Chapter 133 – The Arrest Operation
"Lord City Governor, that is the full report. I failed in my duty—please punish me accordingly."
Enrique knelt respectfully, recounting everything that had happened at the outpost outside the city to Alden, the lord of Hel City.
"Enrique, this wasn't something within your control."
Alden rose from his chair, walked over, and personally helped him to his feet.
"Who would have expected the Valkyrie of the Northern Battlefield to appear in a southern border city?"
"…Serié's disciple, hm… That's not someone we can ignore."
After a moment of thought, Alden spoke decisively:
"At least until Flamme leaves, we must not act rashly."
He then issued an order:
"Inform every member of the Hel Mercenary Corps—suspend all arrest operations."
"…But, my lord," Enrique hesitated, "we've lost contact with the mage Gemma."
"You know how that girl is—she loves showing off, especially in front of crowds."
"She was supposed to return in seven days. Could this affect our plans?"
Alden smiled with calculated confidence.
"Didn't you say Flamme only stayed at the outpost for one night?"
"She's clearly in a hurry. She won't remain in Hel City for long."
"In seven days, she'll be long gone. There's no need to worry."
---
"Boss, can you make this pork knuckle a bit cheaper? Maybe… 20% off?"
"Hah! Miss Elf, you must be joking! Do you think I sell meat without making a profit?"
Frieren was about to continue bargaining when Robin grabbed her arm.
"Hey, Frieren, we already have enough meat. If we buy more, it'll just rot."
"What do you know?"
Frieren shook him off.
"I can preserve the leftovers with freezing magic. Defrost whenever I want—perfect!"
"—But Lady Flamme said vegetables and fruits are important too."
At that moment, Teresa appeared, carrying a large bag filled with colorful produce.
"It's fine, I've already bought some. Let's head back to the inn together."
"—Help! I'm innocent!"
Suddenly, a scream echoed from a nearby street.
The three turned to look—there was already a crowd gathering.
Frieren quickly stuffed everything into her storage pouch, eyes lighting up.
"It's still early. Let's go see what's happening!"
The three of them pushed through the crowd with brute force until they reached the front.
At the center, a high-ponytailed girl walked proudly, basking in the admiration of the townspeople.
In her hand was an iron chain.
At the other end, a young man was being dragged along, shouting desperately:
"I'm innocent! I didn't kill anyone! You've got the wrong person!"
Instead of sympathy, the crowd responded with hostility, throwing things at him.
"Shameless murderer! After committing such a crime, you still dare to deny it?!"
"Lady Gemma is truly heroic—she even went outside the city to capture him herself!"
"That's right! Hel City is peaceful now thanks to the mercenary corps!"
Frieren listened quietly.
Suddenly, a firm hand grabbed her arm.
She turned around.
"Teresa? What's wrong?"
Teresa stared at the accused boy, her eyes trembling.
"Frieren… that person… there's no way he could be a murderer!"
"You know him?"
"His name is Hughes. He was my childhood friend!"
"…That's quite a coincidence. Teresa, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"I'm sure!"
"There are two scars on his neck—one deeper than the other. I accidentally caused them when we were kids. Look closely!"
Hearing this, both Frieren and Robin turned their attention to the boy.
"…Yeah. Those are pretty distinctive scars…"
"But why would he—"
"He wouldn't!"
Teresa cut in firmly, her voice filled with conviction.
"He would never do something like that."
Teresa spoke with absolute certainty:
"Hughes is the kind of person who wouldn't even step on an ant. There's no way he could kill someone!"
"And didn't you hear him? Just like that bandit earlier, he said he was framed too. There's definitely something wrong with this!"
Seeing the seriousness on Teresa's face, Frieren knew they couldn't just ignore this.
"…Alright. Then we'll have to talk to Hughes directly."
Robin suddenly let out a dry laugh.
"Heh, Frieren… that guy's about to be thrown into prison. How exactly are we supposed to 'talk' to him?"
"—Simple."
A sly smile spread across Frieren's face as she leaned in and whispered her plan to Robin and Teresa.
"…I refuse."
Robin's face went pale.
"This ridiculous plan doesn't suit me at all. There's no way I'm agreeing to it."
Frieren shot him a look full of disdain.
"The two of us girls are already going along with it, and you—a grown man—want to hide behind us?"
"Forget it. If we hesitate any longer, Hughes will be taken away."
With that, Frieren leapt out of the crowd.
"…Damn it, Frieren!"
Robin clenched his teeth.
"No choice now… whatever happens, I'll just have to go through with it!"
—Clang!
The mercenary Gemma suddenly stopped, a chill running down her neck.
"This presence…?"
She spun around—
The moment she saw the white-haired elf descending from midair, she realized her body wouldn't move at all.
"…A sneak attack?!"
Before she could react, the elf landed—and immediately after, a brown-haired warrior leapt up, swinging a massive blade straight toward her head!
—Slash!
Her long ponytail—eight years of carefully grown hair—
Was cut clean off in a single stroke.
Then, a light-blue-haired girl walked forward, smiling as she picked up the severed hair.
"Hehe… hair this long should sell for a good price, right?"
Everyone froze in shock.
The next second, Gemma broke free from the restraint—but the sheer absurdity left her stunned.
"You… you three…"
"…You actually tried to cut off my hair and sell it?! Such a ridiculous crime…"
"All of you—get into prison!!!"
—BANG!!!
The cell door slammed shut with a loud crash.
The three exchanged glances, then simultaneously turned toward Hughes, who was crouched in the corner.
He was trembling, head lowered, not daring to meet their eyes.
Frieren nodded in satisfaction.
"Thank the Goddess—we ended up in the same cell as him~"
Robin's face was full of disbelief.
"This is the first time I've ever heard someone thank the Goddess for going to jail. What kind of insane plan is this…"
Teresa, however, pursed her lips and looked at her childhood friend with sympathy.
"See? Hughes has always been timid… even more timid than I used to be."
"How could someone like him possibly commit murder?"
At those words, Hughes suddenly raised his head—
His eyes met Teresa's, glistening with tears.
"Y-you… could it be…?"