Chapter 101 — The Gambit
Grausam froze completely.
The mental magic he prided himself on—
the Paradise he had painstakingly built to lure souls—
was shattered by nothing more than a petty treasure fox…
and a diminutive elf.
He could already feel it.
Frieren's powerful will was returning.
Her mind was pushing him out—
forcefully.
Was his grand plan…
about to be buried right here?!
Then—
his eyes caught the sapphire spinning at Elias's fingertips, rotating simultaneously between illusion and reality.
That inscrutable smile.
That calm, knowing gaze.
At last, Elias spoke.
"Time is running out," he said lightly.
"But Grausam…"
"Didn't you want to see my mental world?"
"…What?!"
Grausam's eyes widened in shock.
"You—what are you saying?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Elias toyed with the enchanted sapphire, clearly amused.
Grausam couldn't understand it.
"Elias…"
"You're actually planning to lift your mental seal—
to invite me into your mind?"
"Why not?"
Elias smiled as he asked the question.
"There are two things I'm curious about."
"First—what kind of scenery I would see in this so-called Paradise."
"And second…"
"Whether someone of my caliber can break free from it."
"…So it's curiosity."
Grausam's gaze darkened.
Elias pressed on, fanning the flames.
"Think of it as a wager, Grausam."
"If you win, you gain control over me—Elias."
"With this body, you can slaughter the world if you wish,
or challenge Serie head-on."
"I'll accept the outcome without complaint."
"And if I win?"
"You lose nothing but a single chance at controlling me."
"But in exchange—"
"You abandon this plan completely,
and recall all of your mental magic."
Grausam's mind raced.
On one side—
control over a Mythic-Age archdemon, power enough to tear the heavens apart.
On the other—
abandoning a plan months in the making… yet suffering no real loss.
Then Elias calmly added:
"Ten seconds until this Paradise collapses."
"Ten… nine… eight—"
"—Fine!"
Grausam's eyes blazed.
"I accept!"
"Elias—open your mind!"
"Excellent."
Elias smiled—an expression that sent an inexplicable chill through the air.
"I do like juniors like you…"
"Bold ones."
—Whoosh.
The sapphire at Elias's fingertips flashed.
In the next instant, both figures vanished into the light.
Sea wind.
Open water.
Scattered islands.
Grausam rose silently from the boat and scanned his surroundings.
So this… was Elias's Paradise?
He had expected to see Elias living as a human—
content, fulfilled, tucked away in some quiet village.
Instead—
this?
Yet the seascape stirred a strange sense of familiarity.
As the boat drifted ashore and he stepped onto the jagged, rock-strewn beach, his brow slowly furrowed.
This shoreline…
felt familiar too.
He followed the coast.
At last, he spotted a lone figure ahead—
the back of what looked like a human girl.
Strangely enough…
even her silhouette seemed familiar.
Something felt wrong.
Deeply wrong.
Then the girl turned her head and looked at him, a mocking smile curling across her lips.
"Big bad villain," she said lightly.
"We meet again~"
"…What?!"
Grausam froze in shock.
"This place—don't tell me—?!"
"—That's right."
Elias's voice echoed calmly from behind him.
Grausam spun around to see the archdemon strolling forward, utterly composed.
"This isn't your Paradise," Elias said coolly.
"It's my world."
Grausam's expression shattered.
He had no idea when—or how—Leah's mental world had been transferred into Elias's mind…
But at this moment, there was only one thing he could say:
"You damn relic—this was a setup!"
"Oh?" Elias scoffed.
"To you, this counts as a setup?"
He smiled faintly, disdain unmistakable.
"Back in the day, I taught tricks like this to that brat more times than I can count."
"And yet the so-called Seven Sages of Destruction he personally appointed…"
"…learned absolutely nothing."
Elias shook his head with a sigh.
"They say each generation surpasses the last."
"Seems I'm still aging far better than you."
Grausam stood there, stunned.
Then—
Elias closed his eyes.
"Cerebral Lock."
Golden runes surged outward in a roaring torrent, sealing the sky and sea in an instant.
Grausam was struck completely speechless.
Elias opened his eyes again.
His smile was open. Relaxed. Almost cheerful.
"Kid," he said plainly,
"this is what a real calculation looks like."
---
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Serie was hard at work.
She crushed, mixed, and stirred with manic focus, surrounded by bottles and vials.
Multicolored powders danced through the air.
"Hmmm…"
She muttered as she worked.
"Is this amount enough?"
"If I want maximum coverage…"
"It really needs to be evenly distributed~"
Then she heard footsteps.
Without looking up, she spoke casually.
"Oh. Elias."
"You're back already?"
No response.
Serie finally raised her head and studied the shadow before her.
She frowned slightly.
"By the way… when did your clones become this durable?"
"I distinctly remember that two thousand years ago, one tap from me and they popped like soap bubbles."
Elias replied coldly,
"I've been alive for two thousand years."
"Am I really not allowed to improve a little?"
"…I see."
"No wonder you've gotten more troublesome."
Serie lowered her head and resumed her work.
"So? You didn't come back for no reason. What happened over there?"
"Grausam is temporarily contained," Elias said flatly.
"Your plan can proceed."
—Thud.
The jar in Serie's hand landed softly on the table.
A strange smile spread across her face.
"Well then…"
"Seems you didn't just improve your magic."
"Your brain's gotten sharper too~"
Elias didn't answer.
He honestly couldn't tell whether that was praise or sarcasm.
"I understand," Serie said.
"In that case, I'll—hm?"
Before she could finish, the shadow turned and walked away without hesitation.
"Huh…"
"That guy…"
"Still sulking about earlier?"
Serie muttered to herself.
"Seriously… his magic improved, his brain improved…"
"But not his damn personality. Not even a little."
She tilted her head upward, gazing at the ceiling.
"Personality, huh…"
"…Yeah. Guess I'm not really one to talk."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Serie gave the mixture a final few taps, then lifted the jar full of shimmering powder with a satisfied grin.
"This should be enough~"