Frieren: Attribute Hero Chapter 88: The Weakest Person in the Party

Bang, bang, bang!

The [Magic Threads] in Draht's hands sliced toward the two of them in rapid succession, moving at trendous speed. Threads like these, almost impossible to detect, were far too suited for assassination in the darkness of night.

To deal with them, Frieren had no choice but to raise [Defensive Magic] in every direction, wrapping both Shane and herself inside it.

With Frieren's reserves of mana, running dry in a short period was not sothing they needed to worry about. But with such a commotion, demon reinforcents were bound to arrive. When that happened, they would be two against many, and in a passive position at that. The battle would turn ugly.

Most importantly, Aura had yet to show herself. They could not let Frieren be worn down ahead of ti.

It seed that Lugner was a demon with a brain after all, arranging a subordinate like this to cover their retreat.

At this rate, this would not work.

Shane observed the distance between himself and the enemy.

His [Dual Blade Style · Shadow Kill] could close the gap in an instant, but he needed an opening.

"What's wrong? Not interested in playing the peace-talk ga anymore?"

"You're this impatient. Does that an you know full well your plan is about to be exposed?"

As Shane provoked him with words, Draht's attacks slowed slightly.

"Exposed? And what of it? You don't seriously think that was ordinary poison, do you—"

Now.

Shane did not answer him. He had no intention of chatting with the enemy. The instant Draht took the bait, Shane glanced at Frieren.

Sure enough, Frieren understood his intention without needing any hint. In the gap where the attacks slowed, she seized the opportunity. [Defensive Magic] instantly turned into [Basic Offensive Magic], and a thick beam of light shot out, aid straight at the enemy's head.

He still dared to get distracted and talk during a fight?

How naive.

Draht was startled.

He defended instinctively, but it was already too late.

Pfft—

The two hands controlling the threads, wrists and all, were blasted apart.

After being hit, Draht reacted quickly. He imdiately retreated, stopped the bleeding, and regenerated his arms.

But it was useless.

The window of opportunity was fleeting.

[Dual Blade Style · Shadow Kill]

Shane turned into an afterimage and appeared behind Draht. Without the slightest hesitation, he thrust out the longsword in his hand. With several consecutive piercing strikes, [Dual Blade Style · Ominous Change] took effect, greatly reducing the enemy's defense.

At the sa ti, the chain of control attributes on the longsword, [Electrocution], [Tornt], and [Suspicious Poison], imdiately followed one after another, pinning Draht in place.

"What—what is this—?"

Because [Suspicious Poison] randomly produced different toxins, Draht's body was quickly covered in negative statuses. Gradually, a frightened expression appeared on his face.

Oh? So demons actually know how to feel fear? Shane mocked internally.

He did not rush to finish him off.

Because he wanted to verify sothing.

Shane moved around to stand in front of Draht, stared directly into his eyes, and slowly spoke. His voice suddenly beca low and magnetic. That was the effect of the attribute [Charm].

"Draht, who did you send to the main city for the peace talks? Answer ."

In an instant, the look in Draht's eyes changed, and his expression softened.

He had been chard.

[Dual Blade Style · Ominous Change] was an armor-piercing technique. By combining two blades into one and piercing repeatedly, it precisely destroyed the target's defenses.

Then, did so-called [defense] also include [ntal defense]?

Now Shane knew the answer.

It did.

The armor-piercing effect of this sword technique should include all types of defense.

"The peace envoys—Lugner—and—Linie—"

Hearing those two nas, Shane nodded. Good. With the count and his wife's preparations in advance, those two should pose danger to Fern and Stark, but not enough to kill them.

"Where is the [Undead Army]? Is it with [Aura]? Answer ."

The [Undead Army] was what Shane was most worried about right now. If Aura had really beco "smarter," or if so expert was advising her from behind the scenes, then launching a surprise siege while large numbers of civilians were trapped in the [Curse] would be the most unsolvable strategy.

It would inevitably plunge the Graf Granat Domain into a desperate situation.

"In the depths of the northern forest—accompanying that lord—"

Shane let out a breath of relief.

All right. He had overthought it.

Aura might have beco a little smarter, but in reality, she had not beco that much smarter.

"When you said [that wasn't ordinary poison], what did you an? What is that thing? You weren't simply trying to poison them, were you? What exactly are you planning to use it for? Answer ."

"It is—it is—"

Just as Draht was about to answer Shane's question, sothing bizarre happened.

His entire body suddenly trembled violently. Imdiately afterward, large amounts of black water surged out from his mouth, nose, and eyes. As the black water poured out, Draht beca like a burst waterskin, shriveling up in an instant. In the end, he slowly collapsed onto the ground, leaving only a sheet of skin behind.

Black magical particles drifted out from it.

Draht was dead.

Shane was shocked.

He had been observing the effects of the attributes the entire ti. Among all the negative effects, there was definitely nothing that turned a person into a waterskin!

Even Frieren looked stunned.

"I didn't detect any traces of magical fluctuations nearby. It wasn't an attack."

Hearing that, Shane's expression gradually darkened.

The person behind all of this had set up a thod to silence them in advance. Anyone who tried to leak information would turn into a puddle of black water.

In that case, there was no way he could obtain useful intelligence from anyone.

Damn it!

Whoever that sinister bastard was, they had better not let him catch them!

Shane carried Frieren on his back and sprinted toward the depths of the northern forest, heading at full speed toward Aura's hiding place.

Along the way, neither of them spoke.

Shane was thinking about the [Curse], and a faint sense of unease lingered in him. He kept feeling as if he had missed so key piece of information.

Sharl had been dead for more than a thousand years. Then where had all that [Black Tar] co from?

On his back, Frieren silently observed Shane's expression.

Ever since they had left the [Treasure Vault], Shane had been weighed down with worry. Even soone as dull as Frieren had noticed it.

Fern, who was far more sensitive, had been worried sick because of it.

How should she comfort him?

Frieren felt a little troubled.

Maybe she should just forget it.

Then, all at once, Fern's angry, puffed-cheek expression appeared before her eyes.

All right. She would try, just a little.

"Shane."

"Mm."

"Fern and I both trust you very much."

"Huh?"

"So you don't need to feel inferior just because you're the weakest person in the party."

"Keep being a confident person."

Shane was speechless.

"When did I ever feel inferior? And wait, the weakest person in the party—you're sure that's ? Who told you this?"

"Fern and Stark."

Shane closed his eyes and let out a breath through his nose.

"You really are honest—"

"So, do you feel better now?"

"Thank you all so very much. I feel much better."

Shane spoke through gritted teeth.