!'
Without warning, five diagonal gashes appeared across Michael and Garo's backs, tearing through cloth and flesh alike as blood poured from the fresh wounds.
Garo's body dropped to the ground with a thud. He could not even cry out, the intensity of the pain rendering him unconscious almost instantly.
As for Michael, his face twisted in pain as he fell to his knees, cold sweat pouring down his face.
"Wha-what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything," Rohan said calmly. "The Storm God simply granted me, his devout believer, protection from any harm."
He then raised both his hands toward the sky, as if trying to embrace it.
"Bullshit. Don't give me that. That was Dragon Law punishment. You got something on you, don't you? Something made from a Dragon of Punishment's scale?" Michael said, his voice edged with disbelief.
Rohan looked at him for a moment, and then slowly shook his head. "The Lord's authority does not end with the storm. He reigns over dragons as well."
Michael barely had time to respond before Rohan stepped forward and drove his foot down onto his head, forcing it against the ground.
Only after several heavy stomps did Rohan stop, noticing that Michael had already lost consciousness.
He then turned his gaze toward the girl, his expression steady. "You should thank the Lord."
Still shaken and disoriented, she tucked a strand of blue hair behind her ear and murmured, "Thank you."
Slowly, Rohan let out a quiet breath. "Not me. Thank the Lord."
Slowly rising, her face marked with bruises, she spoke again, "Thank you… Storm God."
"The Lord values deeds far more than empty words."
Her voice trembled as she asked, "Wha-what do you mean by that?"
"Devote your faith to the Storm God."
Her eyes dropped to the ground as uncertainty and fear flickering across her face.
After a while, Rohan decided not to push further as he said, "Of course, you can refuse to do so. But if you ever change your mind and become a believer, remember to spread the Lord's name. In return, you might receive protection, blessings, fortune, or even power from the Lord."
After he finished his preaching, Rohan walked away and left the alley behind.
Once he stepped onto the stone road, Rohan continued toward the city gate, picking up some food and water along the way since he had not eaten for hours.
By the time he finally arrived nearly half an hour later, a notification appeared before him.
[Merlinda Leviathan has followed you]
A faint smile touched his lips as he assumed he already knew who this Merlinda was. Closing his eyes, he focused on the presence of his new follower, only to pause when what he saw did not match his expectations.
It was someone else entirely.
A woman with long white hair and striking blue eyes sat in what appeared to be a luxurious room. And he also saw a silver blue ring on her index finger.
Beside her was a figure he recognized immediately.
The Merchant.
He then heard the merchant asked, "Well now, tell me… has it proven effective? Do you feel any newfound power?"
"It works." She looked at the ring as if it were something alive. "Do you know how long I have waited to feel this?"
"Excellent," he replied, giving a small nod. "Then I trust you will find one thousand gold coins to be a most reasonable exchange."
Rohan suddenly gasped when he heard the merchant's price. Realizing he had let the ring go for far less gold than it deserved, Rohan felt a flicker of pain.
Yet he still chose to continue observing the woman.
Not because she was strikingly beautiful, but because he needed to know whether she was crazy or not. He did not want his ring to be used by a crazy individual, as that would severely damage the Storm God's image.
But even long after the transaction was completed and the merchant had left, the woman named Merlinda showed no suspicious behavior.
She seemed genuinely happy, even thrilled, to finally have a chance at becoming a proper mage.
From what Rohan had learned through her conversation with her father, she possessed no talent whatsoever. Despite this, her family still cared deeply for her and continued searching for a way to change her fate.
Today, they had finally found it, the ring that could transform her life forever.
Everything seemed to go well for Rohan, as it appeared that the ring had fallen to the right person.
Until it wasn't.