The guard patrol began escorting me to the City Hall like I was some kind of criminal. Two guards by my side, two at the front, and two at the back. I almost felt flattered that they'd go to such lengths to ‘guide’ me to the Governor.

Bystanders would point and look at me as our group passed by, and I was almost tempted to give them the finger. Too bad I had to force myself on my best behavior. If I was gonna meet the Governor, I had to cut the bullshit back a notch.

However, when we were just one street away from the City Hall, we were intercepted by another group of guards. The new group was led by an older guard who seemed to have a higher rank than the rest of them judging by the extra designs on his armor.

“Captain!” the guard leading my escort shouted as he gave a snappy salute, which in this world turned out to be a fist to the chest. “We have found the person that Governor Camille has been looking for and are now escorting him to the City Hall.”

“At ease,” the Captain said as he looked me over. “New orders arrived. The Governor wants him brought to the Barracks.”

My escort leader turned uncertain. “The Barracks, sir? But our orders were to—”

“Are you questioning my orders?!” the Captain shouted, silencing the escort leader. “If you've got problems with my orders, then do us all a favor and take off your badge! You're dismissed.”

The escort leader looked pale as he gave a not-so-snappy-anymore salute before ordering his men to leave.

And just like that, I was left alone with the Guard Captain and his posse. For some reason, the entire street was completely empty of civilians.

Somehow, I knew the fates had finally decided to put me back into the frying pan.

“You, get over here,” the Captain ordered at me. “We are to escort you to the Barracks. If you try to escape, we will have no choice but to arrest you.”

Several guards surrounded me once more, but this time, there must have been ten of them, and they were all gripping their spears a little too tightly.

I sighed. “Dammit, why can't I just fucking live in peace?!”

The Captain glared as he began walking towards me. “Shut up! Are you trying to go against the Governor's orders?! Then you're guilty of treason! Guards! Arrest this—”

The Captain didn't get to finish because I gripped his head with both of my hands, hardened them with my Class Skill, and squeezed as hard as I could.

The Captain screamed shrilly like some butchered animal, but to be honest, I was focused on something else. When I used my Class Skill, I felt a tingling sensation in my hands, like I was being slightly electrocuted. Was this the ‘mana’ that was responsible for this magic? The Skill description did say it had a ‘low mana cost.’

I was brought out of my musing when all resistance in my hands suddenly disappeared. With a wet pop like cracking open a watermelon, the Captain's head burst in my palms.

[You have slain a Lv. 29 Guard Captain. Experience gained.]

[Congratulations! You are now Level 11.]

[Congratulations! You are now Level 12.]

My eyes widened at the two levels I gained for killing just one person. Was killing people actually this lucrative? And how did the Captain have such a high level but be weak as shit?

I turned my eyes to the other guards, who were now looking at me in fear. I smiled at them. “What are you cocksuckers waiting for? I'm right here.”

Right as I was anticipating a battle that would rocket my levels upwards, all the guards around me were suddenly pushed to the ground by a powerful force. It looked like they were being crushed by an invisible hand.

“Mister Bob,” a familiar voice called out. For the second time today, I was face to face with Morgman as he walked out of a narrow alley, still dressed in his pristine suit.

“You again? Why the hell are you following me everywhere like a damn stalker, Morgman?”

“It's Morgan, Mister Bob,” Morgman corrected with a frown. “And it's arrogant for you to assume that you were the one I was following. No, it was the Guard Captain I was keeping track of.”

“Oh.” I looked at the bits of the Guard Captain's oily brain still stuck in my hands. “Did you, uh, need him for something? I think he's out for the moment.”

“Not anymore, I suppose,” Morgman said. “I tailed him under a suspicion that he was working against the Governor. Seeing as how he tried to take you somewhere else and lied about the Governor's orders, I'm inclined to believe that the suspicions were true.”

“Wait, so that means the Governor didn't actually order Captain Doofus here to kill me?”

“Didn't I already tell you the Governor does not desire your death?” Morgman said.

“I'd be the biggest idiot alive if I trusted everyone's words at face value,” I said as I tried to wipe my hands clean on the ground. It was not working. “So, do you have any idea why the Guard Captain wanted to arrest me?”

“The Governor likely knows something about it, thus we must go ahead and see her right away. This incident has the potential to spiral further out of control.”

“She's not gonna send me to jail for killing Captain Doofus here, will she?”

“Certainly not,” Morgman said. “And I hope I've earned enough of your trust to at least believe me this time.”

“…Fine. Lead the way, old man.”

Morgman shook his head at me as he snapped his fingers. A group of slayers emerged from the alley he came from, one of which was the big man who blocked me from approaching the red-haired asshole yesterday. “Derric, keep an eye on these guards and make sure civilians stay clear of the area. I'll inform the Governor of what happened here.”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Copy that, boss.”

With Morgman in the lead, we continued on to the City Hall.

•••••

The inside of the City Hall was much grander than I thought it'd be. Instead of the bland, brutalist design of the Laborer's Guild, the inside of the City Hall was all arches and bas reliefs, making the entire place look like a majestic cultural heritage site. The sheer amount of time, effort, and money that went into building this was crazy.

But the architectural design wasn't the only thing to gawk at. The people inside the City Hall were more noteworthy because of their diversity. Unlike in the streets where the predominant people around were humans, the City Hall was filled with all sorts of races. There were humanoid bulls, tall pointy-eared humans, fairies, lizard-like people, humans that were shorter than my waist, people made of rocks, and a lot more.

“How are there so many different species in here?” I asked Morgman as we climbed the stairs to the top floor.

The old man looked at me curiously. “Have you never been to a City Hall before?”

“Nah, I'm not from around here.”

“Ah, you come from outside the Empire of Arcadia, then?” Morgman asked, to which I nodded. “I assumed you were an Arcadian as well. To answer your question, it has been a longstanding tradition of the Empire to incorporate all the various species into its government structure. This is after the nation was embroiled in intense civil conflict in the past due to racial inequalities. Hence, it was decreed that every species must hold various positions in office to ensure equality for all.”

“How about the goblins? Are they part of this Empire?”

“Although goblins are sentient, they are known to be a very war-like people,” Morgman explained. “Multiple treaties had already been established with various goblin tribes over the centuries, but every single time, they violate the treaties and attack human settlements. I suppose it is inevitable. Their species is known for its high birth rate, which requires a vast amount of resources they don't have. Thus, they plunder.”

What an asshole species.

“May I ask from where you hail from, Mister Bob?”

“Me? I come from Earth. Pretty far away from here.”

“Earth? Like, dirt? I have never heard of such a country before,” Morgman muttered. “Then again, there is much of the world that remains unexplored. You must've come a long way, then.”

“Oh, very far away indeed.” Millions of light years away, even. Heck, I might be in an entirely different universe.

Eventually, we arrived at the door to the Governor's office. Two guards covered fully in metal armor stood vigil, their height almost the same as mine. As we approached, I could feel the weak electrocuting sensation of mana emanating from their armor and the big-ass halberd they held.

“Halt,” one of them called out. “State your business.”

“I am Morgan Thorn, Slayer Guildmaster. With me is Mister Bob Dinkle, the man that the Governor has been looking for.”

The guard looked at a piece of clear crystal in his hand. It didn't do anything, but the guard nodded in satisfaction. “You tell the truth. I shall announce your presence first.”

As the guard peeked his head inside the office, I broke out into a sweat. If I knew they had lie-detecting rocks in this place, I wouldn't have come! God knows what they'll do to me if they learn about my otherworldly background. Heck, what were they gonna think if they found out I was affiliated with some weirdo who calls himself the God of Carnage?

“You may enter,” the guard said.

I had no time left to plan as Morgman and I entered the Governor's office. The room was large, but it was horribly empty of furniture and decoration. What little decoration there was consisted of the soft fur carpet and a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

On the other side of the room was a massive wooden desk, behind which sat a woman in her late twenties. She had curly scarlet hair that fell past her shoulders, and her face was stunningly gorgeous. But her attire contrasted greatly with the ambiance of the room. Instead of the formal attire I'd expect from a Governor, the woman was wearing metal armor as if she was about to go to war. Even her resolute gaze matched her attire.

Well, it's not like I was in a position to criticize her clothing, anyway. I was literally wearing the green pajamas and cotton slippers I got from the hotel because I hadn't been able to buy clothes yet. Add the fact that I was wearing my satchel stained with dry blood over my shoulder, I was a fucking eyesore to those with a normal fashion sense.

“Morgan Thorn greets the Governor,” Morgman said as he bowed slightly at the woman.

“I'm Bob,” I said.

Morgman looked at me with a weird expression while the woman stared at me with an inscrutable gaze.

“Thank you for bringing him to me, Guildmaster Thorn,” the woman said before turning to me. “And it is my pleasure to meet you, Mister Dinkle. I am Camille Grayshield, Governor of this city.”

“Nice to meet you. Call me Bob.”

“Alright then, Bob. Now, before we discuss the important matters, do you have anything to report, Mister Thorn? I expected the city guard to bring Bob to me, not the Slayer Guildmasrer himself.”

“I'm afraid I bring only bad news, Governor.” Morgman proceeded to tell everything that's happened with the Guard Captain, and by the end, Camille was scowling.

“That backstabbing cur,” Camille spat. “So Marko really was working for Carmen. I was already suspecting it for years, but he hid his tracks well.”

Camille sighed as she leaned back in her seat. “It seems Carmen has become brazen enough to try and challenge my authority in broad daylight.” She then turned her gaze back to me. “Bob. I heard of your ability to heal quickly and survive fatal wounds. You even hunted an Eluvian bear by yourself without armor and weapons. Is this true?”

“Yeah, though ‘hunting’ it might be inaccurate. Outlasted it, more like.”

“Splendid. Are you a bad man, Bob?”

What? That came out of the blue. This bitch might be crazy. Might as well play along, I suppose. “Depends on what you define as bad.”

“Do you have any intention or desire to hurt innocent people?”

“No. Unless they hit me first, I guess.”

“Why did you come to my city?”

“I was lost in the wilds, and this was the nearest settlement I could find.”

“What is your goal?”

“To live.”

“Are you good at fighting?”

“I'm alright, I guess. Had my fair share of scuffles, I usually came out less bruised and with one more tongue than my opponent.”

There was a brief silence as Camille simply stared at me with a bit of confusion. Morgman never told me the Governor was a bit of a weirdo. Why was she even asking these questions?

Hold on, was this a damn job interview?

“That will do,” Camille said with a nod. “Bob, how would you like to work as one of my retainers?”

“I would not like it at all,” I said bluntly, and Camille laughed. It was actually pleasant to hear.

“Thank you for your honesty, but I would like to hear why.”

“I don't want to get further involved in your messy politics,” I answered truthfully. “I just want a peaceful life where people leave me the fuck alone. I've already had enough of people trying to screw me over, and if I join your side, that means your enemies will now see me as their enemy as well, and now I've got a whole new bunch of assholes aiming for me.”

Camille nodded. “I understand your misgivings, Bob, but you seem to be operating under a misunderstanding. My enemies already see you as their enemy even if you don't join my side. The red-haired man that tried to kill you was my nephew, Camaro Grayshield, the son of Carmen Grayshield, my uncle and the richest man in the city. After what you did, he will almost certainly try to dispose of you. You don't stand a chance against that man alone.”

I shrugged. “I could just leave the city and go to the next one.”

Camille nodded. “You could, but what makes you think he wouldn't be able to reach you? He could just hire assassins to come after you. Even if you can defend yourself, you'll spend the rest of your life watching the shadows. If you join me, I can offer you my support.”

“Goddammit!” I cursed. Why the fuck can't I just have a normal life for once? I thought this second life would finally be my chance, but it was starting to get as shitty as my previous life. Instead of loansharks, it was replaced by some powerful family gunning for me because their asshole of a son tried to kill me. This was getting fucking ridiculous.

I forced myself to calm down. Like a mantra, I repeated the same shit I always told myself when life was getting too shitty. It is what it is.

Joining Camille's faction was now no longer a choice but a necessity. Of course, I could just leave the city and live by myself out in the wilds again, but what kind of life would that be? No life at all. I didn't want to live the rest of my life ripping tongues out of wolves and bears.

I sighed. “How much are you paying?”