Chapter Ninety-One: Return to the Frontier Town

“What in the world is happening?” Zhou Tian had no idea why the Fire Demon Boar was looking for trouble with him, nor did he know the mercenaries’ purpose for coming here. Now, the two forces that had originally intended to deal with him suddenly broke out into a fight, leaving Zhou Tian baffled by the situation.

“Never mind, their fighting is most advantageous for me anyway. Who cares why they’re at each other’s throats?” He muttered irresponsibly to himself, then turned his attention to the Fire Demon Boars chasing after the mercenaries.

If the Fire Demon Boars were acting as a group under the leadership of the Fire Boar King, Zhou Tian wouldn’t stand a chance against them. But now, because they were hunting down the mercenaries, the boar herd had inevitably split up, sending some members away. Seeing this, Zhou Tian, who had been seething from being chased by the boars earlier, naturally wouldn’t miss such a perfect opportunity to vent his anger.

He carefully crept close to the mercenaries, blending in unnoticed amidst the chaos. Pretending to be wounded, he gradually slowed his pace, letting himself fall behind until he had separated from the group. In doing so, he successfully caught the eye of one of the Fire Demon Boars.

Though the mercenaries had been scattered, and even if they were given a chance to counterattack, few would have the courage to confront the boar herd head-on. Still, the mercenaries had numbers on their side, so the main force of the boar herd naturally focused on the larger groups. The stray boars, however, for their own safety, primarily targeted lone individuals like Zhou Tian.

Having already slain many mercenaries just like Zhou Tian, the boar did not suspect that Zhou Tian might be luring it into an ambush. Upon spotting him, it let out a triumphant squeal and charged toward him in haste.

Zhou Tian turned to face the boar, feigning terror. With a scream, he fled, chased into a secluded corner by the beast.

Even if someone noticed Zhou Tian and the boar, they’d only assume he’d been cornered in a panic, chased to an out-of-the-way spot, and wouldn’t think much more of it.

But, unnoticed by all, Zhou Tian quietly lured the boar into the corner and killed it. Not only did he vent his frustration, he also earned a tidy sum of experience. Glancing at the boars running amok nearby, Zhou Tian’s lips curled into a smile.

Repeating the trick, Zhou Tian stayed hidden in the shadows. None of the boars could spot him, and, one by one, he successfully dispatched over a dozen scattered Fire Demon Boars.

Unfortunately, Zhou Tian’s actions could not go unnoticed forever. When the number of slain boars reached a certain threshold, the Fire Boar King finally sensed something was amiss.

Zhou Tian hadn’t been discovered by the Boar King, but the problem was that the herd had only so many members. Zhou Tian had eliminated over a dozen at once, reducing their numbers by nearly a seventh. If the Boar King failed to notice such a heavy loss, its intelligence as a high-level beast would be wasted indeed.

Unable to find Zhou Tian, the Boar King could not know how its kin had died. Given the circumstances—only mercenaries and boars present—the Boar King naturally blamed the mercenaries for the disappearances.

With an enraged bellow, the Boar King summoned all nearby boars to its side and, eyes flaming, fixed its gaze on the mercenaries still running about.

The Boar King’s wrath spelled doom for the mercenaries.

The difference between a mid-level and high-level magical beast was vast. Even an ordinary high-level beast placed at the forest’s edge would be an invincible presence. All the more so for the Boar King, who, thanks to Zhou Tian, had been drawn to the forest’s outskirts and was on the verge of breaking through to a higher level.

When the furious Boar King struck, the fleeing mercenaries met their end. As magical energy surged and concentrated around them, the Boar King unleashed a high-level spell in mere seconds.

The earth trembled. Before the mercenaries could react, hundreds of earth spikes erupted from the ground, impaling at least several hundred mercenaries and skewering them like shish kebabs.

“Isn’t this a bit too brutal?” Zhou Tian remarked absentmindedly. He saw the Boar King in a frenzy and dared not provoke it further. Casting one last glance at the beast, he turned away and made his way back to the border town where he lived.

Zhou Tian had assumed that after its rampage, the Boar King would lead the herd back into the forest. This belief was why he’d chosen to retreat immediately when the Boar King went berserk.

But Zhou Tian underestimated the Boar King’s thirst for vengeance. After slaughtering all the mercenaries in the vicinity, the Boar King was still not satisfied. Surveying its surroundings, it led its herd in search of more humans to massacre and vent its rage, heading in a chosen direction.

Having already departed, Zhou Tian did not witness the Boar King’s next move. Had he seen it heading in that direction, he wouldn’t have felt as relaxed as he did now—for the Boar King’s chosen path led straight toward Zhou Tian’s border town.

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“I’m back!” Zhou Tian pushed open the door and strode into the church.

…

No one paid him any mind. Everyone glanced at him, then continued their own tasks, treating him as if he were air.

“Hey, you don’t have to give me the cold shoulder! I’m back, you know!” Feeling slighted, Zhou Tian couldn’t help but grumble.

He didn’t expect that his words would stir up a hornet’s nest. Upon hearing him, Vivian slammed her things on the table, stormed up to him, and jabbed a finger at him with fury: “How dare you come back? You’re our leader! As lord, you ignore the affairs of the territory; as bishop, you neglect church matters. You dump everything on us and vanish, leaving us to clean up your mess. How can someone your age still—”

“Um, I—”

“No ‘ums’! Do you not know the church is under construction? Do you not realize how many things in the border town need to be handed over? Not a word before you disappear—do you know how long we’ve been overwhelmed dealing with all this?”

“I’m sorry, I just—”

“I—”

Every time he tried to speak, Vivian cut him off. Zhou Tian finally gave up explaining and simply stood there with a sincere expression, his mind wandering far away.

Vivian’s tirade lasted for a couple of hours. When she saw Zhou Tian’s vacant stare, clearly not listening to a word, she huffed in exasperation, gave him a sharp tap, and stormed off to get back to her own work.

“Phew~” Zhou Tian let out a long breath. Seeing Vivian finally leave, he made a silly face to Afra and the others, who were snickering nearby, then shamelessly joined Vivian and her group to help with administration.