Magical User Aozaki Aoko Case Files Chapter 217

“When we attacked the bandit’s lair, I don’t think they saw my face,” Lina whispered thoughtfully to Aoko.

“That means something you’re carrying might have a tracking spell attached to it,” Aoko finished for her. “Or, the item itself has properties they’re familiar with, so they might have a way to track the Orichalcum Goddess Statue through those properties.”

“Exactly!” Lina nodded. “So what now? Should we open the door and let him in? Should we try to notify Gourry? He’s still sleeping soundly next door…”

“We’ll worry about Gourry later,” Aoko shook her head. “Let him sleep. I don’t think the guy outside can cause much trouble. I don’t feel his magic is very strong.”

Lina had a “you can sense that too?” expression, seemingly hesitating to ask Aoko if she could teach her that trick… but ultimately gave up. Now wasn’t the time to ask.

“Alright, so we’ll open the door after we’re ready?” Lina inquired.

“Mhm, no problem. But just to be safe, I’ll prepare first,” Aoko nodded, then began to chant softly. Her staff waved a few times in a specific trajectory, then tapped the ground.

A series of protective and enhancement spells were cast upon Aoko and Lina. Although she didn’t believe the guy outside had the ability to defeat her, she couldn’t use the Fifth Magic in this alternate world for now, so strictly speaking, there was still a possibility of being ambushed and overturned. So, being careful was always the right choice.

Lina was surprised as she felt her physical abilities enhanced by Aoko’s magic. She even threw a few punches to test her speed and strength, and found both had greatly improved. She now had confidence in defeating an average swordsman with just her swordsmanship…

“Get ready, I’m opening the door,” Aoko said to Lina, then waved her hand. A semi-transparent Mage’s Hand twisted the doorknob, opening the door to their guest room.

…A very suspicious-looking man stood outside. He had a two-handed longsword at his waist with a valuable ruby embedded in the hilt. He was dressed in plain clothes, wearing a hood, and also had a mask covering his face, only revealing his eyes.

“Your outfit… it’s a bit too bizarre, isn’t it?” After opening the door, Lina scrutinized the man from head to toe before she couldn’t help but blurt out.

“You’re right,” the masked man said helplessly. “I also think I’m quite bizarre. Or rather, I’m surprised you even opened the door. Generally, two women wouldn’t let someone like me into their room, would they?”

Aoko was a little surprised. What this guy said sounded quite refined. Should she say he might have a good background and education? But she always felt there was something off about this person… At the very least, his magical reaction was different from Lina’s and Gourry’s.

“So should I heed your advice and not let you in?” Lina said playfully.

“Ah, wait,” the masked man extended his hand. “Although I am indeed bizarre, at least for now, I have no intention of harming you.”

“I don’t think you could even if you wanted to,” Aoko activated her magic circuits to some extent, and a vast amount of magical energy spread from her body, causing considerable pressure to anyone in the vicinity who could sense magic. “So I suggest you be honest and don’t try any underhanded tricks.”

Careless! The masked man showed no reaction on the surface, but inwardly, he was under considerable pressure. He had never expected the woman in strange clothes with a good figure to have such powerful magic. This couldn’t help but remind him of that man…

“…I understand,” the masked man said in a dry tone. “Xelloss, no need to hide, come out.”

The second person to enter from outside was the black-cloaked, bandaged man who had escaped earlier.

“Oh?” Lina’s expression changed, and she said in a slightly more serious tone, “This mummy is your subordinate?”

“What mum…!” The bandaged man was a bit angry and was about to retort but was stopped by the masked man, so he could only obediently shut up.

“Bringing trolls to attack and threaten someone you want to trade with, is that your way of hospitality?” Aoko said maliciously. “Or did you decide to show up in person to talk after realizing those trolls couldn’t do anything to us?”

“My apologies,” the masked man apologized to them both in a seemingly sincere tone. “His name is Xelloss. He has a strong sense of responsibility, but sometimes he acts impulsively… Please forgive him.”

“Enough with the pleasantries. I’ll add this guy’s debt to the price,” Lina said.

Both Lina and Aoko noticed the abnormality in the masked man’s body. Aoko noticed that his magic was different from a human’s, while Lina observed that the skin around his eyes seemed to be made of some hard material like rock.

Not a golem, but not human either—that was the conclusion they both reached. Furthermore, Aoko didn’t think the golem technology in this fantasy medieval world would be stronger than Touko’s; the level of civilization development was different.

“You’re quite shrewd… Let’s talk about business,” the masked man said, crossing his arms.

“So, you want one of the things we took from the bandit’s lair?” Lina confirmed, feigning ignorance.

“I can’t say exactly which one I want… but yes, you’re right,” the masked man explained. “If I said ‘I want this’ from the start, you might inflate the price or simply not want to sell it. So you can tell me the price of each item you have, and I’ll buy a few things at the price you offer—things I’ve been looking for.”

“Didn’t you investigate before coming?” Aoko said in surprise. “Except for one item, we’ve already sold everything we got from the bandit’s stronghold to the magic item shop. Since you’re still sure that item is in our hands, why don’t we just be direct?”

The conversation reached this point and suddenly stalled. It was clear that both the bandaged man and the masked man felt very passive about Lina and Aoko already knowing what they wanted, or rather, they had no contingency plan for this.

“…Yes, what I want is that statue,” the masked man hesitated for a while, then decided to tell the truth. “Name your price. I’ve been looking for it for a long time.”

Lina immediately quoted a price one hundred times the market value of an Orichalcum product, leaving both the bandaged man and the masked man speechless. After a long silence, they finally spoke again.

“…I was prepared, I thought you’d inflate the price to about three times the market value…” The masked man shook his head helplessly. “…But to think it would be one hundred times the market value, hahaha, haha…”

“You little brat, are you making fun of us with a price like that?!” The bandaged man, Xelloss, shouted at Lina in a threatening tone. “If you don’t want to make a serious deal, just say so!”