Chapter 131 – Kill on Sight
The carriage swayed gently along the road.
Elias sat on one side, quietly watching Flamme on the opposite seat.
Frieren was leaning against Flamme's left leg, acting spoiled, while Teresa gently held onto her right arm.
From the outside, the scene looked strangely harmonious.
But in his mind, Elias pressed the question.
"Flamme, you know perfectly well that a four-person team is already enough."
"—But we're missing a sage," Flamme replied calmly. "And Teresa just happened to appear at the right moment."
"Heh. So you've noticed too… how absurdly convenient that coincidence is."
"Just as you suspect, Elias," Flamme said quietly.
"Perhaps everything that has happened on this journey so far was carefully arranged by that person."
"Besides that, Flamme," Elias continued, "have you forgotten something? About the source of the villagers' curse—she's the only survivor."
"—That's right!"
Flamme suddenly exclaimed out loud.
The sudden shout startled Frieren and Teresa, who both immediately sat upright.
"Lady Flamme? Did something happen?"
Flamme turned to Teresa.
"Teresa, when the villagers were cursed, you were the only one still awake."
"Did you see who attacked them? Was it a monster, or a humanoid demon?"
Teresa clenched her teeth as she tried to recall what had happened. Her brows knit tighter and tighter.
"…It's strange."
"Even at the time, I couldn't tell."
"How could that be?"
Flamme pressed urgently.
"You could even see through Elias's demonic identity. How could you fail to distinguish the attacker?"
"That's because…"
Teresa tried to remember.
"The creature didn't have any killing intent. After making the villagers fall asleep, it simply left."
"And the magical aura around it was very strange."
"Compared to a monster… it actually felt more like a human."
The moment those words were spoken, Flamme and Elias exchanged a deep glance.
Human magic controlling the body of a monster…
Only one possibility came to mind.
"So, Elias," Flamme asked quietly, "what role do you think Brutus is playing in this?"
"…Hard to say," Elias replied.
"But I have a feeling we'll be hearing that name again far sooner than expected."
---
"I'm very sorry, but all the rooms in our station are already occupied. Since there are several of you, you might want to head south to the border city of Hel City."
Elias listened expressionlessly to the innkeeper's explanation and replied coldly:
"This journey has been quite eventful. First landslides, then curses… and now what's the excuse this time?"
The innkeeper's eyes trembled slightly before he forced an awkward smile.
"You're joking, sir. We really are completely full."
"Is that so?"
Elias raised his eyes toward the three-story inn, his gaze settling on a room at the far end.
"Strange. I can clearly sense that most of the rooms are empty. Only that one room is crowded… with people you've kidnapped."
"You're asking for death!"
—THUD!
Elias didn't even move.
Yet the innkeeper suddenly collapsed to the ground with a swollen lump on his forehead.
Flamme sighed and shook her head.
"The south truly lives up to its reputation. We haven't even left the Central Continent yet, and we've already encountered several serious incidents."
"As for this bandit pretending to be an innkeeper… he must be interrogated."
"Thank you, Lady Flamme."
Before the voice even finished speaking, Flamme had already sensed a sudden surge of magic approaching.
The group turned around.
A bald young man stood behind them.
More eye-catching than his shaved head was the cross-shaped brand burned into his scalp.
And the magical power emanating from him felt far beyond what one would expect from someone who looked barely in his teens.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the young man said calmly.
"I'm Enrique, a mage of the Hel Mercenary Corps. It's an honor to meet you, Lady Flamme."
"The Hel Mercenary Corps?"
Flamme nodded.
"If I remember correctly, that's the mercenary force directly under the Lord of Hel City. Why are you here?"
"To catch a criminal."
Enrique glanced at the trembling bandit on the ground.
"That man is the murderer in a homicide case in Hel City."
"What?!"
The bandit shouted in panic.
"When did I kill anyone?! I haven't even been to Hel City recently!"
"I only seized this station to extort some money! Murder? I'm just a petty thief—I'd never dare do something like that!"
"That's unfortunate," Enrique said coldly.
"That's not your decision to make."
"The city lord has already given the order—once you're found…"
"Kill on sight."
"Wait."
This time, Flamme spoke.
"Mage Enrique, you claim he's a murderer. Could you show us the evidence?"
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Lady Flamme."
"This is a Hel City case. The details are confidential and cannot be disclosed to outsiders."
He deliberately emphasized the word outsiders, reminding Flamme of her position.
At the same time, Flamme clearly felt the killing intent Enrique directed toward the bandit.
The situation was urgent.
Through telepathy, she quickly sent a message to Elias:
Elias, if we want to keep that man alive, you know what to do.
Heh, Flamme… are we meddling in other people's affairs again?
This isn't meddling. Don't you feel something strange about this whole situation?
Seeing that Flamme hadn't acted, Enrique slowly raised his right hand.
—CRACK!
When the sound of death echoed, confusion filled Enrique's eyes.
Because he hadn't even moved yet.
The bandit had already become a corpse.
Looking up, he saw that the black-clad figure beside Flamme had made the move.
Elias glanced at the body on the ground and smiled faintly before turning to Enrique.
"Flamme acted a little rashly earlier, so I took care of the bandit for you."
"Consider it an apology to your city lord."
"By the way, my name is Elias."
Enrique studied both Flamme and Elias, then let out a faint scoff.
"I've heard that Lady Flamme is the most upright of mages."
"I didn't expect someone so… peculiar to be traveling at her side."
"And what an interesting group."
"A guard with no magic power, an elf with fading magic, and a mere ordinary person?"
"Very well. I'll pass your goodwill on to the city lord."
"But let me offer some advice."
Enrique turned to leave, then suddenly looked back with a sharp gaze.
"Once you enter Hel City, you'd best not interfere in other people's affairs the way you did today."
"…Heh."
Only after Enrique's presence had completely disappeared did Flamme turn to Elias.
"Where is that bandit?"
Elias casually brushed away the corpse of his clone and summoned the real bandit back.
The next second—
"AAAAAH! My hand—my hand is gone!"
Elias tilted his head slightly.
"Ah… I forgot about the side effects of materializing illusions."
"You should treat him quickly. Otherwise he might actually die."
Flamme's eyelid twitched.
"Is that really something you should say so casually?!"