After choosing to leave, they regretted it.

A slender figure rushed out of the house, which was covered in dust due to the golem's rampage, with movements so fast that it was almost invisible, and landed on the grass not far from Aize.

The movement was so fast that only a blurry outline could be seen.

They are pursuers.

An ominous premonition spread instantly. Just as Aize was about to run, he was surprised to find that the figure began to blur and distort.

Then, he heard a sound of breaking wind and wriggling. When he came to his senses, he found that his limbs and even his neck had been tied up by strange tentacle-like objects.

"This is... wu——"

Gray, slightly sticky, and with the same texture as a Scylla monster's attack, it seemed familiar.

After restraining him, the figure with tentacles extending from its back slowly approached:

"The target has been captured, the brave Ai... Ze..."

The moment he was close enough to see Aize's face, the other party froze in place.

“…Ain? Ain!!? Why are you here!?”

As expected, it was Alicia who was supposed to be shopping.

Before Aize could say anything, the pink-haired girl started to panic:

"I caught the wrong person!? I caught the wrong person? Wait, I'll let you go now..."

"Hahahahaha, beautifully done!"

With a burst of wild laughter, a blond middle-aged man in gorgeous clothes came over clapping his hands and stopped not far from Alicia.

"We actually captured the brave Aize! Looks like our promise will be fulfilled soon!"

It was none other than Duke Brian himself.

In contrast to his joyful mood, Alicia stood there in a daze.

"Brave Aize? He... is... Ain is the Brave Aize!?"

Brian frowned:

"Ain? What a ridiculous name! Never mind. He's undoubtedly your target, the Brave Aize. Kill him! Isn't this the chance you've been waiting for? Do it now!"

Chapter 112 I won’t let you die

As time went by, the guards who stayed in the house and some who were sent out to deal with the puppets came over one after another.

There were astonishing numbers of them, forming sword and gun formations, surrounding Aize, Alicia and Brian tightly.

Now, even if Alicia let go, it would be impossible for her to escape.

Alicia herself was completely stunned at this time, her mind was in a mess, and she was even at a loss like a little girl.

"Kill him? No, but, Your Excellency, this..."

This hesitation made Brian very dissatisfied:

"What are you hesitating about? Remember what we agreed on? Kill him, and both you, the monster, and your compatriots will be granted a fiefdom where they can live undisturbed. So why are you still hesitating?"

"But he... No, no, Your Excellency the Duke, is there really no other way?!"

Brian's words did not break the girl's hesitation, but made Aize understand all at once.

Her so-called adventurer identity was indeed fake, and she was actually just a killer.

And works for Duke Brian.

The high income that was enough to support the expenses of an entire village, and the guilt and inferiority complex that was obviously instilled in her, were all created by Brian in order to control and manipulate her.

It wasn't that Aize hadn't expected this.

The time when Alicia returned happened to be the date when the Adventurer's Guild President Roderick died inexplicably. At that time, she already felt that something was wrong.

But these are just speculations after all. It was not until now that Aize figured out the whole story.

First, Brian might have discovered Alicia working with the hybrid by accident.

Taking the opportunity of improving the lives of her compatriots, she was provided with a job and a very high income.

After the half-bloods slowly established stable lives and even jobs, they let the guild's adventurers and their own men continue to harass the village and restaurant.

This has two advantages.

Firstly, it cuts off the other sources of income for the hybrids, forcing Alicia to work hard for her compatriots to support everyone.

Secondly, it can artificially worsen the living conditions of the mixed-bloods as perceived by Alicia, forcing Alicia to accept his so-called agreement.

This operation is very expensive and requires a huge amount of manpower and material resources, but it is indeed the only way to control Alicia.

And Alicia's ability does have this value.

If I hadn't known about her existence in advance, if we hadn't established a good relationship beforehand, if I hadn't been caught in this situation.

What will happen then?

It was very likely that one night, when Aize was working alone, he would be taken away by her, disguised as one of her subordinates, with a sword, without even a chance to resist.

And in the future history books of this world, this assassination may become another unsolved mystery.

Scared to think about.

Although the current situation is not much better.

Amidst the commotion, a dusty Rufus ran over and bowed his head to Brain.

"Master, I'm so sorry. It's my incompetence that almost let him get away!"

The trouser leg of her housekeeper's uniform was broken at the ankle and was stained with blood.

Perhaps because he was caught by the frozen Heidi and couldn't escape, he could only cut off his own legs first, and then use healing magic to reconnect them after he freed them.

He is also a ruthless person.

Brian was not polite and slapped her in the face in front of many guards.

"In other words, if you let this fat sheep that's been delivered to your door slip away, can you bear the responsibility?"

"sorry Sorry."

Rufus covered his swollen face and stepped aside.

After dealing with her, Brian turned around and said to Alicia unhappily:

"Yes! There is no other way. Brave Aize must die! What? Is there a problem?!"

"But Ain... Ain has helped our village a lot before and saved many of our compatriots. I... I can't kill him!"

Alicia's eyes wandered as she spoke.

She glanced at Aize secretly a few times, but like a child who had done something wrong, she didn't dare to meet his gaze.

The tentacles wrapped around Aize also became much gentler. At the beginning, the force was really aimed at breaking bones.

He could even break free at any time if he wanted to.

But with Rufus and the guards watching, there's no point in trying to break free and it would only irritate them, so it's better to just leave it like this for now.

On the other hand, Brian certainly knew what was going on in the village, after all, he was the one who ordered it.

He also knew that the deserter gang he supported was wiped out by Aize.

Because the leader of the deserter gang is essentially Rufus's puppet, he can know everything that happens through his senses.

But he didn't know that Alicia was also present, and they were even entangled with each other by accident.

So looking at Alicia's current appearance and reaction, he was very troubled.

He could only put away his irritated expression, put on a kind face, and said in a serious tone:

"Listen, Alicia, this guy is not trustworthy at all! Do you know how many cruel things the brave hero Aize has done in the two years since he came to this world? Do you know how many people have been killed or even their entire families wiped out because they offended him?!"

Refers to those nobles who cause trouble.

Not entirely wrong.

"Think about it, how could someone like that truly help you and your compatriots? You've been deceived! This guy must be harboring a lot of evil intentions!"

"No, no, Ain is not that kind of person..."

Faced with such remarks, Alicia just kept shaking her head.

Aize did consider telling the truth about the previous attacks on the restaurant and village, but after thinking it over, he decided not to.

After all, he had no evidence at hand.

In this situation, arbitrarily accusing Brian without any evidence will only be used as a handle by him to prove that you are not trustworthy at all.

So I can’t say, at least not now.

Seeing that Alicia was still hesitating, Brian became a little anxious:

"What are you hesitating about?! This guy didn't even tell you his real name! He's hiding something so simple, who knows how many secrets he has left to share!"

"But……"

"Do it now! Wring his neck! Or if you don't want to, just break his arms and legs and throw him in the dungeon. I'll take care of the rest!"

The words have been spoken, there is no turning back.

Alicia's eyes trembled and she looked like she was about to cry.

After hesitating for a while, she finally raised her head slowly and looked at Aize.

This was also the first time in this incident that the two of them truly looked into each other's eyes.

The girl's left hand grabbed her right arm as if she had nowhere to put it, her lips tightly pursed, and she slowly walked in front of Aize.

He asked in a trembling voice:

"Ain, are you...really Aize? The brave Aize?"

"Yes, I am."

"Just now, what Duke Brian said...that you killed many people, is that...true?"

Aize thought for a moment and replied:

"Yes, but I did it to save more people, just like in the deserter camp."

This remark touched Alicia's soft spot again.

She made up her mind to look Aize in the eye, then silently looked away again, lowered her head, and said in a voice so soft that it was almost inaudible:

"……sorry."

Aize just smiled slightly:

"Why are you apologizing? For what you're going to do next?"

The girl shook her head:

"I don't know, but... no, I'm apologizing for the things I hid. I said I'd tell you all the secrets, but about work, I... still lied..."

Seeing that the atmosphere was somewhat different from what he expected, Brian, who was waiting to watch the show, was very dissatisfied and shouted at the top of his voice:

"What are you wasting your time talking to a dead man? Hurry up!"

But the pink-haired girl ignored it. Her attention was now entirely on Aize who was tied up by her.

In response to her apology, Aize just shrugged nonchalantly:

"What's there to apologize for? As far as secrets are concerned, we're both friends. It's no big deal. Compared to this, is the agreement you just mentioned true?"

Alicia was stunned for a moment, then nodded wordlessly.

Aize asked again:

"Kill me and you'll get a fief? I didn't know my life was so valuable."

The girl's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible:

"No...it's about helping Duke Brian ascend the throne, and then...there will be a territory exclusively for the mixed-bloods, and then..."

"By then, your compatriots will have a good life? Is that possible?"