Chapter 177: The Witch of Envy!
"No password? Who is it?"
The instant Old Man Rom heard the knock, his expression changed.
He glared fiercely toward the door.
"Ah, it's probably my customer. I never told her the password, though."
"She's here pretty early. I'll go take a look."
Felt hopped down from her seat and walked lightly toward the entrance of the Loot House.
Then she opened the door.
"Thank goodness. You really are here."
"This time, I won't let you escape!"
The first thing Shiro heard was a cold female voice.
Once the door opened completely, the owner of that voice finally appeared before everyone.
She was an extraordinarily beautiful girl with silver hair reaching her waist.
Her clothes were predominantly white.
Despite lacking extravagant decorations, they still gave her an unmistakably refined and noble appearance.
Combined with beauty far beyond that of an ordinary human, even the sunlight streaming through the doorway seemed to become an ornament meant to highlight her presence.
However, anger currently simmered within the blue-violet eyes set in her otherwise gentle face.
She stared fiercely at Felt.
"Tch. Why is it you again?"
"You've already chased me this far. Shouldn't you give up already?"
Felt's expression instantly darkened at the sight of her, and she spoke through gritted teeth.
Judging from their exchange, the silver-haired girl had probably lost something important to Felt.
That was why she had deliberately tracked her all the way here.
"Unfortunately, that item is extremely important to me."
"I have no intention of giving up."
"So return it obediently, and I won't do anything to you."
As soon as she finished speaking, the girl raised one hand.
The temperature inside the Loot House instantly dropped several degrees.
Several icicles materialized in midair, their sharp points aimed at everyone inside.
"Why am I included in the attack range too...?"
Shiro stared at the icicle pointed directly at him and complained.
Then he turned toward Old Man Rom, whose entire body had gone rigid.
"Aren't you going to help?"
"Felt has absolutely no chance of beating her alone."
Shiro had determined that with a single glance.
Because the first thing that caught his attention upon seeing the girl was not her almost elven beauty.
It was the enormous amount of magic contained within her seemingly delicate body.
Shiro estimated that if she could fully utilize all of that power, destroying the entire royal capital in a single attack would not be difficult.
Old Man Rom remained motionless.
However, the way his fists repeatedly opened and clenched revealed just how unsettled he truly was.
At that moment, a familiar male voice came from behind the silver-haired girl, breaking the tense silence.
"Eh?!! It really is you two!!!"
Natsuki Subaru squeezed out from behind the girl and excitedly pointed at Shiro.
"Do you have any idea what I went through this afternoon?!!"
He rushed past the silver-haired girl and continued shouting directly in Shiro's face.
"After you ran off with that girl, I didn't have any money from this country!"
"I'd already eaten all the food I brought with me!"
"And my other-world cheat still never activated!"
"I wandered around that gigantic city alone for ages, exhausted, baking under the sun, and completely lost!"
"If I hadn't met Satella while she was searching for her stolen item right before I passed out from the heat, you'd never have seen me again!"
Finally encountering Shiro again, Subaru poured out every grievance he had suffered that afternoon at full volume.
Unfortunately—
Subaru failed to notice that the expression of the girl behind him, whom he had just called "Satella," had completely darkened.
Even Old Man Rom, who had remained tense until now, could no longer suppress the fear in his heart after hearing that name.
He reached beneath the counter and pulled out a wooden club roughly the length of a shinai.
Suppressing the trembling in his right hand, he widened his eyes and aimed the weapon at the silver-haired girl.
"A silver-haired half-elf, and that name..."
"Don't tell me you're—!"
"I'm not!"
"I just happen to look like the Witch of Envy!"
"Stop treating me like I'm the same person as her!"
The silver-haired girl immediately interrupted him and protested emotionally.
From her mouth came an interesting title.
Within the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica, that name was considered taboo.
The Witch of Envy—Satella.
It was said that she fed upon fear and took joy in slaughter.
It was said that no one who had ever seen her remained alive.
And it was said that four hundred years ago, she had single-handedly destroyed half the world.
That terrifying Witch had ultimately been sealed away four centuries ago by the Divine Dragon, Lugunica's Great Sage, and the first Sword Saint working together.
And now—
Another silver-haired half-elf had appeared in the world.
One who was being called Satella.
It was no wonder Old Man Rom was this nervous.
Even someone like him, who had once played a major role in dragging the war between Lugunica and the demi-humans into a prolonged stalemate, would be nothing more than a newborn infant before a Witch who destroyed half the world.
Simply standing before this silver-haired girl right now could probably be called an extraordinary display of courage.
Once fear took root, it was extremely difficult to escape.
And people were often more willing to believe the "truth" they had guessed for themselves than the explanation of a stranger.
Even though the silver-haired girl repeatedly insisted that she had nothing to do with the Witch of Envy who destroyed half the world, Old Man Rom did not relax in the slightest.
He narrowed his eyes.
A sharp gleam returned to his gray pupils for the first time in years as he continuously searched the Loot House for possible escape routes.
Yes—
Escape routes.
The instant Subaru spoke the name Satella, the elderly giant had already understood that he could never defeat her.
Not just him.
Even if every demi-human who had participated in the old war joined forces, it would still be impossible.
Before an absolute difference in strength, what difference was there between crushing all of them and crushing a few ants?
As far as Old Man Rom knew, there was only one person in the entire world who might be capable of contending with the Witch of Envy.
If this silver-haired girl truly was that Witch, then he and Felt had no possible ending other than death.
He was already old.
His life was worth little now.
But Felt—
'I absolutely have to get that girl out of here.'
"Felt... give it back to her."
The hand gripping the club was soaked with cold sweat.
Old Man Rom clenched his teeth as he spoke.
"Eh...? But..."
Felt looked at Old Man Rom, then at the silver-haired girl.
Reluctantly, she pulled out the dragon-shaped insignia glowing with faint red light.
"That's it."
"It's extremely important to me, so please return it."
Seeing Felt obediently produce the insignia, some of the hostility faded from the silver-haired girl's blue-violet eyes.
However, the icicles remained floating in the air.
At the slightest sign of trouble, they could turn everyone present into pincushions.
Since even Old Man Rom, who had been with her for years, had told her to return it, Felt could only pout and reluctantly hand the stolen insignia back.
But just as the silver-haired girl reached out to take it—
Shiro, who had remained silent until now, suddenly shouted.
"Hey! Behind you!"
…
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