"Oh? What are you doing? Are you planning to make a move on me?"
Seeing the other party stand up, Fíliya also prepared her defenses. After all... her previous series of so-called 'deductions' were actually just looking for clues while already knowing the answer.
She didn't need to think that much at all. The moment she saw this old man, she already knew that he was a rare powerhouse.
She could tell at a glance that this old man's body was a body of steel forged by an incomparably refined furnace of Fighting Spirit. If they were really talking about strength, this old fellow might just be the third strongest warrior in her cognition.
The first is undoubtedly Rivale, and the second is Stark's master, Eisen.
Confronting a warrior at this distance is normally a very dangerous thing for a mage, but... Lady Fíliya remained the exception.
Mastering [Self-Gold Transformation], she was not afraid of a warrior's sneak attack at all. What, could you possibly destroy the Gold Transformation?
If even the God of War, Rivale, couldn't accomplish such a thing, how could this dwarf before her possibly be capable of it? She thought disdainfully.
"No, this humble one has just been sitting for too long and wanted to get up and stretch a bit," the Dwarf Elder said.
Fíliya had been observing him, and naturally, he had been observing Fíliya's group as well. In this instant, he felt that his intelligence needed an update—a major one.
This Lady Fíliya was not as simple as the 'Eccentric of the Magic School' or a 'Newly Promoted First-Class Mage'.
He sensed a clear threat from her presence. That sensation of hair standing on end when facing a formidable enemy was something he hadn't experienced in a long time, so he dared not act rashly against Fíliya.
Moreover, there were several strong reinforcements of unknown capability beside Lady Fíliya. The Dwarf Elder could tell they were suppressing their mana, but since he wasn't a mage, he couldn't accurately gauge exactly how strong Solitär was.
However, his battle instincts told him that if he made a move here, the one to die would most likely be him. Furthermore... this was the prosperous Commercial District of the Imperial Capital. If this battle were to affect the general public, this area could turn into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood in the blink of an eye.
"Alright then, you keep stretching. I'm leaving."
Seeing that the other party had no intention of fighting, Fíliya casually turned around. She felt no psychological burden whatsoever about this act of voluntarily exposing her back.
Let alone this dwarf, even if Rivale were to come out and ambush her right now, she was confident she could activate [Self-Gold Transformation] before the attack arrived.
No matter how fast a warrior's movements were, could they be faster than her reaction and thought speed? Lady Fíliya was obviously very confident about this.
Her behavior left the Dwarf Elder, who was disguised as a strange beggar, somewhat bewildered.
An opponent like Fíliya was something he had only seen once in his life. He couldn't understand why she would leave directly after deliberately exposing his identity... offering neither negotiation nor threats.
"Because there is no need. Probing and standoffs are the most boring things. I believe you are smart people."
Fíliya seemed to pierce through the Elder's thoughts, offering an explanation before he could ask.
"Whether it's the [Magic Special Forces] or the [Shadow Warriors], I have no interest in you. The reason I pointed you out was just to see if you would reveal that amusing look of shock. I am quite satisfied with the current result. So, just don't come and disturb my peaceful life."
After dropping these words, Fíliya quickly vanished from the Dwarf Elder's sight.
"Not disturb...? Unfortunately, that can't be done if the plan is to continue..."
The Elder watched the retreating figures of Fíliya's group and silently frowned.
"It seems I must re-evaluate the danger of that matter," the Elder muttered to himself, then retreated into the shadows of the alley.
"I just feel like that old man is a bit familiar..." Miss Aura, who was strolling along, suddenly spoke up, her words successfully attracting everyone's attention.
"Oh? Another unexpected harvest. You know him?"
Fíliya looked at Aura with curiosity. After all, she never expected to get any useful intelligence from Aura.
"Mm... I'm a bit unsure too. He shouldn't have been this old back then... Over eighty years ago, when the Demon Race launched a massive invasion of the Empire, I heard there was a very strong dwarf warrior who held back the Demon Army single-handedly... Maybe it was him?"
"That definitely has to be him. A dwarf, single-handedly... If it isn't him, could it be Eisen? Eisen should have been charging straight for the Demon King's Castle with the Hero... By the way, your Demon Army really isn't much if it got stopped by one old man, is it?"
"Uh... I don't know the specifics either. I wasn't on the scene, and the one responsible for attacking the Empire wasn't me..." Aura replied timidly, as if trying her best to prove that she wasn't the weak one.
"Heh."
Seeing this, Lady Fíliya said no more.
Just like that, Lady Fíliya took Solitär and the others to rent a residential house, and they truly began to live within the Empire.
After offering that benevolent pointer to the Dwarf Elder that day, she no longer felt that sense of being monitored. Life could be described as quite comfortable.
During this time, while shopping with Solitär, she also discovered a very interesting place.
It was a tavern. Normally, this kind of place would be something Lady Fíliya detested deeply, but... she was surprised to discover one thing: the people gathered in this tavern were actually all [Shadow Warriors].
As for how she detected it, it was rather simple. Although Lady Fíliya wasn't very good at hiding herself, she was very good at dismantling the disguises of others.
Relying on her terrifying means of piercing through all physical reactions of another person and capturing every emotion, she could easily discover if a person was lying or hiding their identity.
Good grief, I said don't come and disturb me, yet you moved your stronghold directly to the vicinity of my home?
Hm? But that doesn't seem quite right either. I chose this house myself, and that tavern was there from the beginning. And I haven't felt any surveillance gaze during this period... so it's just a coincidence?
Whatever. Since I'm here, teasing these guys has its own unique flavor.
Lady Fíliya stood in front of the tavern, a smile unconsciously surfacing at the corner of her mouth.
"Boss, come out and welcome a guest!"
Wearing an arrogant expression, Lady Fíliya kicked the tavern door open.
The instant she entered, the atmosphere inside became incomparably awkward.
The Store Manager, who was wiping a glass, almost failed to hold it steady. A drunken female mercenary's sword suddenly fell to the ground. Only a cute girl, who looked like a waitress or a poster girl, reacted first and slowly approached Fíliya's side.
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