Karot shook his head, his expression one of high superiority, as he sighed:

"I didn't expect your luck to be so good. You managed to become a Hunter and even joined my master Arya's association. You really must have a special fate."

"I'm curious, though, with only D-grade Hunter qualifications, how did you manage to become a mid-tier Black Iron Hunter in such a short time?"

"Could it be that you were just lucky and found some kind of treasure?"

Hearing Karot's words, Ed's expression remained calm. It seemed that Karot was very out of touch with the current situation. The strength of a mid-tier Black Iron Hunter was something Ed had shown a long time ago.

Now, he was already a mid-tier Silver Hunter.

And for Karot to say such things clearly had malicious intent. First, he made sure to highlight Ed's D-grade Hunter qualifications, then suggested that Ed must have some kind of extraordinary treasure to explain how he became a Hunter.

With so many people around, some of them might believe Karot's words, thinking that Ed had something powerful that could quickly boost his strength. They might target him, hoping to get their hands on whatever treasure had made Ed so powerful.

Karot was truly rotten to the core!

Ed watched Karot, who wore a smug expression, and calmly replied, "Shouldn't you be curious? Why am I still alive? After all, back then, you proposed selling me into slavery just like the others. So why am I still here?"

"By the way, many of our companions couldn't understand why they had to die. We were all from the same world, classmates from the same class—so why were you so vile, proposing to sell everyone who didn't qualify as a Hunter into slavery?"

Ed couldn't help but clench his fists. His eyes, once calm, now burned with deep hatred and murderous intent as he glared at Karot's face.

Among those who were to be sold as slaves, only he and Luna had survived—everyone else had died!

It was all because of Karot's proposal, and Arya's cold agreement.

The people Ed most wanted to kill, aside from Arya, were right in front of him—Karot and Vil, who had taken over Duke Morton's body.

At this moment, all the people Ed wanted dead were right there, but he couldn't let his emotions show too much. If he did, it might alert Duke Morton.

To Ed's surprise, upon hearing his words, Karot nervously glanced back at Finniel Morton and Duke Morton, seeing that they had stopped walking and were now watching them.

Karot immediately extended his finger, pointing at Ed, and loudly reprimanded him:

"Enough, Ed! Stop slandering me. At the time, the situation wasn't safe. Sending you all as slaves to a sorcerer was far better than letting you perish out in the wild."

"I did it for your own good, and yet here you are, accusing me. You're truly foolish and despicable!"

Ed, who had been trying to remain calm, could no longer hold back upon hearing Karot's words. He shouted angrily:

"For our own good? Do you have any idea that, aside from Luna and me, everyone else is dead? They're all dead!"

At that moment, Dorey City's City Lord Gavin could no longer contain himself. He turned to Finniel Morton and said:

"Miss Finniel, sigh... You know, there are many conflicts between Hunters, and their tempers aren't great. I'm sorry you had to witness this argument. It's entirely my fault. I'll handle it right away."

Before Finniel Morton could respond, Gavin quickly walked over, his face dark, and looked directly at Ed, saying:

"Boy, I remember you. You performed well in that competition before, but now you're going too far. Don't you realize what time it is and what occasion this is?"

"Now, leave. Immediately. Get out of here!"

As soon as City Lord Gavin said this, the so-called "Dorey City residents" around them immediately chimed in:

"Yeah, why is this guy so rude, causing trouble here? He should just leave!"

"Exactly, exactly. Being here and letting Miss Finniel see this scene is an embarrassment to Dorey City!"

"Leave already, Dorey City doesn't welcome you!"

Ford, standing behind Ed, immediately grew angry upon hearing this.

How dare they say such things about their captain! Did they even know what Ed had done for Dorey City's safety? The pressure he had endured!

Ford could no longer stand it. He reached for his steel sword behind him.

But unexpectedly, Ed raised his hand to stop Ford.

At that moment, Duke Morton and Arya were walking toward them.

Duke Morton glanced at Ed, then turned to Karot and said:

"Mr. Karot, there's no need to argue with such a person. I've met far too many ungrateful people. They're often misunderstood and resented, even when acting in their best interest."

Karot immediately nodded vigorously, indicating that the situation was exactly as he had said. It was all Ed's fault for misunderstanding his good intentions and being narrow-minded, placing all the blame on him.

Arya spoke at that moment as well: "Alright, let's go. If we delay any further, it will affect the start of the banquet."

Karot, who usually listened to Arya, merely glanced at Ed, sneering, and then lifted his chin as he returned to the group.

Andrew, who had been following Karot, shook his head and said to Ed:

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. If Lady Melissa saw what kind of person you really are, she'd snap out of it. Ed, don't think you can deceive Lady Melissa. I'll tell her everything that's happened here!"

With that, Andrew returned to the group, adopting a victorious posture.

Now, only three people remained in front of Ed: City Lord Gavin of Dorey City, Arya, the leader of the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association, and Duke Morton, who was controlled by Vil's parasitic influence.

Ed understood that Vil was aware of his investigation into the impending danger to Dorey City, and Arya, like Finniel Morton, must also know about the dangers that were soon to unfold in Dorey City, along with Vil's parasitic actions.

Taking a deep breath, Ed slowly turned to Duke Morton and said:

"I will do everything in my power to stop you!"

Duke Morton smiled and, feigning surprise, asked:

"Sir, it seems we've never met before. What exactly are you talking about?"

"You must be mistaking me for someone else."

City Lord Gavin immediately turned to Arya and said:

"Let's go, don't mind this madman. I thought he was some kind of talented Hunter, but it seems I was wrong."

"Those Hunters who were fighting to have him join their associations must be thanking their lucky stars that they failed to get him!"

Then Arya gave Ed a glance before following Gavin back to the group.

Now, only Duke Morton stood before Ed. He grinned wildly, his lips curling into a mocking smile, and whispered:

"Don't act impulsively. If you do, I can just call out, and you'll be treated as an attacker. I can have you disqualified from being an audience member right away."

"Oh, by the way, the last performance wasn't very exciting. As an audience member, you must have been quite disappointed."

"This time will be different, though. The stage is bigger, the actors more numerous, and the plot even more unpredictable. You'll have to watch closely, Ed."

"Don't worry. If you just watch quietly, you'll see what that so-called 'Chosen One' will face. I'm sure you'll be on your feet, clapping for them, Ed."

After finishing his speech, Duke Morton immediately wiped the grin from his face. As he turned away, a look of confusion appeared on his expression, as if he were puzzled by what Ed had just said.

However, Toronto, Ford, and Jade, standing behind Ed, had heard Duke Morton's response. Particularly Toronto, who had witnessed the bloody scenes in the ruins alongside Ed.

Toronto instinctively recalled those horrific images and immediately felt a wave of nausea, the urge to vomit overwhelming him.

Ford, on the other hand, looked at Ed and said, "Captain, it seems your deductions were all correct! That guy is the Vil who escaped earlier!"

At that moment, Ed stared at Duke Morton's retreating figure, lost in thought.

What did Vil, controlling Duke Morton, mean by his last words?

What would happen to Karot?

Ed felt like there was something he didn't fully understand, something he hadn't figured out yet—how did Karot get involved in this?

Or was Vil simply implying that once the plan against Dorey City succeeded, Karot would also be sacrificed and die painfully? Would Ed feel a sense of satisfaction upon witnessing it?

Could it be that way?

Ed felt a growing sense of doubt, along with an uneasy feeling that he couldn't quite pinpoint.

He took a deep breath and then said to Jade, Ford, and Toronto:

"Let's proceed according to the original plan. Find a way to infiltrate the banquet, and everyone should carry a bit of the poison that Melissa made."

Jade, Ford, and Toronto exchanged glances, their expressions showing confusion. They seemed to be thinking that things were almost resolved, and that they might not need the poison to make Finniel Morton and her group wary.

However, out of trust in Ed, none of them said anything further. Instead, they nodded in agreement.

Once Ed had given his instructions, he watched Finniel Morton and her group enter Dorey City. He took another deep breath.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.