Imina gripped the twin daggers at her waist, sweat beading in her palms, an unprecedented solemnity on her usually cold face.
The atmosphere grew oppressive.
"Are you sure you want to take on four by yourself?" Lyle's calm voice came from behind her.
"If you're not planning to run, then that's for the best, naturally." Imina's eyelid twitched. If the situation weren't so dire, she'd be screaming the foulest words imaginable right now.
Though Lyle had given her a sense of danger last time, Imina still didn't believe that an alchemist with such talent in alchemy would waste his energy on combat.
She wasn't skilled in close combat, and the guy behind her was a spellcaster, also not good at close combat.
So, the current situation was quite dangerous.
Lyle glanced at Imina with some surprise. Their relationship was, in fact, more like an employer-employee dynamic, and only a verbal one at that.
Facing such a situation, Imina hadn't run off alone, which was quite unlike her style.
"What are you spacing out for? Use all the buff spells you know on me."
Imina lowered her voice, her left dagger held horizontally across her chest, her right dagger at her waist. Her upper body shifted lower, like a leopard about to pounce.
As a half-elf, she was not considered kin by either elves or humans.
Even though the Bahas Empire wasn't a country particularly hostile to demi-humans, the disgusted, abnormal stares were never lacking.
Of course, she hated these people just as much.
Only the guy behind her, from their very first meeting, had never looked at her with strange eyes.
"Sorry, I don't know any such spells." Lyle spread his hands.
Imina's eye twitched twice.
"Hey, hey, are you done chatting?" Not far away, the leader of the three masked intruders spoke with a chuckle.
He held an arm-length silver short sword, which gleamed with a chilling light under the moonlight.
"We don't mean any harm, we just want to invite Alchemist-sama to come with us."
The short sword wielder spread his arms, speaking in a very relaxed tone.
According to the intelligence received from his employer, the only trouble around this alchemist was that little imp hound, and that half-elf woman.
"Seriously, you crossbreeds should just stop being an eyesore here. Do you know how disgusting you look? No chest, no butt, I even thought you were a man."
Another man among the three, holding a chain, hung it around his neck and mocked Imina.
The veins on Imina's pale, slender neck bulged, but her face remained unchanged, still maintaining a vigilant posture.
"This prey is ours, so please leave, okay?" The short sword wielder turned his head to look at the figure cloaked in a gray robe, standing at the main entrance, and warned coldly.
The gray-robed figure paid no attention to the three intruders, instead emitting a sweet, clear voice: "It looks like you've run into trouble."
"Need help? No payment necessary."
When she said the word "payment," a distinct chuckle entered the gray-robed figure's sweet voice.
A woman?
Imina's eyes sharpened, then a hint of displeasure appeared on her face.
The word "payment" was clearly directed at her.
"Bastard!" The chain-wielding man among the three cursed rudely, clearly hearing the gray-robed woman's disdain for them in her voice.
"You're looking for death!"
The short sword wielder raised a hand and gestured, "You two go deal with that half-elf first, I'll handle this one."
As the short sword wielder's voice fell.
"Accelerate!"
The short sword wielder flashed, his figure instantly disappearing from his original spot, pouncing towards the gray-robed woman.
But the next moment!
The gray-robed woman appeared before the short sword wielder with even greater speed, and before he could react, she delivered a fierce punch to his chest.
Crack!
The sound of breaking ribs echoed through the courtyard, but before the short sword wielder could scream.
The gray-robed woman crossed her hands, clamped the short sword wielder's neck, and twisted hard, abruptly cutting off his scream.
"Big Brother!"
"Big Brother!"
The other two showed looks of disbelief, just as they were about to make a move.
The gray-robed woman had already single-handedly lifted the short sword wielder's corpse and hurled it at the chain-wielding man, simultaneously kicking off the ground and pouncing on the other intruder.
When the chain-wielding man moved the corpse that had landed on him, he saw his other companion's body being held in the gray-robed woman's hand.
"You, you—"
The chain-wielding man trembled all over, fearfully swinging the iron chain in his hand towards the gray-robed woman.
"Fortress."
The gray-robed woman threw the body in her hand, then drew the long sword from the opponent's body and casually held it in front of her.
A flash of green light appeared on the long sword.
The force of the whipping chain was easily negated.
Whoosh!
The gray-robed woman flipped her wrist, flicking the long sword in her hand with a sharp whoosh, and it plunged into the chain-wielding man's chest.
The entire battle process took less than half a minute, completely describable as a complete crush (crushing victory)!
Imina saw this scene, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
So strong!
This gray-robed woman's combat could be described as ruthless and precise, skills that could only be honed through prolonged combat.
"Still has one breath left."
The gray-robed woman lifted the chain-wielding man, who wasn't quite dead yet, and walked towards Lyle and Imina, her clear voice ringing out again.
"Do you need to interrogate him to find out who commissioned these three workers?"
Imina's eyes were wary, looking at the slender figure hidden in the gray robe, but her twin daggers lowered slightly.
The chain-wielding man she was holding was the one who had just insulted her.
Clearly, this gray-robed woman was showing her goodwill, indicating she had no ill intentions.
Imina didn't speak, but turned to look at Lyle behind her.
"No need." Lyle shook his head.
The gray-robed woman's movement of holding the chain-wielding man paused: "Is that so."
Crack!
The chain-wielding man's neck was directly snapped, and he was thrown to the ground.
As the gray-robed woman approached.
Both Lyle and Imina detected a somewhat strong fragrance.
Perhaps the scent was too heavy, causing the little imp hound, whose sense of smell was already keen, to shake its head several times.
Lyle looked at the gray-robed woman, especially after smelling this scent, which was clearly meant to conceal something, and his eyes lit up.
She finally came knocking?
Whoosh!
The gray hood was pulled back.
A woman with long, light golden hair, casually tied back, a pale, refined face, rosy lips, and deep blue eyes, appeared before the two.
She looked to be only around 20 years old, with the right side of her face completely covered by her cascading golden hair, revealing only half of her face.
And as the gray robe was pulled back, the fragrance on her became even more intense, making Imina involuntarily frown.
"My apologies for visiting so late at night."
The long-haired golden woman bowed slightly, speaking in a respectful tone: "I am Renners, and I have something I need to consult Alchemist-sama about."
As she said this, Renners glanced at Imina.
Not giving her full name, then.
Lyle had been waiting for her for a long time, but now that she appeared before him, he felt no excitement as he had imagined, speaking in a calm and gentle tone: "Thank you, Miss Renners, for your assistance."
"Imina, please dispose of the bodies first."
Huh?
Imina blinked, her wary expression not diminishing in the slightest, looking at Lyle strangely.
Dispose of the bodies? This was clearly to send her away first.
"Okay."
Imina was silent for a moment, put away her twin daggers, walked forward, and dragged the chain-wielding man's corpse away towards the far end of the courtyard.