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"Do you really wanna test your luck, boy?" I say, trying not to let on how much this young man's actions have thrown me off balance.
Then, in an attempt to regain some of the 'intimidating' persona I'm trying to portray, without letting go of my prey, I lean down and punch the temple floor.
The blow generates a slight shockwave that causes the entire building to shake slightly and leaves a tiny crater at the point of impact.
But the young man's presence continues to bother me as I straighten up again.
He is the same age as me, only, since he has no class yet and the only level in his status is that provided by his age, he is a boy who really looks his age.
Unlike me, who is constantly associated with much older ages due to my physical appearance as a result of having so many high-level classes.
'Under different circumstances, I could have been this person...
If it weren't for the unfair advantage my interface gives me...
I'd be like him now, trying to get a class and a job so I could fend for myself...
Why... why am I enjoying all of this so much? At what point did I become a person who enjoys inflicting pain on others?...
Have I... always been like this?'
'Don't give it so much thought, kid. You're just doing what they forced you to do. Cause and effect. Besides, that brat over there may not be the innocent young man you seem to think he is. He's probably just as miserable and disgusting as the rest of his buddies. Or maybe he's even worse than them, considering he hasn't been able to acquire even the most basic religious class despite being a member of the temple.'
I know perfectly well that the words of the cursed sword don't necessarily make any sense, as I am fully aware that he is only saying these things to incite me to continue with the violence.
But in this case, that's for the best.
The show must go on.
'Yes... you may be right, and I may be overthinking this.'
Then I activate the strength profile again and, in a flash of inspiration, I rip Ivan's head off, tearing part of his spine clean out in the process.
Seeing this grotesque spectacle, the young man from the Solus Temple falls on his ass in horror at the scene and begins to crawl back on all fours to the rest of the people in the temple.
'I've already tried to listen to Delia and leave the damn Solus Temple alone, and today I've seen the result of that policy...
I'm not going to kill anyone from the temple out of consideration for Delia, but it's time to set certain limits...
I'm not someone they can play with as they please...
It's obvious they hadn't realized that yet, but it's something very easy to fix.'
However, despite my assumptions, I see that there are some people from the Solus Temple in the crowd who had gone to find weapons somewhere and are now approaching me with open hostility.
'Or maybe it's not as easy as I thought...
It seems that, despite what they just saw, these bastards are too stupid to realize how out of their league they are.'
"I see I'm not being clear enough. I only came here to punish some criminals and publicly demonstrate the unfair treatment my family has been receiving from the temple..." I say as I throw the head of the leader of the assassins at the feet of the elder of the Solus Temple, who has been acting as the spokesperson for his people all this time.
"...I had no intention of openly harming the temple. But if the people of the temple threaten me like this..." I say as I point to the three men approaching me while pointing very ornate golden spears at me.
"...then I'm going to have to defend myself."
'I'm going to need your help with this... as stupid as it sounds, I'm not supposed to hurt the people of the temple.'
'And why is that?' Zariche asks mockingly, even though he should already know that I don't want to harm the temple people so as not to upset Delia.
'Because sometimes relationships are complicated... anyway, I think we can... scare them a little more without doing them any physical harm.'
'Haa... Fine... I'm not going to say I don't like the idea. But I'd rather feast on their blood.'
Then I draw Zariche again, and as soon as the blade emerges from its dark sheath, it begins to spread its Dementia mist around me.
'Hey! I want you to direct the skill only at the people in the temple'
'Hmt... fine.'
The first three people in the temple to be affected by the dark mist are the three idiots who wanted to threaten me with those golden spears.
The moment the people begin to be enveloped by the skill, they fall to their knees with tears in their eyes without making a sound.
Seeing this, the people from the temple who are outside the fog begin to run away at full speed.
As they retreat, they don't stop accusing me and my girls of being heretics, enemies of God, cursed people, and things like that.
But it's not just the Solus Temple group that retreats; the general public also does so, rushing out of the temple at full speed.
'Yes! This is how my bearers should be seen... I am death and chaos... I am-'
'Don't get too excited. This isn't something that will happen very often.'
'Hmt... you're killjoy.'
To add even more force to the display, I begin to throw slashes at the benches and walls of the temple, which are destroyed with absurd ease when they collide with an indestructible object.
However, the last stage of the show abruptly ends as new actors enter the scene.
"What the hell is going on here?..." shouts the person at the head of a group of knights as they enter the temple.
"... STOP!"
[Alberto] [Knight Lvl 24]
The group of knights consists of 10 men and women covered in full armor, wielding spears and swords, and half a dozen archers in light armor.
They are all on guard, pointing their weapons at me, as they obviously think I am the threat they have been called to deal with.
But I've already done what I came here to do, and I no longer need to continue with this charade.
'Kill them! They're not from the temple, and they're pointing their weapons at you. That's a threat, isn't it? It's perfectly civilized for you to kill them in self-defense.'
'It doesn't work that way... and I guess you know that.'
'Tch... I had nothing to lose by trying.'
"No need to be on guard, officers..." I say as I sheathe Zariche.
"...I only came here today to peacefully present my complaints to the people of the temple about the unfair treatment my family has been receiving from them. Unfortunately, despite my intentions, the people of the temple had the stupid idea of threatening me with their weapons. What you see here... is just something I did in self-defense."
Hearing my words and seeing my movements, Alberto, the knight at the front of the group, looks around, assessing the extent of the disaster.
His eyes scan the pools of blood from the assassins, their remnants, and the destruction of the temple, finally settling on the temple people, who are in a truly pitiful state.
Most of them are huddled together in a corner of the room, where they gathered tightly to try to escape Zariche's Dementia mist.
But those who failed to avoid the mist are lying on the floor, unconscious and with tears in their eyes, while the smell of urine and excrement emanates evenly from their bodies.
"Allow me to doubt your words, sir," says Alberto, looking at me with a raised eyebrow, while continuing to point his sword at me.
"Emir is my name..." I say as I raise my hands in apparent surrender.
"...And you don't have to believe my words. You can ask the audience here if what I say is true."
"That's what I plan to do. Even so, for the moment we're going to have to detain you…" says the knight as he slowly advances toward me.
"... Kneel down and put your hands behind your head. Don't worry; if you're truly innocent, you'll only be detained for a few hours."
"I'm afraid that won't be necessary..." I say, taking my medal of honor out of my inventory and holding it up in front of me so the knight can see it clearly.
"...I am the Golden Archer, a war hero of this kingdom. You can take my word that I pose no threat to public safety."
I hate having to reveal my identity as the Golden Archer in this way, but I'm not going to let them arrest me.
So right now, I have no choice but to opt for the lesser of two evils.
"That's all well and good, Mr. Emir. But you wouldn't be the first war hero I've known to end up with psychological damage that makes him a danger to society..." says Alberto after pausing for a moment to inspect my medal of honor from a distance.
"... So I'm going to have to arrest you anyway. I repeat: if you are innocent, as you say, you have nothing to worry about."
'At this point, it looks like I'm really going to have to use my trap card... I was hoping I wouldn't need it.'
"Well, I disagree. I don't like the idea of being arrested, and it turns out that, apart from being a war hero, I also have a royal note," I say, taking out the royal note and holding it in my free hand.
"That... that shouldn't... Would you allow me to take a closer look at that paper?" says Alberto, whom I have managed to surprise this time.
"No problem," I say and extend my arm toward the knight.
"No. If you don't mind, I'm going to need you to put the paper on the ground and take a few steps back," says Alberto as he looks at me cautiously.
'Take a few steps back? Does he think that would stop me from hurting him if I really wanted to? Haa... whatever.'
"All right," I say and obey the knight's words.
"This note... seems completely legitimate..." says the knight after examining the paper for several minutes.
"... Hmm... All right, Mr. Emir. You may leave, but I'm going to have to keep this note as evidence. We're going to have to thoroughly investigate what happened here today, so you may be called upon to testify."
"That's fine with me. If you need to send me a message, you can do so through the Saint Delia's clinic. I am the owner of the establishment." I say and leave the temple, walking calmly, as if nothing had happened, before the incredulous and terrified gaze of the people in the temple and the varied looks of the public and the knights.
Everyone steps aside as I pass and looks at me with a wide range of emotions, from admiration to dread.
'Yep. Now it seems I have conveyed the message correctly. Mission accomplished.'