To return to that room and check on the little maid before dark, Lin Ling immediately cast levitation magic after stepping outside.
“Are you crazy?”
“If you use your magic like this, you'll run out of mana before we even see him.”
Seeing himself being lifted by the levitation magic, Ichikawa looked at Lin Ling in surprise.
A greenish glow of levitation magic continuously swirled around Lin Ling.
When she turned her head to look at Ichikawa, her face had already settled into a cold, indifferent expression.
She was a completely different person from the girl who had just casually pulled out a loaf of bread moments ago.
Considering this situation, along with the behavior of Baron Will's two sons, it didn't take much thought to realize the truth: if Baron Will had actually done his duty, there was no way he would have raised such children, nor would things have turned out like this.
Thinking back to why she had drunk that glass of so-called water last night, Lin Ling clenched her fists.
If only she had resolved things yesterday, if only she had handled it then...
Seeing Lin Ling remain silent with her fists tightly clenched, Ichikawa slowly lowered his raised hand.
He didn't know how to comfort her at a time like this, but he could deeply understand how she felt.
Perhaps it was because they both came from another world and were both Heroes.
Seeing that little maid on the bed on the verge of death, he was undoubtedly furious as well.
Since Lin Ling was already using so much mana to sustain the levitation magic...
Then they should resolve this matter quickly. At the very least, they couldn't let anyone else suffer this kind of harm.
This was what he, as a Hero, ought to do.
“Let's make that guy regret what he did.”
Ichikawa extended his fist toward the cold Lin Ling, a serious expression on his face.
“...”
Lin Ling reached out and gave Ichikawa a gentle fist bump.
Before long, as Lin Ling's levitation magic dissipated, the two of them appeared in front of the luxurious manor.
The moment they landed, Lin Ling, standing at the entrance, could sense numerous gazes directed at them from both the light and the shadows.
Those gazes didn't hold the hostility one would expect toward sudden intruders; instead, they seemed somewhat... afraid?
The two of them had likely startled the maids of this manor.
To avoid further alarming the other innocent people in this house, Lin Ling activated her teleportation magic, and the two of them instantly vanished from the kicked-open entrance.
“What's the deal with those two?”
After a while, once they were sure that Lin Ling and Ichikawa had left the entrance, the maids finally began to slowly step forward.
This was a habit they had formed after spending a long time around Baron Will.
After all, no one knew if that capricious fellow would suddenly hide himself just to reappear when they approached, asserting his so-called noble authority.
Glancing at their companions, the maids hesitated over whether they should report this matter to Baron Will.
After all, the two who had just broken in didn't seem to have come with good intentions.
But in the end, the maids chose to act as if nothing had happened and returned to their respective posts.
Ignoring such incidents had practically become a part of their daily routine.
They were merely hired maids, not to mention that some of them had been brought here through rather unusual channels.
Meanwhile, in a room deep within the manor—
Will was sitting comfortably on a luxurious chair.
On the desk in front of him lay a small mountain of piled-up Magic Crystals.
Having spent so many years on the border, simply extorting the local merchants for their overt and covert transactions with the demons had amassed a fortune for this border baron.
Moreover, on this border, he was essentially the only high noble who possessed magic, so the commoners beneath him didn't dare to resist at all.
Despite possessing so many Magic Crystals, this border baron wasn't even willing to use them to improve his own strength.
Knock, knock—
A knock came from the door of his room.
“Didn't I say no one is allowed near this room!”
Will hastily concealed the Magic Crystals on the desk with magic and rushed toward the door.
He wanted to see exactly which blind fool dared to approach this place.
It seemed that the damn maid from noon hadn't properly intimidated the servants under his command.
But just as Will reached the door, a massive force surged from the outside.
Will hastily stumbled back a few steps to steady himself.
When he looked up at the entrance again, two figures wearing unusual attire stood where the door used to be.
The armor worn by the yellow-haired fellow... looked like the Hero armor kept by the Holy See?
Regardless of whether it was the real deal, no one would dare to wear armor that closely resembled that legendary set.
Will suppressed the rage in his heart, replacing it with a beaming smile as he looked at Ichikawa.
“I wonder what urgent business brings you two here so suddenly?”
“My goodness, why such a rush? You didn't even give me any prior notice.”
Lin Ling stared at the grinning man before her. He truly was his father's son.
That fellow named Zakum had also worn the same disgusting, fake smile when they first met.
“Are you Will?”
“Indeed. No other man on this border would dare to call himself Will.”
Will subtly released his own aura of intimidation toward Lin Ling and Ichikawa.
Through his words, he was letting these two intruders know that he was no pushover in this city.
After hearing Will's response, Lin Ling's cold eyes swept up and down this man who supposedly fought against the demons.
He had a bloated physique, and when he smiled at them, his entire posture and gait seemed completely uncoordinated.
“Are you truly the baron who defends the border against the demons?”
Upon hearing Lin Ling's question, the smile on Will's face began to falter.
This was his proudest achievement.
His defense of the Camillaya border was his sole boast within noble circles!
“Sister of the Holy See, are you doubting me?”
The fake smile instantly vanished from his face, and the fat all over Will's body began to tremble.
It was obvious that this guy had completely lost his composure.
“Who on earth are you two? If you can't give me a proper explanation, I will make sure the Holy See in the capital convicts you of your crimes.”
Hearing the man demand their identities, Ichikawa let out a soft chuckle.
This guy was exactly what he looked like, immediately trying to pull rank.
He pulled a badge from his pocket and tossed it toward Will.
“I am the newly summoned Hero of the Holy See. Surely Lord Baron Will has heard of me.”
Sensing the Holy Light magic radiating from the incoming badge, the anger on Will's face was instantly replaced by a smile once more.
“So it is Lord Hero! Forgive my ignorance for not realizing you had arrived; it is truly my dereliction of duty.”
“You must be here to help me deal with those wretched demons. I must say...”
“Those damned demons have seized the magic ore veins. They are utterly lawless!”
As he spoke, the fury on Will's face seemed genuine, as if the demons had actually snatched the veins right out of his hands.
“Really? But I heard that the magic ore veins were formed due to the demons' own curse.”
“And who might you be? I don't recall the Holy See having any sisters who dress like you.”
Lin Ling's sudden interruption of his performance highly displeased this steadfast border baron, especially compounded by the way she had just destroyed his door.
Will had already decided in his heart that if Lin Ling couldn't justify her presence, he would make this wretched girl pay, and not even the Hero would be able to protect her.
“Me? An otherworlder? A Saintess? I don't know.”
“So after all that, she's just a fool.”
“Lord Hero, if you are in need of companions, you should ask His Highness Keith to select some for you.”
Lin Ling's words put Baron Will's anxious mind at ease. He had thought she might be some formidable figure.
Now, he would only need to contact Grand Duke Rozaku later. This girl did seem to have some looks...
The gaze Will directed at Lin Ling was now filled with sheer contempt.
Shring—
“Will, I don't think these are things you should be saying to a Hero.”
Seeing Will's disgusting attitude, Ichikawa drew his sword from his waist and pointed it directly at him.
“Please, calm down, calm down. My apologies. Let us discuss the urgent matter that has brought you here, Lord Hero.”
“After all, you are our frontline force in opposing the Demon King.”
Damn it, that yellow-haired kid really was holding the Hero's sword.
Will's eyes darted back toward the Magic Crystals concealed by magic on his desk.
And with that single glance, his pupils shrank in sheer terror.
There, a pair of magic arms was casually playing with his Magic Crystals, and those magical limbs were connected directly to the girl standing before him.
At the same time, Ichikawa's voice drifted over like the whisper of a devil.
“It's nothing much. We've simply come to deal with a blood-sucking devil entrenched on the border.”
Even though the Hero had spoken of a devil, Will felt his entire body run ice-cold at those words.
Rate on N.U.
