He had been slightly careless.
Indeed, Elsa didn't carry just one blade. No one knew how many were hidden beneath her cloak. Moreover, she had already judged that the only real threat here was Lillian—deal with him, and everything else would fall into place.
Compared to her assassin's mindset, Lillian's thinking was still a bit rigid. Getting injured in this situation was only natural. In fact, he was lucky—if the wound had been any deeper, his organs really might not have stayed where they belonged.
"This world really is dangerous…"
Hiss… hisss…
White vapor began to rise from the wound at Lillian's waist. Under the astonished gazes of the others, the injury began healing at a visibly rapid pace.
"Young man, you—"
"That kind of recovery speed… a monster?" Elsa was momentarily surprised, but her expression quickly shifted into even greater excitement.
"Can you heal like that every time? I'll have to cut you open a few more times to find out!"
"..."
By now, Lillian had taken the heavy club from Rom's hands. The old man didn't resist—he understood that both his life and Felt's now depended entirely on Lillian.
Holding the club horizontally before him, Lillian glanced at the white vapor still rising from his side and thought: Ever since leaving the AOT world, I haven't suffered an injury like this, have I?
"For some reason… I suddenly miss it."
"Ready?" Elsa approached slowly. "Here I come."
In the next second, her black figure shot forward like lightning. Lillian was already prepared and met her head-on with everything he had.
This was no game.
Clang—!
When the dagger collided with the club, the momentum instantly reversed. Elsa felt an overwhelming force surge from the club through her blades and into her body, sending her stumbling backward several steps!
So it really isn't ordinary.
Lillian glanced at the club in his hands. Rom had once been a leader—no matter how much his strength had declined, he would still keep at least one reliable weapon. Though the club looked unremarkable, its solid weight alone proved it was made of no common material.
Watching from behind, both Rom and Felt were shocked as Lillian swung the massive club with ease—smashing, lifting, and striking fluidly. Rom was especially stunned. The weight of that weapon was something few could even lift, let alone wield like this. Even among giants, only a handful could swing it so freely.
Just who is this kid?
Judging by his plain clothes and sword, he didn't seem like a noble or a knight. Yet his combat strength was unexpectedly terrifying. Combined with his recognition of the insignia and his words to Elsa… could he be a supporter of another royal candidate?
Unlike Rom, Felt was simply watching the battle anxiously. Her world was simple—Lillian had saved her earlier, so she considered him a friend. She was worried for him, but with her meager strength, she could only watch helplessly as danger loomed.
"Felt!" Rom suddenly reacted and whispered urgently, "Quick! I'll cover you—escape through the back door!"
"No!" Felt immediately objected. "Worst case, we die together. I won't run away alone!"
"Idiot, who said you're running away? You're going to get help! Find the guards—make as much noise as possible!"
Felt froze for a moment, then nodded. Lowering her body, she slipped behind the bar under Rom's cover and opened a small hidden door beneath the shelves.
Elsa was completely occupied by Lillian and didn't notice Felt's escape. Even if she had, she wouldn't have been able to break away from Lillian's storm-like assault.
Boom!!
Looking at the massive crater smashed into the ground where she had stood just a moment ago, Elsa felt a chill in her heart—though she still forced a relaxed smile.
"You've gotten stronger, young man."
Lillian didn't respond and pressed the attack again.
It wasn't that he'd become stronger—he simply finally had a weapon that allowed him to fully unleash his strength.
Ordinary weapons restricted him too much; he'd be better off fighting barehanded. But against Elsa, fighting unarmed was far too dangerous. Her blades were sharp enough to cut his skin—doing so would be recklessly risky.
Before long, the entire room looked as if it had been violently demolished. The floor and walls were riddled with craters, leaving not a single intact spot. Rom watched with heartache.
Crack—crunch!
Another clash. This time, Elsa failed to disperse the overwhelming force. A clear, sharp sound rang out—her right hand bone snapped.
Without giving her time to breathe, Lillian swung the club downward with both hands. She raised her left elbow to block—
Crack!
This time, it was more than a fracture.
Lillian watched blood flow down from her head, staining her paper-white face red.
"Do you still want to continue?"
"Am I dead?" she asked instead.
"..."
Elsa let both arms hang limply, still smiling as if she felt no pain.
"If I lose my claws, I use my fangs. If I lose my fangs, I use my bones. And if I lose even my bones, then I fight with my life. That's how the Bowel Hunter does it, young man."
She lowered her head, clamped the dagger's handle between her teeth, and lunged forward again. Lillian sighed softly and tightened his grip on the club.
---
"Somebody… somebody please save us!"
Felt sprinted at full speed, the effect of the Blessing pushed to its absolute limit. She burst out of the slums and onto the main street, shouting "Guards! Guards!" as she ran, drawing the attention of passersby along the way.
Before long, a group of patrolling guards heard her cries and rushed over.
"What's going on?!"
Seeing them, Felt urgently shouted, "There's a murderer! Someone broke into our place—please, hurry and arrest her!"
"A murderer?" Several guards frowned. "Where?"
"In the slums!"
As soon as those three words left her mouth, the guards froze, exchanging glances with one another.
"The slums, huh… Are you joking?"
"Yeah, that kind of place… cough. Why would a murderer go there? What's there to gain?"
"Exactly."
"What are you talking about?!" Felt had no idea why their attitudes changed so suddenly. She grabbed one guard by the arm. "Hurry and save them! If you're late, it'll be too late!"
"Let go!" The guard violently shook her off and shouted coldly, "Girl, don't make false reports. Keep it up and we'll arrest you!"
"I didn't—!"
"Enough, enough. A kid's words can't be taken seriously. Let's go patrol."
The guards turned to leave without another glance. Felt clenched her teeth, then suddenly lashed out with a kick, striking one guard squarely in the back. Caught off guard, he stumbled forward, nearly falling flat on his face.
"Damn it!" He steadied himself and spun around. "Grab her!"
They immediately surrounded Felt—just then, a calm yet authoritative voice rang out:
"Stop."
"Who the hell dares interfere with law enforcement? Do you want to—"
The guard cursed as he turned around, but the moment he saw who was speaking, the rest of his words died in his throat. His face instantly turned pale.
"Re… Re…"
"Reinhard-sama!" The guards snapped to attention and saluted. Reinhard glanced at Felt, whose eyes were red with tears, and asked gently, "What happened here?"
"Report! This girl filed a false accusation and even assaulted—"
"He's lying!" Felt cut him off loudly. "What I said is true! There is a murderer! And when they heard it happened in the slums, they refused to go! They even accused me of making a false report!"
"You—!"
"That's enough," Reinhard said sternly. Turning to the guards, he continued, "As guards, have you fulfilled your duties? Is it your place to make judgments without even investigating?"
The guards fell silent. The one scolding them was Reinhard—not only the Sword Saint, but also a high-ranking officer of the Royal Capital Guard. A single word from him could decide their futures.
"I'll report this matter to your superiors later," Reinhard said. "Now leave."
"Yes!"
None of them dared object. They quickly retreated, their faces ashen. Reinhard then looked back at Felt and asked seriously, "Is there really a murderer?"
---
"So this is the slums… The air, the atmosphere, even the people—it all feels pretty bad," Subaru muttered as he walked through the dilapidated streets beside Emilia, glancing around.
"It's because they're poor," Emilia replied, looking at the ragged residents. Her resolve strengthened—if she became queen, places like this would no longer exist.
After the incident in the alley, the two had begun traveling together. Subaru had been healed, felt grateful toward Emilia, and—combined with her stunning appearance—naturally developed feelings for her. He decided to help her recover the stolen insignia.
After helping a lost child, they obtained information about the thief, Felt, from the child's father—a fruit vendor—learning that she was something of a well-known figure in the slums.
"I wonder if what that apple guy said is really true," Subaru said. "Is that thief Felt really here?"
"Let's ask the lesser spirits."
"Lesser spirits?"
"Yes. Beings that haven't yet fully grown into spirits. Given enough time, they develop awareness and power, becoming like Puck."
Tiny, shimmering motes of light appeared around Emilia. She softly described Felt's appearance, and soon received responses. Following the guidance, they asked a few passersby for directions and quickly arrived at their destination.
However, under the glow of the setting sun, what appeared before them was a house nearly half-collapsed—
—and the next second, a body was hurled out from inside.
Thud—thump!
The figure crashed heavily onto the hard ground before them, covered in blood. Subaru and Emilia were both shocked. The woman before them was in terrible shape—both arms were broken, blood continuously spilling from her mouth. She was clearly at death's door.
"What is this?!"
At that moment, another figure burst out from the house—a man wielding a massive club. Instinctively, Emilia stepped in front of the injured woman, staring coldly at the man with the weapon. It wasn't a calculated decision—just an instinctive reaction born of shared womanhood.
The next instant, once she clearly saw the man's face, Emilia frowned sharply.
"It's you!"
Subaru froze as well. "You?"