episode_0015

000

“Damn it…! Damn it!”

The voice of Albein the Hero echoed from the alleys where taverns were crowded.

Something is wrong. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand how his party or adventure could be so twisted.

Kuon, who had been kidnapped by Cleon, returned with Lyla, but Albein faintly felt that their gaze towards him was slightly different than before.

As for Kuon, she was in a state where it was difficult to even make eye contact with him. …It was only natural, considering what he had done the last time they met.

Albein was burning inside with anxiety, wondering if the women had turned their backs on him.

And in order to resolve that, he was drinking at a tavern again today, and he couldn’t stand the feeling that the surrounding riffraff were mocking him, so he ran out.

“Cleon… if I don’t do something about that bastard…”

Without thinking about what he had done, his will to burn with anger towards him caused the holy sword at his waist to quietly emit light. Whether it was trying to calm him down, or inciting him.

Albein, who couldn’t hear the voice of the holy sword, couldn’t know.

“Hero. Are you Albein?”

“Who is it!”

Albein hurriedly turned his head at the voice that suddenly came from the darkness, and there stood a woman wearing a red uniform that he had never seen before.

She wore a hat that covered her face deeply, but from her voice and uniform, he could tell she had an alluring body. And, a strange fragrance emanating from that body.

“Excuse me. I am from the Academy. If it’s okay with you, may I help you?”

“…The Academy? You’ll help me?”

Albein sent a suspicious look at the woman’s words, but the woman continued the story calmly with a smile on her lips.

“Yes. Cleon the Sword Demon. You want to kill him, right?”

Albein’s eyes widened at those words.

“…Is it possible?”

“Of course. If you use the information we have…”

With those words, she handed Albein a thin booklet she had. Inside were secret information that the Academy had investigated and possessed regarding the guilds in this city.

Information that should never be revealed to others.

“Th, this… is it true?”

“Of course. Only some high-ranking officials in the kingdom know about it… As one of the three forces that divide the world, our Academy’s intelligence is not far behind them.”

“Ha, haha… whatever. With this, I can definitely… use her…”

Albein realized that an opportunity had come to him, and the corners of his lips naturally rose.

“Of course. There is a condition for the deal. After killing Cleon, you will come to the Academy with me.”

“To the Academy…?”

“Yes. We need your strength. There is a great task that only you can do.”

The words coming from the woman’s mouth were all words that satisfied Albein’s need for self-approval.

“Okay… I’ll agree to your deal.”

“Then let’s move quickly. I’ve already called her.”

She said that and held out her hand to Albein. The light under her hat seemed to glow red.

Albein grabbed her hand, which was like the whisper of a demon.

He was thinking that he didn’t care about selling his soul to the devil in order to kill Cleon.

001

As always, the sun rises as the conspiracies of some people are conceived in the dark.

As the bell rings, announcing the morning, the door of the Adventurers’ Guild opens.

In order to secure the quest with the best conditions.

They rush towards the bulletin board where quests are being posted, each other.

Like a war.

The guild staff try to keep the chaotic adventurers in order as much as possible.

Someone finds the best job and cheers.

Someone clicks their tongue because they were robbed of such a quest right in front of their eyes.

The morning Adventurers’ Guild is more chaotic than a marketplace.

But- there.

Click…click… the sound of high heels echoes.

The adventurers stop their commotion and turn their attention to the place where the sound was coming from.

“H, hey… that’s…”

What they were paying attention to was a woman.

And the scroll she was holding in her hand.

The woman was a girl with a cute impression, with long, pinkish-blonde hair down to her waist.

Her eyes were the color of amber, like dark brown.

Even compared to other girls of the same age,

Her eyes, nose, and mouth were well-defined.

No one actually knows her age, but she looks very young for having worked at the guild for 10 years.

She wears the same uniform as the other guild staff around her.

A white blouse and a black jacket top. And a skirt.

Does it fit perfectly?

The curves that draw an S-line stand out.

But nonetheless.

Her light footsteps and the neatness of her clothes that don’t get messed up.

A gold ‘wing’ shaped badge hanging on her left chest.

That is the symbol of adventurers, representing freedom.

It was a decoration that only the Guild Master was allowed to wear even within the Adventurers’ Guild.

“M, Ms. Ruti…”

“To be able to see Ms. Ruti from the morning… I’m sure I’ll succeed in my quest today.”

[Wind of Happiness] Ruti Sions.

The Guild Master located in the frontier city where Cleon is based─

She is like an idol to male adventurers.

A living goddess who always has a smile on her face for the adventurers who are treated like daily laborers.

She is in a high position as a Guild Master at a young age, but she is never arrogant and genuinely cares about her staff and adventurers.

Normally, she doesn’t come out of the office because of the huge amount of work.

But sometimes she shows her face in the rest area to drink tea or communicate with adventurers…

When that happens, I don’t know how they know.

The guys who went on quests urgently return to the city.

However, she usually has a smile on her face, but today she had a serious – somewhat uncomfortable expression.

She was holding a red parchment scroll in her hand and walking towards the bulletin board.

Red scroll─ what this means is.

‘Wanted’ quest.

Originally, the Adventurers’ Guild does not issue subjugation requests for targets except for definite villains such as bandits or criminals.

If such requests become rampant, it will be no different from an ‘assassination group’ that exists in the dark.

But, even so.

In order to protect the order of the guild without any choice.

If there is a person who has violated the Adventurers’ Guild’s covenant and has had a serious negative impact on the guild.

The worst measure taken by the guild.

A red scroll created to remind them to regard the very existence of the quest as the shame of the guild.

Ruti quietly sighed and broke the seal of the parchment in front of everyone.

“Listen, children of freedom. Adventurer warriors.”

A clear voice. Excluding the usual kindness, she starts the story in a voice that is as businesslike as possible, but powerful.

“According to the rules of the guild that have been passed down since ancient times. With the blessing of the wind and stars. We have left our footprints in the world.”

“But, trials have come to us. And that trial was born within us.”

“As Guild Master, I believe that I cannot take this lightly… and I hereby declare an enemy of the guild through this scroll of shame.”

Her lips hesitated at the moment of saying the enemy’s name.

Soon her eyes turn sad.

“Sword Demon. Cleon.”

“For kidnapping a former colleague and inflicting sexual torture. For injuring a colleague. For instigating conflict between them…”

“We will execute a ‘Wanted’ on the target.”

──A moment of silence.

But a little later.

No one started first, but they let out a battle cry filled with anger at the unforgivable enemy who left a blemish on the guild’s history.

─The parchment crumples a little.

The hand holding it seemed to be frustrated.

002

“…Are you satisfied with this?”

The office where the door is completely closed.

The voices of excited adventurers seep in from the outside.

Ruti turns her gaze away from the huge amount of documents piled up on her desk.

And looks at the man standing in front of her.

Blonde hair, blue eyes… the symbol of nobility.

If Ruti is a beautiful girl, then he would definitely be called a beautiful boy without any problems.

But there was no ‘kindness’ on his smiling face.

Albein the Hero.

Definitely a special existence among the adventurers belonging to this city’s guild.

A hero chosen by the holy sword… a confident boy.

And an adventurer with potential as high as his confidence.

-He should have been.

The evaluation until a few months ago.

Ruti was also aware that he sometimes overdid it on quests and got hurt.

But he was still young. Considering his future growth potential.

Such failures would rather be good medicine for him.

Ruti did not think that it would become poison and shake the entire party.

“Yes, thank you. Ms. Ruti. Thank you for personally granting my request.”

Albein answers Ruti with a slight smile, as if he is in a good mood.

However, Ruti bites her lower lip and lets out a groan.

“Ahaha… you have such a scary expression. What’s wrong?”

Albein speaks as if he is pretending not to know, as if he finds the scene strange.

However, every single action of this hypocritical man.

Was scratching at Ruti’s nerves.

Why, why did she get caught by such a guy?

As Ruti looks up at Albein without saying anything.

He quietly goes next to Ruti and brings his face close to her ear.

A distance where their noses touch.

Ruti felt goosebumps, but she couldn’t make a loud noise at his actions.

“…Keep doing that. You know very well what can’t be done, right?”

A small, echoing voice.

However, it was filled with malice and felt like something was coming up from the inside.

Ruti still closes her eyes without saying anything.

Frustration and desperation.

And a feeling of disgust for this ‘villain’.

As if finding the scene interesting.

Albein smacks his lips for a moment and then moves away from her.

“Okay. If you move as I intend… let’s keep ‘that incident’ buried in the dark as promised.”

He shrugs his shoulders and speaks as if he is doing her a favor.

Ruti wanted to twist this man’s neck right away, but she had to endure it.

“…You don’t mean. You and your subordinates are from the old empire─”

“Stop!”

Albein, who was excited to see Ruti in despair, made a mistake.

Then, Ruti stopped him with a loud voice.

Swish-

With a sound.

A pile of books placed on one side of the office are cut in half in bunches.

An invisible wind pressure sword.

Albein unknowingly swallowed as Ruti regulated her emotions and created the phenomenon.

“I know best that Sword Demon Cleon is not that kind of person. The reason I granted your request is… because you have taken the guild and everyone in the city hostage.”

“……”

Albein is silent.

Ruti continued to speak.

“If you can prove Cleon’s crime, then I will give you even my life- or even this body if you want.”

“Hoo… that’s quite welcome news.”

The Guild Master says that she trusts Cleon more than Albein.

But even so, there is no change in the fact that she is at an advantage.

Albein judged so.

She has this much power, but she can’t lay a hand on him.

An oath engraved on her soul.

A curse of forced subjugation.

She carries hundreds of curses on her body, but among them, what Albein knows is-

‘Ruti Sions cannot proactively inflict harm if she does not receive physical harm from a human.’

‘Ruti Sions must put the safety of the guild and the city first in everything, and must act by excluding personal feelings for that.’

‘Ruti Sions will be subject to the kingdom’s purification order if her identity is made public.’

So, she executed Cleon’s wanted request based only on his remarks without any definite evidence.

“I look forward to working with you in the future. Guild Master.”

─The woman in the highest position in the guild, no, in this city.

Albein felt a sense of accomplishment as if he had obtained Ruti and gave a perfunctory greeting.

And left the office.

Ruti’s office where Albein had left.

Ruti organizes the scattered documents.

The investigation and report on the huge magic event that happened a while ago was not finished yet, and Albein is even doing that ki-

No, doing crazy things. It was driving her crazy.

The breathing that had risen due to excitement and the pupils that had turned vertical return to their usual state.

The one chosen by the holy sword is destined to protect the world.

The hero blessed by God saves people.

─Did someone say that?

Ruti leans back in her chair. And covers her eyes.

“What I can do now…”

Immediately after, Ruti got up and quickly wrote a letter.

And using her blood as a medium, she engraved autonomous flight magic to follow the faint traces of magic made with past relationships.

After that, she immediately sent telepathy to the staff on the first floor.

[Do not share information with adventurers about the person currently wanted. Buy as much time as possible and collect testimonies that are favorable to him.]

In a way, it’s abuse of power. But for her, Cleon was someone who shared memories with her precious friend, and someone who was forcibly torn apart by the covenant, like family.

“…Please. Protect Cleon.”

When she opens the window, the letter she made flies into the sky. If its shape disappears with the magic of concealment, no magicologist will be able to see through her magic.

I hope that finding him will not be delayed.

And, so that he can be protected.

003

Saeak…saeak… a sound like a child breathing in their sleep echoes in a room that is a bit too large for one person to use as a bedroom.

Cleon, who fell asleep in the living room after sending Lyla back around noon.

He was sleeping there like death even after the sun had completely set.

When the moonlight of twilight shines on him through the window.

The shadow created from him.

Something was moving in that shadow.

Soon, it turned into a sharp blade.

And it was about to pierce through the head of the sleeping Cleon.

Cleon’s body falls backwards along with the sofa.

However, the shadow of the moonlight does not leave its place and slowly rises and changes its shape.

What appeared there was a black-haired man wearing a skull-like mask on his face.

His long, long hair and a cloak of the same color were rippling quietly as if they were integrated.

What he was wearing was also clothes as black as pitch.

The material was unknown, but it could be seen that it was light armor that fit snugly to his body and allowed him to move easily.

“…It’s so futile. Even the infamous Sword Demon is no different from a child when he falls asleep.”

The quietly echoing voice was quite low compared to its thin appearance.

However, it is a gentlemanly and simultaneously intellectual voice.

He bows down and pays his respects to the life he has taken.

There is no resentment─it was just a job.

Quietly, he tried to leave the place because he had done his part, then the next moment.

“To say hello to the guy you killed with your own hands. You’re a strange guy.”

A man’s voice is heard from the door of the living room. The assassin widens his eyes under the mask and confirms what he has killed.

─What he thought was Cleon’s corpse was gradually fading away and disappearing somewhere.

However, only a beautiful sword was placed in that spot.

“…Is it illusion magic? That’s unexpected…I heard you were a Sword Demon. To think you could use such high-level illusions. I definitely sensed a presence though.”

The assassin honestly expressed his admiration.

And turned towards the real Cleon.

His arms were free, but he showed no gaps.

Cleon noticed something while looking at the assassin’s posture.

This man’s main job is ‘hunting humans’.

“I received a letter that someone would come to find me. More than that… you’re [Fang of the Curtain].”

Then, the assassin expressed his surprise once again.

“…Amazing. To think you would know our name.”

“─I had a little bit of a connection before.”

“‘Assassination group’? You have a connection with them…”

The assassin put his hand to his mouth and chuckled.

Cleon called him a strange guy. But as an assassin, Cleon was twice as strange.

He didn’t let his guard down with illusion magic and attack from behind.

In fact, the assassin didn’t notice his presence until Cleon spoke to him.

In addition, his knowledge of them that he knows more than necessary. The Sword Demon is said to walk with darkness but─

“…Is it a guild’s wanted request?”

“You know it well. That analytical ability. A calm and composed attitude. You’re scary to have as an enemy.”

Cleon frowned at the assassin’s honest impressions.

Certainly, he spoke first.

But despite the crime being discovered, the attitude of not running away and talking to him peacefully.

The moment he thought that he was different from a normal assassin

The assassin’s body shook.

Cleon instinctively takes a defensive posture.

A basic posture in which both arms are raised to block vital points.

But, next.

Cleon moved his eyes as he felt a cold sensation on the left side of his neck.

The assassin was standing upside down on the ceiling, holding a dagger to Cleon’s neck.

He doesn’t know how he did it- along with the cloak and hair that were standing upright against gravity.

Cleon was sweating cold.

This man’s movement trajectory is not normal.

He decided to shake the guy off with magic, but surprisingly, the dagger fell on its own and the man returned to the same position as before and landed on the ground.

“With this. Let’s say there is no debt. Because you didn’t kill me even after you caught my tail.”

“─…Okay.”

Cleon judges. He was one of the strangest guys among the men he knew.

“You’re pretty fair and square. Are you really an assassin?”

“For an assassin, ‘assassination’ is something that must be successful with the first strike. A ‘surprise attack’ that is uniquely permitted by the scriptures.”

“What if you fail that ‘surprise attack’?”

The assassin quietly grabbed daggers in both hands and took a stance.

“Head-on… I will execute the target even at the risk of my own life.”

“──”

─ He was a really strange guy.

Feeling the danger to his body, Cleon reached out to Galatea, who was on the sofa that had been knocked over by the assassin.

The assassin also noticed that. He turned his body and dodged the flying magic sword.

And the next moment, he collided intensely with Cleon, who was rushing towards him─ and flew out through the window.

A strong shock shakes the mansion’s garden.

Cleon slides across the ground while grabbing the assassin’s face with strong grip.

The top of the lawn is turned over and dirt is raised.

He will finish by stabbing Galatea. But the assassin moved first.

Under the mask, the jaw drops abnormally downwards and something pops out of his mouth.

It was a type of hidden weapon.

Cleon quickly moved away from his body, but some of it got stuck in his left arm, which was holding his face, and blood splattered.

Cleon hastily pulled out the hidden weapon from his left arm after creating distance.

The area around the wound can be seen to be turning black.

There is pain, but he can still move.

“You will be paralyzed after a little while.”

The assassin stood up from his seat while returning his jaw.

He also seemed to have taken some damage from the shock just now. He was staggering a bit.

Cleon clicked his tongue and looked down at his left arm, then took a stance while holding the magic sword in one hand.

If he moves carelessly and approaches, he will be counterattacked by the hidden weapons hidden in his body like before.

It was his arm this time, but he wouldn’t be safe if it directly hit his heart or head.

However, there was nothing more foolish than giving the assassin the first move.

“Curtain of Darkness.”

Then, a black mist escapes from the magic sword and envelops Cleon.

The assassin seems surprised for a moment at the scene.

In the blink of an eye, Cleon’s figure disappeared.

“……. You are versatile. To think you would have knowledge of stealth.”

The assassin praises Cleon’s skills with a pure heart.

Cleon quietly silenced the sound and poured strength into the magic sword.

Then- Galatea changes her appearance.

A gray magic bow. The bow that showed its appearance when he dropped Lyla before.

He borrows the skill through his connection with Sasha.

Sasha is probably surprised that the engraving is suddenly shining right now.

A black arrow is loaded and Cleon quietly puts his spirit into the incantation and speaks.

“Sky Vault Meteor Shower.”

The assassin is wary of the black light that suddenly soared into the sky.

But. He eventually takes a step back and runs out of the mansion and towards the forest.

The arrow that floated in the sky falls towards the assassin as dozens and hundreds of arrows.

Charrrr-! Magical arrows fly in like rain with a sound.

Originally, he had to use arrows that had a physical form one by one.

The skill that was reproduced by borrowing the power of the magic sword did not require such a thing.

Therefore, a skill that is expressed in a different form from the original.

The assassin runs through the forest at a speed close to the speed of sound while sweating cold from the attack of a strong enemy.

No matter how wide the range of the skill, if he creates distance, it will not be able to chase him.

If he leads Cleon into the forest rather than the open garden, he has a better chance of winning because he can freely take a stance anywhere.

However, even his judgment.

He soon realizes that it was a miscalculation.

The place he arrived at while moving mindlessly while being chased by the arrows.

A small lake inside the living forest.

When he puts magic on his feet and naturally rises above the lake-

He notices the existence of a barrier surrounding the area. And Cleon quietly lands in front of the assassin.

The assassin, who felt that this unnecessarily flashy skill was just a ploy to drive him here, could only let out a dry laugh.

An open space.

Every time he moves, splashes of water rise from under his feet.

Even his erratic movements, which he specializes in, leave traces due to the existence of water.

Unlike the barrier that rejects intrusion from the outside, it is a barrier that prevents people from leaving from the inside.

Despite the worst situation and the penalty of not being able to fight the man in front of him head-on.

The assassin personally wanted to cross swords with Cleon once.

The bright moon shines on the two people and shadows appear on the water.

That’s why he raises his dagger without saying anything.

Cleon also grabs the magic sword with one right arm.

A slight gap and the two men rush towards each other.

Cleon with one arm disabled and the assassin with geographical disadvantages.

The first move was made by the assassin.

A dagger that stabs the left neck.

Next, the right chest.

A vertical slash that aims to cut the shoulder with the flow of water.

A kick aiming for the side.

He aims to inflict damage with the blade embedded in his shoe.

Cleon blocks those attacks one by one with the blade of the magic sword in one hand, the handle.

And the cross guard in between.

He blocks the dagger aiming for his neck with the handle.

He protects his chest with the blade.

After tilting his upper body back and avoiding the slash on his shoulder.

He uses his elbow and knee to grab and block the kick.

The man quickly dropped the dagger into the water and slammed Cleon’s stomach with his palm outstretched.

In an instant, the impact gathered on his stomach and passed through his body and exploded on his back, causing Cleon’s body to fly backwards.

He controls his body so that he doesn’t fall into the water with magic, but he shakes his body at what is rising up his throat.

“Cough…”

Cleon coughs up blood, as if he had injured his internal organs.

The red light mixed in the lake can be seen sinking down like paint.

“That was a great defense. I was planning to destroy one of your organs with that just now.”

The assassin also seemed to have taken some damage from the shock.

The skin of his palm was also bleeding with injuries.

“So, we both have to fight with one hand.”

“……”

Of course. It’s a lie.

The assassin’s shadow created by the moonlight rises.

The shadow blade running through the sky-ground. And the bottom of the water.

That speed is his top speed-it breaks the speed of sound and rushes in an orbit that Cleon cannot avoid.

It was instantaneous.

Then Cleon raised the corners of his mouth.

A wall of flames is created instantly around his body

The rushing shadow evaporates in an instant due to the light emitted by the wall of flames.

The assassin judged that it was a tier 2 magic.

He quickly tries to create distance.

“Flame Burst.”

At the same time as the voice heard from inside the wall, intense flames accompanied by splashes of water spread in all directions.

The water that touched the flame evaporates in an instant and creates water vapor.

The assassin is blown far back by the pressure.

Eventually, his body is embedded in the cliff surrounding the lake.

And the assassin’s body droops down.

Cleon canceled the magic while thinking about Lyla, who would be panicking at the pattern that was shining on her stomach right now.

The assassin seemed to have hit his head from the impact and couldn’t properly control his body.

Cleon quietly approached him and pointed his magic sword at his neck.

“……”

Cleon looked down silently.

The assassin quietly let out a dry laugh.

“It’s my defeat.”

003

Cleon did not kill the assassin.

Instead, he asked him a few questions.

The assassination group [Fang of the Curtain] is a group that has immersed itself in the darkness of the back world.

Then─as a result of thinking, his idea was correct.

“Executioner.”

“You continue to surprise me. Where did you hear that name?”

“Don’t say unnecessary things and answer.”

At Cleon’s words, the assassin shrugged his shoulders. And continues the story.

“We have been commissioned by them a few times. Most of them seemed to handle it themselves, but…”

“What kind of guys are they?”

“…Well. They were thoroughly hiding their identities even when making contact. But if I had to say what was bothering me, it would be the leader-like figure.”

The assassin quietly looks at Cleon and tells the next thing.

“That person is a Sword Demon like you.”

“……”

After that, Cleon asked the assassin a few more questions.

It was impossible to obtain any significant information.

Nevertheless. Cleon decided to let the assassin go.

He was a strange guy, but he didn’t seem to be hateful.

And even if he didn’t kill him…

He had to settle things with Albein soon before things got any more annoying than this.