A back alley in the town. Touching the corpse that was abandoned as if to hide it out of peopleās sight, the corners of my mouth widely lifted.
āāā
The order came in today in the afternoon. Having my precious talk with mom disturbed, I was in a considerably ill mood.
āWhat? Work again? I donāt want to work for a while. Lately Iāve been overworked, havenāt Iā
āDonāt say that. I can only ask youā
The distance is too far for telepathic communication.
Thatās why Iām using a sheet of formula paper provided by the guild, but from a while ago the other side has been only been repeating the same thing.
Only I can do it, do I look like these words will make me do what Iām told. Iām not so cheap.
āI decline. In the first place, whatās with this. You expressly used a sheet of formula paper. Isnāt it a waste of paper. Besides now Iām together with mom. I donāt want to take requests for at least a weekā
āApostateā
āIām Scheatā
āApostate, this is a job only you can do. Thatās my order as the guild master. Will you still say you wonāt listen?ā
āThatās an unfair way of talkingā
On a whim I tried to emphasize my existence, but I was ignored.
Since I expected it, itās fine.
Iām not āScheatā, Iām āApostateā.
Itās expected of me to continue being Apostate.
Iāve known from when I was given this name.
From that time, my name is Apostate, not Scheat.
āSo, whatās the job?ā
āCleanupā
When I heard about the contents of my job, the corners of my mouth dropped.
āāā
Having received the order, after advance preparations I used a transfer gate and again came to this country.
Be that as it may, it doesnāt mean Iāll stay for long. This time itās really a mere cleanup.
A retrieval mission so thatās it not called cleanup. Once I finish, Iāll slip out.
Itās already almost the middle of the night.
I approached the place where I had been instructed to erase all traces. Even though itās late at night, several men who appear to be guards are sharply keeping a watch.
Phew , I let out a breath. Today the mission isnāt killing. I wonāt have souvenirs for mom.
I just need to clean up.
I casually thought that such missions had increased recently. In the past it was only killing.
I know the reason.
Cainās existence. Because heās in Wilhelm. In case of a confrontation with him, probably only I could fight him properly. Thatās why Iām chosen.
ā⦠Iād be happy if I could meet Cainā
While grumbling so, I produced a drug from my bosom.
Itās a common drug used by Sahajaās assassin guilds.
Checking the windās direction I scattered it secretly.
After a short while I saw the guards begin to doze off.
Having confirmed the drug began taking effect, I secretly slipped out from the hiding.
When you sniff the drug called ādream flowerā made from flower pollen, the boundary between the reality and dream becomes vague, no matter what happens before your eyes you wonāt be able to grasp the situation correctly.
I passed through the guards. Of course, nobody is questioning me. Everybody is absentminded, their eyes unfocused. Ignoring them, I arrived at the place I was aiming for.
The place where corpses are kept together.
All the corpses of the victims of todayās fight are kept here.
Checking each person I searched for the people Iām looking for. Because they look different from the hoodlums, I found them right away.
First of all, these two.
Members of my guild. I have to erase their traces.
From the start they didnāt carry anything that would identify them as people of our guild so there should be no need for worry, but even so we donāt know what might leak the information.
When I raised my hand as a signal, four men emerged from darkness. On their shoulders they carried two large jute bags in pairs. I could tell a large thing could be put inside.
When they came near me, they opened the jute bags with experienced movements. Without losing time they advanced with work.
I only looked at it absentmindedly.
Having finished the work in a few minutes, the four men again carried the two jute bags in pairs on their shoulders.
I had them go ahead and moved to the next place.
Actually I had been ordered to recover the vase, however it seems to have already been carried away.
I had been told in advance itās fine to ignore it if it isnāt on the scene, so I easily gave up.
āThe owner canāt be identified, huh. Well, that would be soā
It seems to be a rare magical tool, but itās unknown whose collection it belonged to.
Thatās why it wonāt be a particular hindrance even if itās exposed to be made in Sahaja.
Whatās important is to hide our participation in this plot.
We āBlackā donāt intend to take responsibility for this failure.
It mustnāt be seen as our work. Thatās why weāll erase all traces.
The guards are left as is. At any rate the drugās effect will soon fade. Theyāll only think of it as a dream. There are no aftereffects, they shouldnāt remember this.
āNext isā¦.ā
Thereās one more person left I have to clean up after.
If heās alive, so be it, but probably he isnāt.
If he was, he would long ago have contacted us.
āHe isnāt around here⦠I wonder if he was killed while escapingā
It seems everybody earlier was killed by the Crown Prince.
But, among them there wasnāt the person Iām looking for. Then itās natural to think he was killed by somebody before he could escape. He wouldnāt be found by the guards or the Royal Palace officials.
Assassins of our guild wouldnāt be easily killed by ordinary people.
I reached the conclusion right away.
ā⦠Was it you? Cainā
Only after I produced the voice I noticed.
A lively voice that didnāt seem like my own.
I wonder if I could perhaps meet him.
The only one who calls me by my name, the only one who recognizes me as myself.
What would he do. I thought about that.
Supposing I was him ā what would I do if I killed the attacking assassin. Perhaps, Iād leave him for his fellows to take care of. Thenāāāā.
āāāāā Ah, sure enoughā
A dim back alley. Seeing the hidden corpse that I could tell was the very same assassin, I smiled with satisfaction. As I thought, itās his work.
I dragged out his corpse and examined the wound. Today he used a sword, not a knife. I leaked a sigh at the beautiful cut. It can only be his work for somebody to be killed so beautifully.
āHeās truly almighty. Itās beautifulā
I gazed at the wound spellbound.
Itās delightful seeing his merciless attack at a weak spot that took the life in a single blow.
Iām delighted to know heās an assassin, even if he escaped a guild.
āāāā And yet.
āYou wouldnāt come to my sideā¦ā
I wanted to try working with him. It seems thereās no way for it to come true.
In that case. Iād like to try competing with him as a target someday.
āItās okay, clean upā
I moved away from the corpse and ordered so.
This time, two people came out behind me. They stuffed the corpse into an empty jute bag with experienced movements.
With this, all is done.
Watching them leave carrying a jute bag together, I absentmindedly looked up at the sky.
Tonight is the full moon. Red, red moon.
The color of blood. Your color.
āItās a shame. I wanted to meet you. Cainā
I specially came to Wilhelm. I wanted to see you.
I wanted you to call my name.
My real name nobody calls me by anymore.
While inexplicable sentimentality washed over me, a sheet of formula paper hidden in my bosom shone.
I took it out with experienced movements and passed magical power through the paper.
Receiving magical power, the magic formula drawn on it shone palely.
āApostate. Return⦠Thereās workā
My eyes widened just a little in surprise.
But, I nodded right away.
āGot it. Iāll go there tomorrowā
When I noticed, I was smiling faintly.
We worked out some details and terminated the conversation. The sheet of formula paper that had served its purpose prettily burned up in magic flames.
āAt last, huhā
Finally the plan seems to begin. That is to say, my wish might come true.
āAh, I mustnāt be absentmindedā
I mustnāt stay still.
I vigorously broke into a run.
Quickly, I have to return quickly.
Only that occupied my head.
I already think of nothing else.
I will fulfill the role I was given with all my power.
I swore so at that time.
I swore so to mom.
I ran through the town as if delirious with fever.
āāāā The red moon already doesnāt matter.