Chapter 47 : The Stirring of the Shadowblack

The Time When Alvis’ Party Was Heading to Arboness

During this period, the city of Aldebaran, where they had stayed, was buzzing with tales of the Mercenary King’s exploits.

“You guys should’ve seen that light! Damn, I thought I was looking at some kind of holy knight! The way his sword shone—it was unbelievably cool.”

“Well, he’s obviously not a holy knight, but I’d love to learn that kind of light-based magic myself.”

“But was that really magic? What if it was something like aura instead?”

“Man, if that guy were still here, we could’ve just asked him ourselves.”

“How long are you gonna keep looking for someone who’s already left? If we don’t work hard, all the fame we gained thanks to him will disappear in no time. Alright, anyone who’s free today, it’s time for training! Move it!”

“Aww man, our commander’s way too enthusiastic…”

The Iron Wolf Mercenary Corps laughed and chatted as they usually did, using the “Mercenary King”—who had stayed with them for about two weeks before departing—as the main topic of conversation.

The difference now was that, inspired by the Mercenary King, the mercenaries had dramatically increased the time and frequency of their voluntary training when they weren’t on a job.

Those who had seen the Mercenary King’s radiant sword up close were captivated, believing that if they trained hard enough, they might one day wield a similar aura.

Rumors of the Mercenary King quickly spread beyond Aldebaran.

Other cities dismissed the tales as typical mercenary exaggerations and bravado, but the citizens of Aldebaran and the Iron Wolf Mercenaries, who had witnessed his feats firsthand, knew the truth.

At that moment, a man and a woman, both wearing black hoods pulled low over their faces, exchanged a glance from their corner in the tavern, nodded to each other, and stood up.

They approached the mercenaries and asked,

“Hey, did you say that Mercenary King guy could control light?”

“What exactly did it look like? Tell us everything you know.”

“Huh? Who are you guys? Haven’t seen you around here before.”

The mercenaries fell silent, turning their attention to the two strangers.

“Why does it matter so much?” the woman asked. “We just got curious about this Mercenary King. Is he a man or a woman? What does he look like? How tall is he? Did he have any companions? And most importantly, this ‘light’ he controlled—was it magic? Was it mistaken for aura? Or… was it actual light itself?”

The mercenaries exchanged wary glances, their expressions turning cold before shifting into a defensive stance.

“People who dig this deep into someone’s background in a place like this usually only have one job—assassins. You’re not even trying to hide it, are you?”

The woman smirked.

“Wow, that’s harsh. I’m a mercenary too, you know. Just not from around here.”

“Then state your affiliation and name.”

“Will this do?”

The woman produced an insignia, bearing the symbol of black wings curled into a circular shape, stretching both upward and downward.

The moment they recognized it, the mercenaries recoiled in shock and immediately drew their weapons.

“Battle positions! They’re from the Shadow Dagger Mercenary Corps!”

“That scar near her eye… Wait, could she be… Bloodstained Rose Sophia?!”

“Calling people ‘this’ and ‘that’—such rude beasts.”

“You really should’ve kept up the act, Sophia. Why’d you spill everything so easily?”

As the dark-skinned man beside her stood up, someone else recognized him as well.

“T-That bastard… it’s O’Brien, the Head Collector!”

“Kill them! We must never let those monsters live!”

“Hah! You’re going to kill us? That’s rich, coming from fellow mercenaries. If you’d just told us the truth nicely, I would’ve at least given you a painless death. But now, I guess I have no choice but to show my true colors.”

With those words, Sophia drew the sword strapped to her waist and swung it forcefully.

The blade suddenly extended, splitting into numerous fragments strung together by chains.

Each fragment was covered in razor-sharp barbs, resembling the thorny stem of a rose.

“That sword… That’s the Thornblade! She really is Bloodstained Rose Sophia! Everyone, be careful!”

“As if being careful would change anything.”

Sophia smirked and charged toward the mercenaries.

Two hours later.

“Guh… AAAAAARGH!!!”

The interior of the Iron Wolf Mercenary Corps’ tavern had turned into a bloodbath, filled with severed limbs and dismembered corpses.

The only survivor, the mercenary captain, was ensnared by Sophia’s thorn-covered sword.

The barbed chains coiled around his body, tearing his flesh apart as he screamed in agony.

As Sophia tugged on the hilt, the Thornblade tightened its grip, sinking the spikes deeper into his flesh.

Blood gushed from his wounds.

“AAAAHHH! AARRRGHH!!!”

“Now then, shall we have a little chat? Tell me everything you know about this so-called ‘Mercenary King.’”

“Hrk… H-His name is… Alvis… He looks like some noble pretty boy with brown hair… He definitely wielded light, but I’m not a mage, so I don’t know if it was magic or not… I think it was aura, but he never explained, so I can’t say for sure… Guhk…”

His voice grew weaker, fading into a desperate wheeze as blood gurgled in his throat.

“H-He had a servant girl with him… always wore a hood, so I never saw her face… But she seemed like the type who enjoyed being praised… Hah… Hrk… A-And I think a member of the Bunnyfolk was with them too… I don’t know where they went! T-That’s all I know! So please…”

“Hmm. Not exactly satisfying, but it’s better than nothing. Good job.”

With one final pull of her sword, Sophia tightened the Thornblade even further.

The captain’s body was crushed and torn apart, reduced to little more than chunks of flesh.

Sophia flicked the blood off her blade, restoring it to its normal form.

She wiped a smear of blood from her cheek, then licked it off her finger before turning to the man beside her.

“So? What does the great all-knowing mage think?”

“When that foolish noble brat stormed into Liberta that day, a group helped her escape. A powerful flash of light blinded us back then. It was so strong that we couldn’t see their faces, but judging by the details, it’s highly likely that this so-called Mercenary King and his party are the same ones who were in Liberta that day.”

“Should we go after them? But we don’t know where they went.”

“Our orders from the boss were to gather information, not to capture them ourselves. This much should be enough. The boss and our clients will take it from here.”

O’Brien dusted off his hands, dismissing the magic he had been preparing.

Then, without sparing a glance at the corpses littering the tavern, he turned toward the exit.

“Hmm? You’re just leaving? Not taking any heads?”

“None of them put up a real fight to the end. I only collect the heads of those who die with defiance still in their eyes. These ones aren’t worth it.”

“Hah, you really are a disgusting psychopath.”

“And you think you have room to talk?”

The two slaughterers stepped out of the mercenary hideout.

A crowd had gathered outside, drawn by the screams and wails that had echoed from within.

When they saw the blood seeping out from under the door, shrieks of terror erupted among them.

“Quite a lot of witnesses, huh?”

“Come to think of it, the boss mentioned that our client had specific requests. They wanted everyone here dead… and the city burned to the ground.”

“Who the hell is this client of ours that they get off on this kind of thing? Not that I care, as long as they pay well.”

“Let’s finish up and get moving. The next order requires us to head straight for the Duchy of Carat’s border.”

“Busy, busy. But hey, at least I got to let loose for the first time in a while.”

Thousands of elves who had followed us to Aldebaran stood frozen, staring down at the ruined city with anxious expressions.

“This… This is supposed to be our new home?”

“It’s completely destroyed…”

“What happened here? We went through hell ourselves, but this place looks just as bad.”

“Is there even anyone left alive?”

I exchanged glances with Ravi, Elfin, and Lenis.

Before we had left, Aldebaran had been a peaceful, thriving city with no signs of trouble.

How had it turned into this in just a matter of days?

As we moved closer, we saw two opposing factions locked in a heated confrontation near the devastated city gates.

“Alvis, I think those people are about to fight,” Ravi murmured.

We approached carefully and listened in on their argument.

“I told you to stand down immediately! The Empire has no right to interfere in our internal affairs! Did you even receive authorization to be here? There’s no way the kingdom approved your passage through the border!”

“The Empire has determined that the kingdom is no longer capable of handling internal incidents on its own! Liberta, Baron Vector’s territory, and now Aldebaran—three major incidents in such a short period! How can we trust your kingdom to resolve anything? The Empire will not stand idly by while the kingdom’s negligence creates more crises that could harm us!”

It seemed both groups had been sent to investigate what had happened here.

But the Empire had clearly dispatched their team without obtaining permission from the kingdom, making this an outright act of interference.

And yet… the kingdom had little ground to refute their presence.

The recent disasters were undeniable, and their inability to contain them only gave the Empire more justification to intrude.

Aldebaran was a hub for imperial merchants as well.

With the city in ruins, the Empire had likely suffered losses too.

But then…

▶ The power of the Deceiver Vector is activating. Vector, who deceived all, was in turn the one who could see through deception better than anyone. You can now discern those who seek to deceive others. You and your allies are less likely to have your identities exposed by them. ◀

At the same time, another ability activated alongside my Eyes of Truth.

My gaze swept over the two factions—until I spotted them.

Two figures, glowing ominously red.

Two among the kingdom’s forces.

Two among the Empire’s.

“They’re being used!”