A little under five minutes later, at the very bottom of the mountain path…

「Where are we going, exactly?- Where are you…!?」

Stripe asks as Straf casually heads up the inclining mountain trail on the very edge of the city. Though confused, Cycelia and the rest follow him on the gravely path.

「What? To the palace, where else?」

With his hands in his pockets, Straf briefly stops to peek over his shoulder at Stripe, who blinks back at him. Her head perks up, and her jaw drops.

「Wh-!? Now!? Like this!? Up the path!?」

Baffled, She exclaims while pointing up the trail with her golden eyes wide open.

「Yeah.」

Straf shrugs and nonchalantly continues onward.

「What happened to stealth!? Weren't we supposed to sneak in!?」

Stripe exclaims, clutching onto the points on her woolly hat in dismay.

「You have your gear stashed away here and there, right?」

Straf stops again to look at Stripe with a completely nonchalant expression on his face.

「Wh-? Yeah?… If you go up this path, it's a matter of time until you run into a guard going in or out.」

Further baffled by his casual tone, her arms drop as she narrows her confused eyes at him.

「Go get it. You're going to climb the mountain, and we're going to sneak in by casually following the trail.」

He returns another nonchalant shrug and continues on his way.

「Wha-!? Then what's the point of me climbing the mountain!?」

Left behind, Stripe throws her arms to the sides. Cycelia glances at her with her brows furrowed while hesitantly following after Straf.

「We're going to take it extra slow and leisurely, and you're going to have a look inside in that time. What, too complex of a plan for you? If you can't handle it, just come with us.」

Straf scoffs with an amused smirk, shrugging his hands while following the rapidly inclining path.

「I can handle it!… It's just so unbelievably stupid!…」

Clenching her fists and grumbling under her breath, Stripe turns around and returns to the city in a hurried jog…

…

Five minutes later…

Straf and his group are casually following the trail at a slow and relaxed pace. The gravely path eventually turned to bare, smoothed stone as it lead upwards. Nona's amber eyes wander around the landscape down the side. Though it's dark, the sky is somewhat clear and the moonlight is sufficient enough to see most everything, with the exception of dark blotches of land hidden by the mountains' shadows. When the party circle around the mountain to its north-eastern part of the trail, dark waters can be seen far below, with the nearest shore being maybe just a day's travel away.

The height does not properly convey the distances. The city and its light is just below, so close, yet so far when accounting for the deadly drop in between. Another distant city is plainly visible, tricking the viewer, appearing closer than it really is, but the vantage point fails to inform the clueless that it's multiple days of travel through snow away.

The path to the palace itself is fairly simple, albeit tedious. There is no climbing involved, unless one counts the many stairs chiseled out of raw rock as a climb. The trail widens at certain spots so much that one could easily set up multiple large tents in the flatter areas, and in other spots it narrows so much that a pair at most can squeeze through, largely thanks to the safety provided by the wooden balustrades set up at such points.

If not for the view, the trip up would be quite boring, in fact. All the deadly drops can be easily avoided by simply physically avoiding them with in a wide arc, and those which can't be are rendered safe by the railings. There are even lit paper lanterns here and there, not quite frequent enough to light the entire trail brightly, but they're definitely enough to at least provide visual aid by marking the darker spots near the edge.

A little below the halfway point, Straf and his group walk onto wide, open area. It's the widest stretch of the trail yet, with the most extreme inner edge being slightly sheltered within an open cavern. Across the flat, stone ground, there are more stairs leading up. An old man emerges from beyond a rock wall, descending the stairs to the open ground just as Straf ascends to it from the other side. Cycelia perks up and quickly jogs up to his side.

「Straf! Straf!… He's coming our way!」

She says in a hushed voice while tugging on Straf's sleeve. He glances at her briefly, then looks at the fatigued man hanging off his walking stick.

「…Ignore him. It's an old timer on his way out. Just act like we belong here-」

「Straf! Katastrof!… Vindict!」

The old man interrupts Straf, shouting from near the stairs up with a voice full of seething anger while he catches his breath. Straf rolls his eyes with his mouth scrunched in frustration.

「…Nah, that ain't me.」

He replies with a lightly annoyed shrug of his arms while keeping a nonchalant, bored grimace on his face.

「As if! I remember you! And you even have women trailing behind you!…」

The man shouts back, pointing his wrinkly finger at Straf, who lets out an exasperated sigh and rubs the back of his neck.

「It was worth a try…」

Leaning over towards Cycelia, Straf shrugs. She fidgets with her coat's buttons while the rest of the group catch up and look at the old man. Oleander remains in the rear.

「…Are any of those women mercenaries, or assassins that you've hired to kill her Divine Embodiment?」

The robed man asks while pointing at Cycelia, before turning it to Nona.

「Nope.」

Straf bluntly replies. The old man furrows his brows when Lily looks at him with one brow raised.

「…I see that you even have a vampire with you. If you've a shred of honor in you, step forth and leave them out of this, then. This is between us.」

The man stares back at Lily with wary eyes and a troubled, yet determined grimace, then turns his gaze to Straf.

Straf obliges. With his hands in his pockets and his mouth aslant, he walks out ahead of the group, leaving them at the stairs down.

Clank… Clank… Clank…

With loud clanks of his staff, the old man likewise takes a few steps towards him.

「Why are you after Straf!? What did he do to you!?」

Cycelia shouts a question towards the robed man, gaining his attention.

「That's none of your business, young lady. Stay where you are, lest you get hurt….」

The old man replies with a weary gaze, which he quickly returns to Straf as soon as he's done speaking. Straf is casually standing in a wide-footed stance and with his hands in his pockets in the center of the open area. The cavern's ceiling begins right above him. The man joins Straf, opposing him from a considerable distance away, yet both closer than before.

「Aren't you a little too old to be an assassin?」

Straf asks in a snide tone and a lightly scrunched mouth while staring at him.

「I'm not an assassin, yet I am your death.」

The man replies, lowering his bushy brows as his eyes narrow at Straf.

「Grandpa, I wouldn't bring up death too lightly if I were you. This mountain might end up your grave, and I've got a girl that really likes graves here with me.」

Unbothered by his threatening tone, Straf shrugs his shoulders then gestures his head towards Cycelia, who remains by the stairs leading down with everyone else.

「Yes, that's what I'm expecting. I'd rather die in peace after a nice tea on a rainy day, but I've served her Divine Embodiment my whole life, and death in her service would be an honor.」

The robed man nods with a serious expression on his weathered, weary face while his eyes remain locked onto Straf's.

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「…I meant more like from all the excitement, old man. Listen, I already have a decent idea of where this is heading, so why don't we skip it and call it a draw?」

Straf lets out an exasperated sigh and spreads his arms with his mouth scrunched to the side.

「I am quite intent on killing you, Straf Katastrof Vindict.」

The old man shakes his head with a faint grimace to accompany it.

「Get in the fucking line…」

Rubbing the back of his neck with a frustrated wince, Straf grumbles to himself. The old man's eyes take on an odd, indescribable color that does not exist in a normal, human palette known to everyone. He then forces them shut and blinks a few times as if they were exquisitely dry with a light shake of his head. The man then turns his weary gaze of mundane color back to Straf.

「As I thought, you have an inhuman amount of mana. More than I remember, even.」

The man remarks with a bitter expression on his face, narrowing his eyes at Straf.

「Yeah, I guess I do… Listen, I have a few questions-」

「So do I…」

The old man nods as he interrupts Straf, then adds a shrug of his shoulders with an uncannily calm, yet pensive face.

「…I know a lot of things that I'll have to take with me to my grave. Some things I'd rather not, too. To be honest, you are a man of mystery. I want to ask you a few questions as well…」

He continues, and adds a resigned shrug of his arms while Straf listens with his mouth impatiently scrunched to the side. A harshly cold but gentle wind blows in from the side.

「…But I'll have to die with curiosity eating away at me. You'll join me.」

The old man adds, then raises his palm up towards Straf.

「Nah, I don't think I will-」

Straf scoffs with a smirk on his face. [Contextual Time Perception] activates, causing him to furrow his brows in minor confusion. He turns his gaze to the man's face, and albeit at a slow pace, he is visibly chanting a spell. With his hands still in his pockets, Straf casually takes a few steps aside. The mage readjusts his palm, heavily lagging behind Straf's motion as he perceives it.

「…Greater maximize『Energy Ray』!」

The old mage exclaims with his eyes intensely focused on Straf. He adjusts his palm towards him once again. A large, pumpkin-sized orb of blue light appears in front of the mage's hand, and projects a perfectly straight beam towards Straf at a blinding speed. It grows in size, nearly doubling in girth halfway to Straf.

Straf cringes heavily and peeks at his status icons. Taking great effort to move as little as possible, he leans out of the way of the ray of energy as it turns the air in front of itself into plasma while it speeds towards Straf. It shoots past him, narrowly missing him by a hair's breadth. [Contextual Time Perception] deactivates.

FWWWWWSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!…

The rock face behind Straf sizzles noisily as the spell carves into it. The snow dusting the floor melts into water in an instant, and the temperature in the general area becomes uncomfortably hot just as quick. The beam narrows into a thin line before disappearing completely with a cloud of vapor as the last sign of it ever existing. Straf looks over his shoulder.

There is a pool of lava forming on the floor, slowly flowing out of an enormous glowing hole in the rock wall. Slowly but surely, Straf starts feeling warmer and warmer.

「Dodged?…」

The old mage perks up, surprised at the sight of Straf being still alive. He lifts his gently lowered palm back up and points it at him again. [Contextual Time Perception] activates.

《Fuck, again so soon!? Having to dodge this shit within the universe's speed limit fucking sucks!》

Straf thinks while contorting his body to evade another blue beam stretching through the air towards him.

FWWWWWWWPPPPPFFFFFFFFFFF!…

Time returns to normal, and the energy ray hits right next to the previous one, heating up the already melting rock even further. The mage clicks his tongue in frustration.

「Come the fuck on, old man! Now you're just showing off!」

Straf exclaims in frustration while standing in an awkward, wide-legged stance and spreading his arms.

「…I thought that you might dodge that. It was my mistake to assume that speed and surprise would be enough to kill you, but I have another plan….」

The old mage says while glaring at Straf. He places his palm on his own chest, and begins casting another spell.

「Listen, old man!… I don't like violence against the really young, and the really old! I have a strike zone for violence, alright!? But you're sliding into the acceptable range!」

Straightening out, Straf hops over a glowing strip of rock on the floor, and takes a few steps towards the mage while angrily shouting with his arms spread.

「I'm not old man! I am Willow!…」

Willow either completes or pauses his chanting, then shouts a reply back in a proud voice.

「…But I'll have you know my name can be read as Dragon!『Timestop』!」

Willow adds, and calls the spell's name.

「Wha-?」

Straf's head perks up.

「-t?」

《Non-hyperbolic evasive vector unavailable.》

A monotone female voice warns as Straf's brows rise up. There are dozens, if not well over a hundred fireballs surrounding him in all directions, all around, from the floor to the ceiling and everything in between. There are only tiny gaps left, too small to fit through for anything except maybe a little mouse, and even those are rapidly closing as the fireballs come hurling for Straf.

「Straf!」

FFFFWOOOPFFFFFFMMMMMMMMMM!…

Wide-eyed, Cycelia calls out as a blast of searing hot wind blows from where Straf was standing, while a thunderous boom bounces off the mountain walls.

A pillar of flames erupts up to the tall rock ceiling, melting it while a chaotic flurry of fire whirls around the cavern. Lily blinks her startled eyes at the flames.

《New spell memorized.》

A monotone voice calmly announces. Straf looks over his shoulder at the bubbling lava left behind by the spell.

「Whew…」

《…Ring or not, that'd be bad fucking news.》

He lets out a relieved exhale, then turns his gaze back towards the mage.

「…What!?」

Willow exclaims in utter shock, stunned to see Straf standing in a completely different spot. He leans onto his staff, gasping for air.

「…Congratulations, you're about to leave inheritance!」

Straf declares as he throws his arms up with his mouth scrunched to the side in anger.

「…How!?… But…!?」

While Straf stomps towards him, the old mage slides to his knees down his staff with his mouth open and breathing like a beached fish.

「…That's not…! That's not how magic works…!」

Willow exclaims through his strained breaths while clutching at his chest.

Straf walks up to him, glaring down at the old man with a scowl on his face.

「…That wasn't… It wasn't magic… You're not a… A mage…」

Thud. Clunk… Clunkclunk…

Finding barely enough strength to look into Straf's eyes, Willow utters out and collapses onto the ground, losing grip of his staff. It bounces a few times with a noisy, wooden echo.

「…Great. Just as I got myself hyped up to fucking kill you, you die on your own.」

Placing his fists on his hips, Straf lets out a frustrated sigh while staring at the old man with his mouth scrunched to the side.

Unconscious, he takes large and rapid breaths that don't seem to satisfy him in the slightest. Straf focuses his eyes on him.

Willow

[|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] Lv. 74

《…Full health?》

Straf raises his brow while looking at the filled health bar over the toppled old man's head…