Chapter 93

Absolutely don't let your guard down, the words my master once told me flashed through my mind.

It was only now that I understood that those words were a heartfelt warning from my master.

If what my master said is true, Mist would be the one who isolated the Labyrinth City.

...Perhaps, letting Mist and his kind act freely was a mistake, I thought, and my face contorted.

I had the idea of suggesting to my master that we chase after Mist, but just as I was thinking this, Narsena opened her mouth, unable to hide her confusion.

"Branch Manager, an elf...? What exactly happened, big brother?"

Narsena's words made me look around, and I suddenly remembered that I hadn't reported to Narsena and the others about the Branch Manager.

"Sorry, I haven't reported yet."

I apologized to Narsena and the others and began to tell them about the Branch Manager.

Starting from when my master and I found the Branch Manager's hideout, that the Branch Manager was an elf,

and that we had decided to cooperate with Mist, who was now completely free to act.

"The Branch Manager is Ralma's master, an elf!"

"Such...!"

After I finished telling them everything, Sieg and Narsena muttered in shock.

In the awkward silence, I could only stand there uncomfortably.

I had completely forgotten to mention the Branch Manager's escape, but perhaps I should have mentioned it when I remembered.

I regretted revealing such troublesome information at a time when my mind was already preoccupied with my master's words.

In the room, Armia, who seemed the most unable to hide her shock, spoke up.

"Wait a minute! What do you mean an elf, a race not favored by the gods, is still alive!"

It was then that I noticed a sense of unease.

Looking around again, I saw that Sieg and Narsena both had expressions of anxiety and shock on their faces.

...However, their reactions seemed more composed than one would expect upon learning that a supposedly extinct race was still alive.

"Can I say something too?"

For a moment, this caught my attention, but Laila's words drew my focus.

Laila, who seemed relatively calm compared to Armia, but still had a look of concern, spoke.

"Indeed, an elf with lost technology is troublesome, but do we really have to cooperate with them? With such a powerful force, wouldn't it be better to restrain them...?"

That was something I had considered before.

Even now, I didn't think we were inferior to Mist in terms of strength, not just me and Narsena, but with Sieg and Ronaldo as well.

However, after meeting Mist, I didn't think it was a good idea to fight.

There was something more than just strength that Mist possessed, and I couldn't shake that feeling.

...He is an existence that should not be opposed.

Based on this judgment, I was about to try to dissuade Laila and the others.

However, it wasn't necessary.

"Laila, absolutely don't even think about fighting."

"That's right! Fighting in the elf's stronghold!"

"Eh, eh?"

Before I could speak, Sieg and Narsena, looking anxious, tried to persuade Laila.

Laila, taken aback by their urgency, looked at them in confusion, and Sieg pressed on.

Ronaldo stopped Sieg at that moment.

"Sieg, I'll explain the rest."

"Understood."

After confirming that Sieg had backed down, Ronaldo turned his gaze to me and Laila.

"By the way, I haven't told you about the elves yet, have I?"

From Ronaldo's words, I understood why Sieg and Narsena had reacted the way they did.

Ronaldo had already told them about the elves.

I had heard that my master and Ronaldo had a long-standing relationship, so it wasn't surprising that Ronaldo knew about Mist, who had trained my master.

"Rauze seems to have heard a bit from Ralma, though."

Sieg smiled as I was thinking this.

His attitude made me feel uncomfortable, as if he had seen through my thoughts, and I shifted uncomfortably.

Without further mentioning me, Ronaldo began to speak.

"First, I want everyone to understand one thing."

Ronaldo's gaze wasn't just on me, Laila, and Armia.

He also looked at Sieg and Narsena, who were supposed to know about the elves, and said:

"– The elf, Mist, the Branch Manager of the Labyrinth City, is a monster. You must not think of opposing him."

"…!"

Everyone's faces, except for my master's, tensed at Ronaldo's calm words.

Ignoring our reactions, Ronaldo continued.

"However, in terms of strength, he is on par with Ralma and me. He's not weak, but with this group, we can win in a pure fight."

His strength was far from just "not weak."

The words almost slipped out, but I swallowed them, deciding it wasn't the most important thing right now.

If Mist's strength was on the level of my master and Ronaldo, then Ronaldo's words that we could win with this group were true.

"But, fundamentally, you can't challenge Mist to a pure fight. The elf's true strength lies elsewhere."

When I heard those words, a phrase that I had heard many times but never understood flashed through my mind.

I didn't know what it referred to, but I was certain it was important.

"…The elf's stronghold, you mean?"

"Yes. That is the essence of the elf and the reason why elves who have settled in a place are revered. In short, that's their ability."

"Elves can set up magic, something like that."

My master, who had been silently observing the situation, spoke up at that moment.

Ronaldo, whose explanation had been interrupted, smiled wryly but seemed to decide that it was better to let the expert explain, and remained silent.

Ignoring Ronaldo completely, my master continued.

"Words alone won't help you imagine, so I'll demonstrate."

"Wha—!"

An explosion sounded behind us immediately after.

Turning around in shock, we saw a charred mark about ten centimeters in diameter.

My master continued calmly, as we were still staring at the mark.

"As I just demonstrated, I can activate magic from a distance. And if the magic is set up nearby, elves can do the same."

I was impressed by my master's casual words.

Honestly, what he had done was incredibly difficult, even though he made it look easy.

Especially for Armia, who only knew how to cast spells using skills, she was completely stunned.

But my master continued without paying much attention to her.

"The principle is completely different, but do you understand what elves can do? For example, the magic they can activate is not limited to small-scale effects."

Saying this, my master created a fireball in his palm.

It was not just in size but in power, it could rival a phoenix's fireball.

"By infusing magic into walls or the ground in advance, elves can activate that magic later with no risk. For example, they can do something like this."

As he said this, multiple fireballs, more than ten, appeared around my master.

They were the same as the one floating in his palm.

"If the magic is set up, elves can do the same thing without expending any magic power. However, without set-up magic, elves are no different from ordinary mages. – But if you fight an elf in a place with a lot of set-up magic, the threat level is much higher."

Listening to my master's explanation, I fell silent.

I understood without my master saying it which category Mist fell into.

Now, I also understood what the term "elf's stronghold" meant.

"…The elf's stronghold refers to a place surrounded by set-up magic, right?"

"Yes, that's right. A castle protected by magic instead of walls and soldiers. I wouldn't be surprised if Mist had set up tactical-level magic throughout the Labyrinth City."

"…!"

I didn't know exactly how long Mist had been the Branch Manager, but it was certainly more than ten years.

This meant that Mist had had ten years to set up magic throughout the city.

"That's a fortress..."

Laila's stunned words made me bite my lip.

My master's words about the situation being even after setting up magic in Mist's hideout came back to me.

I now understood that those words were not an exaggeration.

If the set-up magic had been activated in that small hidden room...

A shiver ran down my spine at the thought.

Ronaldo, seeing our stunned expressions, took over from my master.

"If we oppose Mist, he could destroy the Labyrinth City. Of course, if we flee the Labyrinth City, the threat from Mist would decrease, but we would have to deal with the Labyrinth's rampage without a base. We can't let our guard down against Mist, but we can't oppose him either. That's the current situation."

In the silent room, Ronaldo pointed to his head and said:

"The reason I called Mist a monster is because of his cunning. Compared to Sieg and Laila, or even me and Ralma, he has far more experience."

Ronaldo's words, spoken with a sense of disgust, filled the room with silence.

...That's why the voice that came from behind us a moment later echoed clearly in the room.

"That's quite a way to speak about someone."

"…Eh?"

The voice was one I remembered clearly, impossible to mistake.

Still, I couldn't believe the person was there and turned around in shock.

I hoped my imagination was wrong.

But my wish was not granted.

"You're quite a monster yourself, Ronaldo."

Seeing the figure standing there, laughing, in a room that could be considered enemy territory, I finally realized my imagination was correct.

– There stood the central figure of our conversation, the Labyrinth City Branch Manager, Mist and Hans.