[V5C16] Fate of the Fugitive

“Miss Monica, no need to worry now that I’m here… Miss Monica? You seem a bit downcast, what’s wrong?”

“Eh!? N-no, I’m not, not downcast at all! I’m totally fine!”

Seeing the ice magic, Monica couldn’t help but think of a certain individual… before vigorously shaking her head. It would be rude to feel disappointed toward Anthony when he saved her.

At that moment, Throth, still crucified by thorns, let out a scream behind Monica.

“Captain Anthony… why, why are you…?!”

“I’m sure you know full well, Samuel Throth!”

Captain Anthony. Did that mean Anthony and Throth had some sort of connection?

This was likely a detail that couldn’t be discussed in public. As Monica watched with bated breath, Anthony pointed sharply at Throth and continued.

“You stole the magical tools of the Randall Knight Order and engaged in illegal drug trafficking in a foreign country! This is behavior unbecoming of a member of the knights! I was secretly ordered by the knight commander to capture you, and have been investigating you under the guise of enjoying a vacation!”

Was it really okay to announce that so loudly?

As Monica watched anxiously, Melissa put on a sly smile, pulling Monica with her right hand and Raul with her left.

With tears in her eyes, she implored Anthony.

“Kind sir, please save us! This man Throth and his contracted spirit are after our lives!”

Melissa had understood the whole story from the brief conversation, then immediately thought of an excuse to win Anthony over. Her talent was truly commendable. She even managed to explain the important details to Anthony.

“Hmm, is that so! So the lady was a spirit… By the way, why is Throth crucified?”

In response to Anthony’s natural concerns, Throth began speaking with a red face.

“That’s because this damn witch… g-gyeh!?”

Monica saw it.

Melissa skillfully positioned Raul’s body as a blinder and, at a moment when Anthony’s view was blocked, she slammed the side of Throth’s stomach.

Now that she had silenced Throth, Melissa put on the airs of a fragile woman again.

“All of this, every bit of it, is the doing of that spirit! That spirit intends to kill us along with Throth! Please, help us, kind sir!”

“I see, that’s how it is!”

The smiling Raul murmured, “Wow.” Monica felt the same way.

Anthony readied his ice magic sword with a determined look.

The magic sword Monica saw before was a sword hilt with no blade, producing blades of fire or ice with magic. However, Anthony was enveloping a steel blade with magic.

There were very few swords that could withstand such an implementation. That alone told Monica that the sword was quite extraordinary.

“Here I come, you villainous spirit pretending to be a frail lady! Nuh!”

Anthony himself was being manipulated by a wicked witch disguised as a frail lady, but he swung his sword at Veronica either way.

A blade of ice shot out from Anthony’s sword, and Veronica countered it with an ice dagger.

Even to an amateur’s eye, it was clear that Anthony was skilled. His swordsmanship and magical abilities were top-notch.

However, fighting a greater spirit alone was impossible. It was only a matter of time until Anthony was pushed back.

…Yet, for some reason, Veronica began easing up on her offense.

“…Why do humans keep coming, one after another? I’m in a hurry.”

The spirit distanced herself, planting her right hand firmly on the floor.

In the next moment, the entire room was filled with white. A blizzard raged around Veronica.

Monica quickly erected a defensive barrier around themselves and Anthony. The snow of the blizzard began accumulating around the hemispherical defense barrier.

“What the heck is this?! I can’t see anything! …Ah!”

Melissa complained, before checking behind her and realizing what had happened.

Throth, who had been entangled with thorns just moments ago, had mysteriously disappeared. There were traces of ice blades on the thorns, suggesting Veronica’s involvement.

Once the snowstorm subsided, the room fell silent. Veronica and Throth were nowhere to be found. They had escaped, likely through a hidden passage somewhere in the room.

“Dammit! That was a smokescreen to escape!”

Melissa stamped the ground in frustration, as Anthony brushed off the snow from his clothes.

“No problem. I anticipated his escape. My brothers are lying in wait to catch Throth… By the way.”

Anthony looked around the room, tilting his head.

“Who was it that erected the defense barrier for me?”

＊　＊　＊

“Ugh, damn, that was a close call.”

Throth, who had escaped into a hidden passage, lit a small fire with a magical ring to illuminate the surroundings and glared at Veronica.

“Seriously, that was too close. I thought I was a goner for sure.”

“…”

Despite Throth giving her a resentful scowl, Veronica remained silent. She stared intently at Throth with her violet eyes in the darkness.

It was Veronica who had saved Throth from his thorn crucifixion.

After blinding everyone with the blizzard, Veronica cut the vines restraining Throth with ice blades and fled into a hidden door, carrying Throth with her.

“Still, I never expected him to be chasing us…”

Samuel Throth was a member of the prestigious Throth family of mages. He once belonged to the Randall Knight Order.

Though officially a knight, Throth’s main job was managing the knight order’s magical tools.

The Randall Knights employed sword-type magic items, commonly referred to as “magic swords”. It was Throth’s job to handle the magic swords, as well as to develop better ones.

His rank within the order was low. Many considered him little more than a warehouse guard who couldn’t even wield a sword properly.

In Randall, technology in the field of machinery was often more advanced than that of magecraft, so mages were often looked down upon.

The once prestigious House Throth had been known for their craftsmanship in magical tools. But now, they had fallen to the point where they were treated as mere tool merchants.

Thus, Throth decided to leave the country and use his skills to take control of the underworld of the Ridill Kingdom, a nation known for its magical technology.

The magic potion “Irene” was the key to this plan.

Based on the Thorn Witch’s love potion, the drug was highly effective. Thanks to it, Throth made a considerable profit and established connections with the nobility of Ridill.

From here, he intended to rise even further, but…

“Dammit, if Captain Anthony is here… the others must be as well. I need to hurry. Oi, Veronica, escort me out of here.”

“Why?”

Veronica stared directly at Throth and grabbed his wrist with painful strength.

“Oi, Veronica, it hurts! Hey! Let go…!”

Still clawing Throth’s wrist, Veronica removed the bracelet fitted there. The violet stone set in the silverwork’s center was proof of his contract with Veronica, a greater ice spirit.

Taking the bracelet in her hand, Veronica placed her finger on the violet stone. At that moment, Throth felt the invisible thread connecting him and Veronica silently severed.

His contract with Veronica had been canceled.

“Oi, what are you doing?”

“Like I said before, I don’t need you anymore.”

“What…!?”

When Throth first came to Ridill, Veronica offered him a spirit contract.

Veronica had been looking for a human who fulfilled certain conditions.

If you cooperate in finding that person, I’ll make a contract with you.

When Veronica made this proposal, Throth couldn’t hide his excitement at the unexpected stroke of luck.

Contracts with greater spirits weren’t something anyone could do. First, you had to actually find a spirit who was willing to make a contract. They also had to match you in conditions like elemental affinity and mana.

In this era, spirits were relatively rare. For one to approach Throth and offer a contract was like winning the lottery.

Combat power was an essential part of rising in the underworld. With a powerful greater spirit as his ally, Throth had practically nothing to fear.

…And now, Veronica was abandoning Throth.

“Wait, if you cancel the contract with me, won’t you be in trouble? Spirits have various limitations when not contracted with a human, due to the low mana density in the environment, right?”

Indeed, greater spirits could only live in environments with high mana density.

In Veronica’s case, being an ice spirit, she could only operate for an extended period in places like mana-packed snowy mountains.

To operate for a long time in a low mana density environment, spirits required a contract with human magicians.

Veronica had a reason to leave the snowy mountains. That’s why she needed a magician willing to make a contract.

“I found what I was looking for… a human with the ice attribute and mana hyperabsorption. So you are no longer needed. Goodbye.”

Veronica’s figure melted into the darkness of the passage, taking with her the spirit stone used for the contract.

Apparently, Veronica only saved Throth to retrieve the spirit stone bracelet.

“Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!”

Throth cursed while running through the passage and descending the staircase at the end of it.

Along the way, he slipped and fell on his backside.

All of this was their fault, Throth thought, picturing his pursuer Anthony and the turncoat Veronica in his mind.

(Watch, just watch. Once I get everything ready, I’ll show them…!)

He slid aside the door at the bottom of the stairs, and the outside air brushed against his cheeks.

It was already several hours past midnight. There was a dim glow in the eastern sky.

His fingers tingled in the early morning air, which still contained the chill of winter. His breath turned white as it escaped from his mouth.

Exhaling heavily, Throth took a step outside the building——just then, he heard the barking of a dog.

(No, no, no! It’s them! They’re coming for me!)

Throth hastily ran in the opposite direction of the barking, but was suddenly struck with intense pain, letting out a scream.

A dog had bitten Throth’s leg. It had brown and black fur, and its ears were perked up.

“Stop it! Let go! Let go…!”

“Oh no, how painful.”

Before Throth could kick the dog away, he noticed a man standing in front of him.

The handsome man had a neat appearance with desert-style clothing, and black hair. Throth recognized his face.

“You…! Michel…!”

“Correct! I infiltrated as an employee of your shop. This outfit suits me pretty well, don’t you think?”

It was likely this man who led Anthony to Throth’s room.

Michel was a member of a specialized unit in the Randall Knight Order, specializing in covert operations.

And if Anthony and Michel were here, then the third was…

“Hey, don’t bully our dog, okay?”

Appearing from the opposite side was a young man with fluffy, swaying black hair and a gentle aura.

If greeted with a smile, nine out of ten people would probably respond with a friendly “Hello, nice to meet you.” He exuded a friendly and approachable atmosphere.

…However, in his hand was a black leather whip, completely out of place for someone with such a kind smile.

His name was Teodor, and he was an expert in training military dogs, as well as the young ace of the unit specialized in interrogating criminals.

As a dog lover, he never used the whip on them. That whip was meant solely for humans.

“You knew we were coming since Anthony-niisan is here, right?”

“Hehe, Irene has a unique smell… finding it wasn’t that much of a hassle. Our dogs are excellent, you know.”

Michel wore a mischievous smile on his handsome face. Teodor also smiled with the whip in hand. Sandwiched between the two, Throth fell to his knees in despair.

Faced with the expert members of the Randall Knight Order, all Throth could do was plead for his life.

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