After ten minutes,
the inn servants cleared the inn and took the drunk man's body away.
The veiled woman then said to the old man beside her,
"Escort captain, invite them here. I want to recruit those mercenaries."
"But young lady, he is a...."
Before he could finish, she spoke,
"I know. He is cruel. To kill those who hurt my big brother, I need that kind of cruel mercenary."
"But young lady..."
The old man couldn't hide his unease at the veiled woman's words.
From the moment Aether and the left guardian entered the inn, he had discerned through mana sensing that those guests were not ordinary people.
The old man looked at them with a troubled gaze.
What should I do?
If he carelessly provoked them, it could become troublesome.
"Please wait a little. I'll bring them here."
At his words, the veiled woman nodded.
The old man stood up from his sit and went to the table where Aether was waiting for his meal.
"Excuse me, young warriors." The old man said with a smile.
However, Aether looked at him and frowned. He showed mercy even after knowing they had sent that thug after him. But their boldness in approaching him without any fear annoyed him.
"I apologize for disturbing you but this old man is called Noah Bean" the old man introduced himself.
" What business do you have with us, sir." The left Guardian asked in serious tone.
"Ah. Young warriors. There's no need to be so wary. This old man means no harm."
As if he had noticed their wariness, the old man, who had introduced himself as Noah Bean, said with a smiling face.
At this, the left guardian asked again.
"Then may I ask why you approached us?"
"Hohoho. The young warriors seems to be in quite a hurry."
"...."
"Alright, I'll get straight to the point. So, the young lady I'm serving wants to have a meal with you mercenaries."
"We're not mercenary. And we're busy. " The left Guardian strongly refused the old man.
"Please, young warriors, you are about to eat. Why not join our table? And the young lady is very interested in this handsome young warrior, so this old man asks you kindly."
With those words, Noah Bean clasped his hands together once again.
He spoke so politely that the Left Guardian glanced at Aether with a troubled look.
They were on an important mission, so this was not the time to sit and share a meal with strangers.
Then, Aether politely clasped his hands together and said,
"We appreciate your invitation, sir, but we are in such a hurry that we ask you to convey our apologies to the person you're serving."
"Oh my."
At Aether's words, Noah Bean clicked his tongue.
Then he made a troubled expression and said,
"This is quite a dilemma."
Right after speaking, a heavy spiritual pressure burst out from him.
Spiritual Pressure is the invisible force or aura released by someone with a higher understanding of their martial realm. It's the weight or intensity of their presence.
For those weaker in martial realm, it is a terrifying reminder of the gap between them and their opponent.
The higher one's martial realm, the more crushing their spiritual pressure becomes.
'From this old man's spiritual pressure, it's clear he's at the Transcendent Realm-early stage.'
On the other hand, Aether was at Swordmaster Realm-mid stage.
The spiritual pressure would have been uncomfortable for Aether, but fortunately, the left guardian is at Unrestrained realm-mid stage.
The Left Guardian calmly used his mana to block the pressure aimed at Aether.
Meanwhile, Noah Bean revealed his spiritual pressure in such a menacing manner and said with a smile,
"Listen, young warriors. This old man is making this request. Please have a meal with the young lady, even if it's just for the sake of this old man's face."
Although his words were polite, it was almost a threat.
"Are you threatening us now?" Aether said
"Hohoho. How could that be a threat?" The old man Noah Bean said
Noah Bean had no intention of actually harming them. He only wanted to show them the difference in strength and then make them join the young lady's table.
At the very least, he needed to prove that he tried his best to follow the young lady's order.
"You can consider it cooperation, not a threat. It's not a difficult thing, so I hope you can do it."
With that, Noah Bean raised his spiritual pressure even more and tried to pressure them.
Right at that moment,
From behind, a low voice reached Noah Bean's ear.
"Sir."
Flinch!
Instantly, Noah Bean's eyes widened.
This voice belonged to the tall man who was with the handsome boy the young lady wanted to recruit.
'When?'
Clearly, the three of them had been face to face, but he had suddenly disappeared.
Noah Bean couldn't help but be perplexed by this.
With the Left Guardian standing behind him, Aether rose from his seat. His gaze turned cold, and his voice dripped with menace.
"I thought I would be a kind man and forgive you people for sending that drunk man at me.but...."
Aether's cold voice made Noah Bean's face stiffen. But what surprised him even more was the Left Guardian, who was now standing silently behind him.
Based on his perception, the Left Guardian should have been at his level.
But for someone to hide their mana so completely and slip past his senses meant only one thing, this was a master who had perfect control over his energy.
'…Unbelievable.' Noah Bean inwardly denied this.
That's because in order to deceive him to this degree, one would have to reach the Unrestrained realm.
Even he, who had trained swordsmanship for nearly 50 years, had not reached that realm, The Unrestrained realm.
How could a mere mercenary, who never had proper training or resources like him, possibly reach the Unrestrained Realm?
Denying the Left Guardian's strength, Noah Bean was about to stomp on the ground to create distance. But Just then....
Thud!
The Left Guardian kicked his right leg from behind.