Chapter 69

"Ah... I still can't handle sharp objects, huh."

I mutter to myself.

For some reason, the fox was a bit harder than yesterday. When I cut off its head, the middle part of the mountain knife's blade chipped a little.

I probably hit a bone, which caused the damage.

I might need to get it maintained. I'll have to visit that blacksmith again.

Well, what should I do now?

I look up and survey the room, where the fox and the men's corpses lie, and a woman is sitting on the floor.

"Could you tell me what happened?"

I ask the woman, showing her the mountain knife. She shudders and looks up at me.

"Ah, well, I... "

She speaks in a small, trembling voice. Then, as if making a decision, she raises her head.

"...First, thank you. For saving me from Fulseal."

"Fulseal?"

Is that the fox's name? I thought it might be one of the men, but they were already dead before I entered the room.

When I ask, she nods, as I expected, looking at the fox's corpse.

"Fulseal burst in while I was being attacked by assassins. These men killed themselves when they saw Fulseal."

"Assassins, huh? That's not a peaceful situation."

I secretly tighten my grip on the mountain knife. This is a sign of caution.

"So, why were you attacked by assassins? In the middle of the mountains?"

My caution seems to have gotten through to her, and her expression stiffens. I can hear her swallow.

"Well, it's a long story, but... could you put away your weapon first? I'm not your enemy."

"Unfortunately, I have no proof of that."

From her appearance, it seems she was indeed attacked by the fox.

However, everything else is based on her statement.

There's a possibility that she and the men were accomplices. Even if she and the men were fighting, there's a chance she was the one who assassinated them.

They were here in the fortress I was hired to investigate.

I haven't had any recent reasons to be targeted, but caution is still necessary.

"I can't tell you the reason right now! But please believe me."

"Alright, that's fine."

If she's trustworthy, I'll deal with her accordingly. If not, her lies will eventually come to light.

I'm confident I can judge by observing her actions.

"I was dodging assassins and heading towards Iraline through the forest."

"There, I found this fortress and took refuge in it, okay..."

I finish her sentence for her, and she doesn't deny it.

Looking at her, I see she's pressing her left arm and blood is flowing from her mouth.

Ah, that injury was caused by a sharp weapon.

"Where's your weapon?"

She doesn't seem to have one. If she was attacked by the men, it's unnatural that she didn't have a weapon. Was she fighting with her bare hands?

"I'm a mage."

"Really?"

That explanation clears up my doubts. Then,

"Can I see your injury?"

"Um, sure."

I carefully examine the injury, making sure not to miss any movements.

It's an internal injury. If so, it was likely inflicted by one of those assassins.

Well, that's fine.

Whether she was the attacker or the attacked, the target was either her or the corpses on the floor.

It doesn't seem to be me, and she was overwhelmed by the fox. If she had attacked me, I would have been able to handle it.

I lower my guard. If she's a mage, keeping my ki active should be enough.

I sheathe the mountain knife, and she lets out a sigh of relief.

"Um..."

"What is it?"

She looks apologetic and offers,

"Can I treat your wound?"

She points to her bag.

Now that I think about it, it's quite a deep wound. It needs to be treated soon.

"Sure, go ahead. I still have some questions, but we can talk while you treat it."

I could have started treating it myself, but maybe she was hesitant to make any sudden moves with my weapon pointed at her.

"You're strong."

She skillfully ties the joint with her mouth and right hand, inserts a piece of wood into the bandage, and twists it up. She applies medicine and wraps the bandage around it.

"You must be strong too, right? Since you're a mage."

She's the second mage I've seen after Ember. She probably uses fire...

Thinking about that, I look at the charred walls around us. Then, I remember.

"Ah!!"

"Huh!?"

She reacts to my exclamation. I glare at her, and she stiffens for a moment.

"Did you set the fortress on fire?"

"Um, yes. With my magic... What...?"

She's confused but doesn't back down.

"I might lose money due to the repair costs."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I'm in charge of cleaning this fortress. If it's damaged, the repair costs will be deducted from my pay."

I smile and wave my hand.

"Can I have the Exploration Guild testify that you caused the damage?"

She nods stiffly. I didn't mean to intimidate her.

"So, you're a mage, right?"

"Yes. I'm actually quite well-known."

She pauses, as if just noticing me.

"By the way, I didn't introduce myself after you saved me. I'm sorry. I'm Tera Hedron. As a mage, I'm known as <Blazing Hair>."

"Blazing Hair? Is it because of your hair color?"

The red color of her hair. And the fact that she uses fire, right?

"It's the magic I can use."

She smiles.

The heat in the room rises. Her hair glows red and burns.

No, it's not burning. This is...

"Are you turning your hair into fire?"

"Yes. The firepower I can generate is unmatched by ordinary magic. It's my pride."

Her hair, which was down to her waist, now extends to the floor. I see, she can move it freely and probably extend it further. As a high-damage close-range attack, it's quite useful.

As I watch, her burning hair returns to normal, and Tera looks at me expectantly.

"Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Crow. I don't have a last name. I'm an explorer."

"Crow, huh? Nice to meet you."

"You don't need to use honorifics. If you really want to, that's fine."

"I can't call someone stronger than me by their first name."

Then, you should change your tone too. I thought that, but it's not worth pointing out.

"So, I have work to do after this. What about you, Tera?"

"What do you mean, what about me?"

"Are you going to continue to Iraline on your own, or will you come with me? If you come with me, you'll have to wait."

"Hmm... how much longer will it take?"

"Probably about half an hour."

Since I need the Exploration Guild to testify, I need to know where you are. But if you're heading to Iraline, I can find you easily.

"Half an hour!? Well, then, I'll definitely wait."

I don't understand why she's surprised, but I'll finish my work quickly.

"Alright. Please wait in this room."

I stretch and head down the stairs.