"What a hassle," Lyn muttered.

He heard the voice behind him and knew he couldn’t escape. He weighed whether to keep running or turn back to deal with these nuisances first.

Just then, the lead knight behind Lyn saw him pressing on. A flicker of cruel harshness crossed the knight’s face. He gave no further warning. Instead, he jerked the reins. His steed surged forward like an arrow, charging at Lyn. The knight raised his whip high, ready to lash out.

The other knights noticed but couldn’t intervene in time.

A sharp whoosh cut through the air. The whip became a vicious blur, snapping toward Lyn’s back. A direct hit would surely leave his skin torn and bleeding.

Lyn hadn’t expected such brutality. He merely frowned, not even turning around immediately.

A fair hand shot out from beside the youth, catching the blur precisely. It held the whip firmly.

The knight’s face paled. He yanked the whip to pull it back. But a tremendous force yanked him off his horse. He tumbled to the ground, landing clumsily.

The knight rolled and knelt up. Before he could draw his weapon, Lyn was almost in his face. Lyn stared down coldly.

"Lyn—" The knight’s expression shifted. A name almost slipped out but he bit it back. Then he feigned recognition, his face a mix of shock and anger. "You—you’re Lyn?! What do you want?"

"I should ask you that," Lyn said, looking down at the half-kneeling knight as if through his nose. "Since you know who I am, how dare you lash at me?"

Arrogance +1!

The knight’s face changed again. He stared into Lyn’s eyes, unsure if it was insight or pure arrogance.

Just then, the other knights arrived at lightning speed. Swords clanged as they were drawn. They surrounded Lyn.

A chilling aura trapped him. Magic power gathered within the knights. Any resistance would bring a storm of attacks.

But facing this threat, Xing Luo merely stood beside Lyn, playing with the whip. He curiously examined their human encirclement. Lyn showed no panic. He calmly lifted his head and slowly removed his hood.

Instantly, the chilling aura dissipated. The knights stared in disbelief as they recognized Lyn.

"You’re... Lyn?!"

"Lyn Belmond? What is this guy doing here?"

Lyn Belmond. The infamous good-for-nothing of the Belmond Family. The prodigal son. He was too well-known.

Partly for his eccentric behavior to accumulate the Seven Sins Authority. Partly for being the younger brother of the Belmond Family’s greatest genius in a century.

Beyond that, Lyn’s fame in the Imperial Capital stemmed from his stunningly handsome face.

Blessed with such beauty, even as a notorious playboy, many had confessed to him. Some even offered to keep him. One bold general’s daughter pointed at him, declaring that if Lyn became her plaything, no one would dare bully him—her sister would handle them.

Sadly, she vanished the next day.

Lyn’s sister had found her for a spar. Likely a crushing defeat. Rumor said she was sent to another region for training.

Whether due to himself or his ill-fated sister, Lyn was undeniably a celebrity in the Imperial Capital. It was no surprise these Church knights recognized him so quickly.