Chapter 130: - Assemble

༺ Assemble ༻

“Frey! Where are you going?”

“.......”

“Frey!!!”

Naturally, I attempted to redirect my steps and leave the corridor. However, at that moment, Ferloche, with her arms crossed, began to shout loudly.

‘...Damn, of all places.’

If it had been a bustling corridor teeming with people, I could have easily slipped away, but this particular place was a quiet corridor where not many people usually came.

It served as a waiting area for slaves, and people generally didn’t come here until the market’s conclusion.

“...Why are you here?”

“I came to stop you! It’s obvious that you’re going to carry out some dirty scheme here!”

“How did you know I would be here today?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t find out! The last time, this was the place you brought me to! You definitely had a ‘pre-planned’ scheme back then!”

As Ferloche said that, she glared at me menacingly.

“You noticed that?”

“I’m not a fool!”

As she said that, she began to smile proudly. I quietly looked at Ferloche and frowned, and then asked her another question.

“But how did you know I’d be here today?”

“What do you mean! It could only be today!”

“Why?”

“Because today is the day the market is open!”

Hearing that, my frown deepened.

“This market remains open for a week.”

“Huh?”

“After a week of shopping, the slaves are shipped out all at once.”

“Gasp.”

Ferloche momentarily appeared flustered upon hearing that, but soon scratched her head and spoke.

“Well, that’s true? But anyway, it doesn’t matter since I met you here!”

“...You must have been sure I’d be up to something today, huh?”

As I said that to her, I slowly resumed walking and opened my mouth.

“So... you’ve come to guide me to the ‘right path’?”

A few days ago, I had received a warning from Serena.

She said it would be best not to provoke Ferloche if possible.

Serena’s words had never been wrong, so I intended to heed her advice this time as well.

However, after reading the letter Ferloche sent me, I couldn’t hold back any longer.

RIGHT... You are going to break your promise? Stop committing evil deeds!

Promise.... we made a promise last time!

Are you going to pretend that you don’t even know how to be grateful?

There’s no need for any further discussions! Come find me this evening!

– Ferloche Astellade

The same hidden message as before, “RIGHT P-A-TH” was hidden vertically, kind of similar to the secret message that was left in the diary last time.

And the timing of the message was exactly when I received a penalty for revealing my identity to Clana.

Wasn’t this a strange coincidence?

“Ah, don’t come any closer!”

“...Hmm.”

As I approached Ferloche, contemplating these thoughts, she slightly tensed up, showing a nervous expression and raising her hands.

“If you come any closer, I’ll assume you’re trying to hurt me and I’ll attack!”

As I watched her prepare to attack in her usual awkward pose, my mind wandered.

‘...Anyway, I need to get rid of her for now.’

Uncovering her secrets would be nice, but my foremost priority right now was to complete the quest to liberate the slave market.

If Ferloche became a hindrance, the already difficult quest would become even more challenging.

And despite unintentionally provoking her, Ferloche showed no reaction. I could tell because I was focusing on her facial expressions and eye tremors.

So, there was no need to unnecessarily antagonize her in this situation.

If I followed Serena’s words, good things would come even while I slept.

– Click.

After finishing my thoughts, I carefully began manipulating the cane I was holding.

– Whoosh

“Anyway! Follow me! Let’s get out of this disgusting and vile place, so that you can repent and I can give you a proper...huh?”

At that moment, thick smoke began emanating from the cane.

‘Serena’s design combined with the magic of the other three, even Ferloche wouldn’t be able to handle it.’

The refined dark mana of Kania flowing from the cane like a final weapon, began to envelop the surroundings.

Of course, it would quickly disappear under Ferloche’s overwhelming holy power, but as long as it could momentarily blind her, there would be no problem.

“Wh-Where are you? Frey! What kind of magic have you used this time?!”

‘...Ferloche will probably get rid of the traces herself.’

“Ah, come to think of it...!”

As the bewildered guard turned to his colleague, he began to speak excitedly, clapping his hands.

“We were opening the door for a shift change when that guy over there came flying at us!”

“...Right, that did happen.”

The two began to discuss the large-bodied guard who had been lying in front of them.

“But isn’t he like, over 120kg? How did someone like him fly?”

“I’m not sure... Even if he launched himself, he shouldn’t be able to fly that high...”

But no matter how much they talked about it, they couldn’t narrow down the reason.

– Crackle, crackle

“Senior, we got a radio call!”

“Ah, shoot... Looks like we’re in for another mess.”

The senior guard, who was scratching his head, picked up the radio amidst the commotion.

– Emergency, we have an emergency. All guards, assemble immediately in the corridor near the slave waiting room.

“...What?”

Upon hearing the message, the guard was once again taken aback.

– We’re engaged in combat with an intruder who knocked down our guards. Multiple casualties. We need immediate support.

“No way, an intruder... that’s impossible...”

“Could it be a monster that infiltrated? Otherwise...”

Although they were renowned mercenaries who were hired to form the security force, they couldn’t determine the truth since their voices were urgent.

– The intruder is a girl. A girl with white hair and eyes.

“...A girl?”

The situation reached its climax as the radio unveiled the identity of the intruder.

“You’ve got to be kidding, right? How could a girl overpower mercenaries who have been honing their skills for decades?”

“It’s strange... It’s definitely the captain’s voice... but it doesn’t sound like he’s drunk or anything...”

As they hesitated, unable to make a decision.

– Plod, plod.

“...Huh?”

Footsteps sounded nearby.

“What’s this? It’s a girl!”

“Hey, stop!”

Narrowing their eyes, the two guards focused on the approaching figure—a smiling girl. They tried to aim their weapons at her and ordered her to stop.

“What did you say?”

“.........!!!”

That was a huge mistake.

“What did you just say?”

“Ugh, ugh...”

“Brother, what’s going on with her?”

As the girl’s eyes shone while standing still, the guards were overwhelmed by emotions they had never experienced before.

Overwhelming fear.

Awe and a sense of being utterly overpowered.

It reminded them of confronting a colossal wave in the vast ocean, a volcano erupting before their eyes, or a massive hurricane appearing out of thin air.

Facing the girl, who seemed more like a living force of nature than a human, the two felt an unknown emotion.

“Ugh...”

Unknowingly, they had wet their pants.

“How pathetic.”

Casting a disdainful glance at them, the girl simply passed between the guards. Her eyes had been shining ruby red until then.

It was the moment when the true Demon King Ruby had truly revealed herself to the world.

“...What did we just see?”

“...I don’t know.”

Having seen her, the two guards trembled in fear for quite some time.

– Whoosh

“What, what’s this now!”

As another girl emerged clad in a black robe, the guards quivered in fear again.

“Yikes...!”

Still, they didn’t feel the same terror as before, so the guards tried to summon their weapons or cast magic spells out of desperation.

– Clang!!!

However, after hearing the cheerful sound of a finger snap, their weapons and magic circles shattered into pieces, leaving them utterly speechless.

“...This is Amanthadium.”

“But still, can a magic circle be broken like that... Is that even possible?”

As Glare entered the market as well, the two guards, who had been dumbfounded for a while, whispered to each other.

“...That radio call from earlier, it must be true.”

“Yeah, it seems so.”

Darkness and light were converging in the slave market.