Chapter 68: From Bait To Prey - Part 4

"I told you, if you want them back, then give me the money." "Says the one who still can't make a simple enchanted weapon for his customer." "You impudent girl!" After their encounter with the hooded assailant last night, Lynn and Arezu visited Broc's weapon shop the next day. As for what Lynn and the old dwarf blacksmith were arguing about—it involved the twin swords that Lynn and Arezu had pawned to fund the crafting of Arezu's new halberd-axes. ...Give it back... With those words from the hooded assailant, Arezu thought—and so did Lynn, not that she actually cared—that if Alex was indeed the hooded figure, he was probably looking for his twin swords. Arezu figured the swords must be very important to Alex, considering he'd gone so far as to hunt the two of them. And if Lynn hadn't pawned them, and instead returned them to Alex, this entire bounty-hunting quest wouldn't have involved them in the first place. Regardless of Arezu's innocence—or denial, as Lynn would call it—he was, technically, the one who benefited from pawning the twin swords. And though he wanted to buy them back, he didn't have enough savings to meet the price of 20 large gold coins. He was earning steadily as an adventurer, but it was only enough to cover his gear and equipment, daily necessities, and rent at the Moon Pavilion. Even though he had earned the title of Dungeon Conqueror alongside Lynn and Gwen, their rewards would only be given once the Adventurers' Guild finished evaluating the dungeon's worth—especially the cursed weapons. To put it simply: Arezu wasn't rich. And 20 large gold coins—a sum that could support an average civilian comfortably for half a year—was something he didn't yet have. "Tsk!... If I'd known you were this stingy, we should've pawned them at a different shop. Preferably one with a crafter who could actually make an enchanted weapon for Mr. Arezu." "Don't you dare mock me, impudent girl... My skill as a crafter is not lacking. That boy is the one who's weird." While Lynn was clearly enjoying teasing the old dwarf—or at least that's how Arezu interpreted her actions—he and Beatrix stood silently at the corner of the shop, watching. "Other than her latest rampage, what did Lynn do this time?" Beatrix asked, glancing at Arezu with a look that said whatever Lynn did, it probably involved him too. "To keep it short, the owner of those twin swords is mad and looking for them," Arezu said, explaining just enough to keep Beatrix from worrying unnecessarily. "If you let us borrow them, you can still be the one to make Mr. Arezu's next halberd-axe." "Argh... All right then—" "Hey! Arezu is my client! So back off, old man!" The conversation, which had grown more chaotic after Beatrix joined in, ended with Broc agreeing to let Lynn and Arezu borrow the twin swords—on the condition that Beatrix would be Arezu's one and only weapon crafter, and that he would continue to test all the enchanted halberd-axes Broc made. "Pfft—Hahaha... He called you a weirdo." Though she was laughing at the insult, Arezu knew exactly what Lynn found amusing. The deal with Broc—Lynn had only accepted it to mess with the old dwarf. After all, as Arezu suspected, Lynn knew he couldn't use enchanted weapons. Or rather, that he would destroyed any enchanted weapon simply by using it. "Are you worried about something, Mr. Arezu?" Lynn asked, noticing his unease. "I'm just thinking about what might happen tonight," Arezu muttered, trying to hide the fact that he was more anxious about her. Not that it was a lie—he was worried about Alex, too. Lynn responded with a satisfied smile, as if she completely understood what was on Arezu's mind. Then she said: "Whatever happens... whatever happened, it's not your fault, Mr. Arezu. And it especially wasn't mine, either." Arezu didn't exactly understand what Lynn meant by rephrasing herself. But her concern eased his worry—if only a little. At the end of the day, their hunt for the hooded assailant resumed. Like the night before, Arezu walked alone through the dimly lit streets of the capital—without his halberd-axe. The only difference this time was that he wasn't wearing one of the formal noble suits Lynn had forced on him. Instead, he wore his casual clothes, along with leather armor and a brownish-gray coat. Arezu spent the entire night alone, with no sign of the prey he was meant to bait. Hours passed. The night sky began to pale with the approach of dawn. I guess we'll have to keep doing this for a few more nights, Arezu thought, sitting down on a bench in a deserted park to take a break. That's when a shiver of danger crawled up his spine—his instincts warning him of something lurking in the darkness. He leapt up just in time. As he hit the ground and rolled, the bench he'd been sitting on shattered into splinters. He hadn't seen the attack, but he felt the trace of magic in the surrounding—something familiar. A Wind Blade mystic spell. Given the surroundings, the source was clear: the shadows cast by trees around the edge of the park. He was a sitting target in an open clearing. His opponent, meanwhile, was hiding in the darkness. "It's almost like those invisible wind blades..." He muttered, recalling Lynn's tantrum against Sylvia. But unlike Sylvia's wind blades, which were literally invisible, these were mere imitations—using darkness as cover for visible magic. Even so, Arezu had to rely on his instincts and intuition to sense the incoming attacks. He considered running. The situation was clearly not in his favor. But escaping wouldn't solve the problem—they'd just have to search for Alex again tomorrow night to complete the bounty-hunting quest. If so, his best option was to buy time. Just less than an hour until sunrise. Or at least, until Lynn arrived. Arezu readied himself, focusing on his senses to detect any magical signs. At the same time, he tried to buy time by calling out: "You're looking for these, right?!... Then come out and take them!" he shouted, tossing the twin swords—previously strapped to his back—out into the open, halfway between him and the trees. "I'm alone! So you don't have to worry about Lynn hiding somewhere." It wasn't a lie. And Arezu was genuinely hoping that this time, Alex might be willing to talk—maybe even end things without more pointless fighting. For a moment, the park fell into complete silence. Until— "So that's your answer," Arezu muttered, leaping sideways just in time to dodge another flurry of wind blades he sensed closing in. He dodged the third onslaught, and even the fourth, sustaining only minor scrapes. But the next series of attacks became unpredictable—fired from different angles, cast while moving. Even if he avoided fatal wounds, getting worn down little by little would eventually get him killed. He needed a way to locate his opponent in the darkness—something more reliable than guesswork. And then, as if answering his unspoken need, a single flame arrow shot into the sky above the park. At its peak—Boom!—it exploded midair, casting bright light over the area and exposing the hooded assailant hiding behind the trees. "Now that we can see each other," Arezu said, "how about a little talk?" —"Waaaargh!"—