Ortega rushed forward with a grin.
As Yulia looked at him, she had to make a decision.
Would she trust Lloyd?
Or would she give up everything and seal Ortega?
– “If he takes the sedative, Ortega’s reaction will completely disappear.”
Lloyd had once said.
If the sedative was taken, Ortega’s response would vanish entirely.
Although he didn’t mention it explicitly, Lloyd had clearly considered the possibility of Ortega breaking free.
Only one condition remained for the binding: Ortega would charge at Yulia three times.
He had already approached twice, and now his rapidly closing distance marked the third and final approach.
The binding spell on his ankle was proof of that.
Thus…
“I’ll gouge your eyes out, b*tch!”
As Ortega’s figure shot toward her, Yulia deactivated the Arcane Eyes.
“Are you giving up?”
Ortega’s twisted smile mocked her.
Yulia calmly opened her mouth in response.
“I’m not giving up. I’m trusting.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Whoosh
The sound of something fluttering echoed as darkness descended before her eyes.
By the time Yulia realized it was Ortega’s hand, it was already mere moments from striking her forehead.
The cold sensation swept through her body briefly.
– Banggg!
A loud noise engulfed the surroundings.
Yulia’s eyebrows lowered calmly, then rose again.
Her unwavering gaze was fixed on Ortega.
– “The chance of all three conditions happening under normal circumstances is less than 0.01%.”
Lloyd said that.
– “In other words, if all the conditions are met, the binding spell’s strength will multiply by at least tens of thousands. But of course, the stronger the effect, the shorter it lasts. Even an artifact has its limits.”
Ortega was slammed into the ground.
“What…?”
Ortega muttered as he stared blankly at his ankle.
A massive shackle, the size of a carriage, wrapped around it.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t free himself.
“With this stupid toy?”
He frowned, and mana gathered at his fingertips, but it scattered meaninglessly.
The binding spell even blocked the condensation of mana.
Ortega’s expression contorted viciously.
Yulia knew well that there was no time to rest.
The binding spell was already starting to crack.
That artifact had reached its limit, merely binding a monster like Ortega for a few seconds.
“Chief! The sedative!”
The village chief, with his mangled arm, tossed the sedative that had been rolling on the ground.
– Ching!
Yulia caught it and forcefully shoved a handful of sedatives into Ortega’s mouth.
“You cursed woman!!!”
Ortega’s blood-red eyes flared with madness.
– Crack!
The binding spell shattered.
Even an artifact strong enough to hold a high-class demon had broken.
Yulia hurriedly activated the Arcane Eyes and pressed down on Ortega—no, on Lloyd’s shoulder.
Lloyd’s eyes trembled violently.
As Yulia looked into his shifting red-and-black eyes, she held Ortega’s… Lloyd’s hand.
“Come back, Lloyd.”
Her Arcane Eyes glowed brilliantly blue.
Soon, the boy’s lips moved.
◆
His vision blurred.
Blink.
When Lloyd blinked and opened his eyes, the surroundings came into focus faintly.
‘I’ve returned.’
With that thought, Lloyd let out a long sigh.
“Are you alright?”
Yulia hurriedly rushed over to him.
Looking into her glowing blue eyes, the tension in his chest finally eased a bit.
“How did you manage against Ortega?”
“Look under your feet.”
A massive restraint came into view.
In any case, the stricter the conditions, the better.
The safety mechanism had been prepared just in case Ortega broke free while trying to deal with One.
‘The more insurance, the better.’
Lloyd thought, breathing a sigh of relief as he glanced around.
The village chief, leaning against the wall, his clothes stained red with blood, caught his eye.
“…You’re back? It seemed like you were hiding something terrifying.”
The village chief, despite bleeding, managed a faint smile.
Lloyd pulled out a potion from a nearby bag and offered it.
“This is a potion from an alchemist named Marlio. Your external wounds should heal quickly.”
“Thank you.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you. You must have held Ortega off.”
“For my comrades, that’s the least I could do.”
Lloyd shared a smile with the chief, then stood up. It looked like all his comrades had survived.
‘…Which means.’
It was now officially time for some looting.
“Princess Yulia.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s clean up quickly. Look over there. Isn’t that gold? I think I could pay off half of my debt with that.”
“…Hah.”
Yulia let out a small sigh, as if regretting having worried about someone like him.
“Don’t touch anything too large.”
“…Why not?”
“According to imperial law, the belongings of the deceased, whose heir has not been determined, are seized by the state.”
“…Thieves.”
Even as he complained, Lloyd continued searching the area.
He had to grab what he could.
Someone of One’s caliber would certainly have a few useful artifacts.
Since he had already used the “Binding of Conditions”, he needed to pick up a few items to compensate for that loss.
– Clatter.
Lloyd frowned as he opened a drawer.
There seemed to be a sound coming from below.
When he infused a bit of mana, a locking mechanism clicked.
“If you mess with it carelessly, it’ll destroy whatever’s inside.”
Yulia warned, having approached unnoticed.
“Didn’t you just tell me not to steal earlier?”
“This is different. It’s something the deceased wanted to hide, so it doesn’t really count as inheritance.”
Yulia winked as she spoke, a personality Lloyd couldn’t help but like.
With a grin, Lloyd spread his mana wide.
Yulia was right—if he didn’t deactivate the lock properly, the contents would be obliterated by the magic circle.
“…”
Lloyd closed his eyes and carefully channeled mana into the lock.
‘Is it like a puzzle?’
The mana circuits were quite intricate.
But complexity wasn’t an issue for Lloyd.
After all, his brain worked like a calculator.
-Click!
“…You actually unlocked it?”
Ignoring Yulia’s astonished whisper, Lloyd opened the drawer. And he, too, was surprised.
“…The Holy Grail of the Saintess?”
There it was—the Holy Grail of the Saintess.
A relic from the Holy Kingdom of Constantine.
An artifact that would easily rank among the top 100.
It rightfully belonged to the Saintess.
“This is—”
Lloyd quickly covered Yulia’s mouth.
This was dangerous evidence.
One, a known member of the Blood Cult, was clearly linked to the Holy Kingdom of Constantine.
In other words, this was proof of a potential connection between the heretical Blood Cult and the Church of Deus.
“This complicates things.”
Lloyd muttered, pocketing the Holy Grail.
In addition to the Grail, the secret drawer contained some useful scrolls, artifacts, and even a stash of gold coins.
– Tap, tap.
After emptying the drawer, Lloyd stood up.
“…”
Yulia was staring at him, clearly shocked.
Lloyd quickly raised his hands and nodded sheepishly.
“Fine, I’ll split it fifty-fifty.”
“…”
“Oh, come on. Even if we’re in a contract, some things should be divided evenly.”
“…Don’t say another word.”
“Alright, how about I give the village chief’s share from my cut?”
As they exchanged lighthearted banter for a moment, the sound of heavy footsteps approached from outside.
– Thud, thud!
The sound of many boots echoed.
“Don’t move!”
Soon after, a group of soldiers appeared.
Lloyd glanced at them in disbelief as they introduced themselves.
“We’re the guards of Count Easton! We heard reports of violence here, so drop your weapons and raise your hands!”
“Calm down. We were the ones attacked.”
“Hurry! We can’t trust the word of those who wiped out this place! Kneel down!”
“Wow, you people are really stubborn. Let’s say I did destroy this place. Do you really think you can stop me?”
Lloyd’s head tilted more and more defiantly, but Yulia quickly grabbed his shoulder, halting him.
She stepped forward toward the one who seemed to be in charge.
“We are from the Imperial-affiliated research institute. I am the director, and this boy here is my attendant.”
“Oh, is that so?”
The captain frowned and turned to one of his subordinates.
“Hey, is there an Imperial-affiliated research institute?”
“I think there was, sir, under the royal family’s direct supervision.”
“Ah, that’s quite a high-ranking institution.”
The guards’ hostile demeanor eased slightly.
The captain, however, still hesitated.
“The Seventh Death Squad… They are officially a criminal group, but with this many deaths on the scene, it’s difficult to just let you go without a thorough investigation…”
The man stammered nervously.
Yulia gave a graceful smile.
Even with just that, there was a natural elegance about her.
Perhaps the captain instinctively bowed because he subconsciously recognized that grace.
“I understand. If you want to hear the full explanation, why don’t you escort us to Count Easton? I’ll explain everything personally.”
“To the Count…? That might be a bit—”
“The Imperial-affiliated research institute has the right to request an audience with the head of any city.”
Flicker.
Yulia pulled a document from her pocket. Lloyd gave a quiet sigh of admiration.
‘…She carries things like that around?’
Yulia shot Lloyd a brief, knowing glance—she really was something else.
Thanks to her, the captain, though reluctantly, nodded his head in agreement.
“Very well. Follow me. I’ll escort you to the Count.”
