Aozaki Aoko Case File [216]

"Zolf!" Before Aoko could seize the opportunity to lose her temper, the masked man immediately used stern words to stop his subordinate from escalating the conflict with the two women. He was well aware that the woman holding the long staff had unfathomable power. Engaging in battle on what was essentially her home turf would be a guaranteed loss.

"Being looked down upon by a third-rate mage who can't even distinguish between a fireball and a light spell... I think we can forget about doing business here," Lina said mockingly. "Besides, we've already uncovered the secret hidden in this statue. To me, the allure of that secret surpasses the value of money."

"You! If it weren't for that woman over there…" Zolf retorted furiously, but Aoko shot him a glare. The immense magical energy emanating from her created an oppressive force that rendered him speechless.

"…Are you serious?" The masked man fell silent for a moment before speaking seriously. "Although your power is undeniable, you should know that no one can remain vigilant forever…"

"My advice is that you stop threatening us," Aoko said, raising a single finger. "Otherwise, I won't hesitate to carry two more corpses out of this inn. Unlike Lina, I'm not the type to leave people alive out of mercy."

The masked man could sense that Aoko was deadly serious. Her killing intent was calm yet resolute. If a fight broke out here, he and Zolf would stand no chance against this enigmatic woman and would likely be killed.

Her magical energy was overwhelming—among all the mages he'd encountered, only that man could rival her.

"Negotiations have broken down, haven't they…" the masked man sighed heavily. "…It can't be helped. After all, we've encountered two very… unique ladies."

"Indeed, it's quite a shame," Lina said with exaggerated regret, mimicking his sigh.

"As per our earlier agreement, we won't cause any trouble here at the inn. We'll leave quietly," the masked man said earnestly. "But that statue is extremely important to me. Even if it costs me my life, I'll find a way to claim it someday."

"Then let's see who's better," Aoko replied. "I don't dislike people who keep their promises, but I've already warned you—I won't hesitate to kill any of you if you cross the line in the future."

The masked man nodded, turned, and headed for the door, clearly planning to leave.

"Let's go, Zolf," he said to the bandaged man. "There's no reason to stay here any longer."

Zolf seemed reluctant, but his loyalty to the masked man was evident. He obeyed the order and left the room.

"By the way…" As the masked man exited the room, he turned back and said, "My name is Zelgadiss Graywords."

"Aozaki Aoko," Aoko replied without hesitation. Since she realized he'd given his real name, she didn't bother hiding hers. She and Lina had already confirmed that curses in this world couldn't be cast with just a name.

"What a strange name," Lina commented. "But I'll remember it."

After Zelgadiss and Zolf left, Aoko and Lina went to the adjacent room to wake up Gourry, who had been sound asleep. They discussed their next steps together.

"So, you're telling me that while I was asleep, that mummy guy and his boss came looking for you?!" Gourry exclaimed in surprise. "Why didn't you wake me up?!"

Gourry was a little upset about being left out, but his anger seemed more like the concern of an adult scolding a child for making a reckless decision. In other words, he was worried about Lina's safety.

"With Aoko by my side, you should be worried about the other guys' safety," Lina teased. "Honestly, I almost thought Aoko was about to kill them both right there in the inn."

It wasn't an exaggeration—Aoko had genuinely considered it but decided against staining the inn's room with blood.

After some deliberation, the three of them decided to spend the night at the inn and leave the town at dawn. Aoko reasoned that once they were in the wilderness, she could fight without worrying about harming innocents.

"Seriously…" Gourry sighed, covering half his face with his hand. "Normally, you'd want to leave as quickly as possible to shake off your pursuers, right?"

"Maybe this is just the confidence that comes with power," Aoko said, nodding as if to affirm her statement.

The next morning, after having breakfast, the trio bought some travel rations from the innkeeper and set off to leave the town.

The weather was bright and sunny, with no signs of anything unusual, and the man who called himself Zelgadiss didn't ambush them on the road outside the town.

Since they'd deduced that the two men had tracked them using the Orichalcum Goddess Statue, Aoko used her magic to sever the statue's connection to the outside world. However, the method wasn't foolproof, as the two worlds had different approaches to mana usage.

The road they traveled passed through vast forests and open plains, where they inevitably encountered some wild monsters looking for trouble. A small horde of goblins and wild trolls had formed a minor beast tide, hoping to turn the three travelers into their next meal.

The sheer number of monsters would've made it a hard battle for Lina and Gourry alone, but with Aoko around, things were different.

Effortlessly acting as a support mage, Aoko buffed Lina and Gourry with multiple layers of transformation and protection spells, allowing them to dispatch the monsters with ease.

"Phew, Miss Aoko, your magic is amazing," Gourry said, sheathing his sword. "I feel so light and fast, and I'm not even tired!"

"Your skills were already excellent, Gourry," Aoko replied. Then, noticing something, she asked, "But Lina, you don't seem to be in great shape. Are you okay?"

"…It's nothing," Lina said with a sigh. "I'm just not feeling well today. But with your magic, even dealing with this small fry wasn't too hard."

Hmm…?

Aoko didn't quite understand but decided not to press further. Since Lina said she wasn't feeling well, Aoko simply cast another spell to bolster her stamina.

"Hey, Lina, Miss Aoko, there's a merchant caravan over there," Gourry suddenly called out, pointing ahead. "Let's talk to them and see if we can pay them to give us a ride."

Lina let out a sigh of relief, and Aoko, of course, didn't mind. With her abilities, traveling by foot, flight, or teleportation didn't make much of a difference. Riding in a cart was perfectly fine, so the three of them stood by the roadside and flagged down the caravan.