Chapter 141: It was you!?

“Looks like we’ve got company,” Bruce said, drawing the longsword from his waist.

Before Peleti’s eyes—

Anasha approached with Josuna and the others following behind her. Their numbers were considerable, carrying the unmistakable intent of not giving up until Peleti was captured.

“Damn, I split that old woman in half and she’s still alive?” Bruce spotted Mephisto waving at them from afar and was visibly startled.

“Not surprising. Fakena killed her once too. That woman has never been using her real body. Human alchemy isn’t advanced enough for something like that—so she hides her inhuman traits behind a veil.”

“A walking corpse, huh? Tch… humans really are twisted. They don’t even spare themselves.” Bruce clicked his tongue in disgust.

The two of them chatted as if nothing was wrong—there wasn’t a trace of tension in the air.

They stood their ground with no intention of running. There was only one path down. If they didn’t take it, the only alternative was to jump off the cliff.

From that height, even with protection, they’d be smashed to death.

Since escape wasn’t an option—

They would have to fight.

“Well, well. I thought you’d all be chasing that tumbleweed in circles. Didn’t expect you to find us so quickly.” Peleti smiled, though the tension in her heart didn’t lessen in the slightest.

Among the crowd, she saw the one person she least wanted to face—

Anasha.

If it were just the others, Peleti and Bruce might be able to handle them together.

But Anasha’s abilities countered both of them.

That made things troublesome.

“Peleti… no, I suppose I should call you the Witch of Light now. Impressive—you even managed to deceive me.”

“Mm, I see. So, Miss Anasha, bringing all these people… are you here to kill me?” Peleti said in a teasing tone.

“What’s with all the talking?! If we’re fighting, then hurry up and start!” Bruce snapped impatiently.

Among these people were many who had taken part in hunting down Fakena.

Just seeing their faces made him want to rush in and slaughter them all.

But Anasha let out a soft sigh. Her gaze fell on Peleti, carrying a hint of complexity.

“Peleti, I’ve heard about what happened. Come back with me—I can guarantee your safety. I won’t hand you over to anyone. I’ll personally protect you until you reunite with Miss Albana.”

“Have you lost your mind?!” Mephisto’s sharp voice cut through the air as she pushed her way forward, disbelief written all over her face. “That’s not what we agreed on!”

She knew very well—given the Everick family’s tendency to fiercely protect their own—

As Peleti’s benefactor, she would be treated with the highest courtesy.

If Peleti were handed over before the Forbidden School could secure her, their plan to extract the secret of the light element from her would be completely ruined.

She absolutely could not allow that to happen.

“Apologies if this offends you, but I won’t yield.” Anasha stood firm, her tone resolute. “Peleti once spared three of my companions. I owe her a debt. Even if she’s a witch, I won’t give her up to you.”

“I asked you to help—not to cause trouble!” Mephisto trembled with anger, pointing straight at Anasha.

“Miss Mephisto, I’m merely fulfilling my duty. Mind your words. I will take Peleti back—just in my own way.”

One sought greater gain.

The other wanted to repay a debt of mercy.

Before the fight even began, they were already arguing fiercely—leaving Peleti and Bruce completely dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, Josuna simply watched quietly from the side.

To her, it didn’t matter what method was used—as long as Peleti was brought back, she was fine with anything.

Whether it was the volatile Anasha or the irritable Mephisto—

And besides, with Anasha here, capturing Peleti was practically guaranteed.

After all, she hadn’t forgotten what Peleti feared.

“Hey, Peleti… what the hell is going on with these people?” Bruce leaned closer, muttering in a low voice, utterly baffled.

“Probably… a disagreement,” Peleti murmured, equally confused.

Even at the brink of battle, to just leave the enemy standing there while arguing among themselves—

Neither she nor Bruce had ever seen anything like this.

“…Should we take this chance and slip away?” Peleti suggested suddenly.

“That might be difficult. It’s not just those two here.”

Following his gaze, Peleti met Josuna’s eyes.

The smile on Josuna’s lips deepened. She even raised a hand as if greeting her.

Peleti immediately turned her head away, unwilling to respond.

Josuna withdrew her hand awkwardly, but the amusement in her eyes only grew stronger.

“We can’t just stand here and watch, can we? They’re treating you like some kind of commodity—like you can be priced however they want.”

As Bruce said this, Peleti could clearly feel his hand trembling.

What he spoke of… was the fate of every beastman.

Treated as goods. Bought and sold at will.

Even someone like Bruce, raised under harsh conditions—

Faced with a scene like this, the anger in his chest still threatened to erupt.

BOOM!!!

A blinding azure slash suddenly tore through the air, carrying overwhelming force as it shot straight toward Anasha!

Where the blade wind passed, the sand and stone split open into a deep trench, dust flying everywhere.

“Elisa?!” Peleti instinctively reached toward her waist—the short blade she had kept wrapped in bandages was gone.

In its place stood Elisa’s small figure beside her.

“So it was you… who killed Father.”

Elisa gripped the [Azure Wrath Flame], her gaze cold as she stared at Anasha.

The short blade might have been small for an adult—but for a child like Elisa, it was just right.

She remembered what Fakena had said—the tuning squad had come specifically to kill him.

So in her mind, it was Anasha who had killed Fakena.

Anasha met Elisa’s gaze—and nodded without hesitation.

“Yes. It was me.”

“Wait—Elisa, calm down—” Peleti hurriedly tried to soothe her.

But Elisa slowly turned her head and looked at her—

Then smiled.

It was a faint smile, yet filled with a resolve far beyond her years.

“…Why shouldn’t I kill her?”

Peleti froze, her outstretched hand hanging in midair.

Why shouldn’t she?

The one who killed her father—

That hatred was irreconcilable.

From any perspective, Elisa taking up a blade for revenge was only natural.

At that moment, Peleti finally understood—

The anger in Elisa’s heart had never faded.

She had simply learned not to let it spill onto the innocent… nor let it consume herself.

The next second—

The short blade in Elisa’s hand erupted with an even brighter azure glow, humming violently as if responding to her fury.

She raised her hand—

And slashed again at Anasha!

Anasha originally intended to block—but seeing the overwhelming force of the strike, she abandoned the idea and barely managed to dodge by pulling one of her subordinates back.

The blade wind brushed past her clothes—

But its power did not diminish in the slightest.

Those who failed to dodge didn’t even have time to scream—

They were split clean in half by the azure slash, blood spraying across the dry sand.

Everyone froze at the sight.

The first to recover—

Was Anasha.

She stared at the terrifying blade, then at the fury burning in Elisa’s eyes—

And suddenly understood.

“…I see now.”

“So you’re the true blessed of the God of Wrath?!”