A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Eric didn't say anything more to Bray; he just waved and left.

He and Alice were just out for a bite to eat during their lunch break; they would go back home afterward.

"It seems you've been asked to do something rather troublesome?" Father Thun glanced at Bray out of the corner of his eye.

Despite being asked to do such a troublesome thing, Bray didn't seem to have any particular reaction.

He didn't even ask Eric for anything.

“You know, social connections are a real pain,” Bray suddenly said.

"Over time, you'll forget whether you owe someone a favor or they owe you one."

"Yes, human relationships are the hardest thing to measure in terms of value."

"It's precious in a way, but it's also worthless," Father Thun said softly as he wiped the table Alice was eating on.

"So do you feel like you owe that gentleman a favor?"

"I guess I owe him something, but I can't remember the favors I have with soldiers anymore," Bray said nonchalantly.

That soldier is very smart, and he wouldn't go looking for trouble.

If they didn't think there was a problem, they wouldn't have specifically come to the priest's stall to find them.

Bray didn't believe it was a coincidence that Eric came to the priest's place to eat.

As Eric just said, if things seem too coincidental, you should consider other possibilities—such as the fact that it's not actually a coincidence.

“That’s amazing. I can’t imagine how you became friends with that gentleman,” Father Thun said with a smile.

Eric's attire clearly indicated he was a soldier, and his rank appeared to be quite high.

Bray was just an adventurer, a fairly ordinary one at that.

Despite being called the "Demon Hunter," Bray's fame was actually not that great.

It's normal for the two to know each other, but the relationship between Bray and Eric is definitely not just "acquaintances".

Friend? Or perhaps a close friend?

"Fate is a tricky thing," Bray said expressionlessly.

It's like, you never know when you'll be entangled by a lazy, infatuated woman, and you'll never know why you'll have a silly dragon in your house.

However, knowing Eric isn't such a bad thing.

“I’m finished eating,” Bray said, pulling up the three guys next to him.

"Are you leaving already?" Father Thun's tone sounded particularly regretful.

"kindness."

"Before I leave..." Father Thun seemed hesitant to speak.

"How about we pay first?" Father Thun said with a smile after a while.

“I forgot for a moment,” Bray said stiffly.

“100G in total.” Father Thun paused just now, not because he was hesitating about whether to charge Brey, but because he was calculating how much Brey he should charge.

"100!???" Bray's dead fish eyes were filled with shock.

He and a few other creatures actually ate 100g?

Bray instinctively felt that the priest was trying to trick him; it was just a snack, not a feast.

"Because the gentleman and lady didn't pay before they left, I thought it was on your tab."

“Didn’t you say before that you owe him a lot of favors, so you should pay for it in advance?” Father Thun continued.

Colonel Eric and Captain Alice left without paying anything, walking away with remarkable nonchalance.

Bray said that when the two of them left, it seemed like something was missing.

It turns out those two guys didn't pay after they finished eating.

“Then, pay up.” Father Thun said, taking another step closer to Bray.

Bray hesitated for a moment, then pulled 100g from his pouch and handed it to the priest.

The priest, having received the money, gave Bray a hearty smile.

Faced with the priest's meaningful smile, Bray felt a pang of frustration.

I inexplicably spent an extra amount of money.

In Bray's philosophy, money is saved, and if things continue like this, even the "enemy of God" won't have enough money for him.

While Bray was preoccupied with how to save money, Levy tugged at Bray's sleeve.

“Brave, it’s that big brother!” Levy said.

"Huh?" Bray was confused. There were many older brothers, so which one was Levy talking about?

"That big brother who reads too many novels and thinks that no one will notice him just because he's wearing a big black cloak." Levy made a 0V0 expression.

“A black cloak…” Reminded by Levy, Bray remembered the chuunibyou he had encountered a few days ago.

Wasn't that chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) patient arrested?

Bray began to look around, but did not see the man in the black cloak.

“It’s that one.” Levy noticed that Bray was looking around but couldn’t find anyone, so she anxiously pointed to a red-haired elf walking by the roadside.

"The taste is the same."

"So it's the smell." Bray had forgotten that the police lion Levy could recognize people by their smell.

"Who are they? Do you know them?" Naruko walked over and stood in a row with Bray and Levy.

The three of them were sizing up the red-haired elf who was passing by.

The red-haired elf was completely unaware that she was being watched.

“No, I just saw him get arrested,” Bray said.

"Is there anything special about that elf?" Xiao You tilted her head, looking at the elf with a puzzled expression.

Isn't it just an ordinary elf?

"Why are you all staring at him?" Xiao You had a bunch of questions in her mind.

“Yeah, why are we staring at him?” Naruko and Bray exchanged bewildered glances.

---

On the other hand, when Bray and his friends saw the red-haired elf, Eric was having a headache over something.

"Didn't you realize it was fake?" Eric pointed to the mannequin in the cell.

Although from a distance, the dummy looks exactly like Latis, it's still a dummy.

If you don't move at all, people will find something strange about what you're saying.

“Colonel, I think you should complain about something else,” Alice said, standing behind Eric.

"You should complain about where the mannequins came from."

“Captain Alice, you’ve reminded me of something very important.” Eric slapped his forehead, then sighed.

Yes, how did Latis manage to let this dummy in? He had everything confiscated.

"Perhaps it's because of this?" Alice walked into the cell, squatted down, and picked up a small piece of magic crystal.

"Really...?" The magic crystal was probably only the size of a shard of glass.

"His methods are so clever, why were we still able to catch him?"

"Who knows?"

Latis, unaware that he was being watched, was walking down the street.

He pulled up his collar to cover part of his face.

That way, you won't be spotted at a glance.

In any case, he's now considered a fugitive, and Eric will probably issue a warrant for his arrest soon.

Latis just didn't want to be taken back yet, because he had heard rumors in the detention center about Eors.

"The once emotionless songstress now sings with captivating voices." This is the current news circulating in the capital.

Latis has already confirmed Eors' identity with Badbush.

Eorus was undoubtedly a puppet created by his parents.

How could a doll possibly have emotions...? It's obvious there's something wrong here, especially since it's related to Bud Bush.

Latis needs more specific information.

He was quite worried about his sister being in Bud Bush's hands.

Having finally reunited with his long-lost sister after so many years, Latis is determined not to let anything happen to her.

Therefore, Latis risked his life to escape from prison, wasting his only special magic crystal in the process.

That magic crystal, the size of a shard of glass, is equivalent to a cabinet that can hold a life-size doll.

He never imagined that the doll would be used as a substitute; that thing could be used in battle.

No matter how I think about it, I feel like I've been ripped off.

"Budbush, what are you planning to do this time?" Latis said with a grim face, sweeping through the crowd and heading straight for a certain place.

That place was the same place that Latis had found out about where Budbush was renting, but Latis, who was being held captive, didn't know if the other party had moved to a different place.

In short, we should go and take a look first, and then we can make a long-term plan.

As long as he doesn't run into Colonel Latis, he feels he'll be fine. Latis's biggest fear right now is Colonel Eric.

Latis looked around and, finding no one, prepared to climb the wall.

Latis knew which floor Badbusch, Tiggia, and Eors lived on, and he had a way to climb up quietly, though it would take some time.

---

"Ugh, Bray, Bray, that guy climbed the wall." Levy hid behind the wall, peeking out with half her face, watching curiously as Latis sneaked into the house.

Levy's little face was flushed, and she looked quite excited, her tail wagging back and forth.

“Yeah…right, she climbed over the wall.” Bray squatted behind Levy, looking helpless and quite dejected.

I can't get excited. I don't want to do things like stalking other people.

His profession is not journalism.

Bray would never intentionally follow someone who has absolutely no connection to him.

The reason he's in this place now is entirely because Levy dragged him here.

Bray didn't know why Levy suddenly became so interested in that red-haired elf.

Is it because everyone here is an elf? Maybe...

Anyway, Levy wanted to follow the red-haired elf, and Bray couldn't stop her, so he had no choice but to go with Levy.

“Oh, Bray, why would he sneak into someone else’s place?” Levy’s eyes widened.

“…” Bray fell silent, unsure of what to say.

How would Bray know what this guy was up to? If he was burglarizing a house, should he tell Levy...?

By the way, if that really happens, Bray will have to decide whether or not to stop it.

“Anyway, it’s not like they have any good intentions,” Bray said to Levy, shaking his head.

"Brave, my bad feeling is getting stronger," Naruko said calmly, standing in the shadows with her arms crossed.

"Could you have been a little more serious when you said that?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter. Anyway, if Levy wants to play, you'll definitely have to join in." Naruko shrugged.

"Why does it have to be so complicated for him to get into that place?" Xiao You stood outside nonchalantly, not even looking for cover, just watching Latis climb the wall.

"It feels so stupid. Why not just fly in or jump in?" Xiao You said, as if the actions she had just mentioned were perfectly reasonable.

"Not everyone can fly, and not everyone can jump very high."