Chapter 135 – Buying Influence
"Lord City Governor, I have returned ahead of schedule and successfully brought back the suspect."
"—Good work, Gemma. Though your timing is… less than ideal. And why…"
Alden suddenly paused, his gaze sharpening as he noticed something different about her.
"…Why is your hair cut short? I thought you were always proud of how long you'd grown it."
"T-That's not it, my lord!"
Gemma's expression twisted instantly as she burst out in grievance before both Alden and Enrique.
"It was just now, out on the street—three lunatics attacked me out of nowhere and cut off my hair!"
"…What?"
Alden frowned in confusion, while Enrique's brows knit together.
"Gemma… did I hear that right? Who would dare provoke the Hel Mercenary Corps?"
"Enrique! My hair is gone—do you think I'm joking?!"
Gemma snapped, her mind flashing with the grinning faces of those three culprits.
"One was an elf mage, one was a warrior, and the last was some strange brat… I threw all three of them into prison!"
As soon as she finished, she noticed Alden and Enrique exchanging a meaningful glance—both their expressions turning subtly strange.
"…What? What is it?"
Enrique took a slow breath.
"Gemma… the three people you arrested are very likely companions of Great Mage Flamme."
"…What?! Flamme? The Valkyrie of the Northern Battlefield? Why would she be here?!"
"Don't ask. The fact is—she's already in Hel City. And you've detained her companions."
"How is that my fault?! They were the ones who provoked me first!"
"…Which is exactly why I suspect this isn't as simple as it seems."
After saying that, Enrique bowed deeply toward Alden.
"Lord Alden, my apologies. I didn't expect Flamme to get involved after all."
Alden merely smiled and waved it off.
"No need to blame yourself."
"At the very least, her companions are in our custody—meaning the initiative is ours."
"And besides… all of Hel City is under my control. What can she possibly do?"
Just then, a guard rushed in with a report:
"Lord Alden, Great Mage Flamme and her companion Elias request an audience."
Alden let out a cold chuckle.
"Speak of the devil—she's quicker than I expected. Perhaps she doesn't even know what her companions have done?"
"If that's the case, then we have even less to worry about. Let them in."
---
When they entered, Flamme stood at the front, while Elias remained half a step behind, quietly observing everyone in the hall.
Enrique and Gemma stood on either side, deliberately suppressing their mana.
Even so, Elias could tell—
Their level was no more than Frieren's.
As for Alden…
He had no detectable mana at all.
But the look in his eyes—
Like a cunning old fox.
"Heh, to meet the great mage Flamme in person—what an honor for me, Alden."
"The honor is mine, Lord Alden."
Flamme got straight to the point.
"My companions seem to have caused some trouble. May I ask—what exactly did they do to warrant being imprisoned by your mercenary corps?"
"—Just look at me!"
Gemma suddenly burst out, gesturing wildly.
"My hair! It used to be this long—so long I had to tie it into a high ponytail just to keep it from dragging on the ground!"
"And then your three dear companions ambushed me, cut it off, and even said they'd sell it for money!"
"…Cut off your hair?"
Flamme's mind raced.
Cutting someone's hair… just to sell it?
That made no sense.
They weren't short on money.
And while Frieren could be mischievous, she wouldn't do something so absurd without reason.
Which meant—
There was definitely more to this than met the eye.
It seemed that if they wanted the truth, they would first have to get Frieren and the others out.
"…Ah, my apologies."
"We've been traveling south all the way from the Holy City and spent quite freely along the way. My companions were only worried about the journey ahead… which is why they resorted to such measures. Right, Elias?"
Elias blinked, caught off guard, clearly not expecting to be dragged into this.
"…Why are you spacing out? Don't you still have that potion?"
"…Oh. Well, that's convenient."
Elias took out a small vial and handed it to Gemma.
Flamme smiled and added:
"This is a hair-growth potion. Please accept it as compensation to this mage. So, about my three companions…"
"Haha! No problem at all!"
The voice didn't come from Gemma—but from Alden, who burst into hearty laughter.
"Since the matter has been resolved, I, as the lord of this city, order the immediate release of Lady Flamme's companions! And not only that…"
Alden cast a glance at Enrique.
Enrique immediately stepped forward and presented a pouch of coins.
"A small token of goodwill. It should be enough to cover your group's journey to the next city."
"—Ah, thank you very much, Lord City Governor!"
Flamme accepted the money with visible delight—whether genuine or not was hard to tell.
"In that case, we won't trouble you further. Once we retrieve our companions from the prison, we'll leave immediately."
---
After seeing Flamme off, Alden's expression twisted into a sly smile.
"Heh… even the greatest mages have their weak moments."
"Now that she's taken the money, she shouldn't meddle in our affairs anymore."
"—Wise as always, my lord."
Enrique and Gemma responded in unison.
---
Not long after, Elias and Flamme stood before the prison gates, both calm—as if they had already anticipated this outcome.
The door opened.
The moment Frieren saw them, she burst into an excited shout:
"Master Flamme! Elias! You finally came to rescue us!"
Flamme's expression remained stern.
"Frieren… you'd better have a very good explanation."
"I will—but before that…"
Following Frieren's gaze, Elias and Flamme both turned toward the corner of the cell—
Where a fourth figure was crouched.
---
Late that night, Enrique hurried to Alden.
"Lord City Governor, I personally observed Flamme and her four companions leaving through the south gate. They've already crossed three mountains."
"…So they really left."
Alden smirked confidently.
"They say Flamme is invincible on the battlefield. What a pity—she's nothing more than a simple-minded brute who only knows how to fight."
"Lord Alden, we mustn't let our guard down. In case Flamme has other plans, we should execute the prisoner as soon as possible."
"Exactly. No time to waste."
Alden's smile deepened.
"At dawn tomorrow, we'll publicly behead him."
"Once he's nothing more than a corpse… even if Flamme realizes the truth and tries to overturn the case, it'll be too late."
"After all…"
"A corpse cannot speak."