"Hey, hey… Iri-meimei, you said earlier, didn't you, that your title was 'Black Flame User'? But you were using ice magic just now! Were you perhaps using magic you aren't skilled with just now?" Lakyus leaned into Iri, nudging her with her arm as she asked.
"Eh? What Iri-meimei used just now, that wasn't even her skilled magic?" Gaguran, who was walking ahead, turned her head back in surprise.
"No, ice magic is considered one of my skilled magics," Iri replied, while cursing inwardly. This chuunibyou girl was surprisingly sensitive in this area. What Black Flame User? It was completely made up by her. What Black Flame User? She couldn't even conjure a single spark.
"Then, Iri-meimei, how did you get that title?" Lakyus immediately hit the nail on the head.
Damn Lakyus, didn't she just blurt it out casually? Why was she still clinging to it? She should just admit it was made up, but seeing Lakyus's eyes sparkling as if she had found a kindred spirit, Iri immediately flinched.
"Well, ice magic is indeed what I'm relatively skilled with among my original magic…" Iri hadn't finished speaking when Lakyus snatched the topic away.
"So does that mean Iri-meimei, you are more skilled with your original fire magic?" Lakyus asked.
"…" Irubyue was already too lazy to complain anymore. After all, from the moment she saw Iri 'reveal' her skills until now, there had been more than enough things to surprise her.
Various original magics she had never seen before, powerful physical attributes, and as a magic caster, she could also use martial arts, and they were original too. Such an outrageous combination actually appeared on a human girl.
Even when the Thirteen Heroes were alive, there wasn't anyone that exaggerated!
Hmm?? A human girl? Irubyue suddenly realized. With a human body, at this age, she possessed such terrifying power? After thinking about this, Irubyue slowed her steps…
Although she really didn't want to doubt Fei Fei, first of all, from various sources, Fei Fei rarely showed his true face. Almost everyone who saw him was wearing that black armor.
Although Fei Fei's younger sister, Elizabeth, looked from the outside like a normal human, except for her very rare heterochromatic eyes.
However, a monster race that is almost identical to humans, a vampire? A vampire like herself? Irubyue's heart jolted. A fellow race… Should she test it?
"Elizabeth…" Irubyue interjected.
"Hmm?" Iri immediately ignored Lakyus and turned her head to respond to Irubyue first.
"Oh dear…" Irubyue stumbled, as if she had tripped over something, and lost her balance, falling towards Iri. Iri naturally reached out to support Irubyue.
Irubyue seemed to do it on purpose. Even though Iri had already supported her, she continued to lean into her, and finally, Irubyue rested her head on Iri's chest.
"Sorry… I didn't stand still," Irubyue quickly got up and apologized after leaning in.
"It's fine," Iri replied. Although she pretended to be indifferent on the surface, she didn't think so in her heart.
Too fake… Evil-Crushing Lolita's acting for that fake fall was really clumsy. It was obvious she was deliberately leaning on her. She completely didn't understand the purpose of her fake fall, though she couldn't figure it out… she should still be wary here!
"Hey, hey… Iri-meimei, can you show us your original flame magic?" Lakyus slyly glanced at Irubyue, immediately understanding what Irubyue was trying to do. Probably to help Irubyue cover up, Lakyus immediately continued to pester Iri.
She has a heartbeat… Elizabeth still has a heartbeat. When she leaned in just now, she not only felt the body temperature emanating from Elizabeth but also the heartbeat that only normal humans possess.
So, the possibility of Elizabeth being of the same race as herself was gone. But if that was the case, it couldn't explain the reason for Iri's strength.
Irubyue had never seen any human who could suppress Gaguran like that, at least not many in terms of power contests.
Of course! Fei Fei was an exception. So, was Elizabeth another alien race (different race)? Irubyue became conflicted again.
"I can… but it doesn't seem appropriate in this place. Maybe another time!" Iri replied.
"Isn't this a great opportunity now? There are no passersby… just show off a little," Lakyus continued to pester Iri.
So annoying! Although Iri still maintained that smiling face on the surface, her heart was already filled with irritation.
Nonsensical!
She arbitrarily decided to let her join Blue Rose without her consent, then inexplicably got into a fight with Gaguran, and also with Brian! Now she wanted her to make a fool of herself in front of so many people. What exactly did Lakyus want to do?
Iri's irritation was not actually directed at Lakyus, but at Brian. Iri herself was unaware that the reason for her irritation was because she hadn't initially taken Brian's attack.
In everyone's eyes, Iri had won against Brian, but Iri herself knew… that she was the loser.
"But it's really inconvenient…" Iri patiently continued to decline.
"Ah! But everyone wants to see it, right? A magic caster who masters original martial arts and uses original magic, what other surprising moves can she pull out?" Lakyus said.
"…" Iri suddenly stopped, the smile that was on her face instantly disappeared, and she just looked at Lakyus seriously. Iri was not an idiot; Lakyus's words clearly had a hidden meaning.
"Iri-meimei, can you answer me a question?" Lakyus said with a smile.
"Lakyus-oneesan, please speak…" Although Iri replied calmly, Iri had already noticed that the Twin Ninjas' arms had reached behind their waists, and they had adopted a very vigilant stance. Had something been detected?
Iri instantly prepared herself for a fight with all of them and to escape with Arshe.
"Can you tell me your true identity?" Lakyus still had a smile on her face.
"…" Iri hadn't reacted yet, but Arshe was the first to panic, her face directly showing a worried expression. Wasn't this self-incrimination… It's helpless, Iri thought.
"Identity, huh…" At this moment, Iri's mind went into overdrive. How should she handle this? It was clearly impossible to fool them now, plus Arshe was already like this, clearly telling them that her identity must have something shady about it. Since that's the case, she would take another gamble!
Irubyue and Gaguran also understood Lakyus's meaning. Gaguran also became vigilant, while Irubyue 'interjected' between Lakyus and Iri.
"Isn't Iri Fei Fei's younger sister? What… what other identity could she have? Lakyus, you can't joke too much." Irubyue actually spoke up for Iri.
She had seen Fei Fei and Elizabeth interact in E-Rantel before. Fei Fei had also said that Elizabeth was his younger sister. Since she was Fei Fei's younger sister, there shouldn't be any problem, right?
"Lakyus-oneesan, you just asked me how I got the title of Black Flame User, right? I'll tell you that first!" Iri said, a smile returning to her face.
Then Iri signaled Arshe to stay away from her to avoid being affected. Lakyus, the Twin Ninjas, and Gaguran immediately took up fighting stances. Only Irubyue stood there, at a loss, not knowing which side to help.
However, Iri had no intention of fighting them. Saying that was merely to scare them. But what came next was the real deal.
Iri calmly raised her right hand and closed her eyes. Lakyus tightened her grip on her magic sword. To attack or not to attack?
She had witnessed Iri's strength before. To be honest, even if Blue Rose attacked all at once, they weren't fully confident they could subdue her.
Lana had said it would be best to talk properly with this strange Saintess of E-Rantel. Since she was called a Saintess by the local people, she shouldn't be a bad person, although her actions were indeed very suspicious.
However, after witnessing the Saintess's strength, Lakyus no longer had any thoughts of talking to her properly! With just a playful attitude, she had directly crushed Gaguran and Brian, who could rival the Warrior Captain of the Kingdom. If she were serious…
The Kingdom had just gone through that 'chaos', and many people hadn't recovered from the blow of that disaster. Now, another dangerous person stood before them, adopting a stance as if to cast something. If this was handled improperly… would the previous disaster repeat itself again! Lakyus hesitated for a moment…
And in that moment, a magical array emitting an ominous red light suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of Iri. Lakyus shouted internally, 'Oh no!' She shouldn't have provoked her so early! If she cast some grand magic in the center of the town, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Devourer of evil souls, my servant… come forth! Slumbering Flame of Darkness!" Iri improvised a chant on the spot that she felt was super embarrassing.
The next second, a low growl, similar to that of a wolf, came from within the red magic circle. The ground covered by the magic circle immediately turned completely black. From this deep blackness, two black shadows, resembling horses, emerged.
As the black shadows appeared… Lakyus personally experienced what fear was. Although the surrounding temperature was not low, her body trembled uncontrollably, and her teeth chattered incessantly.
When the black shadows revealed their true forms, Lakyus realized how serious a mistake she had made.
Only bodies resembling horse skeletons, emitting ominous black aura, accompanied by flashes of green and yellow fire, Soul Eater… a legendary undead beast recorded in ancient texts.
Just one of them had slaughtered 120,000 people in a past beastman nation, turning an entire city into a city of death. Now, there were two such terrifying monsters before her eyes.
"This is why I'm called the Black Flame User!" After completing her summoning spell, Iri calmly walked over to the two terrifying Soul Eaters, gently stroked the neck of one of them, and leisurely said.
"Everyone, run! These are not monsters you can deal with!!" Irubyue shouted! When Elizabeth began casting her summoning spell, Irubyue felt a hint of unease. When she saw what Elizabeth had summoned, Irubyue was completely dumbfounded.
"Don't be nervous, Kuro and Shiro are good children, they won't do anything to you," Iri said with a calm smile.
"Elizabeth, please calm down!" Irubyue was also in a combat-ready state. She knew that if these two beasts got angry, everyone would be doomed.
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