chapter 60: A bit reckless

When the floating Isles blocked the sky, Reniris could only appreciate them momentarily as she and Luke were led into the temporary residence of Count Paul.

When the two entered through the doors, Luke's body shivered, and the fear settled into his heart. The full realization of his failure settled into him, and he knew that now his family was in danger.

It was here that his mind began to race, his neurons firing their fastest speed, trying to figure out a way to get himself out of this situation; he began to circulate mana within his body, readying himself for anything.

On the other hand, Reniris had been feeling slightly pleased with herself and had managed to somehow get an opportunity to be close to Count Paul. She didn't plan to kill him, of course, but she wasn't above threatening him for him to rescind the bounty.

Of course, there was the possibility that threatening didn't work, and if that happened, she was very much willing to use force.

The hypocrisy of that was lost on her for the moment, after all, what if Count Paul also had a family that depended on him like Luke, she just stopped Eon from harming Luke by reasoning that Luke had a family yet, she was walking towards Count Paul's quarters already planning to harm him should her threatening not work, not paying any mind to the possibility he might have a family as well.

It was a clear display of hypocrisy on her part; however, at present, she wasn't exactly calm and was still a bit upset; she also didn't like the notion of Eon having a bounty on his head and didn't like the idea of people trying to kill him.

So, in essence, she wasn't thinking properly at the moment. Of course, she knew Eon could take care of himself, but that didn't mean she had to let things be; there are many ways to kill someone. Both she and he still need to sleep after all, so if she can help it, she'd rather put an end to the problem quickly.

Reniris was able to notice that there was very little security in the building, with only two other men that she sensed were down in the basement, she figured the reason they were there was to give people a false sense of security.

It's easier to believe you can escape if you think there's no security, at least, that is what she assumed was the case.

The trio was quick to make it to the Count's office; Irma knocked once and opened the door. They entered, and Reniris was able to see the visible change in Luke's demeanor; if he was scared before entering, now he was terrified, his breath had quickened, and his knees were trembling.

"M'lord, I've brought him"

Irma stated, she and the count shared eye contact for a brief moment, but in that brief moment, she informed him that she brought Luke instead of one of his wives like she was supposed to.

"And a guest that's interested in the bounty"

Irma informed, and the Count's eyes settled on Reniris as she entered the room. He hummed as she saw her face, beautiful ruby-like eyes, nice cherry pink lips, and a cute snub nose; her skin was perfectly fair, and he could tell its smoothness rivaled porcelain Her vibrant red hair cascaded down her back and shoulders like a waterfall.

"I see. Can the guest wait outside, I'd rather finish my business with Mr Johnson, first"

He said, making a point to ensure he didn't seem to be too impressed with the woman's beauty; also, by prioritising her less, he's essentially telling her that her beauty means nothing at present and will not afford her any special treatment.

It was unfortunate that Reniris was in no mood to be polite or patient today, something that became immediately apparent to everyone in the room, as she slammed the door shut, with enough force to create a small breeze in the room before she used ice magic to freeze it shut and creating a chill atmosphere in the room.

Her display of magic power had forced Irma to jump in front of the Count's desk and stand defensively protecting him; she also realised the mistake of bringing that woman in here.

"I don't believe I have any semblance of patience today, so I'd prefer to be a priority"

The young Devil informed, much to the shock of everyone in the room, she walked forward, took the chair and sat down; seeing this, The count tapped Irma on the arm, telling her to stand aside.

"I see, then I apologise, my lady, we shall prioritise you then, what is it that you wished to discuss about the bounty?"

He questioned. His face showed a neutral expression; however, inwardly, his mind was thinking.

The woman before him had used ice magic, meaning that she was a water mage that has achieved her secondary element, and that alone made her 3rd circle mage; however, since he doesn't know anything about her, it would be safe to assume she's at least 4th circle mage.

He surmised.

Irma, besides him, is not an adventurer; however, if she was, she would be at least A+ rank and at best, she'd be AA rank; it was best to assume she was A+rank; she's faced A rank adventurers before and won, so A+ rank was an accurate rank.

If the woman is a 4th circle mage, then Irma can deal with her, not easily, but Irma has a higher chance of winning than not.

It also helped that they were in a closed space, which meant Irma had the advantage should a fight break out.

After having thought of all that, the count leaned back on his chair and relaxed a bit. Things were still under control.

"You see, the person that has the bounty on his head is my friend, so if you would be merciful to him and take down the bounty, I'd greatly appreciate it"

Reniris voiced her tone, polite and non-demanding. She had been slightly taken aback by the man's appearance but was quick to dismiss it. It was hardly important and changed nothing.

The Count hummed loudly, pretending to be thinking about her request. After a small pause, he responded.

"I apologise, I can't do that, You see–"

"I wasn't asking you, I was being polite, take down the bounty or else"

She was quick to cut him off and made her threat. Irma was about to react, but the Count held out his hand and told her to stop.

"I do hope you understand that you're threatening a noble, a count no less, that can have serious consequences."

The count informed, his brows creasing and his beautiful feminine face being graced by the sign of displeasure.

"I'll threaten whoever, take down the bounty, or else I'll be forced to use force"

She said, matching his frown before she leaked a small amount of her aura and immediately made the air in the room slightly heavier and increased the tension; Irma was quick to notice the aura, and her muscles tensed up, ready for a confrontation.

"I see, but even so, I can't take down the bounty, as I'm not the one who put it up, so your threat is useless, and no I won't tell you who put it up"

The Count explained, feeling her aura press against his shoulders, but he wouldn't have a woman like Irma under his command if he was so easily cowed. He added the last part of the sentence, having anticipated her follow-up question.

"I see then, I suppose viol–"

Reniris was unable to complete her sentence as Irma was quick to move, throwing a silver glowing fist at Reniris.

*BAM!*

The punch connected with Reniris' hands as she managed to block the attack. However, the power behind it was significant, so much so that she was sent sliding back while still sitting on her chair. The resulting shock wave shook the room.

'Steel arts: piercing fist'

Irma threw another punch, powered by her steel arts.

When it came to martial arts, the steel arts were one of the best offensive techniques amongst the martial arts. They offered a great boost in strength and durability, which in turn made for great offensive power.

The piercing fist, in particular, was a technique meant to imitate the piercing power of a sword while retaining the blunt power of a fist. It wasn't a warning strike, but one that meant the attack was going for a kill.

Irma tightened the fist as it flew through the air, cutting through it with impeccable speed and precision, aiming straight for the foe's torso, the stomach, planning to pierce straight through the woman and have it exit out her back.

However, Reniris was ready, and when the fist got close, she used her left hand to push the fist to the side, parrying it successfully before using her right hand to deliver a devastating punch to her foe's face.

*BAM!!*

The fist hit directly on her nose, and Irma was sent flying back and crashing through the wall and bouncing off the floor of the next room before crashing on the bookshelf in the adjacent room

"You will tell me, who put that bounty up, one way or another"

She expressed, her face showing a displeased frown, her brows creased in anger and her voice dripping with conviction and determination.

She was a mage and preferred to fight using magic, but she was fully capable of fighting using her hands and feet no problem.

"This is a crime, you know? Do you truly believe that the knights will let this go, and you'll go free?"

He expressed still maintaining a calm demeanor. He hadn't expected the woman to be capable of close quarters combat. She was definitely no mere 4th circle mage.

.....