( Ben Faulkner's POV )
The next day, as Ben made his way out of the ruins and towards the nearest village, he was surprised to see that there was an increased patrol activity near the village border by the Empire's soldiers.
The village he was visiting was called 'Freierhelm' and it was not a border village under threat by demons, nor was it a particularly important industrial hub that needed to be protected, which was why the added security seemed suspicious and out of place.
"Since when does Freierhelm have patrol?" Ben muttered, as he easily snuck past them to enter the town alongside Lin.
Once inside, the village itself seemed normal with the commoners not seeming too worried about some catastrophic event on the verge of unfolding which could explain the sudden bump in security, which made Ben wonder if there was an increased threat from wild beasts in the area?
Because if not, the added security made no sense once again.
"Whatever, it's not like I need to think too deeply about why a small village like this has a few extra soldiers to protect it anyways…." Ben muttered eventually, as he decided to disregard the warning signs and walk towards the nearest tavern for a drink.
It had been over 6 and a half months since he last had the luxury of sipping alcohol and since the journey to the East was going to be a long one, Ben wanted to stock up on a few drinks for the journey.
However, it wasn't until he reached the town square and saw the posters piled up at the center, that everything made sense.
"Oh no…. Oh nono no nono nononono" Ben muttered, as he hurriedly stepped towards the wanted wall, his eyeballs popping out in disbelief, as he recognised the portrait of his own disciple at the top.
—------
Rebel Leader 'TheBoss'
Wanted Dead Or Alive.
Bounty - 100 million gold coins.
—------
"This stupid idiot! Rebel Leader? What the fuck is that brat thinking?" Ben cursed, as he bit his own palm in an effort to curb his anger.
He was gone for a mere 6 months! Just 6 short months and had explicitly told his disciple to not do anything stupid in those 6 months, yet now as he came back, he saw that his disciple had already launched a war against the Empire?
"Why?" He muttered, stomping his feet in disbelief, as Leo's actions left him at a loss for words.
Giggling, Lin Mu tore Leo's most wanted poster off the wall and brought it closer to her eyes to inspect.
Unlike Ben, she smiled looking at it as she lovingly ran her fingers across his mask.
"Well…. At Least they put up a good photo of him in these posters, he looks absolutely handsome here" Lin Mu said, as she did not seem to care that Leo had rebelled against the Empire.
For her, the Empire was not a force of good to begin with and she did not mind a regime change at all.
Hence, she was not upset about it like Ben was, and only found the situation to be amusing at best.
"100 million? What is that absurd bounty? Back in my day my own bounty was barely 20 million and everyone and their mothers still wished to hunt me down.
Thankfully, I was Ben Fucking Faulkner and could handle the bounty hunters that came after me, but that boy is still a child…." Ben said, throwing his hands up in disbelief as he felt genuinely concerned over Leo's bounty amount.
"How is his bounty higher than mine? I killed the Emperor, I'm a goddamn King Slayer, just what did this boy do to have a five time higher bounty than me?" Ben wondered, as Lin Mu chuckled silently at his words.
Although he was scolding Leo and clearly upset, he also seemed genuinely impressed by his disciple, as although a troublemaker, he was definitely not an ordinary troublemaker at the least.
"If we go to the nearest tavern, I'm sure we can find some gentleman to tell us the tale…." Lin Mu offered, as letting out a deep sigh Ben relented.
"Yes, let's go to the tavern and find out what my stupid disciple did...
I knew I should have not left him alone.
That fool can't take care of himself for 6 days, but I foolishly left him alone for 6 plus months.
I'm an absolute idiot" Ben complained, as Lin Mu giggled in amusement.
To her, the dynamic between Ben and Leo was the cutest thing ever and she enjoyed every troublesome moment of it.
*********
( Within the tavern )
Within the tavern, as the locals began to talk about the tales of 'TheBoss' and his rebel army, even Ben felt a shiver run down his spine.
The way the locals spoke of 'TheBoss', they made him seem like a mythical figure like the Demon King, only a hundred times worse since he was a human.
"The Boss is a cold blooded demon in human skin…. Him and his army marched shoulder to shoulder with the Lords of the East, and entered Briarhelm as an ally.
However, once there, he backstabbed them all like a snake and dyed the streets of Briarhelm red with their blood.
They say he was unstoppable and the East Duke died at his hands like a dog, but instead of burying the Duke like any honorable man should, he put his head on a pike in the center of the city square to remind the people of Briarhelm that there was a new ruler in town.
They say he feels no emotion. He's as cold as they come" said a drunk commoner, who shivered while telling TheBoss's tale.
However, while his words were not very reliable, everyone else in the town also seemed to be of the same opinion as him, in believing that 'TheBoss' was a stone cold killer, no worse than the demon king himself.
By this point, his infamy was sky high and with every passing day, the rumors about his deeds of cruelty became more exaggerated than yesterday.