FSFSLU 40

chapter 40

“Ugh…”

With her brows deeply furrowed, Isabel was lost in thought, while Liz sat against the wall, carving a piece of wood with a dagger.

Before returning to the inn, she had stopped by the market and bought a small block of wood for carving. As Isabel had said, having a cross might make their journey easier, so Liz had taken it as a chance to practice her carving.

Carefully kicking the shavings and scraps under the bed so Isabel wouldn’t see, Liz asked,

“What did the angel say?”

“She told us to head toward Grantina first!”

“That’s it? That’s so vague. Didn’t she say anything else?”

“No! She said she’s too busy with training!”

Liz pretended not to hear Isabel’s last remark.

Isabel’s worry ran deep. Even if they went straight to Grantina, there was no guarantee they would find Erika. She was a free-spirited adventurer, after all. By the time they arrived, Erika could have moved elsewhere.

Liz lifted the roughly carved cross to inspect her work.

“Doesn’t the church provide any support?”

“I’m just a wandering cleric, so nothing officially benefits me. What happened in Lettina will be handled unofficially, so I gain nothing personally.”

The Tetina church wouldn’t be able to spare attention for Isabel. Soon, Tetina would be busy informing the order that a holy sword had been discovered in Lettina and sending envoys to verify it.

“You helped hundreds of people over just two days, and you get no reward?”

“They’ll have recorded it! If you check the Tetina church’s cleric records, it’ll probably list my experience as ‘operated a free relief center in Lettina.’”

“If people knew how terrible Lettina was, they’d realize what an incredible job you did. At least they could’ve given you some money… Wait, didn’t the mayor already offer compensation?”

“Yes! I refused it. I asked them to use it for the city and the hero!”

“Isabel, how can you block every possible source of income…”

Liz sighed deeply, thinking she might end up managing the foolish cleric’s finances. If someone approached her asking for alms, her wallet might end up empty.

Isabel had always claimed she came for volunteering and never sought money. Liz had no choice but to accept it.

Grantina…

For Liz, who had lived her whole life in sewers, Grantina was an unfamiliar place.

It was a coastal city, and even by carriage from the Tetina inn, it would take roughly ten days. On top of that, Isabel had to meet a notoriously elusive elf adventurer last seen there.

Liz had never heard the name Erika, but Isabel’s expression brightened and seemed to flutter every time she mentioned it, as if they had known each other for a long time.

“Isabel.”

“Yes!”

“Is this Erika someone you… have to meet, like Marcel?”

Isabel looked at Liz with a smiling face. Liz now understood that look—Isabel hadn’t grasped the question.

“You went to the sewers to give Marcel the holy sword, and pulling the demon sword was just an accident, right?”

“That’s right!”

“So… are you trying to give something to this elf too?”

“Hmm, something like that!”

Isabel clenched her fists in excitement, covering her mouth with both hands, and laughed.

“I want to meet her soon. I’m so excited!”

“I’m excited too, but… can we even make it to Grantina like this…”

They had already reserved a carriage to Grantina through the Adventurer’s Guild. Isabel had received some money from Bishop Patrick, so the fare wasn’t an issue.

Still, the journey was long and dangerous, so finding a carriage wouldn’t be easy.

Isabel looked a little disappointed.

“Uncle Denk could’ve helped…”

“Who’s that?”

“He’s the man who took me from Sestina to Tetina! He has a Mohican horse—it’s so cute, and so warm!”

“You talk as if you took a nap with him.”

“How did you know?”

“….”

Feeling drawn into the conversation, Liz excused herself to wash, putting down the dagger and the wood carving.

After realizing that Isabel would always light fires in the bath whenever she bathed in Lettina, Liz had given up on bathing with her.

Looking at the soap in the bathroom, Liz grabbed it and rubbed it over her skin, creating lather and scrubbing herself.

The tunnels had long been left behind, but the stench of the sewer city likely still clung to her. She had left Isabel to go into the Adventurer’s Guild building while she waited outside, conscious of the lingering smell on herself.

Whether this would completely remove the stench was uncertain. Still, a new chapter of life awaited, and determined to shed her past, Liz carefully cleaned herself.

That night.

In the dim evening, a smoky shadow glided along the walls and floors of Tetina.

A drunken passerby, walking the streets at midnight, spotted the shadow flowing along the wall and floor. He froze, then stumbled.

“G-gh… ghost?”

The shadow moved steadily, though not fast, disappearing around a corner. The drunk stared blankly at the street corner.

The shadow stopped in front of the Bright Sand Inn.

It rose from the ground, forming into a woman with long, white hair.

“….”

Tio, the ultimate undead created by necromancer Dorothea, could sense the presence of the demon sword in this building.

The sword’s aura was unlike magic energy; it was more like a subtle scent, even the sword itself could hardly detect it. Only an undead like Tio, tilted more toward death than life, could faintly sense it.

From this, it seemed the sword’s owner had left Lettina and was staying at this inn.

A smile appeared on Tio’s lips. She had located them. But this was not enough.

To be certain, Tio melted into shadow and reentered the building through a hallway window, stopping in front of the room where the sword’s aura was strongest.

This was it. The sword’s owner was inside, asleep.

Pausing before entering, Tio hesitated.

It would be sacrilegious.

The sword’s owner, Dyke, was destined to become a commander of the Demon King’s army. Tio had already been warned by Dorothea not to disrespect him.

Tio knew nothing about Dyke personally but didn’t want to further anger Dorothea.

She left the inn. Now that she had located the sword’s owner, her task was to lead them to Dorothea’s mansion.

‘Well, there are many ways.’

Those who drew a demon sword were usually controlled by it, but Tio found no traces of the sword’s owner losing control anywhere in the city.

This meant the sword’s owner had full control. Anyone seeking power or knowledge from such a sword would go through the Adventurer’s Guild to gather information.

Tio melted back into shadow, crossing Tetina’s main street, and arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild building.

Entering as she had with the inn, she went directly to the reception desk and began searching the ledgers. Soon, she found what she was looking for.

‘This is it.’

The reservation slip showed the inn and room number for the sword’s owner.

‘TETINA BRIGHT SAND INN ROOM 203: Isabel + 1. Carriage to Grantina requested. Send letter to this address once carriage is secured.’

Perfect. The sword’s owner was headed to Grantina, a city near Dorothea’s mansion. If Tio contacted them, she could naturally guide them there.

‘But the name… Isabel?’

According to Eliya’s prophecy, the sword’s owner should be Dyke, but the reservation listed Isabel.

Tio deduced:

‘Isabel must be the companion, and the “+1” is Dyke!’

Unaware that her assumption was completely wrong, Tio devised her plan.

She would become the carriage driver, leading Dyke—and the supposed useless companion Isabel—to Dorothea’s mansion.

Tio had no carriage or horse, but that didn’t matter. She could simply steal them.

The next morning.

Liz woke to Isabel’s morning prayer.

“In the name of the great void, watch over the lamb… Ah, sis! You’re awake?”

“Mm, Isabel, so diligent.”

“I have good news!”

Liz tilted her head. Isabel, smiling brightly, ran over and handed her a piece of paper.

“What’s this?”

“They found a carriage!”

“Already?”

Liz took the paper. It was the approved reservation slip from the previous day. It also noted that they should enter the 4th alley along Tetina’s main street to board the carriage.

It was a relief that they had secured the carriage.

But Liz found it strange: a carriage that had been unavailable the previous day was suddenly arranged overnight, and the notice had been delivered by letter in the middle of the night.

Her doubts didn’t go further. This was Liz’s first time booking a carriage, and she had waited outside the guild building while Isabel handled the reservation, so she just assumed, “Maybe this is how the system works.”

“Let’s get ready, Isabel.”

“Yes!”

The morning was bright and perfect for travel. They ate the breakfast they had reserved on the inn’s first floor, filling their stomachs before departing.

Following the directions on the letter, they walked along Tetina’s main street to the complicated 4th alley.

There, they met a woman whose long white hair shone beautifully in the sunlight.

“Welcome!”

“Hello! I’m Isabel. I reserved a carriage!”

She smiled brightly.

“I’m Judith,” Tio introduced herself with a fake name, smiling as well.

Tio always did this. As an undead, she was indistinguishable from humans and could survive exposure to divine power. She had been working undercover for the Demon King’s army.

Using the name Judith for now, she planned to reveal herself later.

Liz stared at the carriage with fascination.

“Sis, why are you like that?”

“Nothing… I’ve just seen carriages, but I’ve almost never ridden in one myself…”

“I’ll teach you! As your senior!”

Liz chuckled at Isabel’s confident tone.

The two of them were observed by Tio from a step behind.

Specifically, Tio watched only Liz.

‘Could this be Dyke…?’

Earlier, Dyke had introduced himself as Liz, but Tio suspected it was an alias. A demon sword would attract anyone seeking power, so it made sense to hide their identity.

Tio could sense the sword’s owner but couldn’t tell who it was while Isabel and Liz were together.

Thus, Tio’s misconception persisted.

‘This lively woman must be the prepared companion. Indeed, a future Demon King army commander is meticulous. Dorothea would be pleased. But why am I so tired? Am I shrinking without realizing it at the sight of the sword’s owner?’

Tio shook her head. Her own body didn’t matter—she was immortal, unable to die.

She had fed her stolen horse her bodily fluids to ensure obedience and had stolen the carriage as well. No one would suspect anything.

There was nothing left to delay. The sooner they departed, the happier Dorothea would be.

Clapping her hands, Tio called cheerfully,

“Shall we? To Grantina!”

Isabel rushed to get on the carriage and missed the Angelos Rod. Liz followed, sighing, snatching up Isabel’s staff. Tio mounted the driver’s seat, pulling the reins.

Tio’s sense that everything was going smoothly was her mistake. She believed Liz was the demon sword’s owner Dyke, and that Isabel was just a minor companion.

Failing to correct this misconception from the start and proceeding accordingly would prove to be Tio’s greatest misfortune.