Chapter 36 — Absolutely Not Allowed!
"Whew… finally."
Flamme exhaled a long, exhausted breath.
"It took the entire night, but I've stabilized the magic in his body.
He just needs to rest now."
Julie clasped her fists together, eyes sparkling like fireworks.
"As expected of Lady Flamme! From this day on, you are the eternal benefactor of the Great Axe Mercenary Corps!"
"No need for such formality. This falls within a great mage's responsibilities."
Flamme rose, stretching her stiff shoulders with a long, lazy yawn.
"And next time you take on a mission, evaluate your opponent's strength first.
Don't gamble with your lives."
"Understood, Lady Flamme! Next time we definitely won't act so impulsively!"
—
Back home, after an entire sleepless night, Flamme was utterly drained.
Yet the moment she stepped into the living room, she couldn't help but notice the figure sitting in the chair—shrouded in black energy, radiating an oppressive calm.
"…Hah. After all that, you still went out to fight and somehow aren't tired?
Or do demons just… not need sleep?"
Elias didn't answer her jab.
He simply gestured for her to sit.
Flamme narrowed her eyes.
"If you're planning to brag about your 'heroic deeds,' spare me."
"Julie already recounted the whole thing three full times last night."
"From your teleportation rescue to shattering the Crystal Turtle's barrier…"
"That girl was flailing around like she'd just witnessed the Goddess descend."
"Congratulations, Elias. You've gained yourself a little fangirl."
She smirked—
but the moment Elias opened his mouth, her smile froze.
"Flamme. It's about the Demons."
Three seconds later, Flamme sat upright, posture straight and serious.
Elias stared at her and spoke solemnly:
"First… I want to know the state of the northern front."
Flamme composed herself, then gave a precise briefing:
"The past few years were rough because of internal conflicts among humans."
"But last year, the Southern Alliance ended their civil strife and began sending troops north."
"Since then, the situation has stabilized.
Now both sides are evenly matched, locked in a stalemate."
"That's why I was able to pull back temporarily and take a short leave."
Elias's gaze darkened.
"So… the open war has stalled."
Then, without warning, he placed the Skull Dagger on the table.
Flamme blinked.
"Isn't that the dagger I gave you? What—are you suddenly returning it?"
Instead of answering, Elias lifted the blue crescent-shaped pendant around his neck.
"Flamme… do you remember this?"
"You gave it to me eight years ago."
Flamme's eyes widened.
"Oh… so you've been wearing it the whole time…"
For some reason, she lowered her head, hands curling into fists on her lap.
"Flamme? What's wrong?"
"N–Nothing. Just continue."
Elias summoned a floating shard of stone—the one retrieved from within the Crystal Turtle.
"This came from inside the turtle."
Flamme blinked, confused.
"I remember… Crystal Turtles absorb magic by eating stones.
So—this is its poop?!"
Elias's expression turned into pure deadpan.
"…I would prefer if you called it a stone."
---
Just as the words left Elias's mouth, the skull dagger in Flamme's hand began to tremble faintly.
"Th–This… what's happening?!"
"Magic resonance."
Elias spoke with calm certainty.
"In other words, the magic within this dagger and the magic inside the stone that drove the Crystal Turtle berserk…
come from the same source."
Flamme's eyes widened.
"So you suspect the berserk Crystal Turtle was connected to the Demon King's Army?!"
"It's not suspicion. It's fact."
Elias leaned back in his chair.
"When the open war stalls, the hidden war begins.
As for who's pulling the strings…"
He glanced at Flamme.
Flamme could only shake her head.
"No idea.
The dagger did belong to that Demon General I defeated, but…
I can clearly sense the magic inside the stone doesn't match the general's."
Elias nodded slowly.
"So someone merely borrowed the power stored in the dagger to enhance themselves…"
"It seems the demon hiding behind this is deeper and more careful than we expected."
"Flamme, once Old Shorty hears about this, she'll definitely have thoughts."
Flamme stiffened.
"Elias… can you not call my adorable teacher that?"
Elias snorted, amused, then rose and walked toward the stairs.
"Your disciple's cute, your teacher's cute…
Flamme, are you planning to fight the world using cuteness as your weapon?"
"And besides—
I've called that woman 'Old Shorty' for a thousand years.
You think I can change that overnight?"
His shadow disappeared upstairs.
Flamme puffed up her cheeks, muttering defensively:
"Teacher is cute…
And so is Frieren…"
"That guy Elias… he really doesn't understand romance."
---
Holy City, Divine Seat — Audience Chamber
Before the throne, Flamme knelt as her master Serie rested her chin in her palm, looking down with a flat stare.
"Flamme… you look exhausted.
Dark circles under your eyes, too.
Is that old demon not letting you sleep?"
"N–No, Teacher. Something happened in the village last night."
Flamme recounted everything—the mercenary group, the Crystal Turtle, the skull dagger, the ominous stone.
Serie twirled a strand of her golden hair, and a thin, icy killing intent flickered behind her eyes.
"So the demons couldn't sit still after the northern front stabilized."
"To stir trouble so close to the Holy City…
Bold of them."
"If my intuition is correct… this was likely the work of one of the Seven Calamity Sages."
The moment the name was spoken, Flamme's pupils trembled.
Memories surged—the death of every one of her teammates.
The first, turned into gold by Mahart of the Golden Flesh.
The second, crushed within the barrier of Beize the Undying.
The third, forced by Aura of the Guillotine to slit his own throat under command magic.
The fourth, hollowed out into an empty puppet by Grauosam the Miracle—then killed like a discarded tool.
Each death was carved into her mind like a seared brand—
bleeding, unhealed wounds.
And now—
She saw her disciple Frieren's round little face in her mind.
She would not allow it.
Absolutely not.
"Teacher… with all this, do you know who's behind it?"
"Not yet."
A cold smile tugged at Serie's lips.
"But even if it is one of the Seven Calamity Sages…
I will not allow them to take a single step into the Holy City."