hotmtlnovel Book 2: Chapter 18
Book 2: Chapter 18
Book 2: Chapter 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 thats why the surface felt starchy unlike before.
Fixable?
Youre really following your own pace Aria-chan! In this state, it wont 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 dont 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. Im 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 dont need to feel bothered about them. They are prototype model for pattern example. Thats 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. Its 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 dont feel anything out of place from its appearance.
Its 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 youre wearing it properly arent 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 womans 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 dont understand the necessity for them even though I have that womans knowledge, but I guess its 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 arent too damaged, so I think I can finish them in one day.
I myself can maintain them to some degree but, as expected its more reassuring to ask an actual expert to do it. If itll take one day, lets 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 Gelfs shop after finishing my business and headed toward the commercial guild.
The procedure of assassin guilds work started from the client requesting an assassination through the underworld, and if there wont 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 requests 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 wont be suspicious even if Radha doesnt contact them for several weeks until the contact return.
If I stand guard here then I might be able to see the contacts face, but I dont 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. Its possible the contact will hire an ordinary person who doesnt know anything. Furthermore Ill be troubled if the contact doesnt report the request completion to the guild unsuspectingly. Ill 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 dont 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 Im finished with this. Returning the necklace to him will take time, and if the heirloom return to the barons hand, its 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 couldnt 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 wasnt any sign that the death of Mercenary of Dawn was known. I also didnt meet that strange kidCarla 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 Gelfs shop and departed from the capital.
I mustnt 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 arent even members of the guild. They are only under the guilds 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 arent my target but it will be troublesome if they reported me. Thats 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 its 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 its noon and erased my presence. Im 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 wont get thirsty with daily life magic Water. With level 2 Night Vision I wont be inconvenienced even when Im 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 arent boiled to extract essence liquid, but grinded into fine powder and kneaded together with salt, honey, and magic power. The recovery rate from it isnt as good as potion, but it last long and if I eat ten of them per day, Ill be able to maintain my stamina and health for about a week. Its not delicious but, Im 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 wasnt noticed even when I passed beside the lookout beggar who has Stealth skill level 3.
Ill have it far easier for this time if I have level 4 skill, but there is no guarantee that Ill 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 wont 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 its 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. Thats 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 Im 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 its alright for me to ignore it and only set a simple trap there.
Thats because its 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 dont want to use weapon for something like this but, I cant 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 its at another place but, this is the only place where Im 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 GoudoIm giving you freedom.
Im 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 HeydaleI 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 citybut 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 coins 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 guildand the people who are benefited from that unknowingly, I am their potential enemy.
From where theyre standing, I am a destroyer who threaten the peace, an evil. I wont say that theyre wrong. They have their own reason to fight, and if they made me their enemy, Im prepared to fight all of them.
The assassin guild has become my enemy. Ill kill all my enemies.
Thats 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 cant see anyone inside. But I knew that there are many people inside the guild with their presence erased.
My quarrel with Radha wasnt pointless. Im 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 Tearas expected from the favorite pupil of my teacher.
No problem.
Even after hearing the report from his contact, he surely still didnt 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 didnt 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 wont be any problem if its 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.
Its an amount that can be paid because the client is a noble. Most likely its an amount of money that surpassed even the price of the regained Spirit Tear but, thats just how precious this heirloom is for the clientthat noble must really treasure his family.
Well, its a different story whether its a suitable compensation for defeating a rank 4 party or not though.
Even so, Im 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 wasnt 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 thoughyou were able to cross it with that combat strength?
He appraised me just as expected. Im wearing a contact to cover it up as much as possible but, its not impossible to roughly estimate my combat strength when Im this close and the one doing it is someone as experienced as Dino.
Its 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 isnt asking anything about it because he thought it cant be helped due to my discord with Keira, and because itll 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 Im still a usable pawn.
However its already too late. My trap is already starting to move.
.
I left Dinos 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, itll 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 guildKeira.
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 butI wonder if you didnt 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? Its a dirty room but today is hot, so itll be better compared to just standing here right?
I dont 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 dont 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 youre 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 thisthe me who had only just arrived here would be helplessly hit.
Its 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.
Im still just level 3 but, if its 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. Radhas 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 wouldnt 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 wasnt 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 wont betray my trust how there is nothing that can be trusted from you. That was why I connected my magic power to Keiras 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 Keiras dangerousness only felt like lukewarm water.
H-how did you dodgewhy is the arrow in me? Whywhy, is your, combat strengthgah!?
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 its 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 pendulums string around her neck and tightened it to snap her neck so that she wont be able to make any sound.
! !
Keira struggled to remove the string on her neck, but she cant 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 Im 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 nave.
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 dont they think that an opponent they had once provoked wont 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.
Its time. After thisIll 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 hadnt returned.
The contact who had just returned after finishing his job looked confounded by the questioning gaze of the guild leader Dino.
I didnt meet with Radha after the ash covered finished her assassination. Guild leader, you didnt hear anything from ash covered?
No
Although this contacts 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 couldnt enter inside a dungeon alone because his combat strength was only rank 2.
What happened inside the dungeon where the assassination took place?
Certainly Arias 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 Radhas 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 didnt have any sense of belonging with the guild.
But, that was exactly why the assassins wouldnt 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 Radhas 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 wouldnt give them any benefit.
There was only one person in the guild who Dino knew wouldnt 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 andthis 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, wasnt it a bit small? The necklace itself was also something moderately good but, he felt that it wasnt 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 wouldnt 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 didnt 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 peoples peace.
Ill check.
Dino left his room in order to ascertain Arias 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 werent that many people who could be called as the strong.
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 sorcerys 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 Dinos 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 its 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 Dinos 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 doesnt mean that Im 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 isnt my favorite. But, such resolve is necessary when merely a single child want to fight against an organization.
Come out.
Youre 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.
Dont 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 thats 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 robethe shaman Sage showed himself and looked at me with a dark gaze.
CurseCurse 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 wont give me lecture and lesson about it if its just a trifling art. Thats why the one who Im feeling the wariest against isnt 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 greenhorndo 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 arent any comrade of his.
The Sage ignored the speechless Dino and only saw me in his sight.
How did you dodge, dark elfs 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 couldnt 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 arent actually that prideful, but this is just how strong the Sages hatred to master is.
But, the Sages 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 havent showed up in this place, they must be those who arent 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. Goudos 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 isnt 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 wont accept order huh. Youre truly annoying, dark elfs disciple and also your teacher-
*Pekin-*
The Sage realized that I was the one rewriting Goudous 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 casters 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 its taken even further, the compensation can develop to offering yourself to spirit life-form like devil and the like.
Its said that elf race cant become old, but thats 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 thelast 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 fingersthere 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 isnt hostile against him although he also isnt his ally, he will take action to cut off my path of escape.
Im 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 torchs fire lit it up.
Even now small amount of gas is gushing out. The usual faint smell was because of that. Even so it wasnt to a degree that could affect humans health. As long as vent hole is created at the point where the gas leaked out, there wont be any problem even if fire lamp is lit here.
Even so there were only few lamps here. It wasnt 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 couldnt 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 wont 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 didnt use this method right from the start because, if I used this right from the start, then no matter how individualistic the assassins are, its possible that all of them will work together as one to escape. But, its 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.
Youre mad
I wouldnt be able to even fight against you guys if I dont 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 masters 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.
Dinos 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.
Youre 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 cant 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 wont 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 womans knowledge is accurate, this place also wont 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.
Thats why Ill finish this before their sanity return.
Dino, just go secure an escape path! Youre in the way-
Shut up! Dont order me around-!
Rest assured, with this hand, this dark elfs disciple shall
*Hyun-!*
I wont 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. Im using everything here to hold them back here until it become impossible for them to escape. Ill 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 Sages curse, it will be instant death for me if Im 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 its passive. Its 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 lightits impossible to match all the particles complexly entangled with each other to form the curse, but if its only for a small range that I cant completely dodgeif its 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 Dinos 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 Sages curse rotted Dinos left arm and left leg.
GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?
He let out a scream that sounded like a death throe. Dino fell limply. Even so
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
Dinos rage and hatred drove him to brandish his short sword with his right arm even while he is dying. Its too close that I cant dodge. But, a faint sound reached me at that time.
*Clang-*
A familiar necklace fell from Dinos 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 Dinos face vertically. Seeing that, the Sage grabbed several fingers and snapped them all at once.
You dark elfs disciple-!
Three types of curses came attacking as the expression of the Sages fury. I leaped out from the steam and dashed through the guild as the curses cornered me.
No matter how slow curse is, I cant dodge them with this timing.
But you knowwhy 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 wasnt just as countermeasure against human. The humanoid illusion that I used in the battle against gobhobling to trick its night visionShadow, using that, I made that humanoid magic particles only to run away from the cover of the steam.
Even if the elfs 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 Sages 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 wont 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.
Im 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-!!*
Yoyou bastard
My knives pierced the Sages throat and chest. The Sages curse doesnt 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 Sages neck that was like a withered tree.
Th, isDAMN GUINEA PIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!
GAAAAAAAAAAH!
Goudos tenacity outdid the Sage. His hand crushed the Sages 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.
Goudoits your win.
Youmanaged 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. Its over for this guild.
Are yousatisfied?
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 thisare you satisfied that you can safe Serjura? But this is also the end for you. No onecan escape anymore. Ariayou 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. Thats why Dino laughed sadistically, claiming that I dont win.
Youre twisted till the end huh.
Is that all that you want to say? Then, sayonara.
I dispassionately loaded an arrow into my crossbow gimmick. Dinos 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.
Im 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.
Its 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 casters 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 graveyards 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 guilds northern frontier district branch is destroyed. I dont know how the other branches and the involved nobles will act because of this. But
.
Im prepared for that.
.
I gave a last glance at the crumbling cathedral before vanishing into the darkness.