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The flash that burst over Noctar was so intense it could be seen from beyond the castle walls, almost creating the illusion that dawn had an early arrival.
Renard squinted against the blinding light. The Dark Cloud spirits shrieked, kieeek!
The light bomb, spreading in all directions, devoured the black mist surrounding Renard. As the mist dissipated, Renard's entire body, previously hidden, was exposed.
"What the—?"
Renard couldn't hide her bewilderment. Seizing that momentary lapse of weakness, Alfia swung her bow, knocking Renard's arm away.
The dark elf stumbled, losing her balance. Just as she was about to fall from the roof, she leapt nimbly to the opposite rooftop. Upon inspection, she found her spirit's power had weakened.
Alfia's light was the cause.
That light…
It was no ordinary light. The vivid aura was unmistakably that of a spirit, leaving no room for doubt.
Wasn't she supposed to be unable to control spirits?
They had certainly been so tangled that their forms were indistinguishable before. Renard couldn't understand what sudden wind had blown for those troublemakers to suddenly cooperate with Alfia.
Alfia slowly rose to her feet. From her back, an unconcealable light seeped out from her clothes, tracing a pattern.
A brand and a blessing.
A symbol of her oath not to betray the faith placed in her.
Alfia relished the power imbued in the light.
So this is what a spirit feels like.
Though it was her first time experiencing this phenomenon, it felt oddly familiar. Naturally, it made sense, given that these spirits had been with her from birth. It was no different from moving her arms or legs.
Thanks to this, she instinctively knew how to control them.
Alfia raised her shortbow and drew the bowstring with her right hand.
Creeak.
As the bowstring stretched, an arrow materialized where there had been nothing before. An arrow of radiance.
A mocking smile formed on Alfia's lips.
"It's my turn now. Ready to catch an arrow, kinsman?"
"Tch!"
Renard let out a short hiss and quickly moved. That light is dangerous. The Dark Cloud spirits screamed warnings in her mind, triggering primal instincts.
She melted into the thick mist, which swirled and danced through the sky, eluding pursuit.
Alfia tracked Renard's movements. As if reading her opponent's path was child's play, she loosed her arrow into the shifting mist.
It burst.
Boom!
The sound of the mist exploding came before the arrow's whistle. The light arrow, tracing a straight line of brilliance, was faster than sound itself.
When the arrow struck the cloud head-on, the mist vanished with a pop! Suddenly stripped bare, Renard plummeted from the sky.
She hit the ground, rolling to break her fall. Her dark skin was covered in scratches, red blood trickling from various places. All from a single arrow.
Is this… truly the power of a spirit?
She must have only recently begun commanding spirits, yet her power defied reason, even accounting for elemental advantage. It surpassed even the spirits wielded by the high elves of her homeland.
As Renard sensed, Alfia's spirits were different from nature spirits. They had parasitized Alfia's body for hundreds of years, constantly fighting among themselves despite their different personalities.
Children grow through conflict, the same was true for these spirits. Their unintentional growth had reached an unparalleled level.
The God who created this world named that light:
『Servant of Light』
A higher ranking light spirit.
Once again, a brilliant light cast its shadow over the fallen Renard. Alfia aimed her light arrow.
"This is punishment for raising your blade against him. I'll make sure you never do such a thing again."
Renard looked up at Alfia tremblingly, then lowered her head.
She firmly shut her eyes, awaiting her fate.
But even as she waited, nothing seemed to change. The light hadn't disappeared either. Carefully, she raised her head.
"…What are you doing? Are you savoring some depraved thrill watching someone about to die?"
"As if I would. I don't have an interest in hurting my kin, you know."
She'd shown consideration and given her a chance, all because they were kin. That was her act of mercy.
But that mercy was only for Renard, the elf. Alfia turned her gaze towards the merchant group's building.
As if defying the very world that caused her nothing but suffering, she raised her bow and aimed at the heavens.
She drew the bowstring back, then lightly released. The arrow shot skyward, like a reverse meteor scattering fragments of light.
The arrow only stopped after piercing the clouds. Its tip tilted sideways, and then—
It fell.
I'm grateful you led me to him.
But kidnapping me, imprisoning me, treating me as mere merchandise? Unforgivable. Right here, right now, you'll pay for those sins.
The meteor fell.
It disappeared between the buildings.
Boom…
A pillar of pure white light shot up. The ground shook as if hit by an earthquake.
Gradually, the light pillar thinned and vanished.
The void left by the arrow devoured the night.
Crack…
Unable to withstand the power, the bow shattered into countless pieces.
The wind blew, fragments scattering along with it, her braided golden hair fluttering.
The cool night air felt refreshing to her now-clear mind. Alfia felt a true sense of liberation.
She turned her head, wanting to see the master who had granted her this freedom. To proudly show how she had lived up to his faith.
Karami, holding a wine glass, had his mouth agape. His eyes were wider than she had ever seen them.
Wasn't that amazing?
Wasn't I awesome?
Alfia flashed a peace sign, beaming.
Meanwhile.
Fuck, my precious collection!
Karami screamed internally.
***
Alfia returned to the Peacock's Night Gathering. Renard came along.
Renard was speechless at the sight of her comrades' bodies strewn about. She flinched when her eyes met those of the old man who had created this carnage, knowing full well who he was.
"The Shadow Peacock, Victor…"
"Well, well, another person who knows this old man."
"There isn't an assassin alive who doesn't know your name. I thought you died along with the guild that day, but you've been hiding here?"
"Let's just say I've lost my appetite for blood money. But enough about that."
"Ugh?"
Victor's wistful mood suddenly shifted. His eyes, honed with killing intent as if ready to carve out her heart, were hard to meet directly.
Renard instinctively drew her daggers and took a stance. But her hands, gripping the daggers, trembled too much to be combat-ready.
"Respect your elders."
Respect your elders? What does that mean?
It means the old man is attacking!
Fine, bring it on. Even if I die, I'll uphold my elven pride.
SMACK!
"Ow!"
Victor's hand moved in a blur, and a thunderbolt struck Renard's crown. She crouched, clutching her head.
"How dare you draw a blade on your elders? You elves, all the same, no respect for the elderly."
Even in her dumbfounded state, Renard managed to speak.
"B-But I'm older than you… Eek!"
Victor's fist rose, and Renard's will to resist vanished like dust.
Nothing's better than a good beating when it comes to educating people. One punch was enough to instill proper manners in Renard. She nursed the swelling bump on her head, pouting.
While they sorted out the hierarchy, the atmosphere on the other side was warm and friendly. Alfia was eagerly sharing her experience of controlling spirits with Karami.
"So when I shouted, these guys couldn't even move! I told them to give me their power, and it just flowed in, and everything lit up…!"
"Is that so?"
Though he couldn't relate at all.
Like a parent listening to their daughter's field trip story, Karami smiled at the right times and listened attentively.
Even managing a smile was a miracle. Inwardly, his spirit had turned to dust along with the merchant group's disappearance.
"Anyway, those nobodies had no right to make an elf suffer. I'll work them as hard as they troubled me."
Alfia was in high spirits, oblivious to all this.
She trampled on the spirits' cries of hiyaak! as they protested.
"It's quite noisy."
Karami surveyed the castle's atmosphere. It would be strange if people were sleeping soundly after an earthquake and a pillar of light in the middle of the night.
"We should leave now."
"Are you planning to depart?"
"An entire merchant group has vanished. They'll know to some extent that Alfia and I were involved, so they'll come to interrogate us. They may even try to pin false charges on us."
"Doesn't that not matter? Neither of us are exactly clean, and with us here, they wouldn't dare try anything reckless."
Karami tilted his head as if to say, what are you talking about?
"But I am clean?"
"What?"
"I've done nothing but good deeds. Where else could you find such a kind slave trader?"
"But…"
"Honestly, putting me and the old man in the same category is a bit… Haha."
Karami drew a clear line. Victor was about to argue, you forcibly enslaved Alfia when she was unconscious! But the look in her eyes as she gazed at Karami was unsettling.
She looked at him with the eyes of somebody utterly in love.
With the person in question acting like this, it seemed impossible to get any help. Victor gave up. There was no one trustworthy in this world. I should focus on raising Emily well.
Victor procured a horse from an innkeeper he knew. Karami and Alfia hopped on.
After a moment's hesitation, Alfia wrapped her arms around Karami's waist. He tried hard to ignore the soft sensation pressing against his back.
"Take care on your journey. You're welcome to return at any time. And do something about that personality of yours. With that attitude, you might end up dead in a ditch somewhere without even getting to scream."
"Haha, this is basic knowledge for a slave trader. I'll visit again if I get the chance. Oh, and Master."
"Yes?"
"Check the basement of the merchant group. It's for the bar tab and the children's living expenses."
Merchant group.
Basement.
Combining these two words, it wasn't hard to grasp what he meant. Victor nodded.
"Byebye, Owner~ I'll be back, so you better be alive until then, okay?"
Alfia waved. As the horse started moving forward, Karami snapped his fingers.
[Liberation of Lili, Complete]50 points have been awarded.[Liberation of Lala, Complete]70 points have been awarded.
As Karami and Alfia moved away, Renard also slowly got up.
"I-I'll be going too then. So…"
"What are you talking about? You're staying here."
"What? Why me."
"Well? Why should I?"
"…Why me."
Victor swept his finger across the blood-soaked surroundings.
"You've got cleaning to do."
***
The horse galloped across the night plains.
Alfia tightly hugged Karami, using the excuse that she might fall off.
"Where are we going now?"
She was asking about their destination.
Truthfully, it didn't matter where they went.
When she first left the forest, even breathing had been difficult, but not anymore. With her master by her side, she felt she could live even in a treeless desert.
But Karami's thoughts were the complete opposite.
"We're heading to the Great Forest."
If everything up to now had been for one great purpose, this would be the final step.