ATAPOW Chapter 18
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Chapter 18: Choice
“What? The Chivalric Order of the Moon?” Ji Bai slowly put away his dagger as he sized up Lin Tuo with a flabbergasted look.
“How about it? Do you feel flattered that a renowned group such as ourselves has given you such a high evaluation?
“… I have never even heard of your group before.” Ji Bai shrugged, spilling his innermost thoughts.
“Cough! Cough…! You, you little youngster! Even if that’s the truth; there’s no need to be so straightforward about it, alright? Life is hard enough as it is, there’s no need to burst someone’s bubble like that, got it?” Lin Tuo coughed a few more times to cover up his embarrassment and gave Ji Bai a nasty look.
“I’m sorry, but I have never heard of this organization before. Does such a chivalric group even exist? …Don’t tell me… Is it an illegal organization?” Ji Bai tilted his head as he asked. The catgirl who was by his side shook her adorable ears; She had a clueless expression on her face that looked like a ‘=A=’. However, in Ji Bai’s case, on the other hand, the glance he shot towards Lin Tuo was turning weirder by the second.
This assumption didn’t come from Ji Bai’s prejudice or the lack of it. If this was a chivalric group that even he himself had not heard about, then it was probably an unofficial group that was uncertified and unregulated by the Sacred Martial Association. To put it bluntly and simply, such organization was a type of secret society that was likely founded by a group of dubious individuals, meaning, they would frequently do things that violated the law.
As he thought up to this point, Ji Bai narrowed his eyes, staring at Lin Tuo with a trace of vigilance.
Someone dressed in this western-style attire, with a pretentious air around him, was generally a dodgy person, let alone the peculiar actions of the other party. Ji Bai felt that he was obligated to fulfill his duty even as a retired knight to catch this prick and send him to the relevant authorities if he ascertained that any of his actions were out of line.
“Eh??? How can you have such thoughts, youngster?! If anything else, just look at this amazingly dignified and gentlemanly face of mine! How could I possibly have the slightest connection to those [derogatory terms]?” Lin Tuo said with an eloquent yet forceful tone. At the same time, he gathered whatever reputation he had left and moved his aged face closer to Ji Bai.
“That’s enough, you go to the corner. As expected, a cracked bell can’t ring well.” Seemingly unwilling to watch any more of this pathetic excuse of a man, the uncommunicative Lan Yi began to pull Lin Tuo’s arms and drag him to a corner. She then walked towards Ji Bai and met his gaze.
“Like you just said, we are indeed an uncertified and unregulated chivalric group. We are truly indeed seen as such in the eyes of the current government.”
“So… You want to rope me into this ridiculous association? Are there any benefits? Will I be given old-age, dental, unemployment, industrial injury, and childbirth insurance with housing funding after I join? If all of these aren’t properly explained, I’m sure any sane individual would just blow you off instead. Don’t you think so?” Ji Bai bluntly and impolitely replied with a harsh tone.
“Mhm, however, you’re missing something. A sane person wouldn’t treat a paralyzed demon in a small alley.” Lan Yi’s eyes were as tranquil as a calm spring. “The collective thought that all demons are considered evil has already been deeply rooted in everyone’s minds. I believe that the first response a sane person will do when they see a demon is to flee as far as they can. Following after, they would hastily contact the Sacred Martial Association.”
“How do I know if your group isn’t similar to those evil cults out there?” Ji Bai looked at the little cat beside him; She was sitting with her knees bent and her legs beside each other, a ‘QAQ’ expression was on her face. He then averted his gaze towards Lan Yi.
“We have already told you what our ideology is. Other than that, our other creeds are no different than that of a knight’s. Also, don’t just go thinking that we’re so short on manpower that we’d just randomly invite anyone without thinking. ‘Quality before Quantity’ has always been our policy when it comes to recruiting any newcomers. Had your replies deviated by even a hair in the earlier test, we would have quickly failed you.” Yi Lan coldly replied.
“I see… in that case, do you believe yourself to be a knight?”
“As I said, we follow the knight’s creed.”
“But you do not have the knight’s certification that the Sacred Martial Association issues out, don’t you?” After a moment of silence, Ji Bai unhurriedly replied.
“Is your understanding of a knight merely limited to its smaller than a palm-sized certificate?” The edges of Lan Yi’s mouth formed into a sneer.
“A knight who possesses an official knight’s certification that commits evil and oppresses the people. A commoner who possesses a sincere heart that willingly sacrifices himself during times of trouble to help the people. Which one resembles a knight more?” Lan Yi said. It was rather unclear whether she was interrogating Ji Bai or talking to herself now.
As the tyrannical scenes of the four young knights flashed past his mind, Ji Bai was lost in thought for a moment.
“To tell you the truth, I personally don’t want you to join us.”
“Eh?” Ji Bai’s gaze revealed traces of bewilderment. Lan Yi hadn’t made any sort of excessive explanation. She bent down and stroked the small head of the shy catgirl.
“If more people like you existed on this planet… there would definitely be a lot less conflict.” Lan Yi left that meaningful sentence behind before she turned around to inform Lin Tuo that it was time to leave.
“I have a question.”
“As long as it doesn’t touch upon any classified information and is within my circle of knowledge.” Yi Lan didn’t turn her body back.
“Where are you bringing this little cat?”
“We will seek her opinion regarding this. We can send her back to her homeland… Don’t be so shocked, we do indeed have that ability. Or, If she is unwilling to return, she can also choose to stay at our headquarters. We won’t mistreat her, anyways, it’s up for her to choose.”
“…Is that so?”
“Well then, youngster. Make your choice. It’s already late.” Yi Lan turned her head back and looked back at Ji Bai, who was behind her.
“…I must refuse.” After a brief period of hesitation, Ji Bai still chose to refuse Lan Yi’s proposal. This was the result of careful deliberation.
He was no longer suited to be a knight after being cursed by a vampire. It would have been the same even if it was an uncertified chivalric order… Ever since Ji Bai left the vampire castle, the place where light never shines, he had only given thought of wanting to find a job and be a commoner for his entire life. Occasionally, he would maybe become a part of the special forces or even a summoner, however, he would no longer cause any trouble for mankind. As a knight that was already considered ‘deceased’ by society, this was the last thing that only he could do.
“As I thought~” Lan Yi smiled. She then waved her hands, signaling to Lin Tuo that they were leaving, after doing so, she crouched in front of the catgirl. “Follow us. There’s no need to be afraid, we’ll send you to your hometown safely.”
Lan Yi, who always had a cold expression on her face, revealed a tender smile at this moment.
“Nyauu~?” The little cat tilted her head. She looked at Yi Lan that had a kind expression on her face before switching her gaze towards Ji Bai who was silent. In an instant, she withdrew herself behind the leg of Ji Bai’s trousers.
“This young woman seems to like you a lot.”
“…” Ji Bai was somewhat helpless as he looked at the cat-eared girl who was grabbing onto his trouser leg, refusing to let go. He couldn’t remember when he was popular with small animals.