Chapter 353: The Sage's Arrival
"Is that half-elf really living here?"
"Y-yes, she lives here. Many in the slums know about her."
"Hmph. If you're lying to me, you know what'll happen."
"N-no, I wouldn't dare deceive you!"
"..."
The fragmented voices and clamor outside grew louder, reaching Roy and Satella's ears.
"People sent by the nobles? Though they're a bit late."
Roy immediately understood their purpose from the conversation.
Still, he was slightly surprised—they seemed to have arrived far later than expected.
Yes, far too late.
If Roy had learned of Satella's existence from merchants' idle chatter at the tavern, it meant the nobles had long known about her. Yet when Roy found her in the slums, none of those supposedly interested nobles had bothered her—until now.
'Seems the nobles interested in Satella aren't very high-ranking.'
Roy quickly pieced together the reason. After all, why would the true high nobility of Lugunica care about a half-elf in the slums? Hybrids were already scorned in this world, and for ancient noble houses, mixed blood would only taint their lineage.
Glancing at Satella beside him, Roy noticed her calm expression and smirked.
"...Not scared?"
Satella shook her head, biting her lip as she murmured, "...Since I was little, I've encountered situations like this many times."
Given Satella's beauty while living in the slums, she had likely faced countless covetous gazes growing up. Even if those who once harbored ill intentions toward her disappeared, there would always be others who refused to learn their lesson and continued trying to capture her.
"Hmm, I'll handle this dispute later. Your powers are unstable—it's better not to use them unless necessary."
Since Satella couldn't fully control the power of the 'Witch of Envy,' Roy thought it best to deal with those troublesome outsiders himself to prevent her abilities from spiraling out of control.
Though Roy felt this was somewhat beneath him.
With that thought, Roy pushed open the door of the small wooden cabin with Satella and surveyed the scene outside.
Over a dozen thugs—or perhaps slightly more capable ruffians—stood outside the cabin. They were all burly men, armed with wooden clubs and knives, among other restricted weapons. In their midst was a scrawny man being dragged along—likely the slum dweller who had led them to Satella's dwelling.
"As expected, just some lowly minor nobles."
Seeing that those who came for Satella were merely city thugs, Roy shook his head regretfully, confirming his suspicions.
He had initially thought some high-ranking noble might have taken an interest in Satella, perhaps dragging him into the kind of conspiracies often seen in novels. He had even prepared to stir up trouble in the Lionheart Kingdom of Lugunica. But it seemed he had overestimated the situation—these were just insignificant minor nobles, hardly worth his attention.
The Lionheart Kingdom of Lugunica was rife with internal strife. The reason it had managed to wage war against the Vollachian Empire for so long without collapsing—aside from fearing the Northern Kingdom capitalizing on their conflict—was largely due to Lugunica's knightly order.
The first Lion King who founded Lugunica was a knight of noble character, even hailed as the 'Knight King.' As a result, knights held high status in the kingdom, with the Royal Knights being the elite among elites. Every knight was expected to uphold virtuous principles, making it difficult for corruption and scheming to infiltrate their ranks.
The knightly order consisted not only of commoners but also a significant number of nobles. Consequently, nobles with knights in their families tended to maintain decent morals. It was the existence of this knightly order that ensured Lugunica could continue resisting the Vollachian Empire.
The kingdom's high-ranking rulers and royalty were well aware of this, enforcing strict management of the knightly order. It was rare to see a Lugunica knight commit wrongdoing—even high-ranking nobles couldn't order them to commit atrocities like abducting common women.
"Still, those high-ranking nobles keep idle hands in their employ—they'd never leave such tasks to street thugs. So Satella, you don't need to worry."
Roy explained all this about nobles and knights to Satella with a cheerful smile.
Satella listened intently, her curiosity about the outside world insatiable as she absorbed the everyday knowledge Roy shared with her. Worry never crossed her mind; instead, she felt relieved that she hadn't caused him too much trouble.
Though they had only met the night before, Roy was the first person in Satella's life who had treated her with such kindness. She didn't want to burden him because of her own circumstances.
Meanwhile, the group of thugs had completely lost focus, their eyes glued to Satella's beauty. Some even drooled openly.
"Hey, she really is a half-elf… and so damn pretty. Honestly, I don't even want to hand her over anymore. Why don't we keep her for ourselves?"
The largest of the thugs panted heavily, his voice thick with greed.
The others, their eyes bloodshot, nodded eagerly like chickens pecking at rice.
"B-Boss… look at the guy in front of the half-elf."
Only then did the thug leader notice Roy's presence, having been too fixated on the woman.
At the sight of Roy's extravagant attire, the gang leader shuddered, snapping back to reality.
Thugs who operated in the capital of Lugunica weren't fools—they knew who to avoid and who to bully. Roy's clothing and demeanor made it clear he was someone they couldn't afford to provoke. A beautiful woman was one thing, but angering a man of his stature for her sake? Only an idiot would do that.
Hesitating, the gang leader spoke cautiously, "…Esteemed sir, you—"
Before he could finish, Roy sighed to himself, "…The rain finally washed away the stench here, only for more trash to show up."
"…Don't speak. Someone like you isn't worthy of addressing me."
Snap.
Roy flicked his fingers lightly.
Instantly, the thugs watched in horror as the rain-soaked marsh beneath them sprouted countless plants. Lush green grass twisted into thorn-covered vines, their barbs like the fangs of monsters, gaping hungrily at the thugs.
"A mage?!"
"Aaaaah—!!"
"Help!!"
"My arm—it's eating my arm!!"
"It hurts, it hurts!!"
"Spare me, please!!"
Their screams were cut short as the vines coiled around them. The plants came alive, devouring the thugs bite by bite amidst their wails and shrieks. The sounds of tearing flesh, cracking bones, and desperate pleas filled the air, as if they had been dragged into hell itself.
This was a technique Roy had learned from Yu Meiren. Though she was a being close to a True Ancestor, she was also skilled in plant-based sorcery. While these spells weren't particularly useful to Roy, he had picked them up during his time with her.
"Tap tap tap tap————"
Amid the wretched screams of these hoodlums, intermittent rapid footsteps could be heard.
Then came a girl's startled cry: "...Master, we're too late!"