Chapter 496 - 495: An Unrealistic Wish

The moment he got a clear look at the newcomer, Bob sobered up instantly. He muttered under his breath, "For real...? Edwin came too?"

The expressions on the faces of the people nearby grew complicated—most people had this reaction upon meeting a legendary figure.

Edwin walked straight up to Colin and said, "Sorry, I'm late. I also spent all my money a few days ago, so I only brought some black bread today... I hope that's alright?"

Before Colin could reply, Old Black Heart shouted, "O-Of course it's alright, Mr. Big!"

"There's no need to be so formal, sir." Edwin gave him a deliberate wink. "I'd hate to ruin the party."

With Edwin joining them, the crowd stopped heckling Colin and his friends for a story. Edwin had effectively taken on the duty of storyteller.

The group gathered around the fire, eating, drinking, and listening to stories. Before they knew it, evening had fallen.

Colin glanced around.

At some point, Bob had taken over and was now regaling them with amusing tales from his travels. Everyone around them seemed to be half-drunk.

Kase and Dorn were off to the side, drinking hard with a group of drunkards.

Ale was at the table, eating and drinking her fill. Orelia, on the other hand, was resting her head on the tabletop, her eyes narrowed with a smile as she surveyed her surroundings like a little kitten.

"Are you alright?"

Edwin's voice came from beside him. "I might be a little drunk," Colin replied.

"Shall I use Magic to sober you up, then?"

"That won't be necessary. Getting drunk is part of the point of drinking, Edwin." After he spoke, Colin's thoughts drifted to his upcoming trip to the Undercity in a few days. This, in turn, reminded him of what he'd seen and heard in Mist Harbor, so he asked casually, "Speaking of which, do you know about the underground city of Mist Harbor?"

"We do," Edwin answered frankly.

"Then why do you turn a blind eye to the slave market there?" Colin asked without thinking. "With your and Asvir's strength, you could easily destroy it."

Edwin hesitated for a moment before sighing. "I've mentioned this to Asvir before, but she said it's not something that can be resolved in a day or two.

Mist Harbor is backed by certain influential families within the city. Dealing with them completely is an incredibly difficult task. To be honest, though, I had my own reasons for agreeing with her approach."

"What reasons?" Colin asked.

"You've heard of the Great Debate of the Holy City Cadopolis, I assume?"

"I have." Colin thought for a moment.

'That debate was about whether evil races like Tieflings were born with original sin, wasn't it? He recalled a Priest at the White Dove Monastery mentioning it.'

"It was sometime before that, I think. A friend and I had a huge argument. The subject was pretty much the same as the Great Debate: what constitutes evil, or rather, how we should go about destroying it."

Edwin paused, clearly still bothered by the memory of that argument.

After a moment, he continued, "Back then, I was something of a centrist. The more moderate Paladins thought I lacked compassion, while the extremists considered me too soft. After that argument, I realized something wasn't right, so I left this place in search of the true answer."

"You left?"

"That's right. I left and traveled to the deserts of the East, the rainforests of the south—to every corner of the world where intelligent life exists, searching for an answer. By chance, my friends—though we were strangers at the time—saved my life." Edwin blinked. "They're the ones mentoring Orelia now."

'Colin recalled what Orelia had said about a Succubus Paladin and a Snake-man Martial Monk.'

Edwin went on, "That journey made me realize that we cannot rely on the sword alone to completely eradicate evil. You've probably read about it in books—the saying that for every act of deception in the Mortal World, a new Demon is born in the Bottomless Abyss.

There is much evidence to suggest that the evil thoughts of mortals project into the lower planes. So, I thought, if we could make all mortals noble and self-disciplined through education and infrastructure, wouldn't that be a way to completely eradicate the evil of other planes at its source?

That would save us a lot of trouble. So, for the past few years, that's where my focus has been. Unfortunately, I'm not skilled in matters of politics. If I want to push various policies forward, I have to make compromises on certain things."

"But that's an incredibly difficult task," Colin said. "You could even call it unrealistic."

"To completely eradicate Demons, to save all pitiful souls, to protect all life and hope… we take these as our life's purpose." At this, Edwin laughed self-deprecatingly. "It's just as Asvir says: Paladins are a bunch of stubborn, unrealistic fools."

Colin looked at Edwin's expression, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Also, regarding those nobles secretly involved in the slave trade... they will soon pay the price." Edwin lifted his cup and took a sip. "The price they were always meant to pay."

The orange light from the hearth flickered.

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but Colin suddenly felt the air grow colder.

***

Colin reached up to rub his eyes and let out a deep yawn.

He opened his eyes, staring up at the familiar ceiling.

Three days had passed since the Yule Festival, and the warmth from the hearth that night seemed to still linger in the air.

Colin sat up.

The Armor by his bedside immediately began to float, arranging itself onto his body in an orderly fashion. First came the Armed Clothing, then a few pieces of Chain Armor, and finally the various components of his Half-plate Armor.

Straps wound around one another, fastening themselves securely.

After about two minutes, Colin's Armor had dressed him completely. If he lent a hand, the process could be shortened to just one minute.

He hadn't been completely idle over the past two days.

During his last encounter with the Orc Chief, Colin had realized that when his weapon was neutralized, he seemed to lack any single-target offensive Magic.

While area-of-effect spells could serve the same purpose—and might even be more effective—they weren't suitable for situations where he might be fighting a single enemy alongside Kase and the others. After all, Colin had no way to prevent friendly fire.

However, a few days wasn't enough time to learn any High-tier Magic, so Colin sought out Donkexes to learn a classic offensive spell.

[Magic Missile], a Tier One Magic spell. The caster fires three Force Darts, which are guaranteed to hit a designated target, with each dart inflicting 2-5 Damage.