CHAPTER 144

There was no way to be certain whether the items they had stolen came from Otto Han's manor or grave.

Of course, Elric could have forced them to hand it over and checked for himself, but without any concrete evidence, it wasn't right to resort to violence based on mere suspicion.

He had just saved their lives, after all, and if he buried them here without proper cause, even that good deed might spread in strange and unsavory ways.

『So, what are you going to do?』

[Just watch. If my suspicions are correct, they'll dig their own grave soon enough.]

『...?』

Mephistopheles knew that Elric never did anything that wouldn't benefit him, so he decided to stay quiet and see how things unfolded.

And at that moment—

『I see.』

Mephistopheles noticed it.

In a fleeting moment, the group exchanged a quick glance with one another.

It wasn't the look of people relieved to be alive; it was the greedy look of those who thought they had found an opportunity.

However, they quickly returned to their gloomy expressions, as if this situation was all too familiar to them.

Then, the woman who seemed to be the leader cautiously approached Elric.

"Excuse me…!"

Her demeanor, wide-eyed and innocent, was clearly calculated to evoke a protective instinct in any man. It wasn't the first time she had done this, that much was obvious.

Feigning ignorance, Elric asked, "What is it?"

"I'm really sorry to ask this, but… could you please help us? Some of our companions… they haven't made it out yet."

『Hah! Companions they probably abandoned!』

"We'll reward you generously. Please, I beg of you."

"Please help us!"

"Please save us!"

The two men also quickly bowed deeply, bending at a 90-degree angle.

To anyone else, it would look like a desperate plea to save their comrades, the kind that would tug at the heartstrings of any heroic soul.

Or, perhaps, it might appeal to a man who wanted to impress a woman.

Elric pondered which angle to take but decided that pretending too hard might arouse suspicion. Instead, he simply nodded quietly.

"Very well. Where are they?"

"R-really?"

"Thank you so much!"

For a brief moment, joy flickered across their faces.

To the average person, it would look like the relief of someone who had found hope, but to Elric, it was more like the greed of people who had stumbled upon an easy mark.

"They're this way! We should hurry before more Banshee Reapers appear!"

The group quickly began leading Elric down a path, anxious that he might change his mind.

『Tsk, tsk! How pitiful. Of all the people they could have asked for help, they ended up picking him, digging their own graves.』

Even the shadow seemed to ripple in agreement with Mephistopheles' muttering.

***

"May we know your name, savior?"

"Ric," Elric replied.

As they led him further into the woods, the three chatted casually, trying to build a connection with Elric.

More precisely, they were trying to get him to lower his guard.

Elric, pretending to be oblivious, smiled faintly as he gave them his alias.

"Ric, is it? Such a remarkable name, fitting for someone with such incredible magic prowess!"

As the woman, Sophia, spoke, she subtly pressed closer to Elric, her chest brushing lightly against his arm. She pretended not to notice.

"I'm just an amateur," Elric responded.

"If it's not too forward, could I ask which school of magic you studied at? I'd love to visit with my companions and thank your teachers."

"There's no need for that."

"But we have to repay your kindness somehow…."

"I was taught that it's best to help others quietly, without expecting anything in return. Please don't worry about it."

For a moment, Sophia's expression became one of disbelief.

'Is this guy a eunuch or something?'

She couldn't fathom how a man could remain so indifferent to her advances. She was practically clinging to him, yet his face hadn't changed in the slightest.

Despite her best efforts to cozy up to him, Elric remained calm and composed.

For a second, Sophia wondered if Elric was lacking something... or if he had other preferences.

'No, he's just stiff because he's nervous. Oh, so he's one of those bookish types! His magic skills may be impressive, but he's just a nerd, after all.'

Sophia soon figured it out and smiled to herself.

It all made sense now. He was simply inexperienced with women, too focused on his studies to ever have any real interaction with them.

She had heard of some magic academies that strictly prohibited relationships with the opposite sex, saying that romance would interfere with their studies.

The rules were said to be as strict as those of certain religious orders, and their magicians often had trouble dealing with the opposite sex once they left.

Maybe this handsome blond man with green eyes was one of them.

'He's even my type, too. If it weren't for the situation, I'd have already seduced him.'

But despite her personal thoughts, Sophia was planning to betray Elric the moment they reached the dungeon, hitting him in the back of the head and leaving him to die.

'With his abilities, he should be able to handle the dungeon.'

Sophia's eyes gleamed with sinister intent.

The truth was, they weren't simply treasure hunters.

While treasure hunters are often seen as explorers searching for hidden dungeons and ancient ruins, in reality, they weren't much different from professional grave robbers.

Sophia's group fit that mold perfectly.

After killing and robbing an antiques dealer they had regularly traded with, they acquired a treasure map. Following a long expedition, they discovered a hidden dungeon within the Crimson Ghost Forest.

Inside the dungeon were dozens of chambers filled with treasures and ancient books, all appearing to be incredibly valuable.

Blinded by greed, they spent too much time looting and neglected their surroundings. As a result, the dungeon's guardians discovered them, killing several of their comrades.

The Banshee Reaper that had been chasing them earlier was one of those dungeon guardians.

The general belief that guardians couldn't leave their dungeons didn't apply here, as the Banshee Reaper pursued them far beyond the dungeon's boundaries.

So even though they had managed to steal some treasures, Sophia's group found themselves on the verge of death.

That was when Elric appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and saved them.

Normally, people in such a situation would be grateful just to be alive and would flee with whatever they had managed to gather.

But Sophia, always a gambler, thought differently.

Perhaps, with Elric's strength, they could return and claim the rest of the treasure they had been forced to abandon.

If Elric could handle all the dungeon guardians, it might be possible to grab everything.

Then.

Sophia exchanged a glance with her two companions, confirming they had the same idea. Immediately, they began laying the groundwork for their plan.

To Sophia, Elric appeared to be nothing more than a naive young man—someone who had spent most of his life holed up in a study and had only recently ventured out into the real world.

Exploiting a greenhorn like him would be a piece of cake.

'We'll let him take out most of the guardians, then stab him in the back and leave him to rot in the middle of the dungeon where no one will find him.'

Sophia was confident there was no better plan than this.

Still, there was something nagging at her.

'Why does his face seem so familiar? Where have I seen him before?'

She couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen him somewhere, but couldn't quite place it.

'Did I meet him at some gathering?'

Sophia assumed she had probably seen him at a social event in passing.

After all, she had used her charms to manipulate many naive noble heirs in the past.

It was likely she had seen him at one of those gatherings.

At first glance, Elric certainly fit the bill of a carefree nobleman, or in other words, an easy mark.

"It's just ahead."

As Sophia was lost in her thoughts, the group finally reached their destination—a small cave hidden deep within the forest, in an area so overgrown that it would be nearly impossible to find without prior knowledge.

For a brief moment, a flicker of something passed across Elric's eyes, but none of them noticed.

They were too caught up in their own excitement at the thought of getting their hands on more treasure, as well as their fear of more dungeon guardians.

"Be careful. We don't know what might be lurking inside."

Elric cautiously approached the entrance, scanning the surroundings as he moved.

"Where are your companions?"

"When we last saw them, they were still inside. If they're still alive, they should be hiding in a nook down the fourth corridor."

"So, we'll have to go in quite deep."

"Yes… we're truly sorry to trouble you like this, but we are very grateful."

"It's no problem. I said I'd help, so I'll see it through."

Elric flashed a kind smile and slowly stepped into the cave.

Kiaaaah!

Kiek!

Right on cue, four Banshee Reapers burst through the cave walls.

Their sudden appearance shocked Sophia and her group, freezing them in place.

"[Swirl]."

In an instant, a fierce snowstorm swirled around Elric, enveloping the Banshee Reapers in its icy grasp.

"Wa—!"

Sophia was about to shout, startled by the bone-chilling cold, but also knowing that such elemental attacks shouldn't work against creatures like the Banshee Reapers.

It was common knowledge that incorporeal beings couldn't be harmed by regular elemental magic.

Even though Elric had already taken one down earlier with ice arrows, she had assumed he must have infused the spell with something like demon-slaying or evil spirit-repelling magic.

But—

Crack—

Sophia's voice faltered as she stood there, slack-jawed.

In mere seconds, the four Banshee Reapers were completely frozen.

Even their scythes, raised as if ready to strike, were trapped in the ice.

"Is there a problem?"

"N-no, nothing."

Sophia quickly shook her head.

It was clear now.

Elric was far more powerful than they had anticipated.

'Are we… going to be okay?'

For the first time, doubt crept into Sophia's mind.

***

Boom!

Kieek—! Kiek!

Kyaaaah!

Crack— Boom!

"This… this is impossible…."

"The guardians… they're being wiped out…!"

They say that unease always leads to bad outcomes.

Sophia's group was beginning to understand exactly what that meant.

As they ventured deeper into the dungeon, the guardians they had expected would put up a decent fight were being obliterated.

Elric's ice arrows shattered their heads, and ice chains shot up from the ground, binding their limbs and halting their movements.

With such overwhelming power on display, no matter how many ghosts or guardians appeared, they couldn't even get close to Elric, let alone inflict any damage.

Sophia and her companions had hoped that Elric's mana would eventually run out, but his expression remained unchanged.

He wasn't even breathing heavily.

No matter how long they waited, no openings appeared. Against this overwhelmingly powerful mage, trying anything would only result in their immediate deaths.

Kueeek!

Boom!

Another group of dungeon guardians was wiped out, leaving the hallway clear.

Sophia and her group stood there, staring at the devastation.

"..."

"..."

"..."

They were certain of one thing now:

Something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.

[T/L: You can read ahead chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]