Chapter 179 – Behind Theft
“If you surrender now, I will spare your life!”
My voice echoed through the large building.
But the thieves still didn’t want to surrender, so instead of answering, they threw poisoned daggers.
Ting!
“Oh, is that how it comes out?”
I roughly punched out the memorized words with the staff I had in my hand, and stomped my feet vigorously.
Quaaaaa!
Then, the wind blew up for an instant, and the wooden box that was blocking the view was blown away in one fell swoop.
“Aagh!”
As a result, one of the thieves crouched in the dark screamed as if he had been hit by a box.
“Glinda!”
I hurriedly called his name, and Glinda, who was behind me, struck the ground with her staff.
Then, breaking through the wooden floor, a huge trowel rose up and grabbed the body of the fallen thief with blood dripping from his forehead.
Seeing that, the other thieves panicked and tried to escape, but this time Dorothea stamped their feet.
Roaring!
A wall of flame blocking the retreat.
“Hee!”
Because the house is made of wood, the fire quickly spreads in all directions.
The thieves turned and looked in our direction, probably realizing they had no choice but to die or faint.
Then, as if they seemed relatively easygoing, they rushed towards Camilla and Sophia in maid uniforms.
I looked back and said.
“You know you have to subdue without getting hurt, right?”
“Yes.”
Sophia stepped forward, guarding Camilla, and pulled her short wand from the band on her thigh.
“Animato”
Then, at the tip of the staff, a huge spear made of water appeared.
The thieves who rushed in a straight line panicked and tried to stop, but it was already too late.
“Cantabile”
The spear of water ready to launch was launched like a missile.
One per person, one shot one kill.
Of course, he wouldn’t have really killed him, but even at a cursory glance, its power was enough to easily distort a fair amount of iron armor.
“Keeck!”
Like being hit by a huge blunt weapon, the other 7 thieves who were hit directly by Sophia’s magic fell to the ground with a frog dying sound.
Because a large amount of water was sprayed at once, the roaring flames were also caught at once.
“Oh, nice shot.”
Those were the words Gabriel muttered as he looked around the room, which had become a mess in an instant.
Hey, don’t just watch, help yourself too.
***
“Kuuu! Kill!”
The Snow White in question, the breadwinner of the thieves, was unexpectedly a woman.
“This hits the goal.”
However, the race is half-elf.
Elves are a race that ordinary people should only see once in their lifetime, but these days it feels like they’re on a bargain sale.
Even more so, the half-elf was an even more difficult case to see.
It is said that the probability of conception when two races, humans and elves, intersect is purely less than 1%.
I asked, squatting in front of her.
“Where are all the stolen treasures?”
Then the white-haired half-elf, tied to a pole on friendly terms with the gnomes, made a ferocious expression and spat at me.
“Oh, it’s hard.”
It may be a reward for someone, but I avoid it lightly because I don’t have a favorite hobby after being spit on by others.
Upon seeing this, Dorothea, who was next to him, lit a flame in his hand and asked.
“Will it last?”
“Uh huh, stay still. Oppa will take care of everything.”
I calmed her growling while speaking menacingly to her half-elf, who was still baring her teeth.
“As you’ve seen before, all the people here are scary people. I don’t think you’ll see anything bad if you follow me when you talk.”
Then the half-elf snorted and said,
“Lie. Do you think I wouldn’t know that if I told you where the treasure was, they would turn us over to the city guards?”
Hey, you’re quick to notice.
I wanted to tell the story easily and easily, but it seems difficult to eat it raw.
Since the Dwarf gang told us not to make a fuss earlier, I want to solve it quietly.
It was when I was thinking so alone.
“Who are your parents?”
Glinda, who had been quietly watching the situation from behind, stepped out.
“What else are you?”
As the half-elf watched warily, Glinda said, taking off the hood she had been wearing since entering her building.
“It’s an elf passing by.”
Seeing her pointy ears, the rebellious half-elf’s eyes widened.
“Elf? Why do elves and humans…”
“I think my question came first.”
“…My parents will take care of themselves.”
“Because it might be someone I know. Elves are rare, so you know most of them just by crossing two bridges.”
The half-elf, who was looking up at Glinda with an absurd expression, as if he was momentarily speechless, quickly averted his gaze and answered.
“I don’t care who my parents are. In the first place, I’m treated as a child.”
“Then it doesn’t matter if it’s revealed more, doesn’t it?”
“Gibberish!”
It feels like the story, which was going well for some reason, is going in a strange direction.
As Glinda watched how much she did, I shook her head and interjected.
“Looks like you don’t have any intention of answering meekly, but let’s go another way.”
“How about another way?”
I glanced at Sophia and whispered in my ear.
“I know how to use hypnotic magic.”
Then Glinda asked with a surprised expression.
“Where did you learn the golden trick?”
“No, well, something like this happened.”
After hearing my words, Glinda put on a worried expression for a moment, then let out a small sigh and shook her head.
“I’ll leave that as a last resort. I have an idea.”
“What do you think?”
But instead of answering my question, Glinda asked, squatting right in front of the half-elf.
“Who did you order from?”
“What nonsense is that? I’m just trying to help the poor in the city…”
“You’re not asking me to believe the obvious lie that I was a scapegoat, right?”
When Glinda cuts off her words midway through, the half-elf, speechless, licks her lips and then closes them tightly.
“I can roughly guess what kind of offer you received. Perhaps, if this matter is resolved well, I will officially accept you as a citizen of Elven Wood, or something like that. Half-bloods are treated as half a penny in elven society.”
I sneakily asked Gabriel, who was listening to the story next to me.
“Really?”
“Uh. Elves are extremely pure-blooded. They don’t like blood from other races mixing in their genealogy.”
“Hmm.”
Since the society of elves is so closed, I didn’t know there was such a trend.
In any case, the conversation between the two continued.
“I’ll let you know in advance. Even if you successfully complete this task, there’s no way they’ll accept you. Rather, they’ll kill you to keep the secret.”
Then the half-elf struggled in denial of Glinda’s words.
“There’s no way! You made a pact with me! If this goes well, you’ll take me and my mother back!”
In fact, at this point, it was as if he had confessed that there was someone behind him, but he didn’t seem to realize it because he was so excited.
But Glinda shook her head and backed away, as if there was no need to talk anymore.
Could this be the end?
I looked at Glinda with a nervous expression.
Glinda blinked her eyes.
It was a signal to stay still.
Eventually, the half-elf, who had fallen into doubt about Glinda’s words, opened her mouth with a tired expression.
“…If I tell you the whole truth, will you save me?”
“I will take responsibility and release it.”
“Glinda.”
I looked at her, surprised by her unpremeditated story, but her Glinda was unconcerned.
“Why is that?”
The poker face is so perfect, I honestly don’t know what this elf is thinking.
“No, nothing.”
In the end, the situation ended with me taking a step back, and the half-elf, who looked down at the captured gnomes like him with a confused expression, opened his mouth soon.
“It was Lucas von Astreia, one of Elven Wood’s senators, who ordered me to rob the underground auction house. He’s my real father.”
“Astraea…”
“Do you know the name?”
“It is one of the three major families representing Elven Wood. It has a history of producing at least two Archons.”
As far as I know, an archon is a word that refers to the ruler of the elves who is elected once every 100 years.
That meant that he was a fairly prestigious family.
“Why would such a person do this?”
“It was probably done with the Philosopher’s Stone being auctioned.
“The Philosopher’s Stone?”
When I asked without realizing it, Glinda nodded her head with a confused look on her face.
“As I said before, there are forces that want to use the Philosopher’s Stone for evil purposes. I was trying to bribe it myself to protect it from them.”
“A force?”
“They call themselves the Serpents of Wisdom. An extreme purist group of elves with an anti-government personality.”
I feel like the scale of the story is getting bigger and bigger.
I swallowed and asked cautiously.
“What is their purpose?”
To my question, Glinda answered, pushing up her slightly dripping glasses with her index finger.
“World domination.”
It was the moment when the greatest rival of the Demon King’s army appeared.
