The two members of the mercenary group were killed by the captain unexpectedly, causing the other members present to look at Slu's departing figure with expressions of fear unconsciously on their faces. They knew that this was a warning to others: Slu would not tolerate those incompetent fools around him.
"Do you all understand what Captain Slu means?" Baghjil asked the crowd. "When we face the Imperial Knights later, if we fail, we might end up like those two!"
There was a collective gasp from the crowd. The brutal fate of Slu's victims, and the scene of their bodies being consumed, sent shivers down their spines even in retrospect.
"With our current strength, it might be a bit difficult to deal with the Imperial Knights, but we have to buy as much time as possible until Slu arrives! Once Slu is here, everything will be easier!"
"But... why does Captain Slu have to personally capture that little girl? Can't he send someone else?" One person asked anxiously. Under normal circumstances, Slu would have sent someone else to capture Anna, and focus on the Imperial Knights himself.
"Hmph, have you all forgotten about the boy who killed Smov?" Baghjil explained. "Since he was able to drive away Gilt's three men, it's very likely that he saved Princess Anna. Captain Slu went to capture them himself. Do you think that's actually easier?"
The crowd fell into silence, showing hesitation, as they hadn't considered the possibility that Slu would leave without taking anyone and face the boy alone. In reality, he did so in order to allow the members of the mercenary group to use their full strength against the Imperial Knights.
"But... if what you're saying is true, that boy is likely an apex-level powerhouse. Does Captain Slu really have a chance against him alone?" One person asked with concern.
"Of course he does. Although Captain Slu rarely takes action, his strength is absolutely at the pinnacle of this world. Even against a hero, he has the confidence to retreat unharmed!" Baghjil's words left everyone in a daze, causing them to doubt if he was exaggerating Slu's abilities.
His strength was indeed formidable, but the hero was one of the seven demigod powerhouses in this world. Could Slu, as a super-tier mage, really match up to him?
"Now that Captain Slu is not here, I can tell you all a secret, but... you must keep it secret and not tell anyone else!"
"Yes!" The crowd responded, curious about what Baghjil was about to reveal.
"Do you all know about the 'Devouring Tyrant'?"
As soon as he uttered those words, many people showed expressions of realization because for them, this name was way too familiar!
Twenty years ago, there was a man who single-handedly destroyed a quarter of the empire's army, and still managed to escape despite being surrounded by thousands of knights! It was rumored that he possessed a magic that could devour everything in the world, whether it was magic or people.
That man's name was Slu Wolf.
Although he was seriously injured by the Empire's Holy Knights and disappeared afterwards, the emperor had issued a reward of up to twenty million gold coins to capture him. But time had passed, twenty years in fact.
Even after twenty years, the fear of him still lingered in people's hearts. What he did was no different from the "Gluttonous Demon Lord"!
As a result, future generations gave him the title of "Devouring Tyrant"!
"Could it be...?"
"That's right!" Baghjil nodded. "Captain Slu is actually the 'Devouring Tyrant' himself - Slu Wolf!"
As soon as he said those words, the people present became excited. They never expected that their captain, whom they had been following all this time, was a world-class criminal with a reward of twenty million gold coins!
If it really was Slu Wolf, then maybe they really had a fighting chance against the hero. Smov was obviously inconsequential, which was why the monster never caused any trouble for their mercenary group!
"Captain Slu has been hiding for many years and is now preparing to overthrow the empire once again! If his plan succeeds this time, then at least half of the empire's wealth will belong to us!"Under the instigation of Bagir, the mercenaries were becoming more and more excited, feeling restless about the near future.
They were all wanted criminals, living a stifled life in the underground world for far too long.
But now, under the leadership of Slu, they finally saw a glimmer of hope to see the light of day again!
