Chapter 164: Detect Evil and Good

There were many professionals present, and Byron made no effort to conceal his use of teleportation.

Before Byron even stepped out, he had already drawn the attention of many. Space rippled beside Gallop and Lehman, the void slowly peeling open like a pouch, and Byron squeezed through it as if he were stepping out of a flat painting.

In the heat of battle, such a flashy entrance would undoubtedly make him a primary target for the enemy, but his dramatic display successfully captured everyone's eyes.

Though they were already aware that Byron had mastered spatial teleportation, seeing it with their own eyes still felt incredible.

It had not been long since Netheril acquired the Golden Scrolls, and the magic mastered by humanity was still relatively sparse. Most were low-level spells, with high-level ones being a distinct rarity—let alone high-end arcane arts like spatial teleportation.

To this day, very few across the entirety of Netheril possessed the ability to teleport.

Although Byron had always been hailed as a genius and even praised by some as the second Congenio, the label of "genius" was often inflated. Everyone entering Gilles Academy was a genius; Gallop himself had always been called one. Geniuses are inherently proud, and had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, they would never have believed that a mere mid-level spellcaster had mastered spatial teleportation.

Even with prior rumors circulating, most of the younger generation believed he must have merely taken a shortcut. After all, Byron hadn't even graduated yet. To accept that some brat was superior to oneself based solely on a "rumor" was something many refused to acknowledge.

Yet, Byron’s actions just now finally woke up the self-righteous crowd.

"Spatial teleportation!"

Quite a few faces registered envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Byron’s arrival instantly drew everyone's attention. Those present were essentially the scions of the younger noble generation—the backbone of this era's nobility—and quite a few had already advanced to high-tier ranks.

They could all sense the abnormally vast reservoir of mana within Byron, one that rivaled even a high-tier spellcaster!

"How is that possible?"

"He's only mid-tier! How can he possess such massive amounts of mana?!"

"Could he have already advanced to high-tier, using some unknown magic to conceal his true level?"

...

Sensing Byron’s unreasonable state, many found it difficult to believe.

Byron glanced briefly at Gallop, then swept his gaze across the assembled crowd.

Within his field of vision, the projection data from his chip flickered wildly.

Gallop: Spellcaster, Wizard 12 / Arcanist 4. Gender: Male. Strength 12, Agility 13, Constitution 10, Intelligence >14, Wisdom >10, Charisma 16.

Nazine: Ranger 12 / Wizard 3. Gender: Male. Strength 14, Agility 16, Constitution 16, Intelligence 11, Wisdom >12, Charisma 15.

...

As expected, among everyone present, Gallop possessed the highest power level. Still, data was just data; it wasn't as though high-tier individuals hadn't fallen at Byron's hands before.

Byron lingered a moment longer on Gallop. He certainly looked handsome—no wonder his charisma was so high. But how was his constitution so fragile?

Gallop was a high-tier practitioner, after all, with astonishing perceptual awareness. He could feel Byron's gaze lingering on him, but the final look of pity in those eyes made no sense, stirring an inexplicable anger within him.

"Are you Byron Iolum?" Gallop asked with a hostile expression.

Byron did not answer immediately. He took a sweeping look around. All the prominent noble families of Sevenkeeps were represented here, though some clever ones had removed their family crests in advance. Without the chip's analysis, Byron would never have been able to keep track of so many faces.

"Lehman," Byron said softly.

"Here, Boss!" Lehman quickly replied.

Seeing Byron appear, Lehman finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just moments ago, he had truly felt as though he were seconds from death.

"We are the people of Netheril, law-abiding citizens. We should actively cooperate with the wartime citizen ordinances. Go and call our people out."

Byron raised his voice deliberately, as if intending for everyone else to hear.

A good number of people in the surrounding crowd furrowed their brows, sensing that this kid was no simple character.

Gallop, standing nearby, wore an even darker expression. As the most brilliant figure of the younger generation, when had he ever been treated with such disrespect? The plebeian from earlier had dared to talk back to him, and now this brat didn't even deign to look at him...

"But Boss, they issued a temporary requisition order and are supposed to provide a formal seizure certificate. In case heavy losses occur..."

"Oh, it's fine. What are a few minor losses? Consider it an unconditional donation," Byron said magnanimously. "After all, everyone present is fighting for Netheril and to protect its people. Surely they wouldn't go around destroying the facilities and equipment inside without reason."

Byron spoke in a booming voice. "As for the certificates, don't bother asking for them. If anyone damages anything intentionally... I trust they will voluntarily compensate us."

"Lehman."

"Uh... yes, Boss?"

"Just make a mental note. We'll know who to look for later."

Byron spoke loudly, then his expression darkened as he looked coldly at the surrounding crowd. "Gustav, Morien, Nassif, Felix, Lester..."

With every family name Byron called out, the complexion of that family's commander or team leader shifted slightly. Even some who had preemptively swapped their crest badges looked at Byron in disbelief. An ominous premonition began to bloom in the hearts of many.

Finally, Byron turned his head, fixing his gaze squarely on Gallop. He enunciated every single word with deliberate clarity: "Kiran. One of the Seven Great Families of Netheril—the Kiran family!"

Gallop’s pupils constricted, and fury surged within him. "That damned brat!" He could perceive the utter contempt in Byron's eyes.

Coldness, dismissal, and a sliver of pity.

Accustomed to being the center of attention since childhood, when had he ever suffered such utter disregard? The anger that had barely subsided flared up instantly.

"Wretched brat!" Gallop glared at Byron with a furious expression.

Byron's expression shifted as a blue light flickered in his eyes.

[Arcane Eye] activated. The Arcane Eye was primarily used to detect magical auras, but with the chip's assistance, it could faintly perceive the flow and trajectory of natural magical elements. As Byron's strength grew, the details visible through the Arcane Eye became increasingly clear.

"What is this?"

Vaguely, he seemed to notice a dark shadow clinging to Gallop's body, resonating with the throbbing sensation of 'Qi' within Byron's own physique.

"This is an aura of evil?!"

As the 'Qi' inside Byron gently pulsed, it felt as though it had triggered something.

"Lehman, step back!" Byron shouted in a low voice, grabbing Lehman and retreating swiftly.

In the next instant, an aura belonging to a high-tier professional erupted forth.

Many around them wore playful expressions. They had all seen Byron cast a spell first; using detection magic to casually scan others was a severe provocation.

Yet, Gallop's reaction seemed a bit over the top.

What shocked them even more was that after retreating and steadying himself, Byron flicked his wrist, casting a spell directly upon Gallop.

A crimson glow immediately flared over Gallop's body.

"[Detect Good and Evil]?"

"How is that possible?"

...

Byron's sudden move shocked quite a few people, but what surprised them even more was the intense red light radiating from Gallop.

Many stared at Gallop with incredulous eyes. A red glow was one thing, but for a light to be this crimson, just how many people would he have had to slaughter?

Detect Good and Evil was a fascinating spell.

'Good' manifested as golden light, 'Evil' as red light, and 'Neutrality' as a clear white radiance.

The determination of good and evil was judged from the perspective of the caster. And because it was a divine spell, the power to judge good and evil effectively belonged to the deities, as the source of divine magic lay with the gods.

That was why so many found it strange when Byron cast it. Of course, they could certainly tell whether or not he had used a spell scroll.

The interesting part lay right here. If the caster served a lawful good deity like Amaunator, their values would naturally align with normal human standards.

However, fallen clerics devoted to evil could also cast [Detect Good and Evil]. Such apostate clerics had abandoned their original deities to pledge themselves to evil gods or outer entities.

If an evil deity happened to be a pervert, and the person being detected by the cleric happened to be a pervert as well, then when the cleric used [Detect Good and Evil] on that pervert, a golden light would burst forth. The more the pervert's actions aligned with the deity's "tastes," the deeper the golden light would be.

Most clerics and paladins of the gods were chosen in much this exact manner.

Byron was not a cleric, so the source of the spell was himself. Within his subjective consciousness, Gallop was a villain, so when Byron hurled the [Detect Good and Evil] spell at him, Gallop naturally turned crimson verging on purple.

Gallop was equally stunned to see the red glow enveloping his own body. The last shred of rationality he had retained was instantly obliterated by Byron's spell.

As that final trace of sanity vanished, the dark aura within him expanded rapidly, and the crimson-purple light quickly shifted to pitch black.

Whether red or gold, at least it indicated humanity; the degree of one's virtue or vice remained subjectively acceptable, and even the worst criminals were judged by the laws of mortals.

It was like someone being a deviant who liked abusing small animals—everyone knew it was wrong, but they couldn't simply execute him on the spot. At worst, he would be locked away for a time or subjected to reform. Broadly speaking, such a person was still redeemable.

Once it turned black, however, there was no saving them. It meant the individual had already surrendered to an evil deity or fallen completely—much like cancerous cells in the human body.

As the red light slowly blackened, Gallop let out a furious roar. As the saying goes, corruption grants a threefold power boost; Gallop's strength surged rapidly.

Byron’s eyes narrowed as two rings of mana burst forth, revolving around his body. The pressure of a high-tier lifeform instantly vanished.

"So this external mana-pendant trick has this kind of effect as well." Byron felt a trace of internal surprise.

Though the pressure of rank had dissipated, the threat to his life had not.

Gallop’s eyes gradually turned crimson, followed by an inhuman roar as he lunged fiercely toward Byron.

"So fast!" Byron thought to himself, preparing to teleport away.

At that moment, a deafening crash echoed.

Dust and smoke billowed instantly...