The greater spirit Puck vanished.
Emilia was left to face the Bowel Hunter's assault on her own.
She glanced at the wound on Hayashi Maki's abdomen, a complicated look in her eyes.
No matter what, this man had been injured to save her. And in his gaze, she hadn't seen the usual disgust people showed toward a silver-haired half-elf—only a kind of gentle warmth.
Since that was the case, she might as well trust him this once.
Elsa sneered as she looked at the group in front of her.
"How careless of you. Flirting in front of an assassin like me… have you all finished saying your last words before I open your bellies?"
At that, Felt and Old Man Rom went pale and instinctively huddled together with Aqua behind Hayashi Maki and Emilia.
Hayashi Maki's warning had come true—Felt really had gotten herself into serious trouble because of that job.
And seeing Hayashi Maki's strength, both Felt and Rom knew they could only rely on him now.
Mana surged into Emilia's hands, forming sharp ice crystals as she braced herself.
Aqua was still clutching her stomach. Even though her skin hadn't been cut, getting slashed that hard hurt like hell.
"Aqua, try remembering who you are right now! This is when you're supposed to show your power!"
Hayashi Maki suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to Aqua.
The blue-haired water goddess froze for a moment, then suddenly straightened up as realization dawned on her face.
"Oh, right! I'm a goddess! How dare you slash my stomach, you lousy vampire—prepare to face divine punishment!"
Light flared around her, blue radiance bursting forth and filling the room with crushing pressure.
Clenching her fists, Aqua shouted with great drama:
"This fist carries the roar of the gods, the wrath of the goddess herself—Divine Light Fist!"
With that, she dove at the Bowel Hunter, fist cocked back.
Elsa's expression hardened and she reflexively countered, her purple blades carving a pale-white arc through the air.
"Ah!"
Aqua's so-called Divine Light Fist never even touched Elsa. Instead, Aqua went flying backwards, crashing into Rom's shelves and shattering them into pieces.
"…Seriously?" Felt's mouth twitched. "That's your Divine Light Fist, Aqua-san?"
Thinking of how Aqua had been calling herself a goddess, Felt couldn't help wondering if this woman's head was screwed on right.
Hayashi Maki covered his face with a hand, sighing.
He really shouldn't have expected anything from Aqua.
The idiot goddess was clearly built to support from the backline, yet she'd charged a speed-focused assassin with her fists. That was way too reckless.
Never mind her damage—at the very least she should've buffed herself before rushing in!
"Uuu… it hurts, it hurts! Hayashi Maki, she slashed my stomach again… uuuu…"
Aqua staggered to her feet, eyes brimming with tears as she clung to Hayashi Maki's leg and sobbed, her divine dignity nowhere to be seen.
Elsa could only laugh in disbelief. She felt like she was being mocked.
But a heartbeat later, her expression turned grim.
Because that last strike of hers hadn't been held back—she'd gone all in.
And still… she hadn't broken this blue-haired woman's skin. Not so much as a scratch.
Just how tough is this body?
Emilia was also at a loss for words. She'd thought the blue-haired girl was strong enough to help defeat the assassin. Instead, Aqua had gone down in a single hit. That was way too fragile.
Hayashi Maki pinched Aqua's cheek with a sigh.
"Idiot, use Purification. Didn't you say she's a vampire? Your holy attribute should be super effective."
"Oh, right!"
Only then did Aqua remember she was the water goddess—the thing she was best at was purification and holy-type spells.
Raising her pale hands, she huffed coldly.
"Time to pay the price for your blasphemy!"
"Sacred Purification!"
A brilliant radiance erupted from her palms.
A massive magic circle unfolded, covering the entire pawnshop.
Elsa's face blanched as holy light poured over her, making her feel like her body was about to melt.
Smoke hissed from her skin. Before she could even attempt to flee, her legs buckled and she collapsed to her knees under the crushing weight of the divine aura.
"AAAAH… damn it… I'm melting… what are you…?"
Elsa had been raised from childhood as an experimental assassin, blessed with a vampiric factor, her body unnaturally flexible and strong, with terrifying regenerative powers.
But that blessing was also a curse.
Now, under the assault of divine radiance, the cursed blood inside her rebelled. Her limbs felt like they were dissolving.
A few seconds later, the Bowel Hunter was reduced to a pile of ash.
Only her twin curved blades remained, clattering to the floor as the last proof she'd ever existed.
"Heh heh heh~ Now you see how amazing I am, right? Hayashi Maki, well? Did my performance satisfy you?"
Aqua planted her fists on her hips, chest puffed out as she waited for praise.
Hayashi Maki eyed her with open disdain.
"You've got some nerve saying that. If I hadn't reminded you, you'd still be bawling your eyes out."
Aqua flushed.
"Ahahaha… anyway, the result was good, wasn't it? Look, that evil woman is gone!"
Hayashi Maki waved her off and, with a pained groan, slumped to the floor, clutching his stomach.
He'd taken a slash to the abdomen to protect Emilia. While he'd already severed the nerves so it didn't actually hurt, what kind of hero saves a girl without at least a bit of visible damage to show for it?
He was shamelessly setting the stage.
"Ah—Hayashi Maki, are you alright? I'll heal you!"
Emilia dropped to her knees beside him, hands hovering over the wound as she tried to cast healing magic.
She wasn't particularly skilled at it and could only use ice to slow the bleeding.
"Let me handle it. At that rate you'll be here all day."
Aqua glanced at the flow of Emilia's mana with a look of pure disdain, then stretched out her hand and released a stream of divine healing.
In mere seconds, the bloody gash across Hayashi Maki's stomach sealed up completely, leaving no trace he'd ever been cut.
"That's amazing…"
Emilia stared in shock.
"Even Ferris, the knight of the royal guard with the Divine Protection of the Blue, couldn't heal that fast…"
Aqua clapped her hands proudly. "Done!"
As for who Ferris was, she didn't care, so she didn't bother asking.
Hayashi Maki patted his now-intact abdomen, grinning.
"Thanks, Aqua."
He got to his feet, dusting himself off.
"Well then, the assassin's gone. Let's talk properly about what happened before."
He turned to Emilia with a polite smile.
"Beautiful Half-Elf-san, my name is Hayashi Maki. I'm a traveling merchant. It's a pleasure to meet you."