Element Erasure Magic.
It was one of Neril’s trump cards, along with Disintegration Magic.
A grand spell that completely erases one of the so-called four great elements—earth, fire, water, or air—within a designated area.
Originally developed by Iori Otix in his later years to suppress fires or stop floods, but in true ‘Witch of Carnage’ fashion, Neril frequently used it for attacks.
Neril pretended not to know.
“That spell has been lost since Iori Otix’s time.”
“But you could probably pull it off.”
“Agh. How do you even know that?”
“Anyway, that spell will work, right? Just erase all the ‘fire’ in the domain. It’s a dark night without a moon. If we get rid of all artificial light, we can cover the domain in complete darkness.”
“Hey. You’re telling me to use Element Erasure on the entire domain of this size? Do I look like Otix to you?”More than that.
I smiled slightly.
“Don’t compare some Otix to you.”
“…! Even if you put it that way, impossible things are still impossible.”
“Even with this?”
Tick.
I flicked something to her.
Gem of Desolation.
A limitless amplifier that had steadily accumulated the vital energy of the domain’s residents for twenty years.
Looking at Neril’s dazed expression, I said,
“You explained it yourself, remember? This thing is a cluster of potential that can be converted into anything. Obviously, it can be turned into mana.”
“You’re right. With this, I could…”
Neril nodded blankly.
Holding the gem in both hands as if it were something precious, she held it to her chest.
Xenia, looking vaguely dissatisfied, spoke up.
“So what should I do?”
To which Neril responded,
“Eat meat. It’s what you’re best at.”
“I was asking Mr. Mide.”
“I answered for him.”
Neril was wrong. Of course, Xenia had a role too.
“You’re going to be the one who actually locates Ariena.”
“Huh?”
“Neril’s job is to eliminate the shadows. Once they’re gone, Ariena will appear again. You find her and tell me where she is. I’ll extract her.”
My tone implied that I fully expected Xenia to be able to do it.
Neril scoffed, but Xenia’s expression turned serious.
“Mr. Mide. Do you… know something?”
“About what?”
“…No, never mind. Alright. I’ll handle locating Ariena.”
Neril looked puzzled.
“Tonight’s the new moon, and it’s cloudy. Not even starlight. On top of that, I’ll erase the fire element to make it completely dark in the domain.”
“…”
“It’ll be pitch black—can’t even see your own arm. And you’re saying you’ll find Ariena in that?”
“Yes. It’s not like Neril is the only one with a trump card.”
“Tch.”
“Why the tongue-click? Why?”
Those two really have grown closer.
Good to see, as a leader.
Trail interjected.
[They look close to you? Seriously?]
I ignored him and said,
“The Ariena rescue mission is ready, then? Let’s carry it out tonight.”
“Got it.”
“Alright.”
“Then let’s warm up a bit during the day.”
Both tilted their heads in confusion.
I continued nonchalantly,
“Let’s go rescue Settlia.”
Rescuing Settlia was laughably easy.
She was imprisoned in the basement of the assassin guild’s headquarters… though the sign out front disguised it as an herb shop.
The guild master was guarding her.
The conversation with the guild master was too trivial to mention.
“Heh. You managed to find this place. It’ll be your grave! Kuhek—?”
Wham! Crash.
“Didn’t I say I’d skip this part?”
“Huh, when did you—”
“I said I’d skip it.”
“Oh, uh, yes. Please do.”
Just as I was intimidating the guild master, Neril and Xenia came down the stairs, casually dusting off their hands.
“Everything’s taken care of outside too. That’s her? Settlia?”
“Looks like it. She’s in a pretty weakened state. Xenia, please.”
Xenia nodded and stepped forward.
“Oh divine god of the heavens, I beseech your merciful touch.”
A warm light spread into Settlia.
Xenia had once brought a nearly dead Martial king back to life. A little exhaustion was nothing for her.
Soon, Settlia opened her eyes.
They widened with shock.
As I undid her gag, I said,
“Please remain calm. We’re allies of Lady Ariena.”
“What?”
“You were her nanny, weren’t you? Please come with us.”
“Th-the child… no, the lady—is she safe?”
…?
I felt something off for a moment.
‘Did she almost say “child” just now?’
[I heard it too.]
‘Hmm.’
I looked above Settlia’s head.
She had only ever sinned against three people—a rare, kindhearted woman.
And Ariena’s name wasn’t among those three.
‘Still, just because her name isn’t in the blood writing doesn’t mean there are no secrets. Show me the secrets between Settlia and Ariena.’
[Alright.]
Soon, Trail used the Eye of Omniscience.
While viewing this screen, time stopped—giving me plenty of time to absorb the truth between Settlia and Ariena.
A little later.
I spoke to Settlia.
“We haven’t yet determined the lady’s whereabouts.”
“Oh… I see.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll definitely find your daughter and bring her back safely.”
Settlia nodded absentmindedly.
Then, realizing what I’d said, she looked up in a panic.
Neril and Xenia were staring at me with keen interest.
“D-daughter? I’m just a nanny.”
“That’s what people have been told.”
“…”
“Seems the Count doesn’t even remember your name. What a dreadful husband.”
“W-wait just a moment.”
“It’s alright. Not my place to meddle. But still—”
I whispered to her as if in passing.
“Lady Ariena suits the position far more than a scumbag like the Count.”
“Suits it? What does?”
“The lordship of this land.”
Settlia fell silent.
Whether that silence was agreement or not—I’d find out eventually.
Clap.
Suddenly, Neril clapped her hands.
She whispered softly, just loud enough for me to hear.
“You’re planning to install Ariena as the lord by force. So she’ll become your powerful backer later.”
Correct.
Night fell.
Xenia lay against the sky.
It sounded like an odd expression, but it wasn’t wrong.
She was lying several hundred meters above the ground.
Because she was on the back of Agril, the divine carriage.
“Agril. Mide must know, right? About my ability. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked me to find Ariena in this pitch-black darkness.”
“Grrr.”
“Huu… What is with that guy? Are all Heroes like this?”
“Krrk?”
“My common sense is falling apart more and more each day. Especially because of Miss Neril.”
Spin.
She turned from gazing up at the sky and flopped down on Agril’s back.
“No matter how I look at it, that old lady doesn’t seem like a bad person. I must be crazy, right?”
“Grrrgh.”
“Maybe it’s just me, but lately it feels like we’ve gotten kind of close… Don’t you dare tell Miss Neril I said that. This is our little secret.”
That was when it happened.
Suddenly, someone’s voice came from her hand.
—Hey. What are you doing?
“Gehk!”
—You throwing up? Motion sickness?
“M-Miss Neril? You were listening?”
—Listening to what?
So she didn’t hear it.
Xenia let out a deep sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart.
“It’s nothing. I just got startled because the communication orb turned on by itself.”
—I turned it on. At this distance, it’s easy for me to forcibly activate the other person’s orb. Timing is everything in this operation, and I can’t have you spacing out and missing the moment.
Xenia grumbled inwardly.
‘Hmph. So much for getting close. She’s still just as mean.’
Still, work was work.
“I’m ready.”
—Good. Then let’s begin.
True darkness began to fall across the territory.
It was already a moonless, starless night.
Now, all the flames that had been burning throughout the domain were being erased one by one.
The guards’ torches went out, campfires died, and even the candles inside the houses flickered out.
Perfect darkness engulfed the Avis territory in just five minutes.
Xenia swallowed hard.
‘To erase all elemental flames over an area this big… Even if she’s borrowing the power of the Gem, Miss Neril is seriously impressive.’
Of course, it wasn’t something she would ever say out loud—even in death.
“Confirmed. I’ll begin as well.”
—Mm. I’m logging off now. That took more out of me than I thought.
“You did great.”
—…You too. Good work.
Click.
The orb deactivated.
Xenia would probably never know.
That Neril had activated the communication orb long before she spoke.
And that her face had flushed just slightly red.
Xenia gently stroked Agril’s mane and spoke.
“Okay, Agril. We need to find someone. I’ll share your vision.”
Taat!
In the next moment—
Xenia could see more than what human eyes allowed.
The world seen by Agril, the chariot of the gods, was vastly different from what humans could perceive.
And the person chosen by Agril, with Agril’s permission, could share that vision.
Even a faraway target could be zoomed in on as if it were right in front of her.
No darkness could block Agril’s vision.
No obstacle could escape his sight.
It was like gazing into a transparent crystal orb.
Man-made buildings and walls.
Natural caves or the leaves in a forest.
Deep underground and inside pits.
Xenia could see through them all.
Because it had been a while since she last used shared vision, a wave of nausea surged through her—but she clenched her focus and began to scan every part of the estate.
‘Around 26 years old, wavy brown hair. A light pink dress. All tattered, with the edge torn.’
A small laugh escaped her.
If Mide could describe Ariena’s current appearance that specifically without ever having met her, he probably could have found her without her or Neril’s help at all.
‘Maybe… Mide is giving us a chance to play our part too.’
He did say the fame of his companions would benefit him as well.
But was that really all?
As she pondered it, Xenia answered herself.
‘That’s just the kind of person he is. Mide… is a good man.’
Soon, she took out the communication orb.
And attempted to connect to Mide.
“Mr. Mide. I’ve found her.”
Offense first grew suspicious when every source of light in the room went out.
And when his own flint failed to produce even a spark, that suspicion turned to certainty.
‘Element Erasure Magic! The Witch of Carnage was this powerful?’
He’d heard about that great spell supposedly developed by Iori Otix.
But to think a mage in the current era could actually cast it…
‘No. That’s not even the most surprising part.’
Mide had extinguished every flame in the estate.
Why? Why would he do that?
‘Does he know? About my ability? My shadow sorcery?’
Drip.
Cold sweat ran vividly down his back, making his skin crawl.
And then—
“Huff… Huff… Wh-where am I…?”
With all light gone, shadows disappeared.
And naturally, Offense’s sorcery was broken along with them.
In the room he’d just been alone in, another person’s breathing began to echo.
It was Ariena.
“Is someone there?”
“……”
“Where am I? Where’s my nanny?”
Offense hesitated.
If it were for Kaeld’s sake, he should kill this woman right now.
But could Kaeld really order the emperor to activate the Grand Search Magic Circle?
Could he even defeat the Demon King in the first place?
No.
That guy… really…
‘Is he even a Hero?’
There can’t be two Heroes.
If Kaeld is a Hero, Mide isn’t.
But if Mide is the Hero instead—
“Having trouble deciding?”
At that moment—
There were now three sets of breathing in the room.
TL : Bro is aura farming everywhere he goes