When I Cleared the Death Game World, I Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble Even if They Talk About Doom Flags, I'm Actually Immortal. - Chapter 32

“K-Kidnapping!? Did you inform the guards!?”

“No… This was left behind at home…”

Ren pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.
It seemed he had hastily shoved it in there during his panic.
As he unfolded it, Lior focused on the contents.

“We have your sister. If you want her back unharmed, come to the abandoned village in the southeast with Lior. If you inform anyone else, her life is forfeit… This message is specifically calling for you and me, Ren. The sender remains unknown, though…”

“It’s probably those three from yesterday. There’s no one else I can think of.”

Lior and Ren—there weren’t many people who knew them both.
And of those, the only ones who might bear a grudge were the three swordsmen they encountered the previous day.

“What’s this abandoned village in the southeast?”

“It was attacked by monsters a while ago and left in ruins. The direction matches, so I’m sure that’s the place. No one lives there anymore, and it’s completely deserted.”

“Calling us to an isolated location… This is definitely a trap.”

The scenario was painfully predictable: the three swordsmen, holding a grudge against Lior and Ren, had lured them to a secluded spot for revenge.

“I think so too…”

“But with Luna taken hostage, we can’t just ignore it… What do we do? Should we head out immediately?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Ah, please don’t apologize. I’m responsible for this as well…”

“It’s not just that… I knew you’d help if it were you, Lior. I took it for granted, thinking I could just plead with you and you’d agree…”

Ren lowered his gaze, looking guilty.
He had assumed that the kind and timid Lior wouldn’t refuse if he heard Luna had been kidnapped.
After all, Lior owed him a favor—it was only natural that he’d comply.

Ren had calculated all of this.

Considering his sister’s life was at stake, it wasn’t wrong to use personal relationships to ensure her rescue.
But even so, the fact that he had made such a calculated move left Ren feeling guilty.

“Don’t worry about it. If someone as wonderful as you is relying on me, I’m actually happy.”

“…You’re surprisingly sly, Lior.”

“Am I?”

Ren turned away abruptly, avoiding eye contact.
His face wasn’t visible, but the faint redness on his ears gave him away.

Lior tilted his head, unsure what exactly had been “sly” about his words.

“If it makes you happy, Lior, I’ll rely on you as much as I want… So be prepared.”

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

After finalizing their plans, Lior and Ren immediately left the city, heading southeast.
They ran past the main road and into the forest.

“Cutting through the forest will be faster. You can keep up, right, Lior?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“If we move smoothly, we can clear the forest in about ten minutes.”

With that short exchange, they entered the forest.
If it only took ten minutes to get through, it wasn’t a particularly large one.

Short trees stretched toward the sky, the bright foliage making it seem like a place ideal for a peaceful picnic.

(…It looks peaceful, but something feels off.)

It was a strange sensation—like looking at a picture pasted onto a TV screen.
At first glance, it appeared normal, but the more he observed, the more artificial it seemed.
Something about it felt fake, like an illusion meant to deceive them.

(I see… There are no monsters or animals. I don’t sense any presence in this forest at all. It’s as if every living creature fled overnight…)

That in itself was unnatural.
It wasn’t possible for all the life in a forest to vanish at once.
And yet, Lior’s magic detection confirmed it—there was no sign of any living creatures, not even insects.

The only explanations were that either someone had methodically exterminated every single creature…

Or—something lurking in this forest had scared them all away.

“Lior!”

“I’m fine!”

As they ran, they suddenly leapt in opposite directions.

Boom!

A massive black fireball struck the ground where they had just been, exploding on impact.
Black flames scattered like fireworks.

“…This is worse than I expected.”

From the scattered embers, flames surged upward, quickly forming a ring of fire around Lior.
In mere moments, he was trapped within a prison of black flames.

Ren was on the other side.
They had been separated.

“Heh, you two split up perfectly.”

“Of course. It’s my magic, after all.”

“So… It really is you guys.”

From the bushes, two figures emerged—a scout and a mage.

The swordsman wasn’t there.
Lior searched for his presence using magic detection but sensed nothing.
It seemed he wasn’t in the area.

The scout and the mage casually stepped through the black flames, entering the encirclement.
If they could pass through, did that mean Ren could as well?

Lior glanced at Ren.

She seemed to have had the same thought—she was already reaching out toward the flames.

“Ah…!”

The moment her hand touched the black fire, she recoiled instantly.

She couldn’t get through.

Which meant the only ones inside the fiery prison were Lior, the scout, and the mage.

One against two.
The odds weren’t in his favor.

“Now then… Time for a little payback.”

The scout sneered, his lips curling into a twisted grin.