episode_0017

000

“Did the Teeth of the Curtain fail… well. I thought as much~ Was it too cheap to catch a Magic Swordsman?”

A woman with a captivating yet dangerous aura twisted the corner of her lips in the darkness.

In her hands are a blood-stained skull mask and a money pouch. This meant that the request had been canceled due to the mission’s failure,

and that the person who was put into the mission to take responsibility had been eliminated, along with the return of the money received for performing the request.

The Teeth of the Curtain are a group whose livelihood is assassination in this area.

The leader, “Shadow,” was rumored to have pierced and killed even a strong person whose level was more than twice as high as his,

so I thought it was worth trying. In the end, it turned out like this.

Of course. She had no intention of forgiving them. They needed to be silenced because they knew of her involvement.

So, should I use the power of the Hero here?

The woman spins her finger and puts on her hat that was on the desk.

A laurel crest embroidered in gold thread on a red cloth.

And a hammer symbolizing `Judgment` in the middle.

Out of the 21 departments in the Academy. The 20th.

The symbol of the [Execution] department.

Dangerous people whose existence is not even known to ordinary students.

Especially in the case of her, who is humanly and ethically broken.

There was no more enjoyable and exciting play than seeing foolish people dancing on her hands in such a pleasant way.

001

The back alleys of the city. Inside the shaded passages formed between buildings and walls.

Darkness, which ordinary people would never encounter if they lived normally in the sunlight, was definitely wriggling.

The guild prides itself on having better security than other cities,

but entering the back alleys was never recommended.

If there is a bright side, there is a dark side.

Under the command of the Wind of Happiness, on the back side of the freely grown city.

There is a place for those whose existence would not be tolerated in normal places.

[Assassination Group] [Gang] [Cult]

Troublemakers whose names alone make your head hurt.

However, they are also the ones who know that they have nowhere to go once they leave this place.

That’s why they maintain a certain level of ethics and live as parasites of the city, eating darkness, even today.

Aren’t they worried about these parasites? A woman was walking through the maze-like back alleys of the city.

Bloodstains scattered throughout the passage. The smell of alcohol. The smoke of illegally produced `drugs`.

Stares are felt from all directions. The woman did not take her hand off her sword and walked forward, forward. Deeper into the alley.

Black hair and black eyes. Light armor and rapier.

It was Cleon, who had changed his appearance through illusion magic.

If he appeared in his true form, he would have to deal with the fools who would rush at the bounty, of course.

He even tried changing his gender. But the color of his hair and eyes could not be changed even with `distortion`, so he had to leave them as they were.

But surely no one thought that he… no, she was a `wanted criminal`.

Her steps were so confident and there was no sign of weakness. Clearly, she must be a famous female adventurer.

That’s why the eyes watching her could only smack their lips.

From that presence alone, they judged that she was not someone they could handle.

Cleon passed through the distance where their eyes could reach, and arrived at the innermost square.

A small flat land of only about 8 square meters.

Surrounded by the walls of some buildings, and with only one passage to enter.

Only one beggar was sitting there, quietly waiting for alms.

Cleon did not look elsewhere and went straight to the beggar.

Then, he threw a gold coin into the can he was holding out and said.

“Fear the fangs of the Shadow. The death of the foolish is like sweet fruit. May your scream be the bell of a new morning.”

At first glance, it is a difficult sentence to understand. But when the beggar heard the sentence, he took out a golden bell from his arms and shook it.

`Chiring… Chiring… Chiring…`

A short bell ringing exactly 13 times.

Then, he quickly left the square through the passage Cleon had entered.

As Cleon quietly waited-

A figure jumped out from the shadows between the buildings.

Wearing a skull mask. Long black hair- a thin-lined woman.

Perhaps she is a little taller than Sasha. Brown skin can be seen between the black armor.

Perhaps it is a color she has had since birth, not tanned by the sun.

The girl looks at Cleon – the adventurer in the form of a woman – without taking off her mask.

Then she quietly opened her mouth.

“Who has come to find the Teeth of the Curtain.”

A dry voice. She had been trained to deliberately erase emotions as a follower of the god of death.

Cleon looked down at the girl and opened his mouth.

“I want to talk to you.”

It was a woman’s voice that came out. But the tone was that of a man.

The girl tilted her head at the strange person.

Was it a sense of unease – or a sense of crisis? She seemed to have difficulty deciding which it was.

Then, Cleon snapped his fingers. Then- the appearance of the woman disappeared, and Cleon’s appearance as a Magic Swordsman returned.

The next moment, the girl’s hair shook uneasily.

Was it surprise or anger?

But an assassin who considers killing a sacred ritual as a follower of the god of death.

She killed her own emotions and quietly stared at Cleon and opened her mouth.

“`Even if you resent the gold, do not resent the heart.`”

That phrase was a common creed for any assassination group.

For them, who offer death in return for a request, even if they have `financial` feelings, they are forbidden from having `personal` resentment towards the assassination target.

Breaking this rule meant that they could be reduced to mere murderers. That was their doctrine.

A moment of silence.

“… … I thought it couldn’t be helped even if I was resented.”

Cleon quietly speaks to the girl.

Perhaps – that rival he fought yesterday. The shadow assassin is no longer in this world.

According to the rules of the assassination group. An assassin who fails to fulfill a request must be executed within the group.

Because a person’s life was promised to be brought. As a responsibility for that failure. They give up their own life.

If they don’t want that. They can only live as fugitives for the rest of their lives, trembling with the death that may come at any time.

Yesterday’s assassin didn’t do that. Or maybe he couldn’t.

Certainly. His skills far exceeded the category of a normal assassin.

Recalling that he himself had failed to react to the first strike or the second movement, Cleon quietly mourned for him.

“──I am `Perdia`. An apostle who succeeded the previous generation’s `Shadow` who sacrificed his life to the god due to failure.”

“It’s Cleon. … Further self-introduction is unnecessary.”

Perdia nodded and looked up at Cleon. She doubted that this man had defeated her teacher.

From Cleon’s attitude, she could feel a strange sense of intimacy towards them.

“What is this story? The request for you has already been withdrawn.”

The girl speaks one word at a time, maintaining her composure.

Failure in an assassination group is the worst result, even worse than death.

Therefore, many people chose to die together with the target rather than fail.

“I came to warn you.”

“A warning? Are you trying to threaten us?”

Perdia felt a little strange at Cleon’s words.

Adventurers think that assassination groups are just groups of killers who kill people for money.

Perdia knew that they feared them, but at their core, there was contempt for them.

Clearly, she felt respect and courtesy for her teacher from this man.

It was strange that he was saying these things.

“No, it’s not me who’s threatening you. It’s more dangerous guys.”

“…What ar─”

The moment she said that. An earthquake shaking the square. The sound of something exploding was heard from underground.

“What is it…!?”

Perdia looked around in embarrassment and discovered smoke rising. That direction was- the direction of their hideout.

Then, she immediately looked at Cleon. Could it be this man?

But. There was no time to think. Perdia’s priority was to check everyone’s safety before Cleon.

Leaving Cleon behind, she flies into the shadows. As if running on the ground. She kicks off the wall with natural and soft footwork and runs over it.

If you had seen her in the darkness of the moonlit night. It would have only looked like death coming with a shape.

But Cleon could see what she was `carrying` on her small back.

He was quietly watching it.

002

“Keuk… Why… here…”

Boys and girls falling to the ground. All of them seemed to be under the age of 10. Most of them were children with black hair and brown skin.

The daggers in their hands were sharpened sharply. But they themselves did not seem to be.

They were just `villains` collapsing in front of the `holy sword of justice` that shone brilliantly before their eyes.

What was cutting them down one by one was ─ the hero Albein.

Having heard someone’s information and raided the assassin group’s hideout, he.

He uses the power of the holy sword to incapacitate the members hiding in the hideout one by one.

The power of the holy sword that makes them feel pain without taking their lives.

Of course ─ it’s not out of mercy or anything like that. It’s just to show off his achievements to everyone.

“Hoo~ All the stress that had been building up for the past few days is gone.”

The same attitude as when dealing with monsters outside the city. He did not feel any resistance to cutting down humans.

Albein thought. `It was the right answer to join hands with that woman.`

He doesn’t know the exact affiliation or location. Her position too – it must be a lie that she is his fan.

But the way she can move the guild master –

And the intelligence to find out the assassin group’s hideout.

Killing Cleon and becoming the hero of this city.

Accepting her proposal to help him become the best hero.

It could only be thought of as the help of a goddess.

“Well. How many are left? These guys are weak, but they keep attacking me without dying….”

Albein loosened his shoulders as if he was annoyed by the assassins.

“Let me tell you. Killing you with just my will is not a problem.”

As he said that, he was intimidating those who had fallen and lost their will to fight.

“You guys are `parasites` who don’t matter even if you disappear from society anyway.”

By eliminating their existence, this city will become a better place to live.

“I’m just `building` those parasites. This doesn’t even count as a fight.”

Therefore, his actions are justice. A situation where there is nothing lacking in wielding the sword as a hero.

Victory. Sense of accomplishment. Exhilaration. Satisfaction.

Positive emotions, the holy sword reacts madly, making Albein rampage even more.

The vibrations caused by the amplification of magic power were shaking the holy sword.

To stop him, a figure jumps out from the shadows. From the floor to the wall, from the wall to the ceiling. And back from the ceiling to the floor. From the floor to the wall.

Each time it moves, it will cut Albein’s body with `black light`. The special dagger will leave four wounds on the hero’s body in an instant.

─ That’s what Perdia mistakenly thought while hanging on the wall.

Even though she attacked Albein at near the speed of sound. It was her dagger that broke.

Albein didn’t do anything. To be exact, he didn’t `react actively`.

He just nullified ordinary attacks by wrapping his body in the magic power flowing from the holy sword.

“Hero… Albein…! Why are you doing this!”

It was like the anger that was shown to Cleon a while ago.

However, the difference from before is that this anger is `justified`.

Therefore, she put aside the calmness according to her creed and just poured out her resentment to the invader in front of her.

But ─ the hero does not listen to the words of the `villain`.

“What are you saying, you trash. You’re just a dirty assassin.”

At Albein’s expression, which did not hide his hatred for evil. Perdia gritted her teeth.

This man in front of her does not consider them human. He thinks of them as `bugs` with the same number of limbs.

While thinking that not taking their lives is his own mercy.

Perdia threw away the skull mask. The gray eyes hidden below contained the sadness of her comrades being injured.

Hate for the hero, and anger at her powerless self.

That’s why. She takes out her true weapon, which is normally forbidden to be used unless it is for assassination.

When the magic tattoos engraved on her entire body emit light, her black hair floats.

If you look closely, her hair is clumped together in several strands, and the ends have something like a spear `tip` attached to them.

A weapon that the current Shadow was allowed by the `God of Death`. `Shadow Dance Hair Manipulation Technique`. One of the ultimate assassination techniques, different from the previous generation’s `Submerged Shadow Body`.

The girl’s hair dances like a shadow. The length seems to be freely retractable. It extends to an impossible distance, running through the walls, the ground. Runs out on the ceiling, and only one. It runs to pierce the enemy in front of her.

Like the roar of a black beast. Each one is a fatal blow to cut off life.

Albein was embarrassed by the change and took a defensive stance with his holy sword and stepped back.

But Perdia’s `shadow` does not miss it.

Kagagagagak!!!

With a tremendous sound like a rotating saw blade hitting an iron plate, the spear crashes into the holy sword in succession. Albein is barely wrapping his body in holy magic and blocking the direct damage, but─

Her spear has the characteristic of neutralizing the target’s magic power and increasing its intensity with each attack.

Albein realized it only after seeing the blood spurting from his shoulder.

“Keuk… You bug…!”

Albein, enraged, gathers magic power into the holy sword. Of course, the magic power that was protecting his body disappears, but the condensed magic power, as if not caring about that, is-

“Saint Burst!”

At his shout, it spread out like an explosion in all directions.

A brief shock that shakes the entire hideout. The ground shakes under her feet, and Perdia’s attack stops for a moment.

Without missing that gap. Albein grabbed one of the assassin members who had fallen next to him and used him as his shield.

“──Keuk…….!”

Seeing that, Perdia had no choice but to stop moving once again.

Albein put his sword to the neck of the girl he was using as a shield. Blood flowed along the blade of the holy sword. Perdia felt like her stomach was turning upside down and released the technique.

“G─Good, haha… Just in case you do anything suspicious…. You, cut off that hair.”

“… …”

The moment her ability is activated. Or, the moment she shows any pretense of attacking Albein.

The man will kill the child in front of her. Perdia just feels desperate. She takes another dagger that hasn’t been broken and takes it to her hair.

Tteu,doo,duk…

A sound as if cutting a tendon. Every time her hair, which contained the memories of her training with her teacher that she had accumulated so far, fell off.

She felt a pain that tore her soul to shreds.

Albein smiled bitterly. He waited for her actions to end.

─The next moment. A black magic arrow flew and crashed into the back of Albein’s hand.

Because his body was protected by holy magic, he did not suffer a penetrating wound. But the hostage he was holding in his hand fell. It was a momentary thing.

“Uh─?”

Albein made a dazed sound. And again. What follows is a pillar of fire with physical impact. The scale is not enough to break through Albein’s defense magic.

But that output alone was enough to push Albein out of the hideout.

Albein screams and flies out of the hideout.

Looking up at the sky, he could see a woman in black light armor looking down at him and casting magic.

Who is she! Who the hell is doing this to him!

“Meteor Shower of the Azure Sky… Flare Spike.”

Black flames shot into the sky. It then transforms into a fireball that looks like a black sun.

What comes out of there is a black flame vine that extends its tentacles toward Albein.

Even if the caster does not concentrate her consciousness on it, it automatically strikes the target repeatedly.

“Uoooooooo!!!”

Albein barely manages to endure by blocking the thorns from crashing into him with his holy sword. But he was so focused on that that he didn’t notice the shadow approaching him.

Eventually, Perdia’s hair ties up Albein’s legs. Then, he slams Albein down! Bam! Bam! Randomly and completely knocking him down.

Cleon’s magic ended there.

“… …”

Albein was lying on the ground unconscious.

Perdia’s hair, which had been half-cut, was completely torn off by the previous movement, and she was no longer a complete long-haired woman like before, but had an asymmetrical hairstyle with only the right half of her head coming down to the back.

The moment she took a dagger with an angry face and tried to finish off Albein.

Before Cleon could stop her, there was a voice that intervened.

“Oh my… I didn’t expect you to be here first.~”

A woman in a red uniform. Her face, still obscured by the shadows and the brim of her hat, could not be recognized, whether due to magical effects or not.

Cleon instinctively knew that the woman, whom he was meeting for the first time, was the mastermind who had been manipulating Albein from behind – `Execution`.

“… Is this your script?”

Cleon asks the Execution. Then, the woman puts her hand on her chin and tilts her head.

“Yes~ But. A protagonist with a strong sense of independence has ruined the script~”

For someone who said that, she was in a relaxed mood. Silencing her here would be the right thing to do.

The moment Cleon was about to prepare the next magic. Her eyes shone red and looked at Cleon.

Then, something rang with a thumping sound. Cleon feels the magic power that had gathered scattering on its own.

No, he released the magic himself. He did it with his own will, but he didn’t decide it himself.

“Charm… Eye of Magic”

Cleon covers his eyes with a keuk. But the Eye of Magic’s magic power has already penetrated him. For a while, he may not even be able to control the situation where he feels like attacking from here.

Seeing that, the woman slowly floats into the air as if satisfied and approaches Cleon.

The closer the distance, the more the woman’s lips twisted, and she became smiling.

If she goes closer like this. If she stabs her sword into Cleon’s abdomen. She will be the one to win.

Perdia tried to move to stop the woman. But the rebound from the forced activation of the technique came and her movement was delayed.

But. The next moment-

Just before the Execution completely approached Cleon.

The magic sword shone and a beautiful demon that appeared in an instant was attached to Cleon’s body. She was looking at the woman.

Her eyes─ swallowed complete darkness. She was just looking at the woman with a emotionless face.

And quietly. The incarnation of the magic sword spoke.

“Don’t come closer.”

A voice filled with so much malice and murderous intent that it gave goosebumps. The Execution and Perdia, who heard the voice that acted like an `incantation` filled with magic power, instinctively felt fear.

A situation where the desire to survive, wanting to get away from here right now! Was popping up in their heads.

The woman hurriedly moved away from Cleon and picked up the fallen Albein’s body.

“Well~ It seems like now is a disadvantageous time. Let’s do it next time~”

“Wait! Don’t leave…”

The next moment. Cleon falling from the sky. Perdia was startled and looked at Cleon’s face.

Perhaps, more than the magic power of the Eye of Magic. Borrowing power from the imprints of various people in succession… Andㅡ, the reaction to using two large techniques by mixing the two people’s techniques to transform into a woman.

At some point, the demon that had appeared from the sword had disappeared.

Perdia looked around for a while, quietly wrapped Cleon’s body around her-

She moved to the emergency hideout with everyone.