Chapter 98: A Grand Plan
Elias phased out from the tower, dissolving into warped space.
In the blink of an eye, the face of the blue-haired girl surfaced in his mind.
"That clever friend you mentioned—
she's Yuna, the daughter of Vice Commander General Yug."
"She was unconscious for several months.
After waking up, she seemed… sharper. Much sharper."
"Especially when it came to trade—she offered General Yug many valuable proposals."
"Oh, right. The plan to buy off the northern merchant caravans?
That was her idea from the very beginning."
"Smart. Kind. Willing to sacrifice herself for her friends.
Yuna really is a good person."
—whoosh.
Elias twisted out of space and reappeared inside the infirmary, his expression ice-cold.
The "good person" Leiya spoke of was now sitting upright on the bed, staring at him blankly.
"Hmph…"
Elias let out a quiet scoff, his gaze fixed on Yuna's hollow eyes.
"So she's already been discarded by that thing,"
"Reduced to nothing more than an empty shell."
"…Frieren,"
"This time… it's my—"
He lowered his head, lost in thought.
Then—
A surge of violent magical power erupted from the surface of the lake outside the manor.
It was deliberate.
A provocation.
A beacon, calling out to one of its own kind.
Elias vanished at once.
He crossed onto the lake's surface, stepping atop rippling water as he cut through layers of mist.
At the heart of the lake—
He saw a familiar silhouette.
And a very unfamiliar head of green hair.
In truth, this outcome had been inevitable.
Elias had nothing to say.
He simply stood there, expressionless, as Frieren—standing upon the water—slowly turned to face him.
The strange smile on the elf's face.
The violet light flickering in her eyes.
All of it made one thing unmistakably clear—
The real Frieren had already been guided to Paradise,
living a life of happiness.
And so, at this moment—
Elias now stood face to face with one of the Seven Sages of Ruin—
Grausam, the Miracle.
"Lord Elias,"
"At last, we meet."
"Oh… no, that's not quite right."
Grausam tilted his head thoughtfully.
"If we're being precise, our first meeting was back then—
with the Crystal Turtle."
"I intended to make a grand disturbance, to draw Serie's attention away from the city."
"Instead, you ended it in a single move."
Grausam strolled leisurely across the surface of the lake, circling Elias.
"I must admit—your appearance completely caught me off guard."
"So I was forced to accelerate my plan and take control of Yuna, the daughter of Vice Commander Yug."
"Originally, Theodore's daughter was the ideal candidate.
But who would have guessed…"
"There was a powerful woman sealed inside her mind."
"That woman clearly had quite the background—
she caused me no small amount of trouble."
Grausam drew in a sharp breath, then immediately broke into a sly grin.
"But in the end, that worked out just fine."
"When I learned that you intended to participate in Leiya's guard selection, I had an idea."
"By enchanting the gemstone she personally selected, I could divert your attention."
"It worked perfectly. You grew suspicious and never left her side."
"But that still wasn't enough."
Grausam's gaze turned venomous as it slowly traced Elias from head to toe.
"What I wanted was this—"
"To turn the unknown mentor of the Demon King,
the legendary great demon of the mythic age—
Lord Elias himself—into my puppet!"
"…Apologies."
At last, Elias spoke for the first time.
"Grausam."
"The Demon King had his reasons for choosing you among the Seven Sages."
"But unfortunately—"
"Your Paradise Induction Magic, when faced with my Cerebral Isolation Technique,
has already been proven to be a useless spell."
"No matter how many times you try…"
Elias raised his eyes coldly.
"Controlling me is nothing more than a delusion you'll cling to right before you die."
"—Hahahaha…"
Grausam suddenly lowered his head, laughing softly at the rippling water.
"That's why I gave up~"
"Trying to magically control a great demon from the mythic era—
it sounds absurd even to me."
"But…"
"Solitär gave me a rather excellent suggestion."
At the sound of that name, Elias recalled the demon who masqueraded as a little girl—
and the perfectly composed, utterly false smile she wore.
"Confronting Lord Elias head-on is dangerous and foolish."
"So I chose another path—
to make use of the bonds within your heart."
"…Bonds?"
Elias tilted his head.
"What's that supposed to be?"
"Sounds like food."
Grausam froze for a moment—
Then burst out laughing.
"Hahaha…!"
"You truly haven't noticed?"
"These so-called bonds are precisely the reason you're standing here right now~"
"…So that's it."
Elias lowered his gaze, letting out a cold chuckle.
The impulse to protect someone—
That was what they called a bond?
So, without realizing it,
he had reclaimed a fragment of something resembling humanity.
Elias slowly raised his eyes.
Grausam's hand had formed a blade of magic,
pressed against a throat—
Not Elias's.
But Frieren's.
"Lord Elias,"
"Join my great plan!"
"With radiant magical gemstones, we will turn the entire Holy City
into a blissful paradise!"
"So this is your plan?"
Elias analyzed calmly.
"You control the merchant caravans, sell gemstones infused with mental magic to the populace."
"Then, through next month's auction, you seize control of the military elite and the nobility."
"But, Grausam—"
Elias sneered.
"Have you forgotten about someone?"
At those words, Grausam's smile vanished—
Only to twist into something even more unhinged.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Lord Elias…"
"My plan is great precisely because it accounts for everyone."
"Even the great mage—Serie."
"…Is that so?"
"Then tell me—how exactly do you intend to deal with—"
Elias suddenly stopped.
A series of cold laughs escaped his lips.
"I see now…"
"Serie… was your true reason for wanting to control me."
"Pitting the two of us against each other—"
"That is a great plan, indeed."
Grausam declared confidently:
"Since you already understand…"
"Lift your Cerebral Isolation Technique."
"Otherwise, this elf named Frieren will either die here—"
"Or remain forever intoxicated within a beautiful paradise."
A flash of violet light glimmered in Grausam's eyes.
"So, Lord Elias…"
"What will you choose?"
Elias's gaze deepened as it drifted to the pendant on Frieren's chest.
Was that gemstone how Grausam controlled her?
But that familiar green hue…
It looked like—
Elias removed the triangular sapphire from his medal, spinning it between his fingers.
"Yes!"
Grausam's face twisted with excitement.
"Lord Elias!"
"Hurry and open your mind—let—"
—whoosh!