The clear blue sky, devoid of any clouds, was dyed in vibrant sunset colors, illuminating the streets of the ancient city of Avalon in a crimson glow.
The main street, lined with buildings of a different style than Spada and traditional high spires passed down from ancient times, was overflowing with emotion bathed in the red of the setting sun. However, if one were to stray slightly from the road and head deeper, the atmosphere would abruptly change to one of eeriness.
The stone houses and apartment buildings, haphazardly built, resembled a labyrinth where monsters roamed rather than a place for humans to live.
Indeed, the residents of this so-called slums are known to bare their fangs at intruders from outside.
Particularly, sisters with beautiful appearances leading a young girl are prime targets.
The two, with the same black hair and blue eyes, wore the robes of apprentices, yet their air was so dignified that it seemed the simple outfits were of exceptional quality.
Among them, the young girl’s metal staff was simply designed but adorned with subtle decorations, making it appear significantly more expensive than ordinary staffs, even to the untrained eye.
“Heh, what are you doing in a place like this, young lady?”
Thus, it was only natural that the sisters would be accosted shortly after they began walking down the alley.
A middle-aged man with a smirk appeared, blocking their path.
“It’s not good to be loitering around here; you might get attacked by dangerous folks.”
“Indeed! Like us!”
Two more appeared behind, blocking any escape.
The front man exhibited no particularly notable physical features, allowing one to assume he was human, while one of the men behind had pointed ears, marking him as an elf, and the other bore the head of a wolf, undoubtedly a wolf beastman.
The stout figure of the elf looked as though he had abandoned the pride of his race, seeming almost dwarf-like in stature.
The other wolf beastman, on the contrary, was skeletal, projecting the image of a starving stray dog rather than a proud wolf.
Though they appeared a motley group representing different races and traits, it was clear they belonged to the disreputable class of thugs and criminals without needing further explanation.
While one could thumb their nose at such lowly types in conversation, when faced with them in person, most would be paralyzed with fear.
Although they had yet to brandish any weapons, they exuded sufficient intimidation.
Especially for the pair of sisters; it would not be surprising if they began to scream for help at any moment.
“I’m looking to go to the orphanage of the Church of the White Light. Would you happen to know where it is?”
However, maintaining her intellectual demeanor through her glasses, the younger girl, presumably the sister, asked the question with a somewhat sleepy expression.
“Tch, you’re one of those pesky kids’ gang, aren’t ya?!”
What should have been mere words of disdain or provocation somehow managed to infuriate the man before them.
“Hey, what do we do?”
“Grrr, we could just eat them up, and nobody would know!”
The mention of the Church of the White Light seemed to be the catalyst for their anger, though the precise reason behind that connection was lost in the current situation.
The wolf beastman in the back showed his sharp teeth, bearing an intensity that hinted he might pounce at any moment.
Both the man in front and the stout elf emitted a threatening aura, clearly not intending to let the sisters escape.
“Sorry, young lady, if you’re a member of that filthy cult, there’ll be no mercy.”
As the man laid his hand on the dagger hanging from his waist, prepared to attack without a shred of mercy, it was at that moment.
“Hey, wait up, old men! What do you think you’re doing?”
A voice called out from behind the man in front, stopping them.
Three boys appeared, dressed in baggy white clothes adorned with a cross emblem on their chests, presumably underage based on their faces and physiques.
While the odds were even, facing off against three adult men, including a wolf beastman superior in strength even if skinny, the group of boys did not seem to possess any outstanding combat abilities that could overturn the situation.
“Dammit!”
But after only shooting a begrudging glance at the boys, the three thugs retreated into the darkness of the alleyway.
“Look at that! How lame!”
“Haha, don’t go defying us, demon race!”
The taunts from the boys echoed merrily towards the retreating figures.
The bespectacled girl, who was being accosted, observed with her unchanged expression, while her younger sister snuggled against her to hide.
“Is it the Church of the White Light?”
It was the girl who spoke first.
In response to her inquiry, the blonde boy who led the trio beamed with a mixture of joy and pride.
“Yeah, we’re followers of the Church of the White Light. You saw what just happened, right? We’re the ones in charge around here.”
It couldn’t be dismissed as mere ramblings of arrogant children; the earlier spectacle attested to their claim.
The three adult men, unquestionably stronger, had retreated at just a single word from the boy. There was certainly some sort of ‘power’ at play here.
“Is that so? I feel very fortunate to meet someone so impressive.”
The girl displayed a deadpan expression, as if she felt nothing fortunate about the situation.
Yet, the boy who was stared at by her beautiful blue eyes shone through his glasses found his cheeks blushing slightly, his heart fluttering.
“Y-yeah, I’m awesome! So if any punk like those earlier shows up, I’ll protect you!”
“Thank you very much.”
Her voice was as monotone as before, but the boy seemed to absorb only the meaning of her words.
Additionally, he seemed oblivious to the rough jabs from his companions like, “Hey, that’s not fair!”
“By the way, we’re looking for the orphanage of the Church of the White Light—”
“Oh, leave it to me! I’ll show you. Follow me!”
The boy took it upon himself to lead the way with enthusiasm.
“Thank you.”
The girl once again expressionless and unfeeling, expressed her gratitude.
“Ehehe…”
Meanwhile, the younger sister, hidden behind her, wore a mischievous grin.
Lily and Fiona successfully met with followers of the Church of the White Light.
In fact, rumors within the Adventurer Guild had confirmed that boys claiming to be believers had recently been gaining significant influence even among the slums.
In other words, it was not as difficult to connect with them if one had the desire.
“Wow, it’s impressive that you’re on a pilgrimage together as sisters!”
Seeing the boys confidently advancing through the back alleys made it understandable.
The residents of the slums clearly avoided the boys, with fully grown adults surrendering the path.
The rumors from the guild and the information Lily had gathered were indeed true.
“Oh no, it’s all thanks to the guidance of the white light.”
Completely enamored by Fiona’s beauty, the boy unquestioningly accepted her overtly rehearsed line, nodding along enthusiastically.
Of course, the premise of being “devout nuns on a pilgrimage” was entirely fabricated.
Yet, excluding her acting skills, she could pass without issue due to her detailed knowledge of the Cross Religion, being born and raised in the Sinclair Republic.
In reality, no matter how much they proclaimed to be followers, given their appearance, it was unlikely they had any deep understanding of the Cross Religion, making it easy to deceive.
Thus, Fiona’s disguise as a believer was impeccable.
If things continue this way, they should be able to infiltrate the orphanage without difficulty, and may even meet the central figure reputed as the “priest.”
Everything was progressing smoothly as per Lily’s plan.
“Hey, is that ring a gift from your boyfriend?”
The blonde boy suddenly brought up the topic.
The ring, of course, referred to the silver ring of memories gleaming on Fiona’s left ring finger.
As she held the staff “Ainz Bloom” in her left hand while walking, it likely caught his eye.
Regardless of the intent behind the question, Fiona had zero intention of stating the truth, especially with Lily discreetly urging her to remain silent by gripping the hem of her robe.
“…No.”
All she could do was quickly return a simple denial.
However, Fiona perhaps should have conveyed that the ring was her most treasured possession, something she held dear above all else.
“That’s right; no one gives a lame cheap ring like that these days!”
If only she had passed on that sentiment, even if it were a joke, a dimwitted thug would not have dared to belittle the ring.
But now, it was far too late.
“Actually, I have a really cool ring that would suit you. Hehe, I swiped it from a stingy merchant who refused to donate!”
The boy proudly took out a ring set with a large diamond from his pocket.
“—Huh?”
In his eyes, Fiona appeared mid-swing with her staff raised high—no, she was already delivering a powerful downward strike.
“Urgh—”
The hard metal staff had struck fully into his face, exhibiting striking force enough for him to barely let out a scream.
The dull sound of flesh meeting impact, a weak groan. The boy’s body crumpled to the filthy broken pavement below. The only sound echoing through the dark alley was that.
In essence, no one could raise their voice.
“Chrono chose that for me… what nonsense are you spouting?”
After all, with the strike to his head, sending him into a daze, Fiona murmured as she relentlessly held back her ensuing onslaught.
This time, instead of a strike from the tip of her staff, she turned the lower part—known as the butt—used for drawing magic circles as she walked, striking it into his face, which was already a mess of crushed nose and blood.
The pointed butt struck perfectly into the boy’s right eye. With a squelching sound of mixing blood and flesh, the eyeball drooped out.
Next, she would surely aim for the left eye—meaning her chase would last twice, thrice, however long it took for Fiona to vent her rage.
“W-what are you doing?!”
“Stop it!!”
Finally, the other two boys shouted in protest.
Yet, the suddenness of her violent actions and the overwhelming chaotic intensity emanating from Fiona prevented them from stepping in physically to stop her.
Even so, after plowing into her target’s face with her staff more than a dozen times, Fiona’s hand finally came to a halt.
“Please don’t interfere.”
Slowly turning her gaze toward the two remaining boys, Fiona’s eyes had morphed into an eerie blend of blue and gold.
Through the glasses, the eyes appeared blue, but the current embodiment of murderous intent shimmered with a golden hue.
Rather than beautiful, it presented itself as pure chaos, instilling enough dread that any who met her gaze would falter.
“Hii!”
The two boys, seeming to have lost all sense of self-sacrifice preached in scriptures, turned on their heels and dashed away, abandoning their comrade.
“Ahh, you’ve ruined everything, Fiona.”
Lily, who until now had been silent, didn’t allow their escape.
“Feeling like saying ‘oops’ in that apologetic way?” she appeared to say, exuding a graceful aura despite her childish form.
She raised her hand lightly, creating a sphere of white light in the air, which then shot forth like an arrow toward the fleeing boys’ backs.
In fact, the speed of Lily’s light bullet matched or even exceeded that of an arrow, quickly catching up to the boys before bursting directly in front of them.
“Gah!”
With short screams, both fell, clutching their eyes.
Unlike the gentle flash used to fend off troublesome seminarians, this was bright enough to blind anyone who looked directly, while also possessing heat that would sear their skin.
This pain was not something lowly delinquents could withstand. It would be quite some time before they could rise again to flee.
“Let’s call it quits, Fiona. Even here, it’ll be troublesome if people gather.”
“But this person is still alive?”
Lily sighed lightly before summoning her light once more.
This time, it was neither a bullet nor beam, but a shining blade of light produced from intense heat.
She plunged it into the neck of the blonde boy whose face had become so mangled that the fairy’s remedy could never restore him.
With a sizzling sound and scent of seared flesh, his head fell off as easily as cutting through butter with a hot knife.
Though he had been nothing more than trash, he now truly became a fitting piece of filthy refuse to be discarded in the grime of the alley.
“Now he’s dead. Well then, let’s hurry on.”
“…I apologize for losing my composure.”
“It’s alright; anyone who insults Chrono should just die.”
Fiona reluctantly lowered her head in acknowledgment of her fault, and Lily smiled kindly in understanding. Such is the bond of their friendship.
“By the way, Lily, I feel it’s odd for me to say this, but there’s no one left to guide us now.”
Fiona seemed to have regained her senses, her eye color returning to a plain blue behind her glasses.
She posed this logical question to which Lily responded,
“Don’t worry; everything will work out—”
With a delightful smile on her face, Lily pointed a tiny finger toward the heavens.
“—The full moon is rising.”
With that, she effortlessly removed her robe of the apprentice healer, revealing a black dress beneath that adorned her youthful form, along with the two pairs of wings that marked her as a fairy.
In the next moment, she was enveloped in a light from the fairy barrier like a cocoon—and when they noticed, Fiona found herself facing the transformed figure of the beautiful girl Lily.
However, the enchanted ribbon for disguising and the contact lenses remained, so her hair stayed in black twin tails, and her eyes remained blue.
“Well then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Sure, leave it to me.”
The smiling girl Lily formed her specific nightmare magic, the needles of light capable of freely manipulating others’ minds, while approaching the two boys still writhing in pain.
Heads will roll!