Chapter 125 – A Duel of Sound Alone
"Elias… do you really think confronting Brutus in front of a crowd is a good idea?"
"Flamme, you know perfectly well that everything that happened today was aimed directly at me."
Leaning against the window, Elias looked down as the city lord's invited guests streamed through the manor gates.
"Even if we left Amber City right now, he would simply repeat the same trick in the next city."
"Rather than leave the problem for later, it's better to settle it here."
"He must have guessed that someone like me—a Great Demon from the Mythic Age—would never run away."
"And besides…"
A faint smile appeared on Elias's lips.
"With 'Elias' in my possession, I have even less reason to flee."
"…Very well. Then we should head downstairs."
Flamme turned and glanced around the empty room.
"Sending Frieren and Robin into town was a good idea. At least they won't get dragged into this."
"Relax, Flamme."
Elias quietly opened the door.
"I have a feeling that my duel with Brutus—both the process and the outcome—won't cause the slightest disturbance among the crowd."
Then he looked back with a teasing grin.
"And besides, aren't you here? Lady Flamme—the one the city lord mistook for my lover."
"Don't talk nonsense."
The worry in Flamme's eyes instantly vanished, replaced by embarrassment and irritation.
"That city lord is unbelievable. At his age, not only are his eyes failing, apparently his mind is too—making such ridiculous assumptions."
Grumbling under her breath, Flamme stepped out of the room. Elias followed her down the stairs.
Together they entered the concert hall, where guests were still filing in.
Flamme was still muttering.
"A perfect match? In what way? I'm only in my early twenties—my youth is just beginning—"
"Lady Flamme!"
Two middle-aged noblewomen suddenly rushed toward them, brimming with excitement.
"And this gentleman—if I'm not mistaken—is Lady Flamme's lover!"
"We were fortunate enough to witness the two of you slaying a monster earlier today. What a breathtaking sight!"
Flamme's face turned deathly pale.
Taking a deep breath, she forced some color back into it.
"My apologies, ladies. The gentleman you're referring to is not my lover."
"Oh? I see—our mistake then. Though you two really do look quite well—"
"Ladies!"
Flamme hurriedly cut them off.
"If there's nothing else, we'll be taking our seats now."
To avoid further attention, she deliberately chose seats at the very edge of the hall.
Staring straight at the stage, she tried her best to pretend the earlier conversation had never happened.
Elias wisely said nothing and quietly sat beside her.
Once all the guests had taken their seats, Lord Scott stepped onto the stage and delivered a long, tedious speech in front of the curtain.
In essence, it was about how tirelessly he worked to protect Amber City and how hard he had labored to restore its prosperity.
By the time Flamme was nearly asleep, Scott finally finished and stepped down under the audience's increasingly impatient stares.
Then—
As the curtain slowly rose, a dark figure appeared under the lights.
"Elias. He's here."
At Flamme's quiet warning, Elias focused his gaze on the musician.
Long black hair framed pointed elven ears.
And in his hands—
a white flute.
If that still wasn't enough proof…
Both Elias and Flamme could clearly see the faint fluctuations of magic surrounding him.
That alone was enough to confirm it.
He was Brutus.
The moment their eyes met, neither of them spoke—but an invisible battle had already begun, one that no one else in the hall could possibly perceive.
As the dark-haired elf raised the flute to his lips, Flamme glanced at the demon beside her.
"Elias… are you ready?"
"There's nothing to prepare."
"What? Don't tell me you intend to—"
Before she could finish, the flute's melody flowed through the hall.
Her heartbeat quickened instantly.
That arrogant fool…
Was Elias really planning to face Brutus head-on while remaining in his demon form?
To the ordinary audience, the music sounded beautiful—almost heavenly.
But in Elias's ears, it was nothing more than a grating incantation.
Even so, his body didn't tremble in the slightest.
At most, he felt a faint irritation.
Flamme held her breath, her focus no longer on the music itself but entirely on Elias.
Good… at least no horns.
After what happened last time, it seemed Elias had made preparations.
Yet as the performance reached its crescendo, Brutus's melody grew more and more intense.
Elias's gaze flickered slightly.
But the corner of his mouth curled upward.
Interesting…
To be able to influence him even to this degree—
No wonder this man had once been a genius personally recognized by Serie.
At that moment, Flamme noticed a change in Brutus as well.
The slight crease between his brows deepened with every passing second.
Something was clearly going wrong.
Had he overestimated himself?
Or underestimated his opponent?
By the time the final movement arrived, faint bloodshot veins had appeared in Brutus's eyes.
Then—
—ROAR!
The performance ended.
The audience leapt to their feet, erupting into thunderous applause.
Brutus lowered his flute, his chest heaving violently.
To the spectators, it looked as though he had simply poured his soul into the performance.
But in truth—
He had just fought a fierce and exhausting battle.
And lost.
By contrast, Elias merely exhaled slowly with a faint smile.
"Flamme, that worried look on your face during the performance was unnecessary."
"Even without relying on 'Elias,' Brutus is no match for me."
"Did you feel it? His magic has already retreated in disgrace."
"For at least the next hundred years, Brutus won't dare appear before me again."
---
Late that night, Brutus left the city alone.
Standing atop a mountain ridge, he gazed down at the scattered lights of Amber City.
Although he hadn't succeeded—
At least he had confirmed the existence of the one called Elias.
A Great Demon from the Mythic Age…
For now… there's nothing I can do against him.
Just then, a voice suddenly echoed through the empty air.
"Surely you've witnessed Lord Elias's power by now."
Brutus immediately realized what it was—
An echo spell left behind by that old man, Pierre.
"Lord Brutus," Pierre's voice continued calmly,
"perhaps it will take several hundred years… perhaps even a thousand… before you can truly challenge Elias."
"But if my guess is correct, you have no intention of waiting that long."
"However… what if you could find another Great Demon from the Mythic Age?"
Brutus couldn't help but sneer.
He had searched for over a century.
Aside from Elias, where else could such a being possibly exist?
Yet in the next moment, Pierre's voice echoed once more:
"Lord Brutus…"
"Go to the southern continent."
"To Lake-Ring City."
"The clue is there."