“An infamous person? Who could that be?”
The question raised by the diner echoed the doubts in Yuli’s heart.
“Listen carefully now, they say it’s someone from the Sacred Flame Cult.”
“Huh? Sacred Flame Cult? You mean that cult that’s always preaching salvation, bewitching people everywhere, branded as heretics by every nation, hated and hunted by all? No way, what would their people be doing in a small place like Anvil City?”
“Who knows? I figure they must have been chased out of those big cities, had no way to survive, and ended up here in our little town to swindle and trick people. You never know, maybe some gullible fool will fall for it.”
“Tsk, what bad luck. First, a cursed one sneaks into the city, and now another disaster shows up. I’m telling you, sooner or later Anvil City will be doomed by these people.”
After spitting out such flowery language, the voices of the two diners gradually lowered. From here on, there probably wouldn’t be anything useful to overhear.
As for this organization everyone spoke of with such hostility, Yuli had barely heard of them—was it because she was ignorant and out of touch?
Although she didn’t know, there was someone who seemed to.
While listening to their conversation, Yuli had noticed that when the word “Sacred Flame Cult” came up, Elise—who had been drooling over the stewed meat—suddenly showed a trace of surprise on her face.
Looks like Elise probably knew about the Sacred Flame Cult.
To focus on the rest of the conversation, Yuli didn’t ask right away. Now that there was nothing else useful to hear, she swallowed the bread soaked with broth, lowered her voice, and quietly asked so only the two of them could hear.
“Elise, what is the Sacred Flame Cult?”
“Eh?”
The sudden question caught Elise off guard. But after a moment, she lifted her delicate little face, blinking her eyes in a rather cute way.
“Yuli-chan, that’s what you’re curious about?” Elise dragged out the words, speaking slowly, “As for that, I don’t know either~”
Hmm… that probably meant she did know.
As for why she denied it, Yuli couldn’t guess the reason. Even if she pressed, Elise probably wouldn’t say more.
But judging from Elise herself, since she knew of the Sacred Flame Cult, then this organization that everyone wanted to hunt down must have existed for a long time—even surviving until today.
For such an ancient group to become what it was now, a hated cult—then that fleeting surprise on Elise’s face, was it because she was shocked the Sacred Flame Cult had turned into a despised sect? Or was it just the fact that it had lasted till now?
She couldn’t get an answer. Since Elise wouldn’t speak, she could only search for the truth herself.
But where to begin, Yuli had no idea for now.
Since things had come to this, she might as well finish her meal.
She continued dipping bread into the meat broth, quickly cleaning everything off her plate except for the wheat ale.
Since becoming Yuli, her appetite had shrunk a lot. If it were her old self, after starving for so long, a meal like this wouldn’t have been nearly enough.
Now full and satisfied, it was time to consider the next step.
“Yuli-chan, what’s the plan next?”
Just as she was about to start thinking, Elise asked the question for her.
“The next step, of course, is to settle some scores.”
Faced with the little evil god’s confused face, Yuli curled her lips into a cold smile.
It had been two days already, and with her new outfit, it was only right that before leaving Anvil City, she found Brol to settle accounts. After all, Yuli held a bit of a grudge.
If it were someone else, maybe they’d have died in the sewers. But since she made it out alive—and was chased by knights thanks to his betrayal—there was no way she’d let Brol off after all she’d been through.
Still, before heading to the underground black market, she needed to make some preparations.
She glanced at the pendant she was wearing. After all, Brol had given it to her—he might recognize it. To be safe, Yuli decided to leave the pendant at the inn.
Though she’d be short a handy weapon, she still had her dagger and hooked chain, which should be enough. If things got really tough, she still had the ability she’d exchanged with Elise.
Returning to the black market again, Yuli donned a new cloak she’d bought, finally regaining that long-missed sense of security. Sure enough, cloaks were indispensable. Of course, masks were just as important in the black market.
“Yuli-chan, just how much do you like those things, really?”
Seeing her current getup, Elise rolled her eyes, a mix of exasperation and amusement.
“With this outfit, you really stand out.”
“Maybe up above, but down here it’s different. In the black market, this is as normal as it gets.”
Though she still wore a cloak and mask like before, her new attire had changed her aura. As long as she didn’t give herself away, Brol would never suspect she was the one he’d cheated the other day.
But before heading to Brol’s shop, Yuli pretended to browse other vendors, searching for needed supplies while actually observing whether there were knights lurking near Brol’s place.
Even after two days, Yuli believed there were still knights lying in wait in the black market, hoping she’d walk into their trap.
But on her own, the efficiency was a bit too low—so she looked over at Elise.
“What is it?”
Noticing Yuli’s gaze, the little evil god immediately put her hands on her hips. “Does Yuli-chan have something to ask me?”
“Well…”
Yuli wasn’t very good at asking for help, especially from Elise. But this little evil god was surprisingly easy to coax, which made things easier.
“It’s just… Elise, I need your help.”
“Oh? Oh? Yuli-chan, so direct? But what if I say no?”
“You’ll help me, won’t you?” Yuli paused, took a deep breath, and pleaded a little, “Great Lady Elise, I need your help.”
Those words seemed to hit right at Elise’s heart. She let out a soft snort, her smile blooming.
“Well, well, since Yuli-chan is so proactive today, and since I’m in a good mood, I’ll help you out—just this once.”
Though she spoke as if she was reluctantly agreeing, her face betrayed her delight.
This one was just waiting for Yuli to ask for help, wishing she’d depend on her a little more.
“Then, Elise, help me check if there are any knights lurking nearby.”
“Eh… I thought it’d be something big. For something this small, can’t you look yourself?”
“Doesn’t it show how all-powerful Elise is?”
“For that compliment, I’ll help you out. Hmph~”
So easy to win over, as always.
Elise floated off, searching all around, while Yuli pretended to be frustrated at not finding anything at the stalls and moved on to look elsewhere.
Not long after, Elise drifted back.
“There are a few guys hiding in the shadows.”
So her instincts were right—there were still knights waiting in the black market, hoping she’d walk right into their net.
But it didn’t matter. As long as Brol didn’t raise the alarm, the knights wouldn’t be drawn over.
Well then, it was time to go and settle the score.