A level 4 second-class adventurer had been murdered in Rivira.
That fact alone was enough to send ripples through the town.
Level 4s weren't common rabble... even within Orario, they were considered powerhouses.
And yet, one of them had been killed so thoroughly that there wasn't even a chance to fight back.
The suspected culprit was a woman believed to be at least a first-class adventurer.
Anyone who had reached level 5 or higher should have been well-known by now.
Whether within Orario or across the surface world, first-class adventurers were figures of great reputation, famous all around the world.
Among all the known first-class adventurers in Orario, there were only around forty.
In theory, that alone should have drastically narrowed the list of suspects.
And yet...
Judas had a strong hunch that none of them were responsible.
'Looking at the corpse's injuries... his neck was completely snapped.'
Judas thought, his gaze lingering on the grotesquely ruined corpse.
More importantly...
'The victim has Abnormal Resistance. Poison, or cheap tricks wouldn't have worked.'
Which meant the murderer relied on overwhelming physical force and absolute confidence... enough to kill a level 4 in a single motion.
As he and the others continued to search the room for clues, Judas's thoughts spun.
The longer he examined the scene, the more a picture began to form in his mind.
After a few minutes of looking around...
'Hasharna took a job and went down to the 30th floor... to retrieve something the murderer wanted.'
In his hand was a blood-soaked piece of paper... what was left of a quest notice.
Most of the ink had been ruined, smeared beyond recognition, but a few fragments remained legible.
"Bors... for now, close off the town. Don't let anyone leave... not even a fly."
Riveria said as she straightened up.
Although Bors didn't like taking orders, he understood the seriousness of the situation and complied.
"...Got it."
He turned his head toward his subordinates.
"You lot! Close off the north and south gates. After that, gather all the adventurers in town in one place."
He paused briefly before adding,
"If anyone resists, treat them as a suspect and tie them up on the spot."
His subordinates snapped to attention, nodded, and quickly went off to carry out their orders.
As everyone began to move, Judas suddenly felt his instincts flare.
'For some reason... why do I feel like the plant monster incident and this murder scene are connected?'
His intuition had almost never been wrong, and that thought alone was enough to make him frown.
'Yeah... something like this definitely wasn't shown in the anime.'
Unbeknownst to him, Judas was already being drawn into the events of Sword Oratoria... a different perspective of the story, a spin-off he hadn't known about.
...
A couple of minutes passed, and at the center of the town of Rivira, a massive crowd had already gathered.
Adventurers of all shapes and sizes filled the open plaza... some armed, some injured, others visibly irritated at being summoned so abruptly.
Low murmurs rippled through the crowd, suspicion and unease hanging thick in the air.
"That was quick."
Riveria muttered as she looked down at the scene below.
"We threatened to blacklist them from entering Rivira if they didn't comply," Bors replied with a confident snort.
"Of course they'd come running."
Riveria's gaze slowly swept over the gathering, sharp and calculating.
"This enemy intended to cause a disturbance," she said calmly.
"She's most likely disguising herself... or has concealed her true level."
Bors crossed his arms, clicking his tongue.
"Yeah, but that still leaves us with a problem," he said.
"How exactly do we pick out a first-class adventurer from this mess?"
At that moment, Judas took a step forward.
Riveria noticed immediately... but said nothing. Ais, who understood his abilities better than most, also remained silent.
'What kind of magic is he about to use?'
The high-elf princess watched him closely, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
While Riveria and Ais focused on Judas, Bors looked at him with faint confusion.
'This kid...'
Bors had heard of Judas Spade... how could he not?
The Loki Familia's sensational rookie, a name that had spread through the entire city despite the boy having been an adventurer for barely three weeks.
Still, knowing a name and recognizing a face were two different things.
Seeing Judas standing beside Riveria and Ais, Bors instinctively assumed he was a lower-ranked member... or perhaps even just a supporter.
He glanced at Riveria.
When she offered no objection, Bors held his tongue.
"Hey... that boy looks familiar..."
As Judas stepped forward, a few adventurers in the crowd began to murmur, recognition dawning on their faces.
Judas ignored them. He closed his eyes.
In the next instant, the air itself seemed to stir.
Magic power surged outward in a controlled wave, subtle yet unmistakable to anyone sensitive to magic.
When Judas opened his eyes again, his pupils had shifted from deep purple to radiant gold.
A magic circle flared to life beneath his feet.
An invisible pulse swept through the area... silent, fast, and all-encompassing.
"What the hell... was that detection magic?!"
Several mages in the crowd exclaimed, their voices overlapping.
'Incredible...'
Riveria's eyes widened slightly.
'It was subtle, but in that brief moment... he cast multiple spells simultaneously.'
Ais tilted her head.
'His eyes changed color...?'
'Gold... just like mine...'
In Judas' vision, the world was layered with light.
Countless colorful motes drifted through the air... life force made visible... clinging to plants, seeping from the ground, and surrounding every person in the town like faint halos.
Some glowed weakly, others burned brighter, but all followed a familiar pattern.
Judas scanned them one by one.
'Not here?'
It was then that his brows knit together as he looked down.
'Why are there so many faint life signatures hidden underground?'
In his vision, he spotted small clusters of life energy buried beneath the soil... and they were everywhere.
'Hidden monsters?'
For some reason, his instincts were telling him that these things were dangerous, that he shouldn't leave them alone.
'Maybe later... for now, the priority should be the murderer.'
He pushed the information to the back of his mind and focused, driving his senses further.
Magic power surged through his perception as he forcibly expanded it, stretching outward until it engulfed the entirety of Rivira... and then extended even beyond its walls.
The town faded from focus as the range continued to widen, brushing past the outskirts, the surrounding forest paths, and the routes leading away from the town.
Then...
"Found you."
His gaze locked onto it.
Far in the distance, a single presence burned unnaturally bright... its life force far denser than anything nearby, standing out like a beacon against the muted glow of the world.
...
"Ha... ha... ha..."
Outside Rivira, a lone figure sprinted through the terrain, her ragged breaths echoing in her ears.
A female beastkin clutched a bag tightly against her chest as she ran, her body pushed well past its limits.
Black hair clung to her sweat-soaked face, brown eyes wide with panic.
Light-brown chienthrope ears twitched atop her head, flattened in fear, while her tail flicked erratically behind her.
She wore brown shorts, matching boots, and a fitted jacket, a crimson scarf fluttering wildly with every step.
Her name was Lulune Louie... a level 3 adventurer of the Hermes Familia.
'I have to get out of here!'
Her thoughts screamed as she forced her legs to move faster, lungs burning with every breath.
'Why did I accept this stupid mission?!'
Frustration and fear twisted together in her chest... and then she stopped.
Her heels dug into the ground as she skidded to a halt, dirt spraying forward.
Her sensitive beastkin ears had picked it up.
Footsteps.
Closing in.
Her blood ran cold.
'Shit... they already found me!'
Sweat poured down her face as her heart slammed violently against her ribs.
She didn't think.... she bolted, turning and sprinting blindly in another direction.
But it was pointless.
A shadow fell over her.
"Huh...?"
Her breath caught.
Slowly, hesitantly, Lulune lifted her head.
Standing several steps ahead of her was a figure clad in armor, unmoving, silent... watching her with a gaze so cold it sent a chill straight down her spine.
Her legs trembled.
'I'm dead.'
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