138 How To Con Commonfolk
Skullius didn’t need to turn his head as he already knew who this voice belonged to. A second after the voice boldly called out, he received a burst of information from Red Rage as the Apostle asserted his opinion on the current matter.
Killing is wrong!
Let’s be smart!
The Pelvis is the bastion of honour and blah blah!
‘I get it! I won’t kill them!’ Skullius blasted Red Rage in return.
As expected, the figure that had roared a command appeared before the masses, bearing an image that was the very personification of hope itself.
A cape that fluttered without being pushed by the wind, golden guards and braces that sparkled with an intent to attract attention and give relief to those that looked on along with the strange mash created as gold clashed with the silver underneath.
A Knight donning a cape!
From the cylindrical spaces within the visor on Red Rage’s helmet, two skewed golden glows could be seen, releasing small wisps of golden light.
Nothing could be felt from this Knight as only his appearance took everyone’s mind off the current situation for a short amount of time, some of the more prone souls dropping their weapons as they gaped.
Red Rage walked forward in his [Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire] that tried its best to mask the damaged parts of the Capital Knight armour which exposed a little of his bones, by coating his entirety with a dream-like starry dust.
“Who… who are you?” one of the men asked while shivering in awe.
As the man said this, most of the people snapped out of their stupor and made sure that the criminal was still detained.
“My name is of no importance, valiant citizen,” Red Rage said with his macho-ass voice that caused a few women in the crowd to whimper as it completed the heroic, handsome stature.
In the next moment, Red Rage vanished from everyone’s sights and appeared behind Skullius, slapping him on the head with a force that knocked the Discount Human into the ground with a dull thump!
‘The hell?!’ Skullius barked as he ate dirt, his head dipping into the soil.
Everyone turned and focused on Red Rage in shock, marvelling at the speed and decisiveness in his action.
It wasn’t outlandish for the various guild mercenaries to be able to move like this, but the Pelvis Boar-Man’s attire as he did this made everyone feel utterly reassured.
Some were still apprehensive of this man who had shown up out of nowhere but they didn’t have the gull to voice it out.
The threat had seemingly been neutralised, which made them less inclined to ask further questions.
“As I said, valiant citizens. I shall deliver justice on your behalf. I shall take this sockethole to the relevant authorities to have him punished for committing murder,” Red Rage said while pulling up Skullius by the nape.
‘This is not what we agreed on! You’re making me look like a sockethole, you sockethole!’ the Discount Human fired at Red Rage who completely ignored him.
The vocabulary Red Rage was using was terrifying.
What was with this outrageous intelligence?!
Instead, Red Rage turned to the young man who was kneeling before his grandfather’s skeletal and flesh remains with tears in eyes.
The young man hadn’t bothered to turn to Red Rage or entertain him. He didn’t even turn to the supposed killer, Skullius.
“My sincere condolences, valiant young male. I hope this person you love so dear finds peace,” Red Rage said with a lower voice that prompted the young man to start crying bitterly.
‘Since when can this brat act like a priest at a funeral? Wait! What’s a funeral! URGH!’ Skullius fought with his regurgitating mind.
The words that Red Rage had said to the young man caused the people to warm up to him even more as he seemed so kind and compassionate.
A Knight indeed.
From the way he spoke, to the decisiveness.
Many looked to him with a brighter light while in contrast, hatefully glaring at Skullius.
After giving the young man who was in mourning a gentle pat on the shoulder, Red Rage turned to the crowd that had begun to grow larger as those that had fled returned, those that hadn’t been there before rushing to see what was happening.
A few other people helped to collect the old man’s remains and take away the crying young man.
“Forgive me, valiant citizens but I must make a simple plea. As you can see, I recently engaged in a bitter fight, damaging my armour and exhausting my supplies. It would help me immensely if I could have something to drink and something to don on my body,” Red Rage said while giving a short bow.
This appeal caused the hearts of the many in Namu Village to feel touched. This man was clearly an honest worker!
Perhaps he was a Stray Knight that protected the unprivileged.
His whole vibe hinted at this and made his image even more attractive.
From within the crowd, two men began to converse, whispering among themselves.
“Haha, you see! Our prayers were answered after all! A hero has shown up to save us from that Cluster!”
“You’re right! Our prayers weren’t wasted!”
Many immediately scrambled as they rushed to get what the Knight had kindly requested!
Was it so easy to win over a crowd like this?
Yes and no.
When common folk felt their sense of safety threatened, they would usually turn vulnerable, becoming accepting to any odd help that would appear at their doorstep.
In other scenarios, older people within such groups usually had the final say and the ability to mould what the younger ones believed, creating an extremely paranoid group of people that were highly suspicious.
Unfortunately, such things were washed away by the special effect of Red Rage’s abilities, particularly the Hero’s Charisma, Voice of Hope, which altered weaker people’s perception of the Pelvis Boar-Man, implanting positive thoughts about him passively with his every single action.
Soon, many clothes were set by Red Rage’s feet. The Pelvis Boar-Man acted humble, claiming that he didn’t need many of them, even selecting the less luxurious ones while shaking his head at the more expensive ones. He promptly stored these in his spatial ring.
Skullius grumbled at this.
‘This brat knows that he’s not the one who’s going to wear those! Gah!’
The Pelvis Boar-Man stored all the stuff he got, food, clothing and water.
The three minute duration of the skill soon wore out, rendering Red Rage unable to speak and removing his mystic attire.
This only served to convince the crowd that this warrior was probably tired from his long battle, their eyes twinkling as their expectations and hopes began to subconsciously pour onto Red Rage who remained oblivious to the fact that these people had baggage and needs they needed a ‘hero’ to deal with.
A middle aged man with a gruff appearance made his way towards the Pelvis Boar-Man with a few other individuals who helped him carry parts of a rather sturdy looking armour.
It looked like the Capital Knights armour but without the key features that attached it to the nation such as the national symbolism.
“Please, sir Knight. Accept this armour to replace with your own. It is the best I have ever been able to craft in my shop with the help of my gifted apprentices. I hope it will protect you at least until you find something else worthy of your strength,” the man said with a strong voice as he and his apprentices humbly handed the armour to Red Rage.
The Pelvis Boar-Man man could only nod and stand aloof to keep his dignity after [Pelvis Boar-Man Majestic Attire] wore off.
He stored the armour and prepared to leave when two men zealously besieged him, speaking what was on everyone’s mind.
“Kind Knight. We have a small request of our own. With your strength it shouldn’t be a problem. Our village will be eternally gratefully to you if you help us,” one of the men said.
Red Rage nodded.
“A white Cluster has opened close to Santhi, causing a great panic. We fear that it will rupture soon and release those evil monsters onto our lands. Please sir Knight, save us.”
Skullius was listening to this and he couldn’t help but wonder.
‘Cluster?’