"...So, he must have a power that is very costly to use, hence cannot be normally used... but at the same time, is very strong?"
Hayna tentatively answered.
Aiwass nodded with satisfaction, "Exactly."
You wouldn't say, but it's true.
This deduction wasn't wrong. It was also one of the reasons why the Evil Bartender chose to fight desperately, because he indeed had a chance of winning.
The profession of the Evil Bartender was a "Demon" who surpasses the Path; upon entering a critically wounded state, he could restore half of his maximum health in one breath, then enter a demonization state where he quickly loses health and receives an enhancement to all attributes.
It's just that your damage was too high; two strikes caused him to skip phases.
With correct information, and wrong deductive reasoning, she arrived at an equally correct answer. No one would realize there was a problem here—even after she brought back the body, the conclusion would only be that "Aiwass's judgment was correct."
"...So that's how it is!"
Hayna said with genuine conviction, "Thank you, Aiwass! You've saved me!"
Aiwass nodded solemnly, "That's why when facing extremely vicious bandits, you must not hesitate. You might want to take captives, but they surely wouldn't think the same."
See, she even has to thank me.
"What should we do now?" she had gotten used to asking Aiwass, following his command, "Should we pack up the body and take it back?"
"No rush."
Aiwass pulled on his cloak, speaking calmly, "This is not a job for him to be the mastermind behind the scenes.
"The real culprit is in the basement of this tavern. She's been listening here for a long time.
"There's no need to confront her head-on—just pour the liquor through the crack under the door, and then set this place on fire."
"...Isn't that a bit too cruel? What if she comes out?"
"Then let you deal with her."
After repeatedly confirming Aiwass's correctness, this time Hayna finally didn't subconsciously think about arguing.
She just looked forward to the basement, gripping her unsheathed short Sword, eager to act.
"...Truly unexpected."
As expected, soon a woman's voice echoed from the direction Hayna was watching.
She slowly pushed open the basement door.
It was a woman dressed in a vibrant red robe, well-built, with skin pale as a corpse, bald-headed. She was at least one meter seventy, with a muscular left arm pushing the door, her chest prominently raised, and a faint purple glow shimmering in the depths of her eyes.
Hayna gripped her short Sword tightly, her center of gravity low, ready to charge.
But then her pupils suddenly constricted, and she stopped in place.
On the woman's right arm emerged several purple runes, as if grasping an orb with her fingers slightly curled.
A ghostly spirit entwined around her fingertips, a faint blueish-grey mist gathered. Forming an irregular orb about the size of a baby's head. Visible cold energy pulsed like a heartbeat, sending wisps of cold grey wind rolling towards them across the floor in waves.
Hayna didn't recognize this Spell, but she distinctly felt the threat.
And the woman, clutching this long-gathered Magic Orb, did not launch an attack.
That was correct.
If she launched the Magic Orb at this distance, Hayna could possibly dodge it; if she attacked Aiwass with it, then Hayna's charge would surely not be stopped.
But Hayna didn't dare charge either, because she was unclear about the specific effects of this Spell.
If she were to take this Magic Orb at close range, she might end up in a losing position immediately.
So she stood slightly in front of Aiwass but did not block his line of fire. The three of them fell into a brief stalemate.
"...Why did you know I was in the basement?"
The bald woman stared at Aiwass, emotionless, and countered, "Did I leave any evidence somewhere?
"...How did you manage it?"
"Experience."
Aiwass answered simply. Because this instance had more than one BOSS.
——Sure enough, it was deduction!
How on earth did he guess?
Hayna felt invigorated by this realization, her excitement hard to contain.