Double Dagger Delinquent

Chapter 55 Stop Right There, Criminal Scum

An old peddler was traveling south in his creaky carriage, moving at a slow, steady pace as the sun dipped toward the horizon.

“Ahh… I hope I reach Oslo before nightfall,” he muttered, glancing nervously at the lengthening shadows. “It’s not safe to be out here after dark.”

Suddenly, a deep, thunderous sound echoed from behind him—hoofbeats, powerful and fast.

“What in the world…?” he gasped, tugging at the reins. “Hurry! Run!” he shouted at his old horse.

But the animal simply kept walking at its usual lazy pace, oblivious to the urgency in his voice.

Panic started to set in.

Then, from the dust behind, the peddler saw it—a massive creature charging forward at incredible speed. It was a giant rhino-like beast, its green-hued horn glowing like a gemstone.

The old man’s eyes widened. “That looks familiar…” he murmured.

With a thunderous roar of hooves, the beast zoomed past his carriage, shaking the ground beneath him. On its back were two armored riders, the wind trailing behind them as they vanished down the road just as quickly as they had come.

Yumi, chewing on a piece of jerky, pulled out the map. “Munch... munch... It’s close. We should be arriving soon,” she said between bites.

Iryoku gave a nod, still focused on the road.

Smiling slightly, Yumi held up a piece of jerky to his mouth. He bit it without hesitation.

“Munch... munch... Thanks, honey,” Iryoku said casually, still keeping his eyes on the path ahead.

Yumi’s cheeks turned a faint shade of red as she looked back down at the map, quietly enjoying the moment.

“Are we going to stop in the city?” Yumi asked, glancing up at Iryoku’s face.

He looked down at her for a moment, then smirked. “What do you think?”

Yumi folded her arms. “We need to let Rhogan rest. He’s been running for hours.”

Right on cue, a low growl rumbled from Rhogan’s throat.

“I guess that settles it,” Iryoku said with a shrug. “We’ll spend the night there.”

They reached the city shortly after and passed through the gates without any trouble having both the royal seal from agnes and the maxwell seal documents. It was a bustling commercial hub—almost on par with Vanshira in terms of size and activity.

Not long after, they found a cozy inn with a stable. Iryoku tossed an apple to Rhogan, who caught it mid-air with a grunt before turning to munch on the hay.

“Sleep well, buddy,” Iryoku said, giving the rhino a pat before they headed inside.

They ordered a warm meal and sat down in the small dining room of the inn. A few moments later, a waitress arrived with their plates.

“Here’s your food, my lord and lady,” the waitress said politely as she placed the dishes down, as her two fluffy dog ears moved , captivating both yumi and iryoku.

Yumi quickly waved her hands, flustered. “Oh—no, we’re not really nobility,” she said.

Iryoku chuckled at her reaction.

“Ah, my mistake,” the waitress replied with a smile. “You’re both so well-equipped… and you carry yourselves like people of high standing. You must be quite strong.”

Iryoku gave her a small grin, then reached into his pouch and handed her a gold coin.

The waitress’s eyes widened. “This is far too much, sir!”

“I’m just looking for some information,” Iryoku said, giving her a wink. “Anything strange around here—monsters, strong fighters, crazy nobles—whatever you’ve heard. I’d appreciate it.” The source of this content ɪs ɴovelfire.net

The waitress leaned in slightly, speaking in a hushed voice.

“Well… lately, the Church of Light’s been acting strange. More and more believers are gathering—like they’re preparing for something big. People are starting to take notice.” She lowered her voice even more. “And of course, there was the Rain of Fire a couple weeks back. I heard it happened across the entire kingdom. Maybe it’s connected? No one really knows.”

She paused for a moment, thinking.

“Oh! And I remember something else,” the waitress added. “A group of knights came through not long ago. They carried a banner with a blackened tree... the Death Tree. Caused quite the stir. Ended up fighting another group of warriors right in the middle of the city. Real nasty business.”

Iryoku chewed his meat slowly, eyes narrowing as he glanced at Yumi. She nodded slightly, her mouth still full of food.

“Those Death Tree guys are really out here causing trouble,” he muttered.

Then he turned back to the waitress, his tone more direct. “What can you tell us about Zora’s Tower? And the Church of Light’s dominion?”

The demi-human waitress paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Can’t say I know much about the tower—just that it’s connected to powerful magicians. Real secretive types. As for the Church of Light, their headquarters used to be here, inside the kingdom. But after the laws changed, they moved south, into the Free Lands near the frontier.”

Iryoku and Yumi returned to their room.

Surprisingly, Iryoku didn’t try anything—much to Yumi’s quiet relief… or perhaps mild disappointment. Instead, he simply wrapped an arm around her and let her rest against him.

They fell asleep like that, close and still, undisturbed by the world outside.

By morning, the two were up early and already outside the city gates. Iryoku checked the straps on Rhogan while Yumi spread the map out again.

“Okay,” she said, folding it back up with a determined nod. “Let’s go. We’re already halfway to the frontier.”

Iryoku climbed into the saddle behind her and gave Rhogan a firm pat.

“Time to move.”

With a growl and a burst of speed, Rhogan thundered down the road, heading southeast. Fortunately, his imposing size and commanding presence kept them undisturbed along the way. After several hours of travel, Yumi pointed ahead.

“Look—that should be Staraya, the last city before we leave the Uruk Kingdom,” she said.

Iryoku nodded. “Let’s rest here for the night.”

Staraya was a small city, but bustling with people coming and going. Iryoku noticed a heavy presence of knights patrolling the area, prompting him to slow Rhogan’s pace as they neared the gates.

On the horizon, the landscape began to change—the cold, pine-laden forests of the Uruk Kingdom gradually gave way to the warm, vibrant canopy of the southern tropics. Yumi fanned herself with the map.

“It’s getting hotter already,” she muttered.

Iryoku smirked, ready with a joke, but something caught his eye before he could speak.

“Wait... something’s going on.”

As they passed through the city gates, they found themselves in the midst of a commotion—a crowd had gathered, murmuring anxiously.

At the center stood a group of armored knights, each bearing the Death Tree standard.

“By the authority granted by Count Maxwell and the Royal House of Mor, we hereby expropriate this establishment!” declared the tall knight commander, his voice booming across the gathered crowd.

A young woman stepped forward, her silver cloak and hood giving her an air of quiet holiness. Though her clothes were old and worn, they were meticulously kept. Her voice trembled as she spoke, “But sir… this is our church. Father Lian owned this land and left it to us—to care for the orphans of this city.”

Her expression was full of fear and worry.

The knight sneered, mocking her. “Ha! Your foolish beliefs mean nothing to the kingdom. You know the law—no religious institution is allowed to hold power within the kingdom.”

“But we’re just an orphanage,” she pleaded, her eyes welling with tears. “We have no power... Please, don’t do this…”

The knight ignored her pleas, his grin widening cruelly. “And worst of all, you shelter these filthy creatures. They don’t belong in our kingdom.”

Behind him, the knights drew their swords with a cold, metallic hiss.

From within the church, small faces pressed against the windows—children, peeking out with wide, frightened eyes. They were demi-humans, their features giving them away: animal-like ears, horns, and tails that set them apart.

The nun glanced desperately to the side, silently pleading with the onlookers for help. But the townsfolk only lowered their eyes, avoiding her gaze. Fear held them still. She turned to one of the city guards, her voice strained with desperation.

“Please, sir... this is unjust!”

But the knight averted his gaze and looked toward the Death Tree knights instead. Few dared to defy them.

Suddenly, the nun froze as she noticed the commander knight approaching. She didn’t know what to do.

Then, out of nowhere, a young man stood beside the Death Tree knight commander. With a lazy smirk, he leaned in and mockingly poked his head forward.

“Hey, dude,” Iryoku said casually. “What exactly are you trying to do here?”

Startled, the commander snapped around. “Where did you come from?!” he shouted, slashing his sword at Iryoku without hesitation.

Iryoku bent backward with ease, letting the blade pass harmlessly above him. A dark grin spread across his face. “For the record,” he said, as two razor-sharp daggers appeared in his hands from thin air, “you attacked me first.”

In a flash, he struck. The commander blinked, confused—then, in an instant, his head slipped cleanly from his shoulders and hit the ground with a dull thud.

“Bastard!” one of the knights screamed. “He killed the commander!”

“He murdered him!”

Several knights charged at Iryoku in a rage.

Iryoku sighed, flicking his hands out to the sides. “But it was self-defense! Didn’t you see it?” he said, feigning innocence with a shrug.

The nun and the children could barely process what had just happened, eyes wide in shock.

Cracking his neck, Iryoku twirled his daggers in both hands, feeling their balance. “These things are fast... and weightless,” he murmured.

A knight swung down from above—Iryoku sidestepped smoothly, his daggers flashing in a blur as he countered. Another warrior came at him with a shield, trying to bash him off-balance.

“Ahahaha!” Iryoku laughed, sidestepping again with grace. He slashed upward, then struck a dramatic pose with his hands mid-spin.

“Olé!”

Suddenly, Iryoku stopped and looked over his shoulder. A man in ornate mage robes had stepped forward from the crowd. With a gleaming, luxurious staff in hand, the mage began chanting an incantation, his eyes filled with a devious light.

The remaining Death Tree knights surrounded Iryoku, hesitant at first—but seeing their comrade begin a powerful spell, they grew more confident. A shimmering, translucent panel of magic formed in front of the mage, rising like a protective barrier."

“Oh,” Iryoku said with a raised brow, as if just now understanding something. He nodded slowly, unimpressed.

The onlookers scattered in a panic, rushing to hide as the situation escalated. Iryoku remained still, his stance firm between the knights and the church.

“You dare defy us?” the robed man snarled, eyes bloodshot with rage. “You don’t even know who we represent!”

A massive blade of pure energy formed above him, glowing with crackling power.

Iryoku, unfazed, gave him a bored look and lazily raised his hand—beckoning him forward with a silent “come on.”

“You think you can dodge this?” the mage hissed. “Maybe you can—but the kids behind you won’t.”

Iryoku’s expression remained unbothered but his eyes got visible sharper.

But before the spell could be unleashed, a sharp sound sliced through the air—thunk!

The spell vanished mid-cast, the magical energy fizzling out. The mage stood frozen for a split second before his eyes rolled back, and his body collapsed to the ground, an arrow lodged perfectly between his eyes.

The knights turned in shock.

On a nearby rooftop, Yumi stood poised with her bow, another arrow already nocked. Her stance was steady, her eyes burning with anger.

Iryoku twirled his daggers on his index fingers as he began strolling toward the knights, whistling casually.

Then, the sound of marching footsteps echoed around the square. City guards flooded the area, forming a perimeter with archers at the ready. A man in red-plated armor stepped into the center, raising a hand.

“Both groups—stand down! This madness ends now, right in the middle of the city square!” he barked.

“Ah, finally—the authorities,” Iryoku said with mock relief. He raised a hand and pointed at the Death Tree knights. “Sir, arrest these criminals—they attacked me!”

As the city guards began to approach him, Iryoku’s expression twisted into a smirk.

“Oh, I see how it is…” he muttered. “You’re with them. Corrupt and protecting the bad guys.”

The city guard commander stepped forward, his tone low and serious. “Listen, kid. You don’t know who you’re messing with. You keep this up, and you’ll bring destruction to the whole city.”

“Yeah, but see... I’ve got this,” Iryoku said coolly.

He swiftly pulled out two parchment scrolls—one bearing the seal of Count Maxwell, the other the royal seal by Princess Agnes herself. Along with them, he flashed a gleaming emblem—the same one once belonging to the late Count, now reclaimed from his belongings after Iryoku and his team handled the situation.

He stepped forward and held the documents up to the city guard commander.

“Actually,” he said with a sly grin, “I’m this guy’s boss.”

He paused dramatically, letting the weight of the words sink in.

“I’m the direct bodyguard to Count Maximilian Maxwell,” Iryoku continued, pacing in a slow, deliberate circle around the Death Tree knights. His boots echoed against the stone with each step. “The Count—handsome as he is—entrusted me and my beautiful comrade, hidden somewhere nearby,” he said with a smirk, gesturing vaguely to the rooftop where Yumi had taken her shot.

But she was gone.

Unseen by the guards, Yumi had already repositioned, now cloaked in shadow somewhere unknown, watching. The city guard commander stiffened slightly as a single bead of sweat traced down his temple. He could feel it—that chilling sense of being targeted by a hidden archer.

He pointed toward the headless corpse on the ground. “See this guy?” Iryoku glanced around, then noticed the missing head. With a casual flourish, he gestured to the decapitated head lying a few meters away. “Actually—that guy. He disobeyed a direct order from my lord.”

With a shrug, he turned back toward the commander, casually flipping the parchments in his hand.

“So technically, it’s you interfering with my job. And they—” he pointed with a vague wave toward the remaining Death Tree knights, his fingers twirling midair like he was trying to pull the words out of nothing, “—they’re the ones I’ve been sent to apprehend. Or punish. Or... kill, you know, whatever fits the moment.”

He gave an exaggerated shrug and flashed a grin like he'd just won a bet.