Fire Mage

Chapter 8: Execution

June 7th, Year 6396, Second Arcane Era.

Iron Prison, Riverdale City, Arc Kingdom.

It was around 11 A.M.

In a gloomy prison cell, an 18-year-old kid was laid on the cold floor and constantly snored while disturbing the nearby prisoners. He wore a tight black shirt and pants and looked slimmer. He had short eyebrows, a fleshy nose, short deep-blue hair, and olive skin.

He was none other than John Browning, aka Charles Nightwind.

After he surrendered to the security guards, they brought him to the Iron prison and locked him inside a most secured cell. John didn't mind their rough treatment, though. The security officer Noah even gave him some dry bread and told him to enjoy his last night in the cold prison.

While he was snoring in the Iron prison, the whole city, filled with 60,000 people, was shocked by Charles's cruel action!

There was not even a single incident like this occurred in Riverdale City during the past two decades!

The honorable City Lord, Ethan Walker, was deeply saddened by Charles's action and announced the Riverdale City that he would personally execute him for his crimes on June 8th Morning at the Execution Platform.

The whole town began to gossip about what had happened in El Street.

The neighboring citizens even exaggerated the entire incident and gave him the title of 'Serial Killer.'

Some even stated that he conspired with Wicked Church's followers and killed those 14 citizens to do a blood sacrificial ceremony.

John rested for 4 hours without knowing anything of those gossips and woke up upon hearing the prisoners' shouts.

He then let out a groan, sat up with a tired face, and noticed that his muscles were aching severely.

'Damn, this boy sure did lack any physical strength.' He glanced around the gloomy prison cell and soon shifted his attention towards his current situation.

'I already chose the Apprentice Fire Mage Class. Now, I need tons of experience points to level up and also to buy those spell models. The best way to grow quicker is by becoming an Explorer. But that will put Eve in danger… For now, I will stay in this Riverdale City and gather more information about this magical world. One thing that worries me is the Nightwind family. I have limited information about them.' He shook his head and then shifted his attention to the interface.

'Hmm, I still have 196 Exp remaining.' He thought for a moment and then assigned 150 Exp to Apprentice Fire Mage Class.

…

[150 Exp deducted from the Host.]

[You have leveled up!]

[You became a Level 2 Apprentice Fire Mage!]

[2 Free Attribute point rewarded!]

[+1 Wisdom obtained!]

[10 skill points rewarded]

…

'Heh, two free attribute points, huh. Should I add it to my Wisdom attribute? Nah, it won't help me in this current situation. I should use these points and increase my Dexterity and Strength. Once I increase my body to a certain level, I will put all the free attributes to wisdom.' Currently, his body was too weak! Even an average human could kill him with a slap. Although he could still use his skills and class spells to achieve some extraordinary feats, he didn't dare take risks. As for magic? He put that thing on hold for now. He still didn't know much about how the spell works.

'Moreover, whenever I level up the Main Class, the system itself is giving me an extra wisdom attribute.' Muttering to himself, he added one attribute to "Dexterity" and another one to "Strength."

After that, he added ten skill points to [Inspect] skill.

[Name: Charles Nightwind

Race: Human

Rank: 1 (Common)

Class: Level 2 Apprentice Fire Mage (0/225)

Sub-class: Level 3 Trickster (0/337)

Title: Serial Killer (- 20 Percent favorability of Riverdale Citizens)

Health Points: 71/71

Exp: 46

Attributes:

Strength- 10+1= 11

Dexterity- 11+1= 12

Constitution- 11

Wisdom-12+1 = 13

Charisma- 12

SP (Skill Points): 0

AP (Attribute points): 0

Class spells:

Fire Wings

Sub-class skills:

Trickster's hand- 20

Clown- 20

Sixth Sense- 50

Unique skills:

Snatch-51

Conceal- 50

Dark Vision- 44

Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50

Inspect- 40]

'Serial Killer, huh.' John chuckled inwardly, closed his eyes, and then shifted his attention towards his body.

'Hmm, I can feel a strange power! Wait. I'm feeling an itchy sensation all over my body. Hmm? Some invisible power is strengthening my body!' His jade eyes shone in the gloomy prison.

Then, he also checked his wisdom power and vaguely noticed that he could also construct another spell model.

'But I don't have any exp points. Moreover, I lack common knowledge about magic. Before getting more information about the spell model, wisdom power, and the magic spells, I must refrain from constructing spell models and save more Exps.' He sat up with a solemn look on his face.

'This body is too weak. Let's see if I can increase my strength by exercising.' He nodded his head inwardly and began to do push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.

His weird action got noticed by the jail warden, but the warden didn't say anything. He felt this kid might have lost his rationality and shrugged it off.

After exhausting himself, John sat on the cold prison cell and read Charles's remnant memories.

The next day, a squad of well-equipped soldiers in brown uniform entered his cell and cuffed his hand using a handcuff.

After that, they pushed him out of the prison cell and led him out of the Iron Prison near the City Lord's mansion. The squad then stood behind him and ordered him to walk in the front.

John did as those soldiers told him and started walking on the dirt road with no other choice.

Soon, he reached the main road and saw tens of thousands of citizens were looking at him from both sides of the street road.

Riverdale City was congested with furious shouts and slogans today.

Thousands of citizens stood on the street side and waited for the criminal to pass through the main street.

Within a day, John became a monster who reaped more than 200 lives in this world. The citizens exaggerated the rumors and made him a famous killer.

Some even claimed that they had seen him killing slum citizens during the past two years and reported it to the security office multiple times.

'Someone is fueling the fire. But for what purpose?' A frown appeared on his face.

As he walked on the main road, the Riverdale citizens threw stones, slippers, rotten fruits, and numerous other things at him while cursing vulgarly.

Upon hearing those curses and shouts, he felt amused inside.

'What a bunch of fools.' He shook his head and walked towards the elevated Execution platform with a calm look.

At that moment, Ethan Walker stood with a solemn face on the execution platform and held a broad sword in his right hand.

His face was rough and a little old, seemingly in his forties, and he wore a black surcoat.

He had short black hair, rounded eyebrows, amber eyes, and a shadow nose bridge.

He was there to kill the serial killer and complete the execution ceremony!

Meanwhile, John silently walked on the straight staircase and reached the execution platform.

At that moment, Noal and a few other security guards also followed behind him and soon arrived on the execution platform.

Seeing that the target was going to get executed, Noah grinned inwardly and kicked John from behind.

Due to the sudden attack, John lost his balance and stumbled in front of tens of thousands of people.

But he didn't fall, though.

Instead, he made a strange dancing movement, regained his balance, and started stretching.

At that moment, a smile crept on his face.

He raised his cuffed hands, extended them wide, like breaking the chains, and made a clanging noise using his mouth.

To others' astonishment, his hands became freed from the cuff!

No! There was no cuff in his hand at all!

It was a small trick he learned from one of his colleagues in the past.

Strangely, he did it without alerting anyone this time.

The whole crowd became stunned by his performance!

John then nodded his head and thrust out his hands like a showman revealing the grand treasure!

The citizens looked confused for a second and soon widened their eyes.

Even Ethan Walker became baffled by the sudden change and peeked at the grand prize area.

At that moment, everyone saw a black-haired officer in his brown uniform standing over there and looked at his own cuffed hands in confusion and puzzlement.

On the other hand, John waved his hand towards the dumbfounded crowd and plain kissed those audiences like a real trickster.

He then turned his gaze towards the handcuffed officer and greeted him with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Shadower."

[100 Exp rewarded for finding the informer!]

John's smile widened as he saw the notification and nodded pleasantly.

He was suspicious of Noah as he saw him at Life Church entrance.

"H-How?!- What nonsense are you spouting?" Noah flustered for a second and then argued angrily.

"Hehe, stubborn, aren't you?" John chuckled and then walked near to Noah.

Meanwhile, Ethan Walker frowned a little and was about to intervene but stopped.

At that moment, he heard a familiar voice in his head.

'Telepathy?'

His gaze swept past the large crowd and soon landed on the white-robed man.

The next instant, a surprise flashed on his face.

'Bishop Reynolds, why are you stopping me?' He asked coldly in his mind.

'Don't intervene. Watch the show, Ethan.' Reynolds replied calmly and turned his attention towards John.

Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of citizens, John gripped Noah's collar and dragged him towards the front.

He then kicked his knee and made him kneel on the execution platform.

After that, he unsheathed Noah's long sword from his waist and placed it above Noah's nape.

At that moment, everyone who stood near John felt a chilling sensation.

Even Ethan was startled by John's bloodlust and became surprised.

'A killer! Only a guy who reaped hundreds of people would give this type of aura.' He was astonished inside.

"Are you the one who peeked at my house during the assassination?" John's voice turned colder.

Meanwhile, Noah got frightened by the sudden change and then looked at the City Lord for help.

But to his worst luck, the City Lord stood there watching his reaction with an indifferent gaze.

'What the hell?!' Noah went pale as he saw the City Lord's reaction and shouted in a hurry.

"W-Wait! I'm not your enemy. I'm just an informer!"

John was pleased by his response and continued to ask.

"Then, who is your employer?"

Upon hearing John's question, Noah trembled all over and replied while gritting his teeth.

"I don't know his name. But he is from the royal capital. He might be one of the Royal Mages." Noah's words surprised him.

'A mage, huh? It's troublesome, indeed.' He nodded inwardly, raised the long sword, and slashed at Noah's neck.

Before others could blink their eyes, the long sword left a trail of blurring images and cut Noah's head neatly!

Noah's head detached from the body and rolled on the execution platform while spraying scarlet blood everywhere.

[Target Eliminated! 21 Battle Exp Obtained!]

Even Ethan became shocked by John's decisiveness and then gripped his broadsword in anger.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of citizens screamed in shock.

Nobody, including Bishop Reynolds, expected John's decisiveness and got stunned.

"Why did you kill him?" Ethan pointed his broadsword at him and bellowed in anger.

Wiping the scarlet blood from his face, John turned his cold gaze towards Ethan and asked,

"Ethan, I will ask you a single question. Answer me properly. Is your city safer for a commoner to stay?"

"Arrogant brat! Who do you think you are?! Do you dare to call a dignified noble without any respect? Atrocious! I shall execute you and clean this arrogant behavior with your blood!" Ethan bellowed violently and sprinted towards John at a fast speed!

'Wow, this guy sure is from a noble family. Well, I should use this as an opportunity and get something in return.'

John let out a chuckle and snapped his finger.

A heartbeat later, two scorching crimson wings appeared behind him and sent heat waves in every direction.

John felt those fire wings were like his own and flapped them forcefully with his thoughts.

Before Evans's broadsword could pierce through his body, he flew up in the sky and looked down at everyone with cold eyes.

'It's time for acting.' The corner of his lips went upward.

For a second, nobody moved an inch.

Even Ethan became shocked by the sudden change of scene and became unsettled.

Although he was a dignified noble, his title wasn't worthy in front of an apprentice mage's title.

It's not that apprentice mages were powerful than a Rank-3 [Swordsman] or anything. It's just that apprentice mages were rare and treasures for any nobles. If an apprentice mage's affinity were higher, that apprentice mage would even get a chance to become a Royal Mage in a few years.

If the kingdom's Royalty or Sun Church found out about this incident, it would be too troublesome for him to handle. He would even become an enemy of the Sun Church in the future.

Fire Mages were Sun Church's pillars and precious treasures!

Although the person in front of him was just a young teen, killing him now would bring a lot more trouble for him in the future.

"Now, I will ask you once again, Ethan Walker. Is your city safe for a commoner to stay?"

Upon hearing the cold voice from the sky, Ethan narrowed his eyes and nodded.

"My city is safer."

"Is that so? But my mom and I were kidnapped two days ago in this same Riverdale city. Before the kidnapping incident, my mom even asked your security office for protection. But not only did your irresponsible lackeys deny her request, they even called her delusional. Because of your lackeys' ignorance, my mother is still lying bedridden in the Life Church. If not for our Honorable Bishop Reynolds's precious '1000 gold coin Life Potion,' I would have lost my mother today."

Hearing his words, Bishop Reynolds almost coughed up a mouthful of blood.

'500! I gave that potion for only 500 gold coins! Why did you double it?! F*ck! Over! My reputation is all over!' He glared at the damned Charles and gritted his teeth in anger.

Simultaneously, Bishop Reynolds felt glares from every direction and became flustered a little.

Meanwhile, John coldly stared at Ethan from above and continued,

"But the show didn't end there. When I went home to get the money, some sneaky black-cloaked assassins entered my house and tried to assassinate me. To defend this poor me from being kidnapped again, I have no choice but to kill those assassins. I acted out of self-defense. But your security officer kicked me in front of the Life Church entrance and humiliated me! He arrested me for killing a bunch of assassins. And you, a dignified Noble, agreed to his suggestion to execute me and organized an execution ceremony like a dumb fool. Pathetic." His cold voice echoed through the whole city while he had an amplifier.

Even John was surprised by his speech and went with a flow.

The whole platform went dead silent!

After a few seconds of silence, Ethan looked up at the crimson winged human and asked coldly,

"What do you want?"

A pleased smile appeared on John's face.

He was waiting for such a question!

"Because of your men's fault, I lost 1,000 Gold coins. So, you have to compensate me. I'm a noble and forgiving person. You guys put me in jail and were about to execute me. If I were a normal classless man, I would be lying there instead of Noah. You guys ruined my reputation-"

"What do you want?" Ethan glared at John and asked impatiently.

"I just want the library token." John flapped his wings slowly as he landed on the execution platform and spoke in a solemn tone,

"You see, I'm interested in learning more about the past histories, important ruins, artifacts, and other important incidents. Although I became a Fire Mage due to forced circumstances, I'm still an archaeological student in the heart after all. And, I'm a poor citizen and have no money to apply for future studies."

'Although most of the books in the library would be common knowledge, it should be enough for me to understand more about this world. If I ask this guy in secret, there is no way he would agree to it. I wouldn't be surprised if he attempts to kill me. But now, he has to think twice. Nobles care for reputation and honor above all. So, I will be safe for the next few days. That is more than enough for me..' He thought inwardly.