Gazing at the tablet, the man paused before picking it up and stuffing it into his pocket with a confused expression.
However, his main goal remained unchanged.
As the castle's open portcullis came into sight, he immediatly looked at the smartwatch on his wrist, a holographic screen popping out of it.
After notifying the "The Sanctum," the hero organization of this world, he sprinted forward through the open gate, a bright light flashing in his right hand as dozens of particles gathered together to form a cool gold pistol.
Inside the castle, the four remaining elves' pointed ears suddenly perked up as they sensed the holographic screen.
With his eyebrows raised, the tallest and leader of the four, with a long white beard, irritably said.
"Is it that child again? Go take care of him, Cullis."
Nodding his head, the elf named Cullis, someone who Athen would judge as a high D-rank, ran out of the keep and into the courtyard, perhaps not noticing the missing painting due to his rush.
However, before even stepping onto the courtyard, his eyes widened.
"The gate...is open?"
In the next moment, the elf felt a cold metal rub against the back of his head.
"Move or scream and you die."
Standing behind Cullis, his pistol barrel attached to the back of the elf's head, Black Clover whispered and gestured for the elf to move forward.
Holding the elf to the wall with his barrel, the hero immediatly asked.
"How many of you are here?"
His voice barely tangible as his lips kissed the stone-brick wall, the elf managed to mutter.
"f-five."
"And why are you invading the human realm? Don't you know the boundary is ov-"
Immediatly, the elf's eyes flared as he screamed out, completely forgetting about the hero's warning earlier.
"INVADING? INVADING!? THIS IS OUR LAND THAT YOU T-"
Before the elf could make any more noise, Black Clover raised his gun and pistol-whipped the elf, instantly knocking him unconscious.
As the elf's body slumped against the stone-brick wall, falling to the ground lifelessly, Black Clover entered the keep.
With his gifted ability of stealth, he easily passed through the corridors, hiding in the shadows, until spotting a group of three elves.
Instantly, three black lights shone in the hero's hands, just low enough that the elf didn't notice, and in the next moment, three solid black bullets manifested.
Opening his gun's barrel and loading the three bullets, Black Clover didn't even bother to aim, simply aiming his pistol at the sky and pressing the trigger.
*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*
Moving faster, perhaps even the sound caused by the shots, the bullets split into three different pathways, despite being fired in the same direction, with each one aimed at an elf's head.
Before the group of elves could even turn around, the bullets made contact with their necks, and in the next second, they were knocked unconscious.
As their bodies fell to the floor, Black Clover sighed and grabbed each of their legs, dragging them through the corridor, out of the fortress keep, and into the courtyard.
As soon as he laid the three bodies next to the other one, he suddenly heard a sound echo from right outside the gate.
"Hero #421 Skywalker, reporting for duty!"
A blonde girl, with a pair of flashy blue sunglasses to cover her light-blue eyes, strolled into the fortress, seemingly dressed for a day out with a tank top and blue jeans.
However, before the girl reached the courtyard, Black Clover's body...simply vanished in thin air, only leaving behind a small trail of pitch-black particles that also disappeared a moment later.
Confused, Skywalker could only stare at the four unconscious elven bodies with her eyes narrowed.
"...looks like my job is done."
Grabbing the bodies and stuffing them into a portable space that resembled a brown luxury purse, Skywalker sighed and flew back into the air, exiting the Lotus Pavilion within seconds.
Walking through a magic gate, just to the right of the Lotus Pavilion, the girl muttered angrily before vanishing into thin air.
"What am I? A delivery girl!?"
...
...
...
Letting out a sigh of relief, I tightly clenched the metal keychain in my pocket while exiting the Lotus Pavilion.
With my collared shirt torn apart, revealing portions of my back, and the bottom of my pants ripped to shreds, displaying my ankles, I was subject to dozens of gazes.
Even my hair was drenched, bits of water falling to the ground as I walked beneath the shining sun.
Sighing, I could only pass by the massive mana gate to my right and continue to the train station.
Not at the level of wealth...yet.
Finding a bench, I leaned backward and gazed up at the sky, waiting for my hair to dry.
The first of many potential crises had been avoided.
If the elves hadn't stolen anything and were simply looking around, the human government, also known as "The Sanctuary," wouldn't take their trespassing as harshly.
Though a green clove mark remained tattooed just above the left portion of my chest.
Well...someone had to do it.
This was my world, and I had to take responsibility for it.
Even if it means sacrificing my body and mind, I have to do it.
At that moment, as I reflected, the sudden thought popped into my head.
Will all the horrible scenes that I made but deleted before the final draft happen?
If so, there were going to be many issues.
I was a teenager, filled with both positive and...mostly negative emotions, while initially writing this book.
I clenched my fist and exhaustedly groaned while recalling my teenage years of writing.
Massacres, unnecessarily tragic backstories, complete disregard for my own character's lives, fires that wiped out cities...I had made so many mistakes.
What...about deleted characters?
Would all the removed overpowered villains I created come back to life as well...?
Trembling, I slowly stood up and walked toward the train station in the distance.
This...was horrible, no worse than I could have ever imagined.
No... no, if all the scenes and characters I deleted were coming back to life...my protagonist was the opposite of overpowered.