[No title provided]
"You all, kill that bastard."
Gidric, the lord of the commercial city Cal Desien, knelt on the floor and cautiously opened his mouth.
"Th-the Magic Tower Master goes around saving elf slaves, doesn't he...?"
"Who knows. Do I have any reason to answer that? I kept you alive to get information from you, not to field your questions."
"Th-then where should I even start..."
Franz found Gidric's behavior a bit suspicious.
'Is he hiding something?'
Gidric was glancing around, subtly trying to drag out the conversation. As if he had some ace up his sleeve.
Whether it was just a misunderstanding or sharp intuition, he'd find out by watching. And even if the guy was plotting something behind the scenes, it didn't really matter. Franz was confident he could smash anyone who came or anything they tried.
Anyway, priority one was extracting info.
Franz said calmly, "Spill everything related to the elf slaves."
"W-well, then, I'll start from the beginning—how I came to acquire the elves. It was a little less than a year ago when someone came to my mansion. They said they wanted to trade elves regularly."
The identity of that 'someone' was probably one of the two Hera had mentioned. Or maybe an accomplice. It was bizarre and disgusting that an elf would personally go around selling their own kind.
He wanted to crack the bastard's skull open and take a peek inside.
"H-honestly, it was too tempting to pass up. As even you know, Master, elf slaves are incredibly rare...?"
Gidric eyed Franz carefully. Feeling that gaze, Franz openly scowled.
It was clearly a probe to see if he had any interest in elf slaves. If it seemed like he did, the guy probably would've offered a deal—hand over the elves, spare my life. Hell, he might've even begged for protection.
'What an idiot.'
He could understand clinging to life when it was on the line, but it didn't make the guy any more likable.
Franz said firmly, "You keep asking questions. Do it one more time, and forget the info— you'll be joining that rat trap."
Franz's finger pointed at the rat trap embedded in the wall. Gidric gulped hard.
He tossed slaves' lives around like trash but cherished his own, it seemed.
"O-once a month. He'd set the time and place, and I'd send people to kidnap the elves."
So not selling them directly, but using human hands. Then pinning it all on Hera, no doubt. She was the only elf who'd left the Great Forest and made contact with humans.
What cunning, petty scum.
"Yeah, next. Keep talking."
"The kidnapped elf slaves were..."
Terror had worked wonders—Gidric spilled everything he knew. The trade routes for the abducted elves, the fact that he had a buyer ledger, and more.
If he'd done this from the start, things would've been so much easier. Not that Franz planned to let him live.
"Bring that ledger first."
"R-right away."
Gidric jumped up and headed to a drawer by the bed. As he pulled out the ledger, he said, "Oh, and that elf gave me something as a 'token of trust.'"
"Token of trust?"
"Yes, some weird pendant..."
"Bring that too."
Franz's interest piqued. If it was called a token of trust, it probably wasn't handed out to just anyone. 'Might even identify the owner.'
Of course, it could be some random trinket, but no harm in taking it. He could leave the details to Hera anyway.
Gidric gathered the items and turned back toward Franz.
"H-here you go."
As Gidric extended his hand with the items and Franz reached to take them—
Flash—
A sharp blade glinted in the moonlight.
Gidric gripped a dagger hidden under the ledger and thrust it forward.
But that dagger never reached Franz.
Thud.
With a flick of his finger, Franz sent the dagger—and Gidric's wrist—crashing to the floor.
"A-Arghhh!!"
A scream of agony shattered the quiet night, blood gushing from the severed wrist.
Franz had gotten plenty of info and the items he needed. Plus what might be a key to solving this mess. Honestly, whether the pig lived or died didn't matter anymore.
"S-sorry, p-please, just spare me this once...! H-hic."
Gidric crawled across the floor on his knees toward Franz.
Franz stared at him impassively, pondering.
'Should I let him live?'
This was Hera's issue at heart. So she should decide if he lived or died. She might even need him for something.
Decision made, Franz snapped his fingers lightly.
A brief flame erupted from Gidric's wrist.
"A-Arghhh!!"
Gidric rolled wildly on the floor in agony as his flesh burned. It probably hurt like hell, but the bleeding was stopped—no risk of bleeding out now.
'Over there...'
Franz scanned outside with mana detection.
The numerous knights were all cold corpses now, and the elves from the basement had surfaced. Hera must've succeeded in freeing them.
'Time to move.'
Franz flicked his fingers again, levitating Gidric into the air, then leaped out the window with him.
Gidric's room was at the mansion's top floor. As Franz free-fell, the nightscape of the commercial city unfolded before him.
Beautiful, but it soured his mood a bit. Reminded him of late nights at the old job. Plus, the view from the Magic Tower's peak was way better.
A blue Magic Circle appeared beneath the plummeting Franz, slowing his descent until he landed feather-light.
He headed straight for Hera, bald pig in tow.
"Franz, all done?"
"Yeah, wrapped up."
Franz's gaze shifted to the elves huddled fearfully behind her, peeking at him warily like shivering little animals.
Their long ears twitching up and down was oddly fascinating.
Then Hera glanced at Gidric and asked, "What about him?"
"Oh, this? Figured you might need him, so I kept him alive."
Franz dumped the floating Gidric unceremoniously onto the ground. The elves startled en masse, ears drooping flat.
'Ah, so that's it?'
Elf ears weren't for telepathy—they expressed emotions. A profound life lesson for Franz.
His gaze returned to Hera.
"He's the mansion's owner. Knew a ton."
"Knew a ton?"
"Yeah. How the elf slaves were traded, ledger of past buyers. Sounds like he was the supplier to humans? Or whatever."
Hera scowled at Franz's words. Her eyes went dead as she glared at the trembling Gidric on the ground.
Seeing her like that, Franz involuntarily flinched. Recent memories flooding back.
Nah, no way.
She wouldn't go on about world destruction now, right?
As Franz rationalized to himself—
Hera's voice cut through, ice cold.
"Franz."
"Yeah...?"
"You got all the info from him, right?"
"Pretty much."
He'd probably spilled everything. With his life on the line and under threat, no way he'd hold back.
'Oh yeah...'
Remembering something he'd forgotten, Franz hurriedly fished a necklace from his pocket and showed it to her.
"Hera, know what this is?"
Hera froze at the sight, blinking.
Then she spoke carefully. "Where did you get this...?"
"The bald pig said it was a 'token of trust' from someone."
"I see... So my brother dealt with him directly after all..."
Hera muttered to herself. Then she turned to the elves behind her.
"You all, kill that bastard. Make it as brutal and cruel as possible."
It was time for revenge—for the elves who'd been turned into slaves.