Chapter 438 - 14. Valentina

The man in red took out an oddly-shaped golden casket from behind and swiftly placed the Ice Scroll inside before retreating hastily toward the back.

"Fisher, don’t worry about us! That scroll is strange; it must not be allowed to leave freely!"

"Damn their fathers, do they also want to play the Siren’s tricks on us?"

Though Pahetz was portly, her movements weren’t slow. She spotted the fleeing Lion-man Species and the man in red, swung her musket, and fired a shot at them, but missed.

Having assessed the situation behind him, Fisher silently turned his head, whispering to Emhardt on his shoulder,

"Shrink back."

"...Okay."

As Emhardt shrank in an instant, Fisher had already raised his Fluid Sword, aiming at Philis, the Lion-man who was retreating in the distance.

"Hum..."

Philis, with a smile on her face, walked further away with the man in red. But just then, her hunter’s intuition gave her a cold sensation on her back, sending a shiver through her spine, and she hurriedly raised her Straight Blade to block.

"Clang!"

As expected, after a sharp clash of metal, she felt an immense force hitting her from behind, as powerful as a fully grown Dragon-man Species. The pressure almost made her body sink, but rather than taking the full brunt of the attack, she managed to redirect the energy, twisting her body and leaping backwards.

"Ha, you’re serio...ugh!"

But Fisher’s Fluid Sword instantly liquefied, coiling around her Straight Blade, tightly binding her weapon, and pulling her back just as she was about to flee.

"Bang!"

Just as Philis turned in surprise, a fist accompanied by the sound of ripping air smashed forcefully into her face, sending her weapon flying out of her grip, tumbling away behind her.

The man in red didn’t even turn his head but began to run madly forward, laughing as he ran,

"Good shot, good shot, throw a few more punches to buy the boss some time..."

"Your mother’s Babuzak!"

Ignoring the Lion-man Species who had been sent rolling on the ground, Fisher coldly glanced at the receding man. His Fluid Sword, like a flexible whip, hurled the dropped enormous Straight Blade toward his back, using it as an Arrow fired from a longbow.

Feeling the whistling sound of the approaching wind, the man’s already pale complexion turned even paler with fright. Crying grimly, he yelled in the direction in front of him,

"Boss! Save me! I’m going to die! Save me!"

Babuzak’s voice carried forward, trailing off toward the opposite side of the island, where there was another beach. Off the coast lay an ironclad warship, significantly smaller than the Iceberg Queen.

Standing on the sandy beach against the backdrop of the warship, a towering figure covered in mechanical devices suddenly lifted its head upon hearing the man’s cry, and steam leaked from the corner of its mouth,

"Sizzle..."

Before him, his entirely mechanical hands were pushing a steam machinery-made wheelchair. Seated on the wheelchair was a girl dressed in all black.

The girl had a cold yet stunning beauty, with a small hat perched on her head that hardly managed to cover her naturally white, smooth-flowing hair. She wore no ornaments and let her white locks fall freely over her shoulders.

Her black robe was elegant but quite different from the Holy Maiden’s attire of Kado, covering her figure thoroughly. With an indifferent expression, she sighed upon hearing the distant screams from the woods and said to the person behind her,

"Help them out, Helldor."

Her voice was as beautiful as a nightingale spreading its wings under the moon. Though it was a lovely youthful tone, she spoke with a formality that paradoxically added a touch of charm.

"Sizzle... Yes, Valentina."

As the tall figure behind her wheelchair answered with a steamy exhale, he extended a hand toward the distant woods. On that mechanical arm, a series of deep purple Magic Emblems began to glow brightly.

"Sizzle... Gravity Magic, ’Suppression’."

In the distant forest, the Straight Blade that Fisher had thrown toward the man suddenly plummeted to the ground and slammed hard into the earth. Simultaneously, the magic emanating from the mechanical being’s hand appeared to have been duplicated in the sky above out of thin air, controlling Fisher’s movements.

"Ha-ha, much obliged..."

The pale-faced man finally laughed as he saw this, hastily picking up the case and preparing to leave.

Philis, who had been harshly punched by Fisher, wiped the corner of her mouth. She had wanted to get back at him, but seeing Fisher’s cool expression, she wisely refrained from approaching. Instead, she picked up the Straight Blade that had fallen to the ground and taunted him,

"You’re quite strong, but it would be even better if you knew how to treat a lady with kindness..."

Afterward, Philis left with Balzac, who was ahead. The gravity on Fisher intensified, but his expression remained calm as he directed the Fluid Sword towards the Magic Emblem twinkling above in the sky.

He was a master of magic, thoroughly knowledgeable about the weaknesses of various spells. For remote simultaneous transmission spells like this, the World Resonance wasn’t a continuous extension. There was a connection point between the casting location and the affected area.

Simply destroying that connection point would cause the magic to unravel on its own.

Meanwhile, seeing the two returning, Helldor—the towering mechanical being standing behind the wheelchair-bound girl—exhaled a puff of steam and spoke to the girl in the wheelchair,

"Sizzle... He understands magic well; my gravity won’t last much longer."

The white-haired girl he called "Valentina" nodded, then placed her hands on a small wooden box resting on her lap and said to him,

"I’ll stop him... Moon Princess."

As she spoke, the wooden box she was holding opened, revealing a weapon resembling a short dagger, lying flat at the bottom of the box.

The weapon was small but exquisitely crafted, with a blade that showcased a dark color, as if a galaxy of stars flowed within it. As Valentina spoke, a piece of black feather-shaped material on the blade became increasingly evident, until a gentle Moonlight burst forth and fell towards the distance.

Fisher, who was in the midst of disrupting the Magic Emblem, suddenly sensed something was wrong. He looked up abruptly and felt as if the sky around him darkened. His face changed color just in time to see a small moon, absorbing the surrounding light, flying towards him.

"Crack!"

Valentina watched from afar as the Moonlight burst out from within the bushes, engulfing Fisher in chilling light. She then gently closed the wooden box on her thighs, saying to Helldor behind her,

"That should immobilize him for now; let’s go."

Philis, rubbing her cheek, pouted at the cold girl and said,

"We really should have let him freeze to death; he dared to hit me that hard..."

Helldor pushed the girl’s wheelchair as they gradually headed towards the Ocean. Valentina didn’t look back, only saying,

"We resorted to a ruse to take the treasure, so it’s no matter if they harbor some resentment. Those cursed and polluted won’t be able to cause them any real harm. As for you, once we get back, I’ll give you additional compensation."

Upon hearing this, Philis’s eyes lit up with the glint of Gold Coins, and in an instant, her face didn’t hurt, and her anger dissipated. She had always known this girl to be generous and was sure she wouldn’t be shortchanged,

"That’s well said; I couldn’t hold much of a grudge. Just doing my job for the boss, nothing personal. As long as the money’s right, I’m up for anything..."

"I’m not resentful, but I certainly am..."

Just as they were preparing to leave, a man’s voice suddenly rang out behind them. In the moment Valentina was caught off-guard, a Mercury-like blade extended instantly and snatched the red-clothed man’s case back.

"Sizzle... that man, it’s fine."

Helldor’s steaming voice fizzed, and Valentina turned her head coldly back to see Fisher, covered in ice shards but largely unharmed.

His appearance was handsome but his expression stern; he shook the case now in his hand, now speaking Nali Language, towards them,

"You are generous, so this case will serve as my compensation to cool off."