Chapter 337
Chapter 337. Obsession and Escape
――Outluke is an intelligence agent who trained alongside Paulo Hoentz.
We’re the same age and grew up as childhood friends in the same rural Night Elf village.
“I’m not strong in magic, so I think I’ll become an intelligence agent!”
It was Paulo who first said that.
There are individual differences in the magical power of Night Elves. To become a powerful magical warrior or high-ranking servant in Demon Lord Castle—what you’d call the elite path—some degree of magical ability is essential.
So, what do those who lack magical power do? They might become Night Elf Soldiers, work normally in the demon race’s city, become officials, or perhaps—
Become intelligence agents.
If you’re masquerading as a human, having lower magical power is less conspicuous and might even be an advantage.
Above all, in Night Elf society, intelligence agents and assassins are among the most respected professions. They must endure rigorous training, overcome countless trials and selections, and always live with death by their side during missions.
That’s why, regardless of their magical power, they receive the utmost honor—
“What will you do?”
In a moonlit flower field, he asked with a smile, his already fox-like eyes curving even more.
In silence, Outluke picked up the hunting bow nearby and casually fired an arrow.
Across the flower field. Several arrows plummeted into a small tree hollow, as if sucked in with a stoop stoop stoop.
“Whoa, you’re amazing as always. You could probably become a bow saint. So, are you aiming for that?”
He said this with admiration yet looked a bit lonely.
“…No.”
Outluke smirked.
“I don’t even know if I could become a bow saint after decades of striving. I think I’ll aim to be an intelligence agent.”
He placed the bow back at his side and gauged the reaction.
“…Really! Yay! Then let’s work hard together!!”
Suddenly exhilarated, he laughed without a care—
†††
(――What are you doing!!)
Outluke was stunned to realize that the man slung over the shoulder of a seemingly heroic young man was Paulo Hoentz.
Did he mess up? What happened to Howard? What should I do? I mustn’t show my turmoil. Various thoughts raced through my mind, but I also noticed the hero, who was carrying Paulo—his insane grin directed at me, freezing my spine.
(This is bad――!!)
That was clearly not a friendly demeanor. Could my identity be exposed!?
I sensed a surge of magical power. Even someone weak in magic like me felt shivers from the overwhelming magic. This hero was no ordinary person――!!
A palm directed toward me, shining silver,
“【Let there be light!!】”
――!!
Outluke instinctively used the priest beside him as a shield.
Though parts of his exposed face and limbs were slightly scorched, he narrowly avoided a direct hit by staying hidden behind Iyas. Furthermore, he had embedded a poisoned needle into Iyas’s neck.
For some reason, his identity had been revealed. From here on, it was a race of whether he could escape and how much damage he could inflict on the Holy Church.
Iyas appeared laid-back, but he was a rare high-level healing priest. If he could take him out, it would strike a major blow to the Holy Church and this country.
“Guuh…!?”
Iyas clutched his neck, staggering and collapsing.
――From beyond, the hero drew his holy sword, rushing toward Outluke with eyes gleaming dangerously, the air vibrating with thick murderous intent.
(I won’t go down that easily!)
Outluke pulled a folding metal bow from behind his jacket. With a clang and a kink!, it snapped into place; though he usually didn’t carry it, he deemed it battle-ready today.
And it paid off!
(For the glory of us, the Night Elves――)
I will fight here.
He drew more poisoned arrows from behind his jacket, nimbly evading while nocking and releasing. The hero grinned, instantly predicting the trajectory and dodging—
…Most intelligence agents are weak in magic.
That’s why the hatred for the Forest Elves who cursed away the magic they were supposed to inherit is profound. The mission driving these agents, the aspiration to eliminate the Forest Elves, is, in reality, a reflection of their thirst for magical power.
Honestly, though, Outluke didn’t feel that dissatisfied with himself right now.
But for him—he was different. He aimed to become an intelligence agent to look down upon the powerful Night Elves of the upper class.
The magical supremacist Demon Lord Kingdom had driven him down a reckless path…!
“…!”
Grinding his teeth tight.
Now he was bound.
Cast aside by the hero, he lay limp on the ground.
“――!?”
As he twisted to avoid Outluke’s arrow, the hero immediately had a face that said, “I messed up.” He had realized the true aim of Outluke.
The poisoned arrow flew past the space where the hero had been and pierced into Paulo’s head, rolling helplessly on the ground.
His body jerked. Even without poison, it would have been instant death.
…At the very least, I wish him a painless death.
“You bastard.”
The hero looked back at me after witnessing that—
“Hah.”
With a fierce grin, Outluke pulled out several small bottles from his pocket.
He had made thorough preparations. He determined it was time for battle—!!
A warm summer night breeze swept through the alley.
Outluke stood with the wind at his back.
“Take this, you damn human!”
The small bottles smashed against the cobblestones at the hero’s feet. With a cacophony of shattering glass, the substances mixed together, spewing toxic smoke into the air.
Having held his breath and closed his eyes beforehand, Outluke dashed sideways, using the fences and windows of the houses as stepping stones to instantly climb to the roof like an acrobat.
“…Phew.”
Below him, the alley was filled with a thick cloud of poisonous smoke. It wouldn’t last long, but it was an extraordinarily potent tear gas that spread instantly. Night Elves are trained from childhood, so they have some resistance, but normal humans and beastmen exposed would have their eyes and noses raw, rendering them unusable for a while.
“Guahhh, my eyes!!”
Screams like that echoed from the smoke. Perhaps another young priest who had been with the hero.
Nothing more than a trivial matter. He had to escape while he could. Whether he could survive and flee to the Demon Lord Kingdom was uncertain, but he had to inflict as much damage to the Holy City as possible—
Bang.
An unusual noise. No, it was a thunderous roar.
A silver-tinged figure burst from the poisonous smoke, clinging to the wall of a house. He was trying to climb to the roof using the holy sword as a foothold—
His eyes were bloodshot, streaming with tears from the poison. At this rate, he likely could see hardly anything. However—
The hero had firmly closed one eye.
…He had sacrificed one eye to maneuver through the poison and protected the other. Even while taking the attack from the poison bottle at close range, he made that judgment in an instant—!?
The closed eye snapped open.
Unharmed pool of focus glared and—
“…Did you think you could escape?”
With a sneer at the corner of his mouth.
The hero laughed savagely.
