We spurred the horses forward for now.
I instructed Seras to ride parallel with Eve and the others.
Eve looked visibly shaken.
"What is wrong?"
"I often go out alone at night. Even if I was not in my room tonight, there should not have been much sense of unease…"
The White Foot Pavilion had already been on the verge of closing.
There had been no one else inside the building besides the mistress.
I had also turned off the lights in the shop.
At the very least, I thought the body would not be discovered until morning, but…
"Did you tell anyone about leaving the royal capital? For example, to your fellow blood gladiators—"
"No, I told no one. I was especially careful not to let the duke, the branch chief of the Mercenary Guild, or the duke's private guard captain notice anything."
Eve let out a low growl of self-reproach from the back of her throat.
It seemed she had some idea.
"Just before leaving the blood arena, I encountered a man. Perhaps he noticed something odd about my appearance at that time."
"Who was it?"
"A man named Muaji. I had been paying attention to the presence of others. But… to my shame, I did not notice his approach until he spoke to me."
"I see."
I looked back.
"So the boss of the Ashinto."
I faced forward again.
Eve's guess was probably correct.
Muaji had sensed something off about Eve's behavior at that time.
From the information we had obtained, the Ashinto were connected to the duke.
"The Muaji who was concerned about your behavior went straight to the duke to report the unease. That Eve Speed's behavior was strange. And… he suggested they should check whether Eve had taken her belongings and the situation at the White Foot Pavilion where Liz was."
The pursuers had moved too quickly.
The reason was simply that the pursuers had noticed too soon.
The factor that allowed them to notice so quickly was Muaji.
The boss of the Ashinto seemed to have excellent observational skills.
His reading was also sharp.
For a con artist, those abilities are essential.
"…"
In short, the guy is sharp.
The load on the horses.
Riding double.
Their speed was superior.
If things continued like this, they would eventually catch up.
The lights were steadily drawing closer.
However, their number was gradually decreasing.
Some of the lights had entered the groves on both sides.
They were searching inside the groves as well.
Even so, a considerable number still remained.
Our horses climbed a gentle slope.
I turned my head and checked behind us.
Beyond the leading group, another cluster of lights could be seen.
"That must be the second wave… quite a number."
They were working hard.
I gave instructions.
"Stop the horses and dismount."
Seras slowed the horse.
Eve looked flustered.
"What are you going to do?"
"We will meet them head-on."
Seras loosened her hold on me and I said,
"It is mostly ready."
▽
The two horses galloped off into the darkness.
The branches tied to their bodies emitted light.
They were the horses we had been riding.
It was fortunate that both Seras and Eve were skilled at handling horses.
Both horses galloped away vigorously as intended.
Since they carried nothing, their speed was fast.
The glowing branches were the power of the light spirits.
They could grant light to a target for a certain period of time.
However, the price was by no means cheap.
"Sorry, Seras."
"It is fine."
"Once things calm down, I will let you sleep soundly."
Seras smiled faintly.
"Yes, please do so by all means."
The sound of multiple hooves approached.
We held our breath inside the bushes.
"Vice commander! Look at that!"
"That light!? All right—we have finally caught them! There are two lights! It must be the leopard person and the girl with her!"
"As that man Muaji predicted, the two seem to have headed north!"
"Yeah, as expected of the Black Dragon Slayers!"
"The ones sent in other directions ended up wasting their time, though!"
"It was fortunate that we were the ones sent north! All right! The title of Leopard Slayer will be ours! We cannot let the Ashinto or the mercenaries take it! Chase them! Chase them!"
The first wave passed by noisily.
The leading first wave seemed to be the duke's private soldiers…
From their tone, that was what I could infer.
It seemed there were others sent in different directions.
Thanks to silencing the mistress's mouth, we had achieved some effect.
We had managed to disperse their forces, even if only slightly.
Eve spoke in a hushed voice.
"From the way they spoke, it seems the Ashinto and the mercenaries have also been mobilized…"
"The mercenaries were probably gathered by the duke with the promise of rewards. The Ashinto came out to show off their own power, as I said earlier."
The first wave chased after the galloping horses.
Right now the horses we had been riding were unburdened.
It would take them a while to catch up.
For the time being, the diversion had succeeded.
While hiding in the bushes, Eve looked toward the second wave.
"There were no Ashinto in the leading group. In that case, that second wave is probably the Ashinto."
Muaji had read that Eve had fled north.
If so, there was a high chance she was heading this way.
She should not have gone anywhere other than north.
In other words, the second wave could be considered the Ashinto with high probability.
"Eve."
"Hm?"
"You have good night vision and sharp hearing, right?"
"Yes."
"There is one thing I want to ask of you… after that is done, hide in the grove a little ahead with Liz and the luggage. I will remain here."
"I will fight here too."
"What I am about to do requires Seras. That means someone else needs to protect Liz. If Liz is captured, there is a risk she will be used as a hostage. Right?"
"Muu…"
Eve obediently backed down.
She had said earlier that she would follow my instructions.
It seemed she was not lying.
I looked up at the sky through the branches and leaves.
Thick clouds floated heavily tonight.
It was good that the moon was often hidden.
We could make full use of the darkness.
Seras brought her face closer.
"They probably do not know of our existence on this side. They must think only Eve and Liz are escaping. So if we do it well, we may be able to catch them off guard."
"I wonder."
Seras tilted her head slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"Somehow, I feel that the man named Muaji is also assuming the existence of accomplices."
"Lord Touka thinks quite highly of Muaji."
"About that curse technique they use… don't you think it smells fishy?"
"Well, it certainly does feel suspicious. Unlike formulas or spirit techniques, it feels like it has no real substance…"
"Despite that, Muaji has made many people believe in the effectiveness of the curse technique. There is a sense that his subordinates genuinely worship him… Muaji is probably quite a nasty liar."
I do have some idea about the true nature of the curse technique…
Eve, who had been listening to the conversation, tilted her head.
"In short, what are you trying to say?"
"For better or worse, Muaji has a sharp mind."
I tapped my temple with my finger.
"And quite sharp at that."
The other side is also trying to read our movements.
They are probably still trying to figure out how we will move.
The speed at which the pursuers were dispatched tells the story.
The words of the private soldier earlier.
"As that man Muaji predicted, the two seem to have headed north!"
Muaji had read that Eve had fled north.
He had probably inferred it from that rumor.
"Eve Speed knows the location of the Forbidden Witch."
Muaji had known that rumor.
The Golden Demon Zone, where the Forbidden Witch was said to be hiding.
If the current Eve was going to take a gamble and flee with Liz, there was no other place but there.
Muaji had immediately read that.
"…"
In short, the guy is sharp.
While holding the luggage, Eve asked,
"Do you have a chance of winning against that number?"
"It depends on the method. If it is an opponent we cannot beat by confronting them head-on, we just need to drag them into a domain where we can win."
Liz held the remaining luggage.
I stood up and looked in the direction of the second wave.
"Still, I never expected to clash with the Ashinto here of all places."
"…Sorry. It is all because I was careless."
This was the umpteenth apology from Eve.
I looked at Eve.
"It may indeed be your fault that this situation was invited."
At that, Liz hurriedly bowed her head.
As if to say that Eve's actions were her shared responsibility.
"Everything big sister did was for my sake… so the one at fault is me… therefore…"
Liz's small shoulders were trembling.
This was bad.
My wording had been poor.
I let out a breath.
"No, do not misunderstand. I am not blaming Eve. Of course, not Liz either."
The fly mask in hand, I twisted the corner of my mouth.
"The current situation might produce the result I desire if things go well… for me, it might actually be convenient."
My reaction seemed unexpected.
Both Eve and Liz looked taken aback.
I put on the fly mask.
"Now then, let us begin."