Chapter 7: Unwelcome Guest  

Having temporarily solved his physiological issue (hunger), Eze returned to the plaza’s bench, slumping to continue drying like a salted fish… or rather, pondering life, while reflecting on his recent actions.  

The conclusion was—  

“Pretty sloppy.”  

Eze wasn’t one to meddle in others’ affairs; this kind of thing was completely out of character for him.  

Moreover, hiring two not-so-weak adventurers to trash a shop would cost more than the rundown place itself.  

So, this wasn’t just about hating half-breeds or business rivalry—there was more to it.  

By his usual approach, he’d have lured those two to a quiet spot, subdued them, and used memory-recovery magic to dig for answers.  

Instead, he got heated and just beat them up.  

It didn’t solve the problem and put him at risk.  

By Hero Eze’s standards, this was a bit of a letdown.  

“Feels like since I stopped being a hero, even my thought process is different… an illusion, probably?”  

Likely just not used to this idle pace.  

On the flip side, the feeling of smacking someone who pissed him off was surprisingly satisfying—something he never got to do as a hero.  

“Let’s go.”  

After a brief rest, Eze stood, stretched grandly, and started thinking about his next steps.  

“First, find a place to stay—some cheap inn—then get a job, and hit the library to research the witch’s curse… hm?”  

A familiar black shape appeared in the corner of his vision; turning, he saw the same black cat from before, perched on the edge of a flowerbed, silently staring at him.  

“…”  

“…”  

“…”  

“…Uh?”  

The silent stare-down between man and cat in the bustling crowd was oddly comical.  

Just as Eze considered approaching, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.  

Turning, he saw another middle-aged man, tall and burly, clad in fine armor, a massive burn scar on his face making him look intimidating.  

Behind him were others, including the two adventurers Eze had just dealt with.  

Their faces were still bloody, reeking of garbage, glaring at him with resentment.  

The leader, with a malicious grin, pointed to a nearby alley.  

“Hey, kid, my buddies here have some business with you. Mind coming along?”  

Eze sighed, nodded, and let them escort him without a word.  

He’d expected retaliation, but not this fast.  

Someone in the crowd must’ve been watching, trailing him here.  

Trashing a diner with such effort—Eze was growing curious about the reason.  

They turned into the alley.  

The moment they were out of sight, the leader’s demeanor shifted, grabbing Eze’s collar and slamming him against the wall.  

“You’re a real troublemaker, huh? My brothers had no beef with you—why’d you hit them?”  

Though it looked like a thug’s shakedown, Eze could sense the man’s strength—a high-level fighter-type adventurer, no doubt.  

If it came to a fight, Eze wasn’t confident he’d win in his current state.  

The leader’s lackeys, including the two beaten earlier, smirked smugly behind him, confident in their boss.  

But Eze wasn’t scared.  

Fighting wasn’t just about muscle, and if he couldn’t win, he could always run.  

He looked coldly at the man holding him and shrugged casually:  

“Beating a kid in public… cough cough cough—pathetic, deserved it.”  

“You wanna die!”  

The man’s eyes blazed, raising a massive fist and smashing it into the wall beside Eze, leaving a dent.  

“You don’t know  anything, and you’re sticking your nose in!!!”  

“So I stuck it—what? Pfft—and I’m new here, clueless. Why don’t you tell me what I don’t know?”  

Eze stuck out his tongue, mocking, hoping to goad some answers, but the man wasn’t dumb, just sneering.  

“Trying to fish for info? Think I’m an idiot?”  

“Aren’t you?”  

“…Fine, you’ve got guts!!”  

The man gritted his teeth, nodded, released Eze to the ground, stepped back to give space, and assumed a fighting stance.  

“Word is you’re pretty strong. Let’s play—if you win, you walk out standing. Lose, and don’t blame me for going hard!”  

Surprisingly honorable. Eze had no objections, nodded, and got ready to fight.  

Then—  

“…Hm?”  

A small black shadow flickered in his peripheral vision; turning, he saw the same black cat had followed, sitting quietly at the alley’s entrance, staring intently as before.  

“Uh, this couldn’t be… tch.”  

Until now, Eze hadn’t thought much of it, but after this third encounter, a chilling idea hit him.  

His already pale face grew whiter, cold sweat trickling down, his hands and feet freezing.  

The man facing him didn’t understand why.  

“Hey, what’s wrong? Scared now!?”  

“Run.”  

“What?”  

“If you don’t want to die, get out of here—fast, as far as you can.”  

Eze said flatly.  

Though a sincere warning, the man took it as provocation, growing angrier.  

“I think you’re the one who wants to die!!!”  

He stepped forward, raising a fist charged with fighting spirit, aiming for Eze’s face.  

But as he swung, a sudden breeze stirred, carrying a faint, eerie black aura that swept over him and his lackeys.  

The man’s poised body collapsed, eyes rolling back, motionless; the others slumped lifelessly.  

In an instant, the alley went from five living men to five corpses.  

It was a high-level instant-death spell—no struggle, no violence, just pure, clean, efficient death.  

Eze’s worst fear was confirmed.  

“It’s really you.”  

He adjusted his rumpled clothes, sighed deeply, and turned to the black cat at the alley’s entrance:  

“Why are you here, Great Witch Velrian?”  

As his words fell, the crisp sound of heels echoed, and a figure emerged from the alley’s shadows like a specter rising from water.  

Turning, Eze saw a girl in a gown appear in his view.  

“This is our first formal meeting, Hero Eze.”  

She smiled, lifting her skirt and curtsying slightly:  

“As you said, I am Velrian, one of the thirteen demon leaders, the Great Witch. A pleasure. I’ve been wanting to have a little chat with you.”