Chapter 453: The Demon-Hunting Squad

Many of the demon-hunting missions in Greenfield City were overseen by Roguli, who frequently dealt with adventurers.

He had encountered far too many unreliable adventurers—people who boasted about their prowess but turned out to be useless in actual combat.

This had left Roguli with a poor impression of adventurers, and he naturally didn’t treat them kindly.

Given the chaotic state of the world, many people struggled to make a living.

The adventurer profession had become a mixed bag, with occasional stories of adventurers striking it rich, which enticed many to join the trade.

However, most adventurers lacked any real combat ability. Some hadn’t even undergone basic training and would carry a sword or dagger, claiming to be powerful adventurers.

Roguli was constantly frustrated by this. He had no reliable way to screen adventurers, so he often judged them by their physical strength.

Exorcists, on the other hand, were different. They possessed supernatural abilities that set them apart from ordinary people.

A simple demonstration was usually enough to prove someone was an exorcist.

In Roguli’s mind, this was how things worked, so Helag’s reluctance to demonstrate his abilities seemed like an excuse. Roguli assumed Helag wasn’t an exorcist at all.

Helag felt a bit helpless. There was no way he could reveal his Titan Power here.

If things didn’t work out, he’d have to find another way.

If he couldn’t join the demon-hunting squad, he’d have to venture out on his own.

Roguli waved him off. “Get lost.”

Just as Roguli was about to turn away, a tall, burly figure approached.

“Helag, what are you doing here?” It was none other than Knight Commander Arnt.

Helag smiled. “Ah, Sir Arnt! I came to join the Lord’s Manor’s demon-hunting mission.”

“Oh, I see. Well, we’d be glad to have a powerful exorcist like you on our team,” Arnt said.

Roguli was surprised to see that the two knew each other. Arnt held a much higher position than he did and was a prominent figure in Greenfield City.

Arnt wasn’t just powerful but also trusted by the city’s lord.

Roguli, hearing their conversation, asked, “Knight Commander, you know him?”

“Yes, I do,” Arnt replied.

“So, you really are an exorcist?” Roguli asked Helag.

Helag nodded. “That’s right. I just didn’t want to demonstrate my abilities in such a public place.”

“Helag is a strong exorcist. You can join our demon-hunting squad directly. We have an operation in a few days,” Arnt said.

Roguli was stunned. He hadn’t expected Helag to actually be an exorcist.

With Arnt personally inviting him to join, Roguli had no further objections. He gave Helag a final glance before turning and leaving.

Joining the demon-hunting squad required no formal procedures. Arnt simply introduced Helag to the squad, and that was it.

The squad’s leader was an exorcist named Sam, a bald, burly man with a massive axe strapped to his back.

Most of the squad members were adventurers or exorcists from outside the city, with only a few of the Lord’s Manor’s staff overseeing things. Sam was in charge of the group.

Arnt, on the other hand, was responsible for managing Greenfield City’s military. The day-to-day affairs of the demon-hunting squad weren’t under his purview.

However, many of the squad’s missions were assigned by Arnt. When his forces were stretched thin, he would delegate tasks to the squad.

Since the squad was made up of outsiders, their deaths weren’t a major concern.

After introducing Helag to Sam, Arnt left to attend to other matters. The recent surge in demon activity had kept him extremely busy.

Normally, Arnt rarely left the city, focusing on its defense. But in recent days, he had been forced to lead expeditions to eliminate demons.

With the squad’s manpower and strength stretched thin, Arnt had no choice but to take matters into his own hands.

Since Helag had been personally brought in by Arnt, the other squad members gave him a few curious glances.

However, after a while, they lost interest. Helag looked completely ordinary—plain-looking, with no particularly striking features. Even his aura seemed unremarkable, as if he were just a regular person.

“You’re an exorcist?” Sam asked.

Sam wasn’t as strong as Arnt, being only a regular exorcist.

His ability to sense demonic aura wasn’t as sharp, so he hadn’t noticed the faint traces of demonic aura on Helag.

Helag nodded. “Yes.”

He didn’t say much and kept a neutral expression.

Seeing that Arnt had brought him in, Sam didn’t ask any further questions. “You’ve got a few days to rest and prepare. Once everyone’s gathered, we’ll head out.”

The squad’s mission was to eliminate the demons in a nearby mountain range.

That mountain range had previously been free of demons, and any that appeared were quickly dealt with.

But recently, no matter how many demons were cleared out, more kept coming, causing constant unrest.

The mountain range was close to a major road, and trade between Greenfield City and other cities relied heavily on that route.

With the road now unsafe, merchants were avoiding it, severely impacting Greenfield’s trade.

Helag glanced at the other members of the squad. There were three exorcists, though he wasn’t sure of their skill levels.

The rest were adventurers—essentially just strong ordinary people.

Helag blended in easily with the group.

After drinking the Shapeshifter Potion, his body wasn’t particularly muscular, and he even looked a bit frail.

At first, the others paid some attention to him, but after a while, they lost interest.

The squad had five days before their departure. Sam wasn’t satisfied with the current roster and planned to recruit more members.

After giving some instructions, Sam dismissed the squad, telling them to return in five days.

Helag returned to the inn and spent the next few days wandering around Greenfield City.

He hoped to find traces of other wizards.

For five days, Helag roamed the streets.

But despite his efforts, he found nothing unusual.

Helag suspected that if any other wizards were still alive, they likely wouldn’t dare enter the city.

The language barrier was a significant issue. The other wizards might not understand the local situation and would be hesitant to enter the city.

During these days, Helag also pondered the recent chaos caused by the demons outside Greenfield.

He suspected that the disruption might be related to the presence of wizards.

Normally, demons wouldn’t leave their territories without reason. If they were forced to leave, it was likely due to some threat.

Based on his own experiences, Helag guessed that a wizard had likely entered the demons’ territory.

The wizards participating in Operation Cradle were all crystallized wizards, the elite of their respective factions, and were quite powerful.