CH 18

Conquering the Assassin Guild

「Geez Aria-chan, how can they become like this in just one month-!?」

When I showed up at the dwarf armor shop in the capital, inside the  shop that has no other customer like usual, Gelf screamed like a maiden  with a throaty voice when he saw my equipments.

I defeated the Shadow User Radha and Mercenary of Dawn, then fought  the rank 4 Dagget head on in order to accumulate experience. I managed  to win just barely but, the damage I bore myself was also great. I spent  two days to heal my injury.

It was also the same with my protective equipments. They got hit by  Battle Technique and some attacks, and my leather dress got showered in  blood spurt that it became soaked in blood. I washed them with water  many times in order to remove the bloody scent and even used Clean on  them. Perhaps that’s why the surface felt starchy unlike before.

「Fixable?」

「You’re really following your own pace Aria-chan! In this state, it  won’t be able to return back to before even if I overhaul it using  special chemical……」

Gelf sighed while looking at the state of the equipments. My current  equipments were given to me by Gelf, but for an artist type craftsman  like him, he should harbor some attachment for his work.

「Sorry……」

「Aah, geez, you don’t need to look like that-. After all they are things that I pushed on you of my own accord.」

「But, sorry. Can you at least fix them to the best of your ability?」

「I have something better for that you know? Fufu. I’m glad you remember to show yourself here again.」

「……Hm?」

Gelf pulled my hand and dragged me to the back of the shop again.

「I have attachment to them but you don’t need to feel bothered about  them. They are prototype model for pattern example. That’s why you can  just wear the “real thing” now that it came to this!」

「This is……」

My eyes unconsciously widened seeing what Gelf took out. It’s a knee  length dress with no sleeves. Although it has the same shape like the  prototype I wore, the  『completed product』 that is creted from monster  leather has even its size matched perfectly with me.

Not only that, Gelf even made thin tights that are fastened with  garter belt and a knife holster that will be attached on my calf for me.  He also considered of how to pull out the knife and added a deep slit  at the left side of the skirt.

I can also properly equip the boots and left hand protector that I  received from master. And in addition, all of them are completely black  without any luster, so I don’t feel anything out of place from its  appearance.

It’s easier to move in more than I thought. When I made the skirt  whirl to ascertain the feel of it and pulled out throwing knife, Gelf  who was watching with a serious expression let out a sigh of relieve  from the bottom of his heart.

「Looks like you’re wearing it properly aren’t you……」

「Hm?」

Aa, that thing huh. I also remembered after Gelf mentioned that.

In this country, the thing called drawers that I saw previously is  the mainstream female underwear, but one year ago new types of underwear  started to get popular from that Dandall. There is one that looked like  drawers that is shortened to the extreme and have frills added, an  underwear made from small cloth and tied with string at the sides, etc.  The new underwears were like the underwears in that woman’s “knowledge”.

Right now they are also gradually spreading in the capital. The young  lady of this generation and female adventurers with strange taste took a  liking to them and even Gelf is habitually using them, he said.

I don’t understand the necessity for them even though I have that  woman’s “knowledge”, but I guess it’s necessary if Gelf say so. And so I  bought several of them for spare.

「Can you also service the gimmicks in my hand protector and boots just in case?」

「Okay~. They aren’t too damaged, so I think I can finish them in one day.」

I myself can maintain them to some degree but, as expected it’s more  reassuring to ask an actual expert to do it. If it’ll take one day,  let’s do what I can do in the capital. Also──

「I want you to sell me a moderately good necklace and, can you lend me your tool for a bit?」

.

I left Gelf’s shop after finishing my business and headed toward the commercial guild.

The procedure of assassin guild’s work started from the client  requesting an assassination through the underworld, and if there won’t  be any problem with the nobility for taking the job, an assassin will be  dispatched after the money is paid.

The assassination deadline is around half a year to one year since  the payment. If that deadline is breached, the request will be  considered unfulfilled and the money will be returned along with penalty  for the breach of contract.

The procedure is unexpectedly professional, but this kind of business  is involved heavily with the nobility, so assassins regarded trust with  more importance than even some random underworld company. How ironic.

After the assassination is carried out, the assassin will provide the  proof of accomplishment to the guild. If the request is carried out  nearby then the assassin themselves will carry the item until the guild  but, this time the request is carried out near the capital instead of  the area under the responsibility of the northern frontier district  branch, so I ended up handing the proof to the guild contact and only  said that the request has been carried out.

I placed the necklace along with the adventurer tags that I took from  Mercenary of Dawn into a safe deposit box of the commercial guild just  as instructed by the document Radha gave me.

When the time came the other contact will collect them and told the  assassin guild of the request’s accomplishment using some kind of  method, and then the contact should bring back the items until the guild  to also make their report. With this the guild won’t be suspicious even  if Radha doesn’t contact them for several weeks until the contact  return.

If I stand guard here then I might be able to see the contact’s face,  but I don’t think that it will be really meaningful to do that. There  is n guarantee that the one who come to collect the items here will be  the contact. It’s possible the contact will hire an ordinary person who  doesn’t know anything. Furthermore I’ll be troubled if the contact  doesn’t report the request completion to the guild unsuspectingly. I’ll  be able to make the assassin guild lower down their guard in that way.

They will let their guard down after the information reaches them.  Even so there will also be people who get wary when Radha don’t return  back at the same timing with the contact.

The contact should return using the normal route, so it should take  them around one month. I can shorten that time to half month if I pass  through the valley shortcut. I have to calculate the way to defeat the  assassin guild branch there during that half a month.

After that I resupplied myself with items that can be bought in the  capital like throwing knives, portable food, etc. I put a part of them  into my Storage together with the real necklace.

I heard that the necklace owner is Baron Norf whose territory is next  to Dandall. If possible I want to return it to him right away, but I  can only have him wait until I’m finished with this. Returning the  necklace to him will take time, and if the heirloom return to the  baron’s hand, it’s possible that the assassin guild will detect that I  have returned until nearby.

Mercenary of Dawn also had other convenient items like the spatially  expanded bag, but I left it behind in the dungeon. Even though they were  criminals in the underworld, they were adventurers with considerable  achievements on the surface, so I couldn’t bring their items with me in  order to make it look like their death was an accident.

Perhaps someone else would pick the bag as their own but, at that  time that person would simply become the main suspect. I had observed  the adventurer guild of that town just in case but, there wasn’t any  sign that the death of Mercenary of Dawn was known. I also didn’t meet  that strange kid……Carla again.

That girl said something like that in our parting, but will I really be able to reunite with her again…….

.

The next day, I accepted my equipments in Gelf’s shop and departed from the capital.

I mustn’t let the assassin guild realize that I returned earlier than  scheduled. I need to hide my existence completely in order to ensnare  all the guild members into trap.

The assassin guild is different from adventurer guild and thief  guild, it only has few regular members, even so they have spies that  blended in the streets. But they aren’t even members of the guild. They  are only under the guild’s patronage. Among them there should also be  some commoners who are living normally without even realizing that they  are involved with the assassin guild.

They aren’t my target but it will be troublesome if they reported me.  That’s why before entering the territory of Count Heydale where the  guild is located, I used my Stealth that has become level 3, hid myself,  and infiltrated the town with the chapel.

I napped inside the forest when it’s afternoon, and at night I  slipped into darkness and headed toward the town bit by bit. After  entering the town, I hid in an abandoned building when it’s noon and  erased my presence. I’m creeping toward the chapel slowly.

It will be a lonely fight for me from here. I held my breath and  erased my presence, doing nothing but waiting for the time to come as I  polished my fang inside the darkness.

I won’t get thirsty with daily life magic Water. With level 2 Night  Vision I won’t be inconvenienced even when I’m inside complete darkness.

I finished my meal with pills that I made with alchemy before coming  here. This is something created from the ingredients to make potion, but  they aren’t boiled to extract essence liquid, but grinded into fine  powder and kneaded together with salt, honey, and magic power. The  recovery rate from it isn’t as good as potion, but it last long and if I  eat ten of them per day, I’ll be able to maintain my stamina and health  for about a week. It’s not delicious but, I’m already used to plain  food and hunger since my time in that orphanage.

I spent three days to infiltrate the place that normally could be reached in the same day after entering the city.

Even level 3 Stealth skill can display an effect that surpassed level  4 if combined with the Night Vision of seeing color to choose a spot  where there is nobody. In fact I wasn’t noticed even when I passed  beside the 『lookout beggar』 who has Stealth skill level 3.

I’ll have it far easier for this time if I have level 4 skill, but  there is no guarantee that I’ll be able to become level 4 in the future.  Unlike level 3 which is the 『limit of ordinary person』 that can be  reached as long as you spend time on it, level 4 can only be obtained by  those who have genuine talent. There is a large wall blocking the way  to there.

Even so, looking from how I was able to defeat the rank 4 Dagget, I  understood that rank and combat strength are nothing more than a  yardstick of strength. True 'strength” depended on “how you use” the  strength that you obtained from your level. I obtained the confidence  that you can fight even the assassin guild depending on my method.

Right now my destination is the underground graveyard of the  cathedral where the guild is located, but I won’t infiltrate from the  entrance naively.

When I returned to the guild last time, I looked around the  underground until its every nook and cranny. That guild is using an  abandoned mine, so it’s vast inside with complicated path, so several  vent holes are prepared in several spots.

I also considered pouring poison from there, but they are also pro.  If they felt that something is out of place, they will immediately work  together to run away with heightened vigilance. That’s why I need to  infiltrate inside unnoticed in order to not allow them to work together.

I investigated the distance using my sense of direction from  detection skill and number of steps and memorized the approximate  location of the vent holes. When I slipped into darkness and thoroughly  investigated the corresponding locations in the underground grave, it  took me two days but I’m finally able to find all the vent holes.

In the process I discovered an escape hatch that I thought was  definitely somewhere. There is no sign that it has been used for dozens  of years, but I think that it’s alright for me to ignore it and only set  a simple trap there.

That’s because it’s located at the deepest part of the coal mine and  the risk of mine accident to occur is high there. Even infiltrating it  is dangerous. If things happen like I predicted, then the mortality rate  there will be the highest.

I sneaked into the stone room with number 21 written on it where one  of the vent holes I discovered is located. I removed the stones around  the fist sized vent hole, used night vision, and dug the soil. I don’t  want to use weapon for something like this but, I can’t take too much  time with this. Five days has passed since I entered this city. There  are only around ten days until the contact arrived at the guild.

The soil is unexpectedly soft and I spent three more days to widen  the hole before I finally succeeded with infiltrating inside the  assassin guild.

The stone at the ceiling fell completely and the hole connected to a passage.

The sound might be heard if it’s at another place but, this is the  only place where I’m not worried about that. I knew that there is nobody  else here other than “him” in here.

.

「……GUAAAAAAA」

When I entered that room from the narrow passage where the vent hole  is, that grotesque shadow behind iron bars as thick as adult arms  growled warily.

I quietly smiled at the muddy eyes looking at me.

「The Condemned Goudo……I’m giving you “freedom”.」

I’m finished with all the preparations that I can do.

Several days after I infiltrated the headquarter of the assassin  guild branch of the northern frontier district located at the territory  of Count Heydale……I left the city once more and entered it again from  the front before heading to the cathedral.

On the way, I bought a food that is made from dough of baked millet  flour with vegetables put between it and ate a proper meal after so  long.

The state of the city is no different from where I first saw it. A  lot of people flowed since early in the morning from the residential  area toward the craftsman district where they will return at evening.  The voices of children and mothers scolding them can be heard from far  away at the residential area. The sound of hammers hitting metals is  resounding ceaselessly from the craftsman district.

A peaceful city……but underneath it, one of the assassin guilds of  this country existed, and thanks to its existence, the people who knew  about it are in fear and that peace can be maintained. None of the  smiling commoners in this city are aware of it.

「「…………」」

My eyes met with the gaze of the lookout beggar sitting near the  cathedral. I flicked a silver coin with my fingertips to him. The beggar  caught it midair and he grinned from the silver coin’s weight.

「How generous, ash covered.」

「Business is a bit good.」

The beggar looked a bit surprised because the usually taciturn me is making a small talk.

For the people living in this city and involved with the guild……and  the people who are benefited from that unknowingly, I am their potential  enemy.

From where they’re standing, I am a 『destroyer』 who threaten the  peace, an 『evil』. I won’t say that they’re wrong. They have their own  reason to fight, and if they made me their “enemy”, I’m prepared to  fight all of them.

The assassin guild has become my enemy. I’ll kill all my enemies.

That’s what it meant to oppose a huge organization.

.

I went underground from the side of the cathedral and entered inside  from the regular entrance that is camouflaged as a tombstone.

I can’t see anyone inside. But I knew that there are many people inside the guild with their presence erased.

My quarrel with Radha wasn’t pointless. I’m now able to sense the out of place feeling from them erasing their presence.

I continued going further inside, knocked the door of a room, then  the voice 「Come in」 came from inside the room that contained no presence  at all with only a faint “out of place feeling” inside.

「Ooh, my beloved brother disciple. I have learned the news from the  contact. Not only you truly dealt with all the targets without any  injury on your own, you even collected the Spirit Tear……as expected from  the favorite pupil of my teacher.」

「No problem.」

Even after hearing the report from his contact, he surely still  didn’t seriously believe that a kid like me could defeat a rank 4  adventurer together with his party.

I would defeat one or two at best, and then when it looked like I  would lose, Radha would use me as bait to finish off Dagget and his  comrades, rescuing me who was in the brink of death and made master  indebted to him. ……After I combined all the information until now, that  was most likely the plan that Dino was building in his head.

He is looking surprised not because I have returned this quickly, but  because I returned in perfectly good health without any serious injury.  Dino also didn’t hold any doubt from receiving the report that I had  also properly collected the requested item, the Spirit Tear.

「How very astonishing. Also, this is your reward for the request this  time. Originally it should be given to you only after the contacts  bring back the proof and requested item but, there won’t be any problem  if it’s you. But just in case, I ask you to stay here until the two  return back. The weather is unusually a bit humid since yesterday but,  please take a good rest to recover your stamina.」

「Got it.」

I accepted the small leather bag and lightly shook it to feel the size and weight.

From the feel, I guess there are twenty large gold coins inside.  Nearly half of the request fee is to be given for the people doing the  job, so that means the original request fee is more than forty large  gold coins.

It’s an amount that can be paid because the client is a noble……. Most  likely it’s an amount of money that surpassed even the price of the  regained Spirit Tear but, that’s just how precious this heirloom is for  the client……that noble must really treasure his family.

Well, it’s a different story whether it’s a suitable compensation for defeating a rank 4 party or not though.

「Even so, I’m amazed you are able to return this quickly. How can you return quicker than your two contacts?」

Dino spoke to me again just as I was about to exit the room after  receiving the reward. But one of them wasn’t a contact but a “watcher”  right?

「I passed the valley south of Dandall.」

「That place is difficult to traverse even for a balanced adventurer  party though……you were able to cross it with that combat strength?」

「…………」

He appraised me just as expected. I’m wearing a contact to cover it  up as much as possible but, it’s not impossible to roughly estimate my  combat strength when I’m this close and the one doing it is someone as  experienced as Dino.

「It’s only natural to get stronger if you fight, right?」

「Looks like you had gone through some extremely dangerous fights.  ……Aria-san. I hope that we can continue our good relationship from here  on too.」

「…………」

Is he telling me to keep lending hand not just for this request only,  but from here on too, or is he warning me not to think of doing  anything stupid…….

At the very least Dino is slightly suspecting me for killing Guy.  Even so, he isn’t asking anything about it because he thought it can’t  be helped due to my discord with Keira, and because it’ll be more  beneficial for him to have a trump card against master at his side.

But, the reason Dino trusted my word is because I obediently handed  the request item to him. He thought that I’m still a “usable” pawn.

However it’s already too late. My “trap” is already starting to move.

.

I left Dino’s office and headed to the room assigned to me through  the underground that is slightly 'smelly” like usual. There is no need  for me to carelessly move around and increase the number of people who  realized my actual combat strength. Besides the inside of this guild is  already in a “dangerous state”.

When I returned to my assigned room, the sign I placed is already  gone and there is a trace that someone has already entered here. I  placed nothing that could be stolen inside but, it’ll be troublesome if I  entered carelessly and there is actually a trap inside. But, before I  can leave that place after thinking that, the person inside came out of  their own initiative.

「Oh, welcome back, ash covered-chan. What are you doing just standing there?」

「What are you doing inside?」

The one inside is the goth loli woman who was the first person I met in this guild──Keira.

Dino should have isolated her from to avoid a quarrel from breaking  out, but it seemed she was lying in wait for me. She smiled thinly and  licked her crimson lips in respond to my question.

「I was thinking to console you when you ran back like a beaten dog  but……I wonder if you didn’t meet Radha? Even though I had gone through  the trouble of setting the table. That woman is more useless than I  thought.」

Keira shrugged theatrically and stepped back to open a path into my room.

「How about entering inside for now? It’s a dirty room but today is  hot, so it’ll be better compared to just standing here right?」

「I don’t want to enter a dirty room.」

It must be your fault than an unused room is dirty. Keira showed an  irritated expression just for an instant when I bluntly refused.

「……Just shut up and enter you shitty brat. I only placed some  pranking toys inside, so you don’t need to be that scared you know?  Look.」

When Keira stepped on the trashes she scattered, an arrow flew out  from what seemed to be a crossbow set in a shelve right in front of the  door. It grazed the side of my head and stabbed the wall behind me.

「Go in without worry. Or perhaps you’re that scared of me?」

「…………」

I sighed and muttered inside my mouth as I stepped inside the room.

In that moment──

*Dan-!* There is a small sound and a crossbow fired an arrow right  above me. Before this……the me who had only just arrived here would be  helplessly hit.

It’s generally said that a level 4 Martial Art skill will allow you  to dodge a fired arrow, and level 5 Martial Art skill will allow you to  catch a fired arrow.

I’m still just level 3 but, if it’s the current me who have obtained  multiple close quarter combat skills, I can “react” as long as I can  guess the timing of the shot and where it aimed.

「──Shadow Snatch──」

I caught the crossbow arrow with Shadow Snatch that I had decided to materialize on my forehead from the start.

Space type dark sorcery has to cover the target with darkness element  magic particles. Radha’s Shadow Walker covered herself with darkness,  while my Shadow Snatch enveloped the target with a thin membrane like  magic particles when it went through the darkness, teleporting it to the  shadow that is connected by my magic power.

I wouldn’t be able to react if Keira targeted a non vital spot like my stomach or limbs.

Even if my prediction was right, if my timing slightly missed, I  might get an arrow planted into my head, but the timing wasn’t that  difficult as long as I conquered my fear of death.

「……Eh?」

Keira who got hit by a crossbow arrow in her stomach from right below looked at her stomach and at me with an astonished face.

Keira is really easy to understand. You are the one who absolutely  won’t betray my “trust” how there is nothing that can be trusted from  you. That was why I connected my magic power to Keira’s shadow after she  gave me such a transparent provocation.

I thought that she is a troublesome and dangerous fellow when I first  met her but, I had encountered a genuinely “dangerous person” inside  that dungeon. Compared to her, something like Keira’s dangerousness only  felt like lukewarm water.

「H-how did you dodge……why is the arrow in me? ……Why……why, is your, combat strength──gah!?」

Keira tried to shout, but I used the walking style I learned from  Sera and the striking method I learned from Viro to quickly crush her  throat with a cat paw strike.

It seemed she used Appraisal and finally realized my combat strength.  If only she learned the habit to be a bit more thorough with her  observation, she would roughly understand my strength even without  something like Appraisal.

Keira is really the same like before. Whether it’s her character or  strength, and her arrogance in looking down to her opponent, nothing has  changed at all.

「──uh!」

Keira let out knives from her sleeves in panic. I already saw it  before and cut the wrist tendons using the hidden pendulum that I took  out from the shadow of both my hands.

Without pause I circled behind Keira and put the pendulum’s string  around her neck and tightened it to snap her neck so that she won’t be  able to make any sound.

「──! ──!」

Keira struggled to remove the string on her neck, but she can’t hope to do that with hands that have their tendon severed.

Keira looked back with eyes that are begging for her life. My  expressionless face as I’m choking her neck is reflected on her eyes.

The people who are called as 『the strong』 in this world are too arrogant. Too careless. Too naïve.

Why do they think their enemy will be merciful?

Why do they think that they will be the only one to escape death?

Why do they intentionally hold back in order to boast about their superiority?

Why don’t they think that an opponent they had once provoked won’t constantly aim to kill them?

「──tsu!?」

Keira showed an expression of terror at the end when I snapped her neck. Then I gently laid her on bed without making any sound.

It’s time. After this……I’ll dispose all the members of this assassin guild.

「Where is Radha?」

Several hours after Aria returned quicker than expected, the guild  member who was assigned to be the contact returned back. But, Shadow  User Radha, a member who was one of the powerful even in this guild, who  was dispatched in order to monitor Aria still hadn’t returned.

The contact who had just returned after finishing his job looked confounded by the questioning gaze of the guild leader Dino.

「I didn’t meet with Radha after the ash covered finished her  assassination. Guild leader, you didn’t hear anything from ash covered?」

「No……」

Although this contact‘s combat strength was low, his detection skill  and stealth skill were excellent. He could even eavesdrop conversation  from distance using wind sorcery. This person was high ranked in this  guild when it came to intelligence activity.

Radha was there to take care of the combat aspect, so Dino dispatched  him to focus with gathering intelligence but, he couldn’t enter inside a  dungeon alone because his combat strength was only rank 2.

What happened inside the dungeon where the assassination took place?

Certainly Aria’s combat strength had gone through a shocking growth  compared to when he first met her. Even Dino felt it was abnormal for a  kid who was still around ten years old to increase her combat strength  by that much in just four months, even if she was a disciple of that  demon race woman.

But, with just combat strength of 500 at best, it should be difficult  to face a rank 4 party without luck playing a large part of it. Dino  planned for Radha to lend her help to defeat the targets but, could it  be that the targets managed to turn the table on Radha in the dungeon?

But, if that was the case then it was strange for Aria to not report  it. In the first place it was difficult even for Dino to detect Radha  when she slipped into darkness.

If the opponent was a rank 4 party then certainly there was also a  possibility of her getting discovered, but that should be difficult  unless someone hinted them of Radha’s existence.

(……Betrayal?)

Someone was a betrayer. Assassins who lived with the principle of  individualism often acted as they pleased. Anyone had the potential to  turn traitor but, Dino and his father the previous guild leader borrowed  the strength of the Sage to deal with that, by creating the 'shackle”  called the Condemned Goudo.

Exactly because they were individualist that assassins were fixated with their own life.

They joined the guild also because here they could obtain safety and  money simultaneously. The guild leader Dino was the one who knew best  how all of the members didn’t have any sense of belonging with the  guild.

But, that was exactly why the assassins wouldn’t go against the guild  in order to protect their own life. Because there was no benefit for  them to do that.

Sometimes fellow members would also get into quarrel and kill each  other but, even in such case, this contact had no reason or skill to  kill Radha. This contact was a veteran who knew about Radha’s importance  for the guild.

In that case, assuming that Radha was dead, what was the objective of the person who killed her?

The guild members had no need to oppose the guild because they were  all self-serving. They knew the risk of going against someone powerful  like Radha and how killing her wouldn’t give them any benefit.

There was only one person in the guild who Dino knew wouldn’t give a damn about that.

「Hey, guild leader. For now just take this thing off my hand first.」

「Y-yeah, give it to me.」

The contact who was ignored by the pondering Dino spoke to him sullenly. Dino got dragged back into reality and nodded. But──

「Adventurer tags and……this is, the requested Spirit Tear?」

「Yeah. This is also my first time seeing the real thing but, it  matched the characteristic I heard. ……Is there anything strange with  it?」

「……No.」

He heard that it was a magic stone from mid class spirit. But, wasn’t  it a bit small? The necklace itself was also something moderately good  but, he felt that it wasn’t fitting at all to decorate a magic stone  that worth dozens of large golden coins.

Was it replaced intentionally by someone? But the spirit magic stone  itself was genuine, that was why the contact also reported to Dino that  he had secured the requested item.

There was no point replacing the real thing with another real thing.  If there was anyone who actually did such thing, “who” could it be?

Dino knew of one person who wouldn’t consider any cost-benefit in opposing the guild.

The ash covered assassin, Aria.

Dino took Serjura and Aria as hostage for each other. He threatened that brother disciple of his to cooperate with him.

With her combat strength it should be possible for her to trap Radha.  When he noticed her growth, he warned her by reminding her of the  hostage against her, but setting aside her small quarrel with someone  like Keira, what could be the reason for her to harm Radha and opposed  the guild when her teacher Serjura was taken hostage against her?

To begin with, there was no human who would dare to go against the  guild because after that they would have to live in fear forever while  on the run from assassins. In the past there were also statesmen who  tried to crush the assassin guild itself but, even then the assassins  hid in the darkness and even if it took some time, they killed those  statesmen in the end.

There was no fool who would go against a huge organization that was the assassin guild.

It was impossible to completely subdue the assassins who lived in the  darkness using the power of the surface world. That was exactly why the  nobles also had no other choice than to coexist with them even while  fearing their existence.

That was why, no matter how suspicious the circumstance was, common  sense wise it was impossible to think that a small kid whose teacher who  was like her parent was taken hostage against her would dare to bare  her fang against the guild.

Even though Dino was living in the assassin guild which was an  irrational world in a sense, he was still looking at Aria with the  framework of common sense that he had lived with since he was born until  now.

Dino didn’t know. That just because of a single woman who had the  memory of her past life granting a chance to a girl to obtain knowledge  due to her self-serving action, it resulted in the birth of a 『monster』  mentality-wise in this world who considered it right to slaughter all  the 『enemies』 who disturbed her and her important people’s peace──.

「I’ll check.」

Dino left his room in order to ascertain Aria’s true intention. If  from there he saw a will to oppose the guild from Aria just as he  thought, he would eliminate her on the spot personally.

But, his decision was just a bit too late.

In this world there weren’t that many people who could be called as 『the strong』.

Combat type skill level 1──Rank 1 could be obtained even by a child  in their early teen if they trained for several years. Rank 1 was  generally a beginner but they weren’t amateur. Rank 1 was sufficient for  new recruit, and several of them could even deal with rank 2 monster.

Even soldiers who had served for several years in the army mostly  consisted of rank 2. If they could become rank 3 then they would be  promoted to become commanding officer and be considered as someone  actually strong.

Even the adventurer guild whose members were almost all 『fighter who  could fight solo』 consisted of rank 1 and 2 for nearly 80% of them.  Surely it could be seen just how rare the strong was after taking that  into consideration. And for those who reached rank 4 and above, even in  Claydale Kingdom that had the population of nearly ten million people,  the number of those people should be only around several hundreds.

Even the assassin guild wasn’t an exception. Unlike adventurer,  assassin wasn’t required to overdo themselves and fought someone  powerful. What was required from them was gathering information and the  discernment to kill the target with certainty even if they had to spend  time for it. Similar with the thief guild, few people in this business  could boast about their individual might.

Even in this northern frontier district branch, the powerful rank 4  like the elf shaman the Sage, the dwarf berserker Sharga, the beastman  shadow user Radha were feared as “extraordinary” even within the guild,  but even rank 3 like Keira and Guy were rare in the guild. They were  considered as powerful because most of the members were thief type scout  who focused in stealth type ability.

Many of the members of assassin guild northern frontier district branch were blending and living in the city.

Putting aside the citizens who were being used as informants without  even knowing of the guild’s involvement, there was a certain number of  members who were usually doing normal work as average citizens, and they  only returned to be assassin when there was assassination request for  ordinary person.

But they didn’t take work on their own. They didn’t even know the  face of other members. As long as there was no request then they were no  different than ordinary person.

Managing all those was also the guild’s job. The members who were  currently inside the guild were the managers who assigned the necessary  works to the members who didn’t even know each other’s face and  consolidated the guild’s intelligence, and the top notch assassins who  had combat strength over the standard. These people could be said as the  “core” of the northern frontier district branch.

Currently the northern frontier district branch had nearly eighty  members. They knew that the demon’s disciple, the child called ash  covered had become a new member and the child’s combat strength was  nearly 200.

For them whose combat strength was around rank 2 and 3, they knew  that information was weapon. That was why they understood that the ash  covered was only strong for a kid, but generally speaking the child was  only as strong as a skilled rank 2.

That was why they let their guard down.

Although a child could throw a tantrum, she wouldn’t be able to cause anything big because she was just a child.

Because she was a child, she could go wild but she still wouldn’t be able to match other strong people.

Because she was a child……she wouldn’t be their business as long as  they didn’t get involved with her. And so they made a lethal negligence  as assassin.

Easy to understand skill level and numerical amount of combat value  became cause for the weak to thoughtlessly fear the strong, and that in  turn became a fatal “arrogance” for the strong.

.

「……Hm?」

That middle-aged man tilted his head after feeling something out of place for an instant.

The man’s role was to accept assassination request from the guild  contacts everywhere, gathered information, assigned the difficulty rank  to the requests, the distributed them to the guild members. He was one  of such “mediators”.

He had five subordinates in the guild. Sometimes they would head out  to the field to gather information, so all of them had some kind of  stealth type skill, so the man thought that someone had just passed  nearby while still using stealth skill.

「……It’s hot today.」

Even inside the guild that was located underground where it was  relatively cool, the temperature could still sometimes become humid due  to the season. Perhaps because of the heat, his head felt slightly hazy,  and so he found it hard to focus. The instant he decided to head to the  sofa inside the room──

「Gah!?」

The man couldn’t even walk properly. He fell on the hard stone floor face first.

(What’s going on!?)

Could it be that he had gotten dosed with poison? But the man had  poison resistance skill. Even poison that could instantly kill an  ordinary person should be noticeable to him before it could fatally harm  him.

The smell inside the guild was also no different from usual. There  was also tasteless and scentless poison but, that kind of thing needed a  lot of time until it showed effect, so even if he got dosed by such  poison, he thought that he could treat himself if the poison had delayed  effect.

「……kuh」

The man crawled toward the shelves where the medicine was stored. He  would manage somehow if he could reach there. Believing that the man  grasped the floor and dragged himself, but then he noticed a slight  presence entering this room behind him.

Was it one of his subordinates? His body shook as he unconsciously  thought of asking for help, but then he felt the “coldness” of a blade  sinking into his neck without any killing intent accompanying it. His  consciousness sank into darkness where it wouldn’t return anymore.

I poured poison inside the guild. I only learned the basic from  master’s lesson, so the mix was practically my original, but it seemed  that it worked well.

This poison showed effect even with someone who had Poison Resistance skill.

In the first place Poison Resistance isn’t a skill that  unconditionally resisted every kind of poison. Master told me that it’s a  skill that prevented the body from absorbing anymore poison the moment  the body detected the poison. I also verified it myself by drinking  poison to ascertain it.

Poison Resistance skill won’t activate against harmless substance to  the body. If that’s not the case then the skill will prevent even potion  and food to be absorbed by the body.

This time, the poison I created is a mixed poison. Just one of them  will only act as 『medicine』 that relaxed tense nerves. I had  continuously mixed this “medicine” in minute amount into the drinking  water here since I infiltrated one week ago. I spent time making the  guild members consumed it.

Once the body absorbed the substance, even Poison Resistance would  become unable to deal with it until the chemical got decomposed by the  internal organs. After that I scattered the second medicine in front of  the room of the people that I’ll eliminate. The people who inhaled the  substance would have the poison generated inside their blood.

It’s not so poisonous that the victim will die instantly, but this  nerve poison lower the internal organs’ function, and disturb the blood  flow. Like that people became unable to move and I gave each of them the  killing blow carefully one by one. After a while the inside of the  guild is gradually getting noisy.

.

「They found out already……」

It’s faster than I thought……. I intentionally scattered poison after I  returned so that I can scatter the poison quickly even if I’m seen.

I wanted to scatter the poison with the smallest time difference as  possible so that I wouldn’t be found out, but perhaps, I was found out  not because the people I killed got found, but because the second poison  I scattered was dispersed and the poison showed half baked effect even  at the places that I hadn’t visited.

Even so this is within my expectation. Nearly half of the members  should already be killed or can’t move, so from now I’m going to  proactively kill those whose movement has been dulled.

I erased my presence with Stealth and took out pendulum’s blades from  the shadows of my hands. I rushed through a passage smoothly without  any sound.

「You──」

I threw a pendulum at a woman who I don’t know as I encountered her.  The woman immediately moved to dodge, but I saw that her movement is  dull from poison. I slashed her neck as I passed her by.

I broke into a run once more while using pendulum or Dark to erase  the lights from lamp or sorcery lighted all over the place. Most of the  members should have Night Vision, even so there are still lights lit  inside the guild because human can only use Night Vision until level 1.

Even so they shouldn’t lit new light as long as the darkness doesn’t  hinder their fighting capability greatly, Because that is their common  sense, they’re thinking that the darkness is their ally.

They are still unable to imagine the “form” of their enemy. They  aren’t even considering that the opponent is more familiar with darkness  than themselves. It’s working slightly to my advantage.

*Hyun-!*

「Guah!」

「You-!?」

With their movement slightly dulling and their head fuzzy from  poison, although they understand that they are under attack in reality,  the darkness is slightly delaying them from perceiving me as enemy.

It’s just for a moment……one second or even less. That slight opening is enough to kill.

I’m scattering clothes that has been soaked with the medicine to  change into poison while killing the guild members I’m encountering one  after another. I’m also taking the time to finish off the people who  can’t move inside the rooms.

There are also those who pretended to be unable to move, but there  won’t be any problem if I immediately attacked them with pendulum from  the start. Against those whose combat strength seem quite high, I used  Shadow Snatch and shot their brain from their ear.

.

*DOGOONN!!*

The wooden boxes and wine casks at further back of the passage were  smashed. A dwarf appeared while mowing down the wrecks with a huge  halberd. As soon as he saw me and the dead guild members around me, he  let out an angry scream with a bloodshot gaze toward me.

「SO YOU ARE THE TRAITORRRR-! ASH COVEREDDD!!」

.

▼ Sharga   Race : Rock Dwarf  – Rank 4

【Magic Power : 135/150】【Stamina : 393/450】

【Overall Combat Strength : 825 (With Body Strengthening : 979)】

.

Berserker Sharga……as expected I was found out after I came this far.  It’s a bit earlier than I planned but, my betrayal got announced  throughout the guild by his voice.

Sharga charged forward. His charge scattered the wreckages on his  way. I pulled out a knife unseen behind my cloak and threw it. Sharga  swept it away with his halberd’s handle.

He is dexterous despite his large weapon. But, more than that he is a  coward. As expected the poison’s effect on rank 4 warrior is weak. So I  decided to stop crossing sword with him more than this and started  running until the arranged spot.

「You won’t get away, ash covered!」

I’m not so capricious that I’ll exchange blows head on against  someone stronger who is wearing full body armor and carrying a huge  weapon.

Sharga is chasing after me. The color of his eyes changed and the pressure he directed at me increased.

It’s said that a berserker would suddenly begin to rampage like mad  and continue to fight until they die with a strength that surpassed the  limit of their flesh body. Most likely that’s Sharga’s trump card.  Certainly he must be able to fight even against rank 5 with that much  strength. But in exchange of that, his vigilance against his surrounding  became slippy.

Sharga is strong. But why do you think there is no other member in this place?

Now, I have brought “your” enemy here.

*Mishi……-!*

After I passed through, the corridor’s wall creaked and countless cracks ran through it all at once.

*DOGOOONN-!*

In that moment, a “grotesque thing” with thick limbs smashed through  the earth wall. The thing collided on Sharga who was chasing after me.  Metallic sound rang out loudly.

「Goudo-!?」

「GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!」

The 『Condemned Goudo』 who was released from his shackle let out a  shout that shook the guild that was formerly a coal mine. He attacked  the Berserker Sharga.

*CLANGGGG-!*

Godou’s claws and Sharga’s halberd clashed and played a fierce clashing sound.

「Goudo-! Shit-, Sage! Calm down this guy-!」

Godou’s attack was like the blow of a giant hammer. Sharga handled the attack while yelling to the corridor.

But, that voice doesn’t reach anyone. Even in this emergency  situation, there is no one who will approach the area where Goudo is  imprisoned.

I had been concealing myself here the whole time since I infiltrated the guild.

Other members won’t approach this place. This is the perfect place to  hide, but that wasn’t my only reason for hiding here. My primary  objective was to free the Condemned Goudo.

Despite his grotesque appearance, I believed that Goudo was a human  in the past. Most likely the Sage used curse and drug to remake him into  something like a chimera.

Goudo was violated by drugs until his brain and got reduced into  animal. I don’t know whether he still has his memory and emotion when he  was human. The Sage stole even his freedom to think with his curse,  changing Goudo into animal for the sole purpose of fighting. The Sage  did that not only because it was a demand from the guild, but it must  also be because of his feeling of rivalry toward master.

Even so, that doesn’t mean I’m feeling sympathy for Goudo’s condition. But──.

Aren’t you frustrated that you are ordered around by this kind of people? Don’t you hate it?

I whispered such words to him while spending time to dispel Goudo’s  curse bit by bit. I also neutralized the drugs that were administered to  him as much as possible.

Of course that wasn’t an easy task. From what I learned from master’s  lesson, a curse is implanting a simple spirit language that is written  by your own magic power into a specific magic particle, and then by  making the magic particle contact the magic power of the creature that  is your target, the effect is activated. Compared to other sorcery it’s a  technique with bad efficiency and it has started to decline, but as  long as it activate successfully, the curse will be active forever using  the magic power of the cursed target.

To dispel the curse, I need to read the order in the magic particle  that is written with the curse and neutralize it with the opposing  spirit language. That’s the only way. What I could do was throwing  opposing magic particle at the cursed magic particle that is enveloping  Godou’s body, neutralizing the curse bit by bit.

I couldn’t erase the curse itself, even so the command binding spell that was binding Goudo should be almost neutralized.

After that I only needed to provide a 『bait』 so that he would smash through the slightly remaining shackle.

That bait is……『a hated target』.

That was why I lured a high ranked member of the guild who could serve for that role.

「GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!」

「GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!」

Goudo has a huge body that is nearly three meters tall. The dwarf  Sharga is only half as tall as him, but his muscles swelled out greatly  as he blocked Goudou’s attacks.

Both Sharga and Goudo possessed rank 4 combat strength, but Goudo has  a status that approached rank 5 due to the drugs and curse on him.  Sharga also increased his strength due to his berserker state, but  Sharga’s face is gradually getting filled with the color of anxiety.

Sharga……that’s “wrong” isn’t it?

「Nuoh!? You bastard-!」

My pendulum’s blade that changed direction with my string control  slashed at the skin of Sharga through his armor’s gap while he is  fighting Goudo.

「What’s the matter Berserker? You will die at this rate you know?」

Sharga’s eyes widened from my words and his anxiety deepened further.

That’s troubling if you keep that up. After all I need you to get serious.

He got the title Berserker because there was something in this dwarf’s past.

Sharga is clearly not suited to be assassin. Someone as strong as him  should have countless other places that can make use of his strength  even if he can’t stand in the public anymore, like becoming a bodyguard  for mafia for example.

And yet Sharga is holing up himself in this kind of cave and drowned  himself in alcohol without ever taking off his full body armor and  letting go of his weapon while keeping up his wariness toward his  surrounding. Surely that’s because he is a 『coward』.

Although he has strength, he can’t fight because he is a coward.  That’s why, he can’t protect himself other than rampaging like a  cornered rat driven by anger.

But even while being driven by his anger, he is always saving aside  some of his sense at the last step. The proof is that his mind is still  working even now despite fighting furiously. Even just now, why did he  sought help from the Sage first rather than prioritizing defeating the  rampaging Goudo?

It’s only because Sharga feared death that he surrendered himself to  rage. It’s only because he feared that that he didn’t cross the last  line. But──

「Now, what are you going to do? You’re really going to……”die at this rate”.」

Sharga was a rock dwarf who was born in human settlement.

From his childhood, his toughness was the only thing that he was  confident with. He became an adventurer with his human childhood friends  and he played an active role as the shield of his three friends.

But, at that time they were still young and got cocky. They stepped  deep into a dungeon and encountered a powerful monster. Even so they  might be able to come back alive if they combined their strength. But,  their combat experience against strong monster was lacking. And because  Sharga was skilled, that was the first time his human childhood friends  got exposed to mortal danger. They tried to run away leaving behind  Sharga who was holding back the monster alone.

That would be the end of it if Sharga was a normal adventurer. But,  in that moment, the extreme fear of losing his life became a blazing  rage of being betrayed inside Sharga. Without hesitation he threw the  weapon in his hand to the back of his comrade who was his friend.

When Sharga regained his sanity, one of his comrades had died from being torn apart by monster.

His last memory was the monster attacking his friend who got his back  split by his axe, and he picking up the axe that he threw himself.  After that his memory was cut off.

Berserker phenomenon. Those who lost their senses in battlefield from  fear or anger would remove every limitation of their body and rampaged  until death according to this phenomenon.

Sharga was able to regain his sanity must be because he was a rock  dwarf who was tougher than human. Sharga got scared from killing his  childhood friend and ran away from the dungeon with his tattered body.

But, what was waiting for him outside was his two friends who ran  away ahead. They saw Sharga throwing his axe to their dead friend, and  despite being the first one to abandon him, they blamed Sharga as friend  killer.

Sharga was scared. From killing his friend. From being blamed about  that by his friends. And then Sharga, he only knew of one way to escape  from that fear.

.

After slaughtering his friends, Sharga fell to the underworld in order to escape.

He worked as bodyguard for thieves or bandits. He murdered even the  innocents in order to protect himself. If the organization he belonged  to showed any sign of cutting him off, he would slaughter them all  without even making sure first.

Even if he fell into darkness……no, exactly because he had fallen, Sharga couldn’t tolerate an act of betraying comrade.

But while he was doing that, he became targeted by the underworld  too. Sharga who was a wanted man even at the surface world finally  drifted to assassin guild that wouldn’t inquire about its members’  background as long as they were strong.

But, there was also no peace for Sharga there.

One day, a man who was thought to be a spy from the kingdom was  captured. Then by the hand of the guild leader and the Sage, torture and  modification that were too repulsive to even talk about were applied on  the man. Sharga who witnessed that became terrified against the  assassin guild too.

The spy had a brave and praiseworthy character even from Sharga’s  perspective. And yet his dignity was trampled and he was changed into an  animal even while he was crying and screaming like a child. He couldn’t  maintain his sanity after witnessing something like that.

Since that day Sharga shut himself at the back of the canteen. He  could only protect his heart by drinking alcohol while being unable to  even take off his armor or let go of his weapon.

「──uaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!」

Human reasoning finally vanished from Sharga’s eyes by the last push. He let out a war cry that sounded like a scream.

「GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!」

Sharga yelled as though he is howling. He swung around his huge  halberd like a windmill. He pulverized even the surrounding walls while  sending Goudo’s huge body flying.

「GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!」

「AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!」

*GOOOOOONN!*

They made sounds of enormous irons bashing against each other. Sharga  and Goudo hit each other without even putting up any defense while  destroying the surrounding walls.

That’s good. But, it’s still not enough.

「──Weight──」

I dashed toward their location and activated dark magic.

Weight was only thought as a level 1 dark sorcery that could only  change ten percent of something’s weight, but it’s actually a sorcery to  change the direction of the weight to the direction the caster’s  choose. Its effect is improved by ten percent each time my dark magic’s  level increased by one.

There won’t be that much different even if I change something’s  weight by thirty percent. But, it’s a different story when I also have  Martial Art skill of the same level.

「UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!」

The instant I approached, Sharga who sensed hostility with his instinct threw a hand axe from his waist.

The hand axe approached with a buzzing sound in this narrow corridor.  It’s impossible to dodge it by moving to the side, so I ran up the wall  and even on the ceiling and slashed from above the two who are still  fighting.

「NUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!」

「GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!」

My blade only injured the two a little. But, that small attack pushed me up onto the 'stage” of the two’s battle.

I changed position by jumping over them, then I threw a knife at the  two while running back through the path I originally came from. And then  Sharga and Goudo also chased after me while still fighting to keep each  other in check.

.

Like that I led the two and returned to the first hall that got its  door destroyed by Sharga. There I encountered several members who were  looking for me the traitor.

「You bastard, ash covered!」

「Goudo-!?」

「Even Sharga!」

The members don’t only noticed me, but also the two I led here. Their eyes widened in surprise as they gulped.

「DOORYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!」

「GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!」

The two madmen continued to fight without giving a damn to the guild  members. Goudo’s huge body and the huge halberd clashed. The several  guild members who got dragged into it were sent flying with their neck  or spine snapped.

The poison has circulated throughout the whole guild, dulling the movement of the members.

I slipped through the members, and killed them if there is an  opening. The approaching Sharga and Goudo mowed them down like dry  grasses.

When the battle is this chaotic, nobody will be able to continue  targeting just one person. In this battlefield where one’s life will be  scattered if they lose focus just for a moment, I finished off several  members who are weakening from the poison. That man appeared at that  timing.

「ARIAAAAAAAAAAAA!」

*GAKINN!*

I pulled out my black knife in respond to that yell that was filled  with hatred and the killing intent. Brilliant red sparks scattered when  that man swung down his silver short sword.

「You’re late, Dino.」

「You have really done it now……-」

Our blades are locked with each other while making metallic sound. On  the other side of the locking blades, a growl of deep resentment leaked  out from Dino when he heard my words.

「You bastard……don’t you care of what I’m going to do to Serjura……!?」

Dino’s eyes trembled and warped with hatred. My cold gaze is reflected on there.

「There won’t be any problem if I kill “everyone” who might try to use master.」

When I spoke out that simple answer, Dino looked at me with eyes that  looked like he is looking at a lunatic after he understood my meaning.

「You’re planning that……from the start?」

「Obviously.」

I pulled the string wrapped around my pinkie and fired an arrow from  my hand protector’s crossbow. Dino dodged it in a hair’s breadth and  exchanged a kick with me. We leaped away from each other with that and  glared to each other from distance.

Five months ago, when we first met, there was different path than this that we could take.

But, our path was decided the moment you tried to use master(Serjura).

.

「Dino……. You are my “enemy” from the start.」

Dino joined the assassin guild when he was ten.

He was born between his father who was the guild leader of the  northern frontier district branch and a bar waitress. Before joining he  was living together in the city with his mother, but he was handed to  his father by his mother due to a certain circumstance.

His father’s occupation wasn’t something respectable by any means  but, his mother never talked about his father’s true occupation to her  still young child. He was only told that his father punished bad people  in order to earn money.

The young Dino idolized his father. He grew to become someone who  talked down bad people──those who had differing opinion from him with  sound argument, and wielded violence toward those who couldn’t  understand his “justice”. But, his justice antagonized other children  which resulted the young Dino to be beaten down by even greater  violence.

That was the time when Dino started to become warped. He started  working hard to become strong for the sake of his justice, at the same  time in order to vent his anger, he became someone who wielded excessive  violence against 『evil that was weaker than himself』.

At first he kidnapped the pet dog or livestock of those who beat him,  and killed the animals by torturing them. It was him clearing up his  grudge while at the same time giving judgment on his own way toward  those who couldn’t understand his justice.

As he grew, his action intensified. He killed kids who did mischief.  When his mother saw the warped smile on her son’s face, she finally  handed him to his father as though throwing him out.

When Dino learned that the true form of his father’s justice was the  assassin guild, his own justice wavered and Dino became even more  warped.

But he realized that the justice in his mind wouldn’t be recognized  by the majority, instead he affirmed the assassin guild to be a carrier  of justice that brought down punishment to the evil even if went against  the law. Dino then devoted himself to the organization.

The previous guild leader harbored no interest toward his son. As a  father, he would give anything Dino asked, even so he never really  looked at Dino closely, and so nobody noticed Dino’s warped nature.

.

When Dino was twenty years old, a woman of dark elf species that was called as the demon race joined the guild.

Serjura was a beautiful woman. But more than her beauty, it was her  strength that Dino looked up to. Serjura left the evil demon race and  became assassin of justice. She was the ideal “justice” for Dino.

Dino requested his father to become her disciple. With that he sought  the strength to enforce his “justice” and also the woman he looked up  to.

Although done halfheartedly, it was still a teaching from Serjura. In  less than a year Dino managed to learn wind and earth sorcery. But, his  talent was nothing more than average.

Although it was sufficient strength for most people, from the  perspective of a dark elf like Serjura, Dino was lacking in talent. She  gave up on him and gave him a pitying gaze. To Dino it felt like  『contempt』. He got warped in proportion to the strength of his  admiration toward Serjura. After that he became even more fixated toward  Serjura who gave him “pain”.

He wanted to make Serjura who possessed the strength he yearned for to yield to him, to give her pain…….

That obsession──brought “ruin” to the assassin guild.

「ARIAAAAAAAAAAAA!!」

Dino finally understood “me”. He yelled my name with the intensity of vomiting blood.

.

▼ Dino   Race : Human  – Estimated Rank 4

【Magic Power : 145/180】【Stamina : 223/290】

【Overall Combat Strength : 795 (With Body Strengthening : 933)】

.

*Gakiinn!*

The sparks from the clashing sword illuminated the assassin guild that is wrapped in darkness like fireworks.

「Stone Bullet-!」

Several stones rained down from the exposed rock surface of the former coal mine.

I who could see the “color” of earth type magic particle from Dino  immediately leaped away. I dodged by jumping over the stones as multiple  screams rose from behind.

「Gyaah!?」

「Guah!」

I knew the earth sorcery’s timing from my experience fighting the  female thief. With that, I dragged the bunch watching for the moment I  let my guard down into the attack and slashed their necks with my knife.

Most likely Dino’s sorcery is also level 3 like that female thief,  but although his activation is faster than that female thief, his firing  speed is inferior. If it’s just his activation speed, then I want to  praise him, as expected from my senior disciple but, his sorcery is  lacking in “power”.

「Dammit-!」

Dino groaned from hitting his own allies. He directed his blade of hatred toward me. But, for him to hit his own allies meant……

「You lost control from anger. That was your blunder.」

「ARIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!」

I provocatively pointed out Dino’s fault. It made Dino lost even more of his composure.

I had scattered poison to whittle down the combat strength of the  people here, made Sharga and Goudo to fight each other and brought chaos  to the battlefield, but that doesn’t mean that I’m in advantage. The  surviving assassins who managed to endure the poison are gathering here.  There are only around ten remaining but, among them there are also  beastman like Radha who have better night vision and detection skill.

Although their movement is dulling from poison, most of them are rank 3 like Guy and Keira.

「…………」

I pushed down my emotion to the bottom of my heart to harden my resolve. I narrowed my eyes to pressure the surrounding.

Truthfully this kind of plan that leave things to luck isn’t my  favorite. But, such resolve is necessary when merely a single child want  to fight against an organization.

Come out.

You’re watching right?

You have been wanting to kill me right from the start since I came here right?

After all you hate everything that is related to master──

「──Shield──!!」

The instant I 'saw” it, I activated the magic shield while dodging by jumping back.

「Don’t think you can run away-!」

「Die, ash covered-!」

Two assassins reacted instantly by throwing a knife and shooting a  bow. The projectiles grazed my arm and shoulder, injuring me quite  badly, even so I kept opening the distance. Then at the next moment──

「Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?」

「Hiiiih!」

「Guaaaaaaah!」

Several assassins at the back got dyed black. Their body became unable to move and crumbled like leaves drying up completely.

Even while that’s going on, disgusting magic particles with complexly  mixed colors are approaching. I blocked them with magic shield while  dodging. Even so a 『curse』 that I failed to block completely hit my  cloak. It weathered and crumbled down at the same time as I took it off  and threw it away.

「……So you dodge it. This accursed disciple of that annoying dark elf.」

From the deepest part of the darkness, the old wood elf wearing dark  colored robe──the shaman “Sage” showed himself and looked at me with a  dark gaze.

Curse……Curse sorcery is an inefficient technique but, as long as you  ignore efficiency and choose the right time and place, it has the power  that surpassed other sorcery. In the first place master won’t give me  lecture and lesson about it if it’s just a trifling art. That’s why the  one who I’m feeling the wariest against isn’t Goudo, but this Sage.

「Sage-! What are you doing-!」

Looks like he also managed to dodge. Dino expressed his fury toward  the Sage whose attack also hit the guild members. But the Sage only  glanced and scoffed at him.

「You greenhorn……do you believe a mere human like you is above this me?」

「Wha-……」

For the Sage, this guild is just a research place. Although he will  spend effort to maintain that place, the people here aren’t any comrade  of his.

The Sage ignored the speechless Dino and only saw me in his sight.

「How did you dodge, dark elf’s disciple?」

「……I thought that you will definitely do that.」

Dark elf and wood elf. While the two are the same race, they hate  each other. But more than that, master denied the “curse sorcery” that  the Sage has devoted half of his life to master. He absolutely couldn’t  forgive master.

That was why I was waiting for the Sage to launch his attack.

Although I was convinced just like with Keira that he would attack,  it was a gamble whether his attack would also hit other people or not.  The elves regarded pride as something important, including master. The  elves who came out of their forest aren’t actually that prideful, but  this is just how strong the Sage’s hatred to master is.

But, the Sage’s obsession of wanting to kill me even if he hit his  allies in the process has neutralized almost all of the guild members in  the way. There are still some who lived, but if they haven’t showed up  in this place, they must be those who aren’t confident with their  fighting skill or those with strong wariness.

「GUAOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!」

I heard a death throe from somewhere.

He must have gotten affected by the curse just now. Berserker Sharga  has one of his feet dyed black. Goudo’s claw pierced his heart and he  crumbled.

「GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!」

The victor, Condemned Goudo noticed the Sage who was the one binding him with curse and let out a shout of anger.

But Goudo himself isn’t unharmed. He had just fought Sharga  seriously. His whole body is filled with deep lacerations. Not just  that, his right arm also got hit by the curse and turning into black  dust.

「……So it also won’t accept “order” huh. You’re truly annoying, dark elf’s disciple and also your teacher-」

*Pekin-*

The Sage realized that I was the one rewriting Goudou’s curse and  grimaced. He pinched one of his fingers that looked like withered branch  and then snapped it himself.

「”Prostrate”」

「GUGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!」

Goudo tried to leap at the Sage, but he got flattened on the floor while vomiting blood.

「……Compensation style curse huh.」

Master thought that its efficiency is the worst even among the curse  sorcery. Most likely this was the cause of the enmity between master and  the Sage.

Sorcery is a technique to cause a “phenomenon” by paying with the  caster’s magic power as compensation, but in case of curse, the ratio of  that “compensation” is bigger. A curse sorcery demand “magic power” and  the “time” needed to set it up but, when it’s taken even further, the  compensation can develop to offering “yourself” to spirit life-form like  devil and the like.

It’s said that elf race can’t become old, but that’s because they  often die by disease or accident before they turned old. A wood elf like  the sage has the appearance of an old man most likely because he has  been using his “life force” as compensation.

By leaving the『last compensation』 for that kind of curse sorcery  unpaid, he could activate the curse after paying the last compensation  by injuring himself, breaking his finger.

His remaining fingers……there are still nine. If he can launch attack  of the same scale by repeating his self-injuring action, my chance to  defeat the Sage by fighting him fair and square is small.

Besides there is also still Dino. Right now he found it hard to make a  move from fear of facing him and me simultaneously, but if he saw that  the sage isn’t hostile against him although he also isn’t his ally, he  will take action to cut off my path of escape.

I’m still in disadvantage. But I have no intention of running.

Besides……, soon the last “trap” that I risked my life for will activate.

「──?」

「……This is」

The Sage slightly scowled and looked back. Dino noticed that and turned his gaze toward the entrance.

When I entered this guild from its regular entrance, I also played my last “gambit”.

It was hot for some reason today right?

It was humid for some reason today right?

That was because I destroyed all the vent holes in this underground guild.

This place was formerly a coal mine. An accident several hundred  years ago produced a lot of victim and a huge cathedral and graveyard  were built here. When I investigated that accident, I learned that it  was an accident of natural gas coming out from the rock surface and a  torch’s fire lit it up.

Even now small amount of gas is gushing out. The usual faint smell  was because of that. Even so it wasn’t to a degree that could affect  human’s health. As long as vent hole is created at the point where the  gas leaked out, there won’t be any problem even if fire lamp is lit  here.

Even so there were only few lamps here. It wasn’t just because  everyone has night vision, but because the predecessors who built this  guild feared the gas from accumulating again.

I closed the vent holes several days ago so that gas gradually  accumulate inside the guild. There should be those who got dizzy from  that too. But they had gotten used to the smell of gas from living here  in many years and couldn’t perceive it as something dangerous.

And then I scattered poison, Sharga and Goudo went into rampage, and  the Sage used curse indiscriminately. Naturally such chain of events  would make 'someone” without combat strength to run away.

It won’t activate only by someone entering inside from the entrance.  But, the moment someone tried to go outside from that entrance, the  string I set up will snap and triggered some oil to be lit up.

This smell of scorch that has reached even my nose must meant that  the fire has spread around the entrance. I didn’t use this method right  from the start because, if I used this right from the start, then no  matter how individualistic the assassins are, it’s possible that all of  them will work together as one to escape. But, it’s too late now──.

「This place is a coffin for you guys.」

When I muttered that, the few surviving people looked astonished.  Dino who realized that it was me who lit fire in this underground guild  staggered backward.

「……You’re mad」

I wouldn’t be able to even fight against you guys if I don’t go that  far. The time remaining for everyone in this guild is only until the  fire spread and lit up the gushing out gas.

All of you shall die here.

「You bastarddd-! YOU BASTARDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!」

*GAKIINN!*

Dino rushed forward with a terrifying speed. When my black knife met his short sword, they created an intense metallic sound.

「How dare you-! Against “my” guild-!!」

「Is that so」

I curtly replied while we exchanged blows for two, three times.

For someone like Dino, 『organization』 must be like a 『status』 that  symbolized himself externally. In order to maintain it, he brought  together unique people as the “leader”, gathered capable people like  they are his collection, and like that he even meddled with master’s  peaceful life.

The guild that you treasured so much is in a dire strait now.

But, let me say it even then.

「You reap what you sow.」

「AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!」

*GAKIN-!*

I leaped back from the severe blow that Dino did with the intensity as though he is spitting blood.

Dino’s short sword is most likely made from mythril. Viro was also using the same thing, so I know its characteristic.

Mythril is formed from silver vein underground being exposed to thick  magic particles for a long period of time. Its hardness is slightly  inferior compared to my knife of magic steel, but it has good magic  power conductivity, and similar with magic sword, it can also deal  damage to spiritual life form.

In the current situation the difference in weapon is the same as  nonexistent, but my knife focused on sharpness and it has low power, and  my own combat level is inferior compared to Dino, so there is a limit  in how long I can continue blocking his attacks.

「You’re a nuisance, Dino-!」

*Pekin…….*

The Sage snapped his own finger. Magic particles with disgusting and chaotic “color” flowed from him again.

「Kuh!」

Dino sensed the “curse” even though he can’t see it. He rolled on the  ground to dodge it and opened the distance. Thanks to the warning, I  also managed to use Shield while barely escaping to a safe range.

「You bastard……-! Are you able to see my curse!? That shield too, you  bastards who are connected to that dark elf are really annoying!」

The Sage hurled abusive words after seeing me successfully dodging his curses in succession.

Perhaps he was only doing it unconsciously but, the Sage was  hesitating to hit Dino together with me because he still needed the  guild which is his 『research place』 to remain. Thanks to that I can  fight against these two rank 4 like this, but that too won’t last long  in various meaning.

The flame burning from the entrance has continued to spread until its  heat can be felt even from here. Black smoke is starting to flow until  this place that is almost at the center of the underground.

I pulled up my shawl that has been soaked with antidote until my eyes.

If that woman’s “knowledge” is accurate, this place also won’t last  long. But, they should be even more anxious than me. Right now their  hatred toward me is still greater, so they are prioritizing fighting,  but they should notice that their life is in danger when they become  calm.

Human will lose their composure when they are ruled by hatred, and when they regain their composure then next anxiety will form.

That’s why I’ll finish this before their sanity return.

「Dino, just go secure an escape path! You’re in the way-」

「Shut up! Don’t order me around-!」

「Rest assured, with this hand, this dark elf’s disciple shall──」

*Hyun-!*

「I won’t give you the time.」

「Kuh!」

When I threw two pendulums with curving trajectories, Dino hurriedly  dodge one of them but it still left a shallow cut on his neck.

My basic tactic is outlandish scheme and surprise attack. For that I  almost never showed the pendulum and illusion in front of them. But,  this is the time to stop holding back. I’m using everything here to hold  them back here until it become impossible for them to escape. I’ll  definitely do it.

*Pekin…….*

「”Rot”!」

Another curse came from the Sage. Perhaps because he noticed that I  was dodging the “curse” with sight, the Sage prioritized range for this  curse instead of power.

If I got hit fully by the Sage’s curse, it will be instant death for  me if I’m unlucky. Curse is a terrifying technique as long as all the  conditions are cleared and you choose the time and place for it, even so  it has weakness.

In the end curse is unrivaled only when it’s “passive”. It’s lacking speed when used for face to face combat like now.

Also this only apply to me but, you have shown your curse that should be a sure kill too many times to me.

「What!?」

The magic particles with chaotic colors complexly entangled with each  other. I ran while dodging them, at the same time I matched my magic  particles with the magic particles that I can see and threw it to them  to neutralize the curse.

Earth against water, water against fire, darkness against light……it’s  impossible to match all the particles complexly entangled with each  other to form the curse, but if it’s only for a small range that I can’t  completely dodge……if it’s just for a moment, by using Daily Life Magic  with my Magic Power Control that has reached level 3, I can erase a part  of the magic particles that form the curse, neutralizing that small  area. This is the fruit from steadily dispelling the curse on Goudo.

「ARIAAAAAA!」

The expanded range of the curse reached even Dino’s location.

As I approached near, Dino hesitated for a moment, between  intercepting me or dodging the curse. In that instant, I casted the  “trump card” that I have been saving.

「──Pain──」

「Gugaah!?」

Even Pain that has weak effect against stronger opponent can stop them for a moment if they have no prior knowledge about it.

I slid on the ground under Dino and cut his side with a knife as I  passed him. The instant I passed him by, the Sage’s curse rotted Dino’s  left arm and left leg.

「GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?」

He let out a scream that sounded like a death throe. Dino fell limply. Even so──

「AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!」

Dino’s rage and hatred drove him to brandish his short sword with his  right arm even while he is dying. It’s too close that I can’t dodge.  But, a faint sound reached me at that time.

*Clang……-*

A familiar necklace fell from Dino’s pocket and it rolled until under  my feet. The Water that I immediately chanted caused a lot of steam to  burst up due to the surrounding heat and the power of the water spirit  stone.

「──!?」

「HAA!」

The short sword thrown by Dino whose sight is blocked flew passed my  side. I stepped forward and tore Dino’s face vertically. Seeing that,  the Sage grabbed several fingers and snapped them all at once.

「You dark elf’s disciple-!」

Three types of curses came attacking as the expression of the Sage’s  fury. I leaped out from the steam and dashed through the guild as the  curses cornered me.

No matter how slow curse is, I can’t dodge them with this timing.

But you know……why do you think I destroyed all the “lights” before I came until here?

「What!?」

The figure of “me” vanished as the three curses enveloped it.

I still took the time to destroy the lights even knowing that there  are beastmen and elf with strong night vision here wasn’t just as  countermeasure against human. The humanoid illusion that I used in the  battle against gobhobling to trick its night vision──Shadow, using that,  I made that humanoid magic particles only to run away from the cover of  the steam.

Even if the elf’s night vision is level 2, he can be tricked once in this situation. That was my aim.

「Gubooh!?」

I took advantage of that moment and two pendulums came flying from  unexpected directions. They pierced the Sage’s neck diagonally. But──

「NUOOOOOOOO!」

It should be a fatal wound no matter how you looked at it, even so  the Sage found me who is lurking in the darkness even while blood  spurted out from his throat and mouth. He grabbed his finger to unleash  his curse.

「Fuuh!」

I won’t be able to dodge the next one in this range. I instantly  judged that and took off my stealth. I squeezed out the air in my lungs  and decided to meet it head on.

I’m impressed by your tenacity. Then in order to face it head on, I  swished my skirt and pulled out the throwing knives attached on my  calves with both hands.

Within the slowed down time due to my body strengthening, the Sage  tightly grasped his own finger to activate his curse, while I threw my  knives.

With this timing we will take down each other──

*Zashu-!!*

「……Yo……you bastard……」

My knives pierced the Sage’s throat and chest. The Sage’s curse doesn’t reach me…….

「Gaaaa……」

The executed curse was blocked by a huge body that cut in front of it, blocking it completely.

「Goudo……」

Goudo blocked the curse as my shield. With his remaining left hand on  his battered body, Goudo grabbed the Sage’s neck that was like a  withered tree.

「Th, is……DAMN GUINEA PIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!」

「GAAAAAAAAAAH!」

Goudo’s tenacity outdid the Sage. His hand crushed the Sage’s neck and tore off his head.

Godou stood still after finishing off the Sage. In his eyes, it was faint but, there was a light of “reason” there.

「Goudo……it’s your “win”.」

You……managed to regain your 『self』 in the end.

He looked back at the words that spilled out from my mouth. My figure  is reflected on his eyes. As his body crumbled down from the curse, it  felt like he is smiling just a little.

.

*DOOOONN!!*

Suddenly, an explosive sound came from the back. The overflowing gas caught fire and swallowed Goudo and the Sage.

Most likely there was someone who tried using the escape route at the  deepest part, where the gas accumulated. That person opened my last  trap. I can hear the death throes of still surviving guild members from  afar. Nobody can escape anymore. It’s over for this guild.

「……Are you……satisfied?」

「……Dino.」

Dino is still alive even with half his body violated by curse and his face torn vertically.

Inside the hell that is dyed crimson by the spreading flame, I and  the unmoving Dino who is lying face down on the ground stared at each  other. He is wearing a slightly cynical smile.

「……For the guild to be crushed by a kid like this……are you satisfied  that you can safe Serjura? But this is also the end for you. No one……can  escape anymore. Aria……you won but, our beloved teacher will surely live  in regret for eternity from losing you.」

Master is someone with deep compassion, so she will surely feel sad.  That’s why Dino laughed sadistically, claiming that I don’t win.

You’re twisted till the end huh…….

「Is that all that you want to say? Then, sayonara.」

I dispassionately loaded an arrow into my crossbow gimmick. Dino’s  face gradually twisted more and more as he watched me. His widely opened  eyes reflected me who is looking down coldly on him and the arrow I  fired. With this he will never move again.

「Go to the other side by yourself.」

*GODOOOOOOOOOOOONN!!*

*GARAAAAAAAAAAAANN!!*

There must be accumulated gas in the underground far deeper than even that coal mine.

The explosion that reverberated in the underground shook the bedrock  and the huge cathedral made from stone. The bell fell down from the  spire that is enveloped in flame and crumbling. The toll of the bell  ringing from the falling rubbles struck the ears of the dumbfounded  citizens watching the spectacle.

「…………」

I’m staring at that scene from the shadow of a distant building.

I was able to escape from the underground where nobody should be able  to escape. It was also a gamble for me but, I was quite confident in my  chance of success.

What saved me was Shadow Walker that Radha used.

It’s a level 4 dark sorcery but, by recomposing it into Shadow Snatch  and familiarizing myself in using it, I was able to activate it just  barely although I ended up using all of my magic power.

Shadow Walker can only traverse to shadow that the caster’s magic  particle is connected to. In order to do that, when I blocked all of the  vent holes, I left behind several 'strings” filled with my magic power  at several spots.

From there I used Shadow Walker and managed to move until the  graveyard’s burial chamber, but my magic power ran dry from using  sorcery that surpassed my level and I almost dead from fatigue.

But, it was fortunate that I was constantly a magic power recovery  potion because of my previous lesson. I recovered until I can move my  body somehow and managed to escape from the cathedral that also crumbled  along.

The assassin guild’s northern frontier district branch is destroyed. I  don’t know how the other branches and the involved nobles will act  because of this. But──

.

「I’m prepared for that.」

.

I gave a last glance at the crumbling cathedral before vanishing into the darkness.