Chapter 70: From Bait To Prey - Part 6

"I guess you didn't notice the fireworks stopping a while ago." "What—" "Glacier" With her voice echoing behind Arezu, Lynn cast the mystic spell she had been preparing moments ago. Towering canyons of ice erupted from the ground, rising among the trees at the park's edge and encircling the entire perimeter. They reached high enough to prevent even the most skilled fighters from climbing, escaping, or running away. The Glacier didn't just cut off all escape routes for Alex—it also completely overshadowed his Flamestorm. A white mist instantly engulfed the entire park, freezing the scorching air along with the burning grass, benches, trees, and the ground itself, covering everything in clear crystal ice. The massive cyclone of flame surging around Alex slowly withered away, erasing any trace of fire from the surroundings. Even the warmth in their bodies began to fade, and both Arezu and Alex felt the air thinning, as if their lungs were starting to freeze. "Not to complain... but you're not trying to freeze us all to death, right, Lynn?" In response to Arezu's remark, Lynn finally stepped out from behind the trees at the edge of the park. Unthoughtful as it may have sounded, Arezu's comment wasn't Lynn's concern. "Do you have any idea how much mana I needed to conjure an advanced-level mystic spell on this scale?" Although her harsh remark wasn't directed at him but rather at Alex, Arezu couldn't help but think about her question. Compared to the time Lynn froze the entire guild hall, the scale of her Glacier now was definitely much larger and wider. It was almost similar to when she froze an entire cave during the goblin-slaying quest to stop its collapse—but that had been an enclosed space. Freezing an entire open park surely required far more mana than she usually used. Not only was her irritation and annoyance evident in her tone—proving Arezu's assumption—but her tired steps and rough breathing spoke volumes, even though Lynn was more accustomed to the cold due to her affinity with ice-based magic. And all of that was proven when she lost her balance right beside Arezu. "Sorry, I should have said this first..." Arezu said apologetically as he caught Lynn in his arms. Then, with an honest, grateful tone, he continued, "You did well, Lynn." "My, my... You'd better be grateful for how amazing I am, Mr. Arezu," Lynn said, hiding her flustered reaction behind her usual audacity—and her blushing face as she gently headbutted his chest. Pulling away from Arezu immediately, Lynn continued her confrontation with Alex—now free from irritation and annoyance. However, Arezu thought it would have been better if Lynn had just stayed that way a little longer. Because what replaced her previous mood was far more troublesome. "I told you, didn't I?... You're going to die for wasting all my puddings and cakes." The murderous aura Lynn radiated—full of animosity and hatred—left Alex trembling and frozen in fear. Even Arezu was scared. Noticing his unease, Lynn gave Arezu a gentle smile. But that did nothing to lessen the anxiety Arezu felt toward her. How could someone harbor so much hostility... over wasted puddings and cakes? As if to answer his thought: "Of course that was just a joke. It was funny seeing him scared and trembling, right, Mr. Arezu?" Lynn said, stopping the release of her murderous aura. None of that was a joke, and it's not funny at all, Arezu muttered to himself, unable to comprehend what kind of source could give rise to such animosity and hatred. While the two were distracted by their own bickering, Alex took the opportunity to run. "So that's why he always runs whenever you're around," Arezu said, watching Alex flee. They should have been worried about Alex escaping, despite the towering ice canyons Lynn had raised to trap him. But that wasn't their only plan to capture him. Thinking he could melt and bore a hole into the canyons of ice, Alex sprinted toward the trees at the edge of the park. But just as he reached the tree cover, someone already waiting there knocked him back into the clearing. —BAM!— "Argh!" Alex stumbled to the ground after colliding directly with a black shield. The person who emerged from behind the trees was none other than Liz, fully equipped with her adventurer gear. "You've got nowhere else to run, Alex." Those were the only words Liz offered, delivered in her usual sharp and serious tone. Refusing to be caught, Alex ran past Liz, heading in a different direction toward the trees—only to be knocked down again, sent tumbling back into the clearing. "Please surrender now, Alex... before you hurt yourself and others." This time, it was Hannah who stepped out from behind the trees, pleading with Alex to give up his resistance. While Alex writhed on the ground from Hannah's black mace strike, more individuals—knights, valkyries, and soldiers from Liz's ducal family—emerged from the tree line, surrounding the entire park. There was no route left for Alex to escape. They're all trembling from the cold though, Arezu grumbled to himself, noting everyone's condition. Lynn, meanwhile, stood beside Arezu, further intimidating Alex. "Since you can't run anymore, how about finishing your fight with Mr. Arezu?" "Oi—" Arezu wanted to protest, but he was caught off guard when Alex charged at him, as if taking Lynn's words as an invitation. —"Waaaargh!"— However, before Alex could reach him, the knights and soldiers leapt at him, pinning him to the ground. As he was restrained, Alex glared at Arezu—his eyes full of anger and resentment. Then his desperate scream echoed for all to hear. "...Give it back, you bastard!... Return it to me!..." Arezu looked at Alex, locking eyes as he responded. "What the heck do you actually want?" Alex didn't answer directly. But his next desperate outburst made everything clear. "...I'm the hero!... I'm going to protect everyone!... I'm going to defeat those fucking monsters!... I'm destined to save the world!... So give it back!... Return it to me!... My divine gift!... The goddess's gift!... That was mine, you fucking bastard!..." Finally, Arezu pieced it together and realized what Alex truly wanted—and what had actually happened to him. "Lynn... Does that mean..." "It wasn't your fault, Mr. Arezu."