Evading the Hero’s Party with Full Effort

Chapter 33

Ch.33 From here on

—Hoo… hoo…

Late at night, listening to the owl’s hoot, I looked at Nekhuf.

“Shall we begin?”

Nekhuf, standing about ten steps away, gripped his wooden sword and assumed a stance.

“Aren’t you going to take out your staff?”

“Yeah. I don’t need to.”

After all, Equality isn’t a staff. And I can’t possibly aim Equality at Nekhuf. He might die if it hits him.

“That’s…”

At my words, Leah looked puzzled, while Nekhuf’s expression twisted.

“Brother, since you’re so confident, I’ll attack first.”

Does he think I’m mocking him?

Nekhuf, hooked by my unintended provocation.

If I let Nekhuf take the lead, I might be knocked out in one hit. I hastily chanted the name of holy magic internally and cast it.

I heavily buffed my body with holy magic.

The effect is on a completely different level from the buff magic Leah used previously.

After all, magic-based buff magic is merely a counterfeit of holy magic.

It can never achieve the same effect as holy magic.

“Haaah!”

Nekhuf charged at me, swinging his wooden sword.

As I prepared to cast Magic Arrow, Nekhuf raised his wooden sword to block and charged forward.

Nekhuf, noticing the magic cast via the Sage’s pendant, remained ready to deflect Magic Arrow at any moment.

I quietly stepped backward, dodging Nekhuf’s attack and casting magic.

“Fog!”

Instantly, humidity rose around us.

Fog, mist created with magic.

Well… it’s not very useful in daily life, but the magic-infused fog will dull Nekhuf’s highly sensitive magic detection ability.

Nekhuf, exceptionally skilled at detecting magic and environmental changes, must be confused now.

“Ugh… wh… what is this?!”

Turning his head to search for me, I gave Nekhuf a hint about my location.

“Your first weakness. It’s good that you rely on your magic detection ability since it’s strong…”

“Gotcha! Found you!”

Hearing my voice, Nekhuf charged at me.

“Silence.”

As I cast the spell, all surrounding sounds vanished.

But even then, Nekhuf swung his sword with the single-minded intent to strike me. I stepped one pace to the left, dodging his sword strike.

Nekhuf shouted something with a distorted expression, but I couldn’t hear it clearly.

Silence and Fog.

Both are 2nd Circle spells.

In other words… spells anyone can cast. Defeating Nekhuf with these two tricks is no challenge at all.

Apparently realizing this himself, Nekhuf looked bewildered and swung his sword wildly.

He seemed to hope I’d get hit by his wildly swinging wooden sword as he twisted his whole body.

It’s pitiful.

Originally, I intended to wait until he exhausted himself, but watching Nekhuf twist his head around and swing his wooden sword recklessly made me uncomfortable.

His determination and resolve to land at least one hit were palpable.

In the original story, after such a defeat, his magic detection ability improved so much that such tricks no longer worked. But now…

—Tap!

I tapped Nekhuf’s back with my hand, canceling the magic.

“How about it? Have you realized your weakness?”

At my words, Nekhuf, nearly in tears, sat down dazedly.

—Thud.

“How… how did you fill the surroundings with magic?”

Nekhuf’s voice was full of sorrow.

He probably never imagined such a method.

Had he known, given his personality, he would have worked hard to find a counter and overcome it.

“It’s the Fog spell. Unlike natural fog, this fog is magically created, so magic lingers thickly. I thought this would nullify your exceptional magic-sensing ability.”

At my words, he covered his face with both hands.

Perhaps because I know better than anyone how hard Nekhuf worked in the story?

Seeing Nekhuf’s face, filled with despair and grief, was harder than I expected.

What I did was essentially telling him he lost because he’s blind.

Leah also seemed unable to bear looking at the dejected Nekhuf and slightly turned her head away. I sat beside Nekhuf, who sat pitifully.

Without saying anything, I patted the back of Nekhuf, whose shoulders were trembling.

“I know exactly how hard you’ve worked. Honestly, the method I used is closer to a trick.”

“Brother… what do you know?!”

Nekhuf wailed with a voice mixed with tears.

The more he did, the more calmly I spoke.

“I know well. Didn’t you, despite losing your sight, continue training diligently to keep your promise with Nefert?”

Nekhuf’s yearning for adventure actually began with something trivial.

When Nekhuf and Nefert were young, they heard stories of great adventurers and explorers and developed dreams of adventure.

Their promise: to become a great adventurer and then propose to Nefert.

Some might dismiss it as a childish promise, but for him, it became an important vow.

He became blind shortly after making that promise.

One day, Nekhuf fell gravely ill with a high fever that didn’t subside for several days.

When the fever finally subsided, Nekhuf had lost his sight.

Though he lost his sight, Nekhuf didn’t give up on adventure.

Though it was merely a childhood promise, for young Nekhuf, it was a grand goal and aspiration worth dedicating his life to.

Nekhuf is a romantic boy who dreams of gaining great fame through adventure and then proposing to Nefert.

“How did you know that?”

Surprise overlaid Nekhuf’s fever-flushed face.

“Just? By intuition? Anyway. If you just improve the weakness you just realized, your skill will greatly increase.”

Saying that, I stood up.

“You wouldn’t give up, would you? Future great adventurer, Nekhuf?”

At my words, as if realizing something, Nekhuf wiped his tears with his sleeve.

“I won’t give up. I will definitely become a great adventurer.”

I bent forward and massaged Nekhuf’s shoulders.

“That’s the Nekhuf I know.”

Nekhuf, the adventurer who never knows surrender.

He wiped his tears and smiled.

“Thank you, Brother. Thanks to you, I have an idea of what to do.”

At his words, I chuckled.

“Good. Then that’s fine. Ugh!”

As I stretched, Leah lightly sighed.

“Haa, finally over. Whew… I was worried something else would happen.”

Saying that, Leah lightly kicked my leg.

“But how did you know Nekhuf had such a weakness?”

“It’s because Nekhuf’s…”

I nearly said it was Nekhuf’s first trial, predetermined by fate, but hastily changed my words.

“You can tell at a glance.”

Thus, the night grew deep.

***

Scarlet found the New Continent unfamiliar.

“Here… Leah is here, right?”

Scarlet, glancing at Cecilia and Mia whose eyes were filled with murderous intent, voiced her worry.

“But how will we find Leah and the patron… no, Mr. Hans?”

The New Continent is as vast as the Old Continent. Finding Hans here would be no different from finding a needle in a desert.

“Don’t worry about that. I have a full plan.”

Cecilia, whom I usually thought had flowers blooming in her head, confidently stepped forward, prompting Scarlet to ask skeptically.

“Really?”

But Mia simply shrugged, as if not even expecting anything.

“Scarlet, let me share some experience from living longer than you. Trust the right person.”

At Mia’s sarcasm, Cecilia’s face flushed red.

“First, listen to what I have to say before making such rude remarks?!”

“Whew… it’s obviously nonsense. Do I really have to listen?”

As the argument threatened to escalate, Scarlet stepped in to mediate.

“Mia. Why don’t we hear her out first?”

Though Scarlet spoke entirely reasonably, Mia stared plainly at Scarlet, then sighed.

With a look as if saying, “Are you falling for this again?”, Scarlet began to feel slightly annoyed, but Mia spoke first.

“Fine. Let’s hear it out first.”

As Scarlet and Mia’s gazes turned to Cecilia, Cecilia straightened her shoulders and spoke confidently.

“First, Leah has a terrible personality and is a troublemaker. If we find rumors of a mage causing big trouble in the New Continent, we’ll quickly find Priest Hans beside her.”

At her words, the two nodded and said,

“Flowers blooming in her head.”

“Flowers blooming in her head.”

Dissatisfied with their reaction, Cecilia puffed her cheeks.

“What do you mean, flowers blooming in my head?”

“What else? That your head is full of flowers.”

At Mia’s words, Cecilia finally flushed red and got angry.

“Ugh! Then Mia, do you have a better idea than this?”

At Cecilia’s words, Mia spoke as if she had thought of something.

“I heard the Sage came to the New Continent with enormous wealth as the former head of the Pisa Association. Surely, moving such vast funds would have caused rumors. We should focus on that to find the Sage and Leah.”

Indeed, if he brought enormous wealth to the New Continent, rumors might have spread.

Of course, Hans’s ship sank, and all his wealth sank into the sea—but the Hero party, unaware of this, considered it the most plausible method.

“Mia’s point makes sense. He’s certainly a man of exceptional business acumen. If we look among merchants or associations, we’ll likely find something.”

As Scarlet agreed with Mia’s words, Cecilia wore an expression as if the world had collapsed.

“Th… that can’t be?!”

Having spent most of her life in a convent, it was natural Cecilia hadn’t thought that far. She felt defeated by Scarlet.

“Let’s visit the nearest association first.”

Thus, the Hero party exited the harbor.

As they began searching for major associations in the large port city,

“Huh? What are those people with chains around their necks?”

Mia frowned upon seeing dozens of men, women, and children with reddish skin, their hands and necks bound in chains, and approached them…

Two heavily armed mercenaries blocked Mia’s approach and warned her cautiously.

“Who are you?”

“Who are they?”

Only then did the mercenaries realize Mia was an elf and flirted with her.

“You’re an elf? Haven’t seen one in ages!”

“Whoa~ you must be from the Old Continent. First time in Houston? Want us to give you a tour of Houston?”

Mia gave the whistling mercenaries a cold stare.

“Who are they?”

Perhaps flattered that the beautiful Mia spoke to them, the mercenaries tapped the iron chains with their spear shafts to impress her.

“Ah? These are native slaves here. Inferior race compared to us or elves?”

At the mercenaries’ snickering, Cecilia frowned.

“Slaves?! That’s against doctrine!”

As Cecilia sternly scolded them…

They chuckled and tried to lecture Cecilia.

“Sister, you must be new to the New Continent. They don’t believe in our gods, so we can enslave them.”

“Right. If they believed in our gods, we couldn’t enslave them.”

They shook their heads vigorously, as if their belief was unquestionably correct.

“The scriptures don’t say anyone can be enslaved! Rather, your words are practically blasphemy!”

“Pahaha! Blasphemy? Charles, did you hear that? She’s calling us blasphemous!”

“Phaha! Right? Look here, Sister. We’re merely protecting our employers’ property according to the city’s strict laws. How is that blasphemy? Or… do you intend to antagonize all citizens of Houston?”

The mercenaries threatened Cecilia with fierce expressions, but Cecilia was no ordinary woman.

“If all citizens of this city commit blasphemy, I won’t just antagonize them—I’ll burn this city down and punish them!”

She is, after all, a saint of devout faith.

Such a woman couldn’t possibly stand idly by while witnessing this city’s immoral actions.

At Cecilia’s words, the dumbfounded mercenaries tried to intimidate her.

“This won’t do. You all need a harsh lesson from the world…”

But the mercenary couldn’t finish his sentence.

—Thwack!

The speaking mercenary’s nose broke under Mia’s fist.

“Uaaah!”

“Ch… Charles?! H… have you ever seen such a crazy elf?!”

The uninjured mercenary attacked Mia with his spear, but Mia lightly caught the spear shaft.

“This… won’t let go! M… monster!”

—Crack!

Mia’s slender leg struck the mercenary’s jaw, causing him to collapse limply.

Looking at the pitifully fallen mercenaries, Mia complained.

“This is why humans… truly disgusting.”

At that moment.

—Pee! Pee!

With the sound of horns, the city’s guards surrounded the Hero party.

“You are under arrest for citizen assault and attempted theft!”

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