novelraw Chapter 73 : Underlying Currents
Chapter 73 : Underlying Currents
Winnie tossed the bill aside.
Her eyes returned to Rozelite, who was still devouring food.
Now she understood, Rozelite really hadn’t been joking earlier when she said Winnie should treat her. She hadn’t been trying to give Winnie a step down in their confrontation.
The prices in Flemont truly were outrageous!
With all the panic buying, hoarding, and shortages, prices had soared. Even if the Adventurer’s Guild wanted to intervene, they couldn’t stop the endless stream of adventurers pouring into Flemont. After all, this wasn’t technically a town in the proper sense—it was nothing more than an adventurers’ gathering spot, so they couldn’t simply shut the gates.
Besides...
It was very likely that the Alexander family itself tacitly allowed the current situation.
They weren’t cutting supplies, nor deliberately starving anyone. If supply couldn’t keep up, prices would naturally rise—nothing unusual about that.
Nobles and adventurers—one willing to sell, the other willing to pay.
Everyone ended up satisfied.
“Haah...”
Winnie sighed helplessly.
“So, are you really working as an adventurer here in Flemont? Aren’t you worried someone might discover your identity?”
“If they find out, then I’ll just leave and head to the next town.”
She had already come to terms with it.
The more one lived in constant fear of something, the more likely mistakes would happen. But if you didn’t overthink it, nothing would come of it. Like many things in life—
And besides, she wasn’t alone.
After a brief silence, Winnie spoke.
“Your wanted posters have probably already spread across all the towns under Alexander’s control. Flemont hasn’t received the news yet due to its special circumstances, but it won’t be long. If you really intend to return to the capital, you’d best avoid any town controlled by Alexander.”
Rozelite blinked, startled.
She hesitated.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I thought it over. Maybe you were right. Whether you’re truly the Seventh Princess or not, that’s not for me to decide. Honestly, it doesn’t even affect me either way.”
Winnie continued, “And you weren’t wrong about what you did. Things in Ato City are complicated right now—you wouldn’t be able to explain yourself even if you tried.”
“Complicated? What happened?”
“In the Dieppe Forest... they found demons.”
“Demons?!”
“That’s right. And not just any demons—winged demons.”
Winnie’s tone grew grave.
“Since the Great Barrier was erected, the Rhine Kingdom and the northern demons have lived in a long peace, never crossing each other’s lines. But now, the demons suddenly crossed the Great Barrier of their own accord. That could be a signal.”
“A signal...”
“Exactly. Maybe the demons intend to spark a new war, and that winged demon was a scout sent to gather intelligence.”
This information had already been reported directly to the Council of Nobles through the lord of Ato City.
Though no concrete decision had been made yet, it was foreseeable that the capital would treat every incident near the border with extreme suspicion and urgency.
Better to kill a thousand innocents than let one slip by.
To the noble lords, that was no exaggeration. The border would soon see heavy mobilization—not only the army, but the Magic Association as well would not remain indifferent.
“Earlier, our captain and the others ran into that demon in the Dieppe Forest. Though they managed to drive it back, no one can predict its next move. The kingdom won’t let it go—they’ll scour the land if they have to.”
Winnie spoke, and even she felt a headache coming on.
It was one thing during peace.
But if the country fell into turmoil, her position would become precarious. Just as Clayman had said before—the Charlotte family would never allow someone who had inherited the 【Sword Saint System】 to simply wander free.
She looked up and noticed Rozelite seemed lost in thought.
Winnie assumed she was worrying about her situation.
But in truth, Rozelite was thinking about something else entirely.
A winged demon in Dieppe Forest? Wasn’t that... Anna, the one she had met before?
And now they were saying they’d dig three feet into the ground to find her...
But Anna had already been eaten by Mr. Slime—not even bones remained.
“The issue isn’t Anna.”
Russell’s voice echoed in Rozelite’s heart.
“The Rhine Kingdom has already noticed the demons’ movements. But if what Anna said was true, there may be many more demons who have already infiltrated the kingdom. And yet the Rhine Kingdom still knows nothing of their true goal.”
“Mr. Slime, are you saying... I should warn them?”
Rozelite hesitated.
“Think for yourself.”
Russell said no more.
After brief thought, Rozelite quickly made her decision.
“The demons’ goal... might be related to the Holy Sword.” she said.
“The Holy Sword?”
Winnie froze.
“After that great war ended back then, the Rhine Kingdom never returned the Hero’s Holy Sword. They kept it. The demons’ target is the Holy Sword held by the Rhine Kingdom.”
Rozelite explained.
“It’s said that whoever obtains the Holy Sword can become the new Demon King.”
“But... only a Hero can wield the Holy Sword. Even if the demons managed to steal it, it would be useless to them.”
Winnie said, then suddenly realized something was off.
“Wait. Where did you even learn all this?”
“Picked it up by the river.”
“The river?”
“Mm. I was walking along the riverbank and saw a stone golem with one eye. On its back, this was all carved there.”
In the river?
River, my ass!
“You think I’m three years old?”
Winnie gritted her teeth.
“Even if I ignore where you got this information, do you really think anyone else would believe it if I told them? It’s absurd!”
Rozelite stayed silent, lowering her head to quietly eat her pudding.
Winnie’s brows knitted tighter.
“Seriously, how do you know all this? Did you guess it yourself, or...”
“Just take it as a joke.”
It was all Rozelite could say. Any further and she would risk revealing Mr. Slime.
“What do you mean joke? Rozelite, if everything you’re saying is true—”
“I’m full now. Thanks for the meal!”
Rozelite wiped her mouth, then abruptly bolted up and hurried out of the tavern.
“Wait, explain this properly—”
Winnie reached out to grab Rozelite’s wrist. But her hand grasped at nothing. With her speed, that should have been impossible.
“You—!”
Winnie froze.
By the time she realized it, Rozelite had already vanished outside the tavern.
Winnie tried to chase, but was “coincidentally” stopped by the server, who stepped forward and oh-so-accidentally held out the bill.
“Careful there, miss. Did you pay for your meal yet?”
“...”
Seeing the sky-high amount written on that slip, Winnie felt an urge to spit blood.
By the time she paid, Rozelite was long gone.
Winnie sighed.
In truth, she knew—even if she had caught her, Rozelite probably wouldn’t have said anything more.
She looked down at her palm.
Recalling the emptiness when her grab had failed, her expression turned strange.
“This girl... has she really grown this fast?”
...
Meanwhile—
Having thoroughly feasted, Rozelite was in a cheerful mood.
“Mr. Slime, when are we going to explore a labyrinth again?”
Ever since she had mastered that move—
Rozelite was now brimming with excitement for labyrinth exploration.
She could hardly wait to use that move in real combat.
“Don’t rush. First, decide on the right target.”
For their next labyrinth expedition, Russell believed caution was essential.
The northern situation was brewing with undercurrents. The soaring prices in Flemont likely hid deeper secrets as well. This place was no longer safe to linger in.
Within a short time, this would probably be their last labyrinth exploration here.