Chapter 28: The Schemes of the City Run Deep; Better to Return to the Countryside

"Wait, calm down! If that thing explodes, the 'key' will be destroyed along with it!"
The archmage watched in horror as Mayuna seemed poised to hurl that terrifying object, cold sweat beading on his brow. He clutched the jade fragment tightly in his palm, warning her.

"Is that so?"
Mayuna gripped the sphere in her right hand, raising her left leg high in a pitcher's stance. The outsiders might not know what she was doing, but Ruby recognized at once that she was imitating a baseball pitcher. Should he say she was still a child at heart? To be having so much fun in such a serious situation...

"I can tell you the secret of the 'key'! And much more information!"
Seeing that Mayuna had no intention of backing down, the archmage decided to sell all his knowledge for a chance at survival. Unfortunately for him, he was dealing with someone who didn’t even know what the key was.

"Hmm... Not interested."
As Mayuna's left foot landed, she twisted her body and threw the condensed elemental sphere. The white ball soared forward with unstoppable momentum—or so it seemed. The otherworld was fair: Mayuna was granted unparalleled magical talent, but not much physical strength. The archmage was, in truth, a frail young woman. The ball floated through the air at a leisurely pace, landing gently in front of the villainous quartet.

"Zero points for form, zero for power, zero for trajectory. If you were in a pitching contest, you’d lose utterly," Ruby commented objectively from the sidelines. To put it bluntly, he could take on ten Mayunas at once.

"You're so annoying!"
Mayuna, originally quite pleased with her pitch, now wished she could silence Ruby. Weren’t these the same words she’d used to mock their opponent just moments ago? And now they’d come back to bite her.

In a flash of blinding white light, the little ball exploded. Ruby instinctively narrowed his eyes, but his excellent dynamic vision caught the archmage’s final words. Though his voice was drowned out, Ruby read the shape of his lips: "So the legend is true—the white-haired, red-eyed demon..."

"It’s over."
For all its fearsome potential, the condensed elemental sphere did surprisingly little damage. Aside from carving a half-circular crater into the ground, it hardly affected anyone else. This was because Mayuna had cast a magical barrier around the sphere to absorb most of the blast. But those at the center of the explosion were utterly obliterated, leaving not a trace behind.

Mayuna disliked killing, but she was no naive girl unable to act when necessary. She understood the world was far more dangerous than it seemed. Especially when her own bottom line was crossed. If that wind blade had been aimed only at her, it wouldn’t have mattered. But it had clearly included Ruby in its path, and she could not tolerate him being harmed—even if she herself couldn’t explain why.

"Does anyone remember we came here just to eat?"
Ruby made no comment about Mayuna’s actions. As the last human from Earth, no one could imagine the trials he'd endured. He walked over to Ait, still paralyzed, and beckoned to Mayuna, who immediately knew what to do. Under her healing magic, Ait's wounds quickly closed. After living together for so long, they shared a tacit understanding.

"You two... No, never mind. Whoever you are, you saved me. Thank you."
Ait looked at the two with a complex gaze. After expressing his thanks, he gathered his unconscious child and Lahr together and began healing them with magic.

"Uncle, what exactly is this thing called the key?"
Mayuna couldn’t help asking. In her eyes, it wasn’t worth much, but anything valuable enough to send an archmage after it piqued her curiosity.

"I don’t know. It’s been passed down through the heads of my family for generations. When my father gave it to me, he only said it was important. If embedded in the body, it accelerates cultivation and makes one stronger. That’s all I know."

"Sounds disgusting. Well, it’s been destroyed in the explosion anyway."

Mayuna felt the thing was of no use to her. Cultivation? What could a goddess of magic possibly train for? As for physical strength—she definitely didn’t want to be some muscle-bound woman.

"Since it’s gone, let it be. I can’t take another incident like this," Ait said with a carefree wave. He didn’t know what made the 'key' worth dying for, which was why he’d handed it over so easily.

"Mayuna, I have a question for you."
Ruby pulled Mayuna aside and whispered a few questions in her ear.

"Yes, yes, in theory that’s correct. How did you know?"
"I guessed."
After receiving confirmation, Ruby went over to Lahr, who was still lying motionless, and revealed a shocking truth.

"Mr. Lahr, you can get up now. Or maybe I should call you the mastermind behind all this."
"It’s fine if you don’t get up. Just listen quietly. I just asked Mayuna—what happened to William wasn’t direct mind control, but more like his darker side was endlessly amplified through hypnotic suggestion. Such mental magic only works with long-term, deliberate guidance. And the only people close enough to him for that are two individuals, aren’t there?"

Seeing Lahr remain still, Ruby wasn’t bothered. He had known from the start that Lahr was faking. Thanks to his knowledge from Earth, Ruby could easily distinguish between real and feigned unconsciousness.

"I suppose you’re wondering how I figured it out? Sure, William fainted after those four vanished, but that was just your set-up. It was all too convenient—we just happened to be here for dinner when this happened. But if it was premeditated, it’s no coincidence. From the start, you planned to frame us as the mayor’s killers."

"Your group’s numbers and strength are overwhelming. If you tried to seize the mayor openly, he’d have no recourse. But you didn’t want to cause a scene or let anyone else know, so you acted in secret, using convoluted means to achieve your goal. I imagine you didn’t want anyone to discover the key’s existence."

"You were very careful. Once the mayor handed over the key, you’d have to silence him. But how? You’d want it to look like an accident, but not too suspicious. Today, running into us was a stroke of luck for you, so you quickly devised this plan. You brought us to a crowded place so everyone would see me visiting the mayor’s house. Unfortunately for you, I’m very familiar with the streets of Dris."

"Afterward, you’d just need to stage the scene as an accident caused by a quarrel. In a small town like this, if the mayor dies, the empire is unlikely to care much."

Ruby finished and quietly watched Lahr, who quickly got up, brushed the dust from his clothes, and smiled at Ruby. "I really underestimated you two. Not investigating your abilities was my greatest mistake."

"Lahr, you really... But why? It’s been ten years—ten years of loyal service, hasn’t it?"
Pain was written on Ait’s face. He couldn’t accept that his butler was the mastermind. To him, this man wasn’t just a capable assistant, but a true friend.

"That’s right, sir. Ten years—it’s been far too long! I’d intended to finish this task in three. But you hid the 'key' too well! Three years became six, then ten, and I’m still not done. Do you think I want to stay in this godforsaken backwater every day?"

Lahr’s smile was a little twisted. Mayuna, for her part, couldn’t disagree; this place was indeed dreadful.

"For ten years, I’ve stayed by your side gathering information. We could never be sure if your family truly had the key, and acting rashly would have drawn suspicion. Only when you decided to pass the key to young William did I finally confirm it was in your hands."

"Other people? Are there others who know about this thing?"
"You know nothing about the family heirloom your ancestors left you. But I have no obligation to enlighten you."

With that, Lahr closed his eyes, awaiting death. He’d seen what Mayuna could do; resistance was futile. Better to die with some dignity.

"What should we do with him? Should I kill him?"
"Even though he used my son and tried to harm you both, I’d still rather hand him over to the Empire. There’s probably a large organization behind him," Ait replied. Even knowing his butler was no good, he couldn’t bear to see him die before his eyes. He intended to send him to prison first.

"Understood. Mayuna, let’s go."
Ruby nodded, called Mayuna, and left the mayor’s house. Lahr was only a mage—in a direct confrontation, he would be no match for a great mage. As for the outcome, it depended on how soft-hearted Ait was. It was none of their business now.

"Ruby, I never expected you to be so sharp. That twist surprised even me," Mayuna said, smiling as she reflected on the day’s events. She’d thought Ruby was just along for the ride, but he’d shown real detective skills. She was in a good mood.

"How am I foolish... And what’s that in your hand?"
Ruby shot Mayuna an exasperated look and noticed she was fiddling with a bright white jade fragment.

"The key, of course! How could I let something so interesting be destroyed? I stored it in my spatial ring the moment the explosion went off. After saving them, I deserve a little reward."

"You..."
"By the way, that paralyzing potion? I just used magic to force it out. How did you resist the poison?"
Before Ruby could retort, Mayuna cut him off, genuinely curious.

"I once drank Vellocis’s saliva. Ordinary toxins don’t affect me much."
"Oh."
"Eh? Eh!?"
Mayuna replied absentmindedly, then went back to studying the jade. But a moment later, she snapped her head up in shock, staring at Ruby with disbelief—what kind of monster was he, not even sparing dragons!

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