episode_0011

As Elron departed, I gazed at the gruesome scene and pondered.

“It’s truly a dizzying sight.”

Who would perceive this as a creation of human hands?

Limbs severed, eyeballs gouged out—things that were difficult to attribute to human actions.

“Nevertheless, despite the pursuit, the main objective remains unaccomplished.”

I followed out of suspicion, but there was no one left to interrogate since it seemed like they had killed everyone in the vicinity.

When contemplating what to do next,

Suddenly, numerous movements were sensed.

Faint movements swiftly converging towards this place.

“Are these shadow guild members?”

It seemed like my comrades had noticed their fate and rushed over.

But where did they come from?

“There’s nothing here but ruins, though.”

Were they hiding underground somewhere?

Quite a peculiar thought.

As I stood still, countless movements had already surrounded me.

Assassins from the shadow guild exuding intense killing intent.

Their pupils shook upon seeing the pool of blood-soaked bodies in a pitiful state.

Typically, assassins would suppress emotions and cultivate resistance to torture, yet it seemed quite shocking.

“That’s understandable.”

Honestly, maintaining composure after witnessing that was somewhat challenging.

Whether assassins have camaraderie or not, considering them as former companions made their reactions more understandable.

“Are you the one?”

A figure among the assassins who seemed like the leader stepped forward and spoke.

I shrugged my shoulders in response.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Hah. You can’t possibly pretend not to notice the pile of corpses, can you?”

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t me.”

Perhaps he thought I was lying, given his stern gaze, but from my perspective, I only spoke the truth. Someone else must have created such a scene.

“Even if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t believe it.”

Beside hundreds of corpses stood a single person.

It was natural for anyone to point fingers at me as the culprit, regardless of who arrived.

“But why can’t they recognize my face?”

I was currently unmasked.

Despite my face being quite well-known, they couldn’t identify me.

“Does it matter anyway?”

They were going to kill me regardless.

Whether they recognized me or not held little significance.

“Before we fight, let me ask one thing. Where are the children kept?”

“Children? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He appeared genuinely clueless.

While I suspected he might be lying, his expression truly seemed like he was hearing the story for the first time.

“Aren’t you affiliated with the shadow guild?”

“We are part of the shadow guild. Apart from us, there are no other factions raising assassins in this vicinity.”

“Yet you claim not to know…”

Considering the possibility of falsehood, I speculated on the scenario if it were indeed true.

If they were part of the shadow guild but unaware of the story about the children, there was one hypothesis.

“That another faction has intervened.”

And that faction seemed more sinister than I had initially thought.

Knowing about my fake identity disguised as a high-ranking noble sponsoring an orphanage, they dared to touch upon it, indicating a plan to predict my moves, conduct investigations, and create confusion.

“Whether they are pretending not to know or genuinely unaware, it’s hard to tell.”

There was a way to confirm.

“One last question. The portal. Do you know anything about it?”

“A magician of 5 circles wouldn’t bother coming to this dark alley of filth, right?”

“That’s true.”

A simple response, yet it solidified my certainty.

“A different faction has intervened.

Though I didn’t know who they were, it was highly likely that they were not a vulture-like group but rather a quite dangerous one.

Because they could use the portal magic that only Level 5 Circle mages can use.

I drew my sword and said,

“Enough with the small talk. Let’s begin.”

The assassins all unsheathed their daggers.

The sight of over a hundred assassins drawing their daggers and exuding killing intent was quite comical.

I created a sword aura using magic, and a sense of bewilderment filled the assassins’ eyes instantly.

“Even if you call me a being at the Sword Aura level, do not be afraid! Our numbers are overwhelming!”

Is he the leader by appearance?

At his words, the other assassins immediately snapped back to attention.

To my eyes, it seemed somewhat ridiculous, though.

“There was never time to play around in the first place.”

If there was plenty of time, I might have played along to some extent, but currently, there was no time for that.

At the moment when it was confirmed that the Assassins Guild was not responsible.

It was crucial to quickly identify who had intervened.

I took a deep breath and gripped my sword tightly.

I had reached the pinnacle of Sword Expertise.

Although I possessed a power that could be called calamitous, I had not properly utilized that power until now.

Firstly, there hadn’t been a situation where I could use it, and even if there was, it wasn’t necessary to unleash that level of power.

In fact, it was still the same now.

As it needed to be dealt with swiftly,

I had to exert a bit of power.

Wuuung!

The size of the sword aura surrounding the sword increased slightly, and a tremendous pressure descended on the surroundings.

As the blue haze enveloped the area, exuding killing intent,

The assassins trembled on wobbly legs, barely able to stand under the strong pressure.

Seeing them like that, I bid them a final farewell.

“Farewell.”

I immediately swung my sword, and the massive sword aura shot towards the assassins, engulfing them.

Kwaaaang!

An explosion caused by magic engulfed the vicinity.

Thick smoke billowed, and a huge gust of wind blew.

As the gust subsided and the smoke cleared,

Over a hundred assassins had vanished without a trace.

I turned away from that scene and left the place.

***

Arien’s party was spending a considerable amount of time searching for the Assassins Guild.

Firstly, the elusive nature of the guild’s location and the well-hidden headquarters made it challenging to find, even for the skilled and resourceful Arien.

Fortunately, they managed to locate a place where the Assassins Guild’s headquarters might be.

Given the vastness of the Dark Alley and the fact that the guild’s headquarters were located in an uninhabited outer area, they had to spend quite some time before reaching the guild’s main base.

However, upon arriving at the guild’s headquarters, what they saw was not assassins but an empty building.

Arien and her party members couldn’t hide their astonishment at the completely vacant building.

“What could have happened?”

“Ariel, are you sure we came to the right place?”

“I am. I can bet everything on it.”

“But why is no one here!?”

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be standing here like this.”

“Where could they have gone?”

“The assassins suddenly went somewhere as a group? Who could they be targeting?”

“That’s true…”

The assassins of the Guild boasted a considerable level of skill.

They practically ruled the Dark Alley, so it was hard to believe that they would all vacate their positions.

If we were to nitpick, there were individuals with significant power like heroes or emperors.

High-ranking nobles were in a similar position.

Unless they had not targeted those powerful figures, it made no sense for all of them to vacate their posts.”

They couldn’t believe they had gone to assassinate them.

Were the nobles just nobles for no reason?

Most of them wielded immense power and forces, commanding strong individuals capable of wiping out an entire temple if they so desired.

Unless one was insane, there was no reason to go assassinate them.

No, in the first place, assassination itself was meant to kill without being caught. Going to kill someone in such a manner was beyond not wanting to be caught.

In short, they hadn’t gone to assassinate anyone.

Then what on earth had they gone for?

Arien’s party was in a dilemma.

And at the moment they were about to move to find the children who might be here, all members of Arien’s party felt a massive surge of magic power.

An overwhelmingly powerful force, one could say.

Realizing that this power was much closer to this place than they had thought, they tried to move straight away, but there was a figure blocking their way.

A child stood there with vacant eyes.

Although outwardly appearing like an ordinary person, everyone in Arien’s party felt unease towards the presence before them.

A feeling as if they were looking at something not human, but rather artificially created.

Arien, driven by instinct screaming danger, drew her sword and swiftly struck the figure’s neck that appeared before her.

The unsettling figure’s head easily fell off.

“What? Was it a mistake?”

Having doubts about the figure that fell without any resistance, Arien soon realized that her perception was not mistaken.

“Is it… moving?”

Despite the head having fallen off, the body did not collapse; instead, it calmly caught the falling head and reattached it to its neck.

It was a chilling sight, but having been through countless trials, Arien quickly assessed the situation and swung her sword, only for the mysterious figure to effortlessly catch her blade and throw it far away.

Then, its eyes flickered.

Simultaneously, something unseen struck Arien, but she, already aware, guarded against it.

Arien regained her stance and said, “Get ready, everyone. It seems more dangerous than we anticipated.”