Chapter 58: The Deeply Cruel Executioner!
(งᵒ̌皿ᵒ̌)ง... (≖_≖'')
At the point where Elias's and Flamme's gazes met, it felt as though sparks were flying.
Caught awkwardly between them, Frieren looked completely lost.
(งᵒ̌皿ᵒ̌)ง... «(←←)»
«(→→)» ... (≖≖'')
... «(´-ι-｀)» ...
What are they even arguing about?
I don't get it~
I really don't get it~
Adults are so strange.
"—Hah! Take this, my axe!"
A sudden roar shattered the tension and instantly drew Frieren's attention.
"That voice…"
She snapped her head toward another arena not far away.
The figure there was broad-shouldered and powerfully built, clad in hardened leather armor, rope hooks tied around the waist, wielding a massive double-bladed steel axe.
"That person is… Julie?!"
"Hey, look over there! It's Captain Julie of the Giant Axe Mercenary Corps!"
As the shout rang out, Julie brought her axe down in a brutal cleave, snapping her opponent's chain-scythe in two.
The next instant, the opponent threw up his hands and begged for mercy.
The referee rushed in—victory decided!
"Congratulations to contestant Julie for defeating three opponents in a row and advancing to the Central Arena!"
Julie swung her axe cheerfully, sweat flying—then suddenly spotted a flash of white below the stage.
"…Huh?!"
"Those round, sparkly eyes."
"Those perky long ears."
"And that… unbearably adorable cat-like mouth."
"…It's Lady Frieren!"
Julie's eyes lit up. Like a whirlwind, she leapt off the stage and rushed straight toward Frieren.
Stopping in front of the three of them, she beamed with excitement.
"Lady Frieren! And Lady Flamme—and Elias too!"
"It's been so long!"
"Yeah!" Frieren replied happily.
"Last time, my music box helped stop your teammate's bleeding. How is she doing now?"
"Thanks to you, Lady Frieren…"
Julie leaned forward with a warm smile.
"Emma's doing much better. She keeps praising how amazing you are~"
"Hoh hoh hoh~~"
Frieren immediately planted her hands on her hips.
"It was nothing~ Just a small favor!"
"But Captain Julie, you're also trying to become Lady Leiya's guard?"
"—Of course!"
Julie nodded firmly.
"If I can become Lady Leiya's bodyguard, just the monthly pay alone would be enough to support our entire mercenary corps!"
"And on top of that, the military would finally take us seriously—maybe we'd even get high-paying contracts!"
"And if General Theodore takes a liking to us, none of my people would have to worry about their future ever again!"
Her eyes sparkled as if she could already see a brilliant tomorrow.
"So—you heard I was competing and came here specially to cheer for me, right?"
The three of them: (≖_≖'')
"…Unfortunately,"
Elias stepped forward and broke the silence.
"I'm also a contestant."
"I just advanced to the Central Arena."
Julie: (ᇂ_ᇂ|||)
"…It's over."
"It's completely over."
"The money. The future."
"And every single dream my mercenary corps ever had…"
"All of it… is finished."
Frieren, full of sympathy, gently patted Julie on the thigh and said softly,
"Captain Julie, don't lose heart."
"Magic is a world of imagination. You just need to imagine yourself defeating Elias with all your strength~"
Elias: (ᇂ_ᇂ|||)
"Frieren…"
"Magic is imagination, not delusion—
and certainly not reckless wishful thinking."
"Please refrain from saying things that sound comforting but are completely meaningless."
«(=ω=)» "Sorry…"
At that moment, Julie lifted her head from despair and looked Elias straight in the eyes.
"Even if it is delusion—if you don't even try, that's truly pathetic."
"So…"
"Even when facing someone many times stronger than me, I won't give up!"
Julie suddenly straightened, slammed a palm against her chest, sending a dramatic ripple through her armor.
"Elias, come at me with everything you've got! I, Julie, will never retreat!"
Elias: (≖_≖'')
"Very well."
"With those words, I'm relieved."
"I'll be sure to fight you at full strength."
Julie: Σ(ŎдŎ|||)ﾉﾉ
"Wait—hold on—!"
"I was just psyching myself up!"
"Please don't take that seriously!!!"
...
At present, they had to wait for all preliminary matches to finish before the competitors could step onto the central arena.
However, the final platform across the square showed no sign of concluding.
Were the two fighters evenly matched?
With that question in mind, the four of them pushed through the crowd and approached the opposite arena.
On the stage stood two men facing each other.
One looked relaxed, even smiling.
The other stood perfectly still, his face twisted in pain.
All four observers immediately sensed something was wrong.
Frieren spoke first.
"—Threads."
Julie's eyes widened.
"Threads? What threads? Why can't I see them?"
As Julie scanned the air in confusion, Frieren continued calmly,
"They're invisible mana threads."
"You can only perceive them through magical sensing."
"To the audience, that man looks like he's standing still."
"But in reality, he's completely bound—unable to move—by those invisible threads."
Elias lowered his gaze slightly, looking at the back of Frieren's head.
Such faint mana, detected so clearly…
and even described with precision.
Had Frieren's mana perception already reached this level?
While the four remained silent…
Flamme recognized the man controlling the threads, her expression darkening instantly.
"That man is Erwin."
"The Allied Army's chief interrogator."
"Interrogator?" Frieren asked curiously. "Is he really that dangerous?"
Flamme let out a cold laugh.
"Calling him 'dangerous' is an understatement."
"He has another, far more infamous title."
"The Deeply Cruel Executioner."
"Erwin the Threadbinder."
Elias quietly turned his gaze toward the man.
Dressed in a pitch-black military uniform.
Gold-rimmed glasses.
Short dark-purple hair slicked meticulously back.
A faint undercurrent stirred in his eyes,
and that barely perceptible curve at the corner of his lips—
…Was he enjoying this?
Most striking of all—
His long, slender fingers.
Ten silver rings, one on each finger.
Those must be the arcane conduits for his thread magic.
As Elias calmly analyzed the situation, Erwin finally moved.
He stepped closer to his opponent, bent down slightly, and smiled—as though observing an animal.
"Still not surrendering?"
"How adorably stubborn~"
Erwin suddenly turned his back to the man, gazing blankly up at the sky.
"I really don't understand General Theodore."
"So many capable people within the army—yet he insists on sharing this opportunity with outsiders."
"Just imagining those idiots who've never even stepped onto a battlefield protecting Lady Leiya makes me uneasy…"
As he spoke, Erwin slowly raised his right hand.
The next instant—
"—AAAAAAHHHH!!"
A soul-rending scream erupted behind him.
"…Ugh!"
Frieren immediately turned away, clutching Flamme's leg tightly.
"Flamme…!"
"That man is terrifying!"
Watching Erwin's opponent stand rigid like a corpse, his face twisted into something abyssal, Flamme frowned slightly.
She had to admit—
Among humans, there existed beings even more cruel than demons.
Erwin was one of them.