A lone figure made her entry into the clearing, and all heads whipped toward her. From the voice, it was clear that the figure was female, but beyond that, nothing could be discerned. A long cloak was covering her entire body. It appeared darker than the night itself as it fluttered in the wind, and though it hid her in the literal sense, it also seemed to do more than just that, as if it held powerful mystical properties.

Her mere appearance brought the chaos to an abrupt halt, and with the words caught in their throats, no one had taken the initiative to speak. As she stepped further into the clearing, the woman finally seemed to notice Verity, Ash, and Eleanor.

She tilted her head, her eyes fixed onto the trio. “Well? Won’t you young ones put this fire out? Don’t you have any respect for nature?” She said, a strange compelling force in her voice. It wasn’t a skill, or magic, but when the sound of her words reached their ears, they felt a faint sense that they should obey.

Still, no one dared reply, unsure of how to approach the situation. As he stared at the lone woman, the gears in Ash’s head ground furiously. How could she possibly be here? His [Surveillance] skill hadn’t detected anyone for kilometers, and even now, as she stood within his line of sight, his skill remained silent. He only saw two possible ways for this to be true. Either she possessed a stealth skill that overpowered his own, or… she was simply that much stronger than him.

Though the simple thought made him shiver, his mind leaned to the second option. If it had been anyone else who had entered the clearing, even if Ash had been startled, it wouldn’t have stopped him from swinging his sword and killing Verity. However, when she appeared, he felt it, pure, indescribable dread. As if someone had plunged their hand into his chest and gripped his heart, threatening to crush it if he moved so much as a muscle.

As experienced as he was, he knew instantly. This person was dangerous, more so than he could handle, and nothing would come out of antagonizing her. He might have a chance in an all out fight, but he doubted he’d emerge unscathed, if even alive. After carefully weighing his options, he moved his sword away from Verity’s neck and offered the woman a curt bow.

“I apologize if we’ve offended you, great warrior. May I ask-”

The woman clicked her tongue. “Didn’t I already tell you to put out these flames? I don’t like repeating myself.”

Every word that came out from her mouth cut like a blade, and the longer he stayed in her presence, the warier Ash became. Fortunately, she did not seem outright hostile, so he would indulge her for now, if that meant she would leave.

“[Flash Freeze].” Ash pointed his sword toward the fire, and in mere moments, everything, down to the smallest spark, turned to solid ice.

The woman whistled. “You were a mage?”

Ash had exhausted a third of his mana with this one skill, and took a moment to adjust to the sudden dizziness before answering. “No… I got this from a scroll, from the magic tower.”

The woman scratched her head as she studied the flames trapped within the ice. “Huh. I really haven’t been keeping up with the times.”

She lingered on the sight of the ice without uttering another word. The hood of her cloak obstructed her face, so Ash could not tell what kind of expression she was making, but the silence stretched uncomfortably. Even Eleanor, who had the habit of being rash and arrogant, seemed uneasy in the presence of this woman.

“Then… would it be alright if we left?” Ash ventured.

He could always take everyone here away, and finish the job somewhere else. It would be inconvenient, but at this point, he was willing to do it if it meant getting away from this enigmatic woman. He could only hope she’d agree and let them go.

For a moment, Ash felt her gaze settle on Verity. “Hmmm.” She looked back at him. “Not before you tell me what’s going on here.” She said coldly.

When he heard those words, the flame of hope finally re-ignited in Verity’s heart. At least, this woman was not an accomplice of Ash and Eleanor. He wanted to shout, to explain how evil these two were, but Ash was still too close. Even if it wasn’t pressing against his neck, a single glance at the edge of Ash’s blade made him swallow his words. Having felt the genuine fear of death for the first time, Verity couldn’t yet risk doing anything that might put an abrupt stop to his life.

He’d wait for the situation to unfold further, or a real opportunity, before saying anything.

Ash’s brows furrowed. He may have just understood who this person was, and this would explain the pressure he felt from her as well. “...Are you an investigator?”

The woman scoffed. “...Who knows? Will you tell me, or not?”

Eleanor’s eyes widened. This could be troublesome. If this woman really was an investigator, this definitely would get complicated. Thankfully, as a noble woman, if she was good at anything, it was diplomacy.

And if that didn’t work, then Ash knew what to do.

She cleared her throat. “Dear Investigator, sorry for not introducing myself earlier. “ She bowed, lifting the hem of her dress. “My name is Eleanor Vandervite, eldest daughter of Marquis Vandervite. Please forgive my subordinate’s rudeness.”

She glanced at Verity, feigning distress. “You see… this man poisoned us with a sedative while we slept, hoping to kill us and take our valuables.” She lingered, pretending to have been shaken by the ordeal. Tears even welled up in her eyes. “I cannot even imagine… what would have happened if I had been alone… but thankfully, this adventurer reacted rapidly. While it incapacitated our other companions, he managed to warn me in time of the threat, allowing me to move away from the mist until it dissipated.”

Her hands trembled as she continued. “The adventurer, in all his bravery, even managed to locate, capture, and bring the culprit back here. And now, as per the authority granted to me by the Kingdom, I am exercising my noble right to execute him without trial for a direct affront to a noble.”

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Verity couldn't believe his ears. Eleanor’s words were a web of lies, but she sprinkled enough truth to make it believable. Most impressively, she said it all with a straight face.

A vein bulged on the side of Verity’s forehead and he could no longer stay silent. “She’s a liar!” He shouted, the words burning with frustration.

A shiver shot through his body when Eleanor glared at him, but he pushed through the fear, and continued. “They’re the ones who spread the poison, and they were planning to kill everyone here!! You have to believe me!”

If he didn’t speak now, then perhaps he would never have the chance to.

Verity tried his hardest to defend himself, but frankly, Eleanor’s story had no holes, and she really was a noble, she had to be. No one was crazy enough to impersonate one, especially not the eldest daughter of the Vandervite family.

For others to trust her words simply because they came from her mouth was a privilege she had from birth, and she was well aware of that. On the other hand, Verity had been beaten black and blue, his clothes were torn and his overall appearance was laughable. His sentences were barely comprehensible as they were spoken by his swollen mouth, and he was no more than a nobody.

Even if she really was lying, no sane investigator, save perhaps for one, would have considered angering a noble for the sake of a poor, powerless, pathetic man. They might have even taken this chance to enter Elenor’s good graces.

This investigator, however, if she even was one, simply chuckled. Her laugh echoed throughout the clearing, much to the dismay of both Ash and Eleanor.

“You’re good.” She said. “What was it again? ‘Status is a wonderful thing’, right?”

This is what Ash had told Verity before explaining his plan. This meant that she had heard almost everything. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so talkative.

“Ash!” Eleanor shouted.

He layered Aura on top of his sword and shot forward.

It had come to this in the end. The supposed investigator had to die. It would cause trouble, but nothing that the Vandervite household couldn’t handle.

Ash moved much faster than he had shown Verity before, putting everything into this attack. This one was meant to kill as quickly, and as surely as possible.

The woman smirked under her hood, pulled a spear from under her cloak and stopped Ash’s attack.

She had drawn a spear of an obsidian as dark as the void from the veil of her cloak, and with the tip of its blade pressed against the edge of Ash’s, she had completely put an end to his assault. The impact sent a shockwave across the clearing, knocking both Eleanor and Verity to the ground.

In the struggle, Ash’s blade trembled, but the woman didn’t even budge.

“Hmm. Your Aura isn’t bad, but it’s still rough around the edges.” She said, as if speaking to a novice.

Ash was pushed back, his feet sliding across the grass, and a somber expression on his face. “Who… are you?” He asked the mysterious woman.

She spun her spear, and readied her stance. “Does that matter?”

Ash sighed. “I suppose not…”

The furious battle commenced. Without warning, both of their figures blurred, leaving a shockwave behind. They moved far faster than Verity could perceive. Each time their weapons came into contact, a wave of energy was sent through the clearing, and the ground itself seemed to tremble under their might.

‘Holy…’

Was this a level Verity was supposed to reach?

[Your sponsor chuckles ‘Maybe one day’.]

Each exchange was more violent than the last. The flames of Ash’s sword thinned the ambient air, while the mysterious woman riposted with grace and elegance, wielding her obsidian spear which appeared to absorb the night itself. Both of the fighters seemed evenly matched, or at least that’s what it might have looked like to the untrained eye.

The truth was that the woman had yet to perform a single attack. She simply blocked everything Ash threw at her, and occasionally pointed out his shortcomings.

“Your basics are solid, but you rely too much on skills.”

“You have too many openings when you channel your Aura.”

“Your bloodlust makes your attacks predictable.”

“The style you learned mixes poorly with your personality.”

No matter what he attempted, or how many skills he used, everything he did was effortlessly countered. After a feint that was sent sliding across the shaft of her spear, Ash backed away, taking a moment to rest. His breathing was now erratic, and his muscles were screaming for a moment of respite. This woman was simply too strong.

Seeing him retreat, she tilted her head. “Is that all?” She asked, amused.

Ash did not bother answering, too focused on preparing his next move. ‘[Blaze], [Accelerate], [Sword Aura], [Sword Body Enhancement], [Slowed Time], [..]’

“Oh… that looks fun.” The woman mused as she stared at him.

He was layering multiple skills on top of each other and preparing to use the ultimate attack of the Salamander Style he had learned from his deceased master, one of the strongest swordsmen of the Terras Kingdom.

At least that’s what he hoped the mysterious woman would believe.

Ash wasn’t an idiot. His muscles ached, his breathing was uneven, and he had used everything he knew. It had become clear to him long ago that he couldn’t defeat her. It stung to admit, but he was no match for her.

That didn’t discourage him, however. He was well aware that there was always a bigger fish, and believed that one of the greatest virtues for a warrior was to know when to retreat.

His plan wasn’t to attempt a last ditch effort and use his ultimate attack to cause some damage, not even close. He was just putting on a show for her, while his real intentions rested in the [smokescreen] skill he planned to activate.

‘If it’s just me, I should be able to escape, even from her…’

It sucked for Eleanor, but Ash wasn’t planning to die here. She’d probably be fine either way, her being a noble and all.

Verity watched as the moment of the final clash seemed imminent. Though he couldn’t tell what exactly happened during their exchanges, even Verity could see that Ash stood no chance against the mysterious woman, something he could not be happier about.

Still, it was too early to celebrate. If he knew anything, it was that in the right conditions, a weaker opponent could always prevail. His fight against the orcs had been proof of that. He held his breath, waiting for Ash to make his move.

Finally, Ash was ready, but instead of rushing at the spear-wielding woman, he enacted his plan.

First, he activated his [Smokescreen] skill, filling the entire clearing with dense, grey smoke. Then, he used [Blaze] to ignite the smoke itself, creating a literal storm of hell fire. Finally, layering all of his body enhancement skills he just… made a run for it.

Flames had just begun to spread through the smoke as his figure disappeared, and he moved at impossible speeds toward the forest, far from where the woman stood.

The woman would survive, of course, but if she really was an investigator, she wouldn’t let everyone here die. If nothing was done, the hellfire Ash had created would turn Verity, and Eleanor, and everyone else really, to ashes, and judging from its intensity, maybe even that wouldn’t remain

In any case, Verity was going to die, gruesomely so.

But before the flames could reach him, time seemed to slow down.

The woman whispered something under her breath. “Boring.” She lazily swung her spear, and the world bent to her will. The hellfire vanished, the smoke dissipated, and before Ash could even take one step out of the clearing, a hand reached for him.

“You lack guts.” She said, before puncturing several areas of his body with the tip of her fingers.

Instantly, Ash fell to the ground, his body going limp, and his strength leaving him.

The woman seemed annoyed. “If Gerard saw me using this, I’d never hear the end of it.”

Just like that, the Flame Sword, a renowned platinum ranked adventurer who had even gone so far as to use obscure methods to gain power, was defeated.