Chapter 79
“This is Team 2 Leader. Secondary target confirmed. Mana engine secured.”
[This is Leader. Confirmed. Team 2, stand by at the secondary target. Prepare to detonate immediately if Team 1 fails.]
“Understood.”
The insurance was set.
Now it was Team 1’s turn.
The Leader scanned the crowd around the Ferris wheel with binoculars.
[We’re moving in.]
The order was given.
Through an underground vent in a secluded flowerbed behind the Ferris wheel, masked figures swiftly emerged.
Not one or two, but ten!
They quickly surveyed the surroundings.
“Boundary magic detected. Disarming.”
“Sensing magic detected. Disarming.”
“Neutralized the mana stone powering the security magic.”
Like the precise, flawless gears of a clock, their movements were professional among professionals.
Searching designated directions, identifying risks, and neutralizing them with skill.
“3 o’clock clear.”
“12 o’clock clear.”
“9 o’clock clear.”
“6 o’clock clear.”
The Leader nodded.
The invisibility magic on each member was functioning perfectly.
Unless someone had exceptional perception, they wouldn’t be noticed.
[Team 1, proceed to the primary target.]
At the Leader’s command, the ten masked figures leaped into the Ferris wheel.
Their agility in scaling the structure was elf-like.
They easily reached the wheel’s axle.
“This is Team 1 Leader. Primary target confirmed. Reached the axle’s joint, Leader.”
[This is Leader. Well done. Deploy as practiced.]
Eight of the ten positioned themselves in pairs at each joint.
The remaining two stood guard, prepared for any unexpected attacks.
Though that was unlikely.
“Shall we begin immediately?”
[Wait. The client wants the detached Ferris wheel to rampage through the park and crash into the entrance, collapsing spectacularly.]
“Heh, what a twisted taste.”
[It’s the client’s request, so we just do it.]
“Understood.”
The Leader calculated the Ferris wheel’s size, weight, number of cabins, occupants, and the park’s terrain.
It was a 30-minute ordeal.
[This is Leader. Cut the joints in 5 minutes. Cut the left two first, then the right two 1.5 seconds later.]
“Five minutes means we start now. Shall we?”
[Do it.]
At the Leader’s command, sparks and noise erupted from four joints.
The paired masked figures cast cutting magic.
Team 1 Leader reported in a relaxed tone.
“This is too easy.”
[An uneventful mission.]
The Leader lowered the binoculars.
No need to watch further.
If they infiltrated and went undetected for a minute, the mission was practically a success.
The client who commissioned the terror was Marquis Judmilla.
No special reason.
Just a petty, sordid jealousy of Elidore’s wealth and power.
We’re a group that works for money.
Our interests aligned, that’s all.
Oh, when Marquis Judmilla paid the advance, he spouted some nonsense.
He said it was a job meant for the Golden Princess and her Shadow Knights, who should be desperate for funds.
But the Princess broke the deal, so they hired us instead.
A second-best choice, but generously paid, he claimed.
‘What a fool.’
Does he think the Golden Princess and Shadow Knights are some neighbor’s dog?
This is the last deal with Marquis Judmilla.
No reason to work with someone who spouts lies or fails to see the Golden Princess’s true power.
‘Maybe it’d be fun to join the Golden Princess’s side.’
Long ago, rumors spread that Princess Adela went mad after losing a cherished veteran knight in the succession struggle.
Judging by rumors, she’s not fit to be a benevolent ruler.
She’d likely become a tyrant.
‘If the Princess controls even the underworld?’
The Shadow Knights are already on her side.
With enough power, she could challenge the First Prince Kazaks.
‘She could become Emperor!’
Even if she fails, we’d just slip back into the shadows.
‘Heh, we’ve grown enough to toy with the empire’s fate!’
The 21-member terror group, including the Leader and team leaders, were war orphans who lost their parents in conflict.
They hated and resented the empire and all kingdoms.
Surviving brutally, stealing, killing, and plundering, they rose to this point.
They’re the strongest elite group in the underworld.
They secretly believe they rival the Shadow Knights.
Life has no meaning.
The empire’s downfall is the only pleasure surpassing all others.
It was a rather delightful dilemma.
[Argh!]
If not for the scream through the communicator.
[This is Team 1 Leader! We’re under attack!]
“Team 1! What’s happening?! From where?! How many?!”
The Leader immediately raised the binoculars to scan the scene.
The members were in disarray.
Three were already dead.
[We don’t know! There’s no sign, but holes are being punched in our members’ heads!]
No matter how he looked, the source of the attack was invisible.
The enemy was clearly an archer, but no arrows were seen.
Three more went down in the meantime.
“Check the wounds to trace it!”
[We did! They’re all different! The most hits are from 4 o’clock, though…!]
4 o’clock?
The Leader scanned that direction with the binoculars.
The park’s tall buildings made pinpointing a skilled sniper’s position nearly impossible.
“Raise barriers first!”
Despite risking detection by park security, a blue barrier was erected.
But it shattered with a crack, and an unknown projectile pierced another member’s head.
[Leader, the barrier’s useless…!]
The Leader stared silently at the scene.
Maybe they were all pretending to be dead, he thought.
It felt that unreal.
“…”
[…]
“Team 1 Leader.”
[…]
“Team 1 Leader!”
[…]
No way.
The call lasted about 10 seconds.
No, slightly less.
But…
Raising the binoculars again, he saw the scene.
Rags hung limply from the joints.
Total annihilation.
All ten were dead or dying.
How Marquis Arnold uncovered the terror plot was a mystery.
What was certain was that the primary target was now an impossible task.
Quickly deciding, the Leader activated the communicator again.
“To Team 2: Detonate the mana engine.”
“When escaping, use disguise instead of invisibility.”
“The enemy is an archer unit capable of ultra-long-range sniping that sees through invisibility magic.”
Then, the secondary plan.
Blow the mana engine, obliterating a 100-meter radius.
It might be even more horrific than the primary plan, but Marquis Arnold brought this upon himself…
[…]
“…Team 2?”
Chills ran through his body.
What the hell was happening?
Grabbing the binoculars, the Leader swiftly moved.
He entered through the vent and reached the mana engine’s location.
‘…’
A thick stench of blood stung his nose.
Team 2 was sprawled on the ground.
All of them, Silver Knight-level elites!
‘An archer beat multiple foes in such a tight space?’
Impossible.
It defies common sense.
They’d have to be among the top Gold Knights.
So, the enemy must be multiple.
At least four top-tier snipers, and the rest…
The Leader froze.
Each corpse had a hole punched through its head.
Not from swords or fists.
Not even arrows.
This was…
‘…A gun?’
Click, the sound of a gun being cocked.
Lifting his head, he saw.
A man in a pure white robe stood before him, hands clasped at his chest, back turned.
Even in the darkness, he shone brightly.
Why did I only notice him now?
Regardless, this man was the culprit.
‘Now!’
Instantly, he threw two daggers from his hands, two from his sleeves, and eight from his chest.
Twelve daggers in total.
Mana-infused, they were like cannonballs that could pierce steel.
But.
The man in the white robe turned, aiming pure white dual pistols.
Ear-splitting gunshots rang out in succession.
How many? Thirteen.
The sound of twelve daggers clattering to the ground and the dual pistols aimed at him were the Leader’s final memory.
***
You prevented a terror attack at Imperium Land!
No one noticed the incident, but you undoubtedly did it.
I turned the Peacemaker uniform into a bracelet and stepped outside to make an anonymous report.
Then I hurriedly ran to the ice cream shop.
In the distance, Luri stood holding an ice cream, staring blankly, waiting for me.
Seeing me, she shouted.
“Martin! Making a lady wait? I’m disappointed!”
“Sorry. Something urgent came up.”
Luri puffed her cheeks and handed me the ice cream.
Sweet chocolate ice cream.
“In return, you have to have perfect fun with me today!”
“Hm… If following you around counts.”
“Yeah! That’s fine!”
Nibbling her vanilla ice cream, Luri dragged me somewhere.
Far off, fireworks lit up the night sky, illuminating Imperium Land as if nothing had happened.
The darkness of the night sky was painted with colorful innocence.
Under that sky, Luri smiled brightly.
Maybe, just for today, I can forget about the apocalypse and enjoy myself?
“Martin! Let’s go to the haunted house!”
“Uh…”
That’s a bit much.
***
With the Star Child off to find the Nature Five and the relics of his comrades, I returned to my daily life.
It meant I could wake up early in the morning with peace of mind and start the day.
“Master, you’re awake?”
The curtains opened, and radiant sunlight fell upon her, then onto me.
Opening my eyes, I saw Lilac smiling vibrantly at me.
Thanks to the sunlight, she truly looked like a flower.
“It’s morning. You should eat.”
Perhaps because I woke up late for once, Lilac’s skin looked especially refreshed.
“Yeah. I’ll be there soon.”
Lilac closed the door as she left.
I felt sorry for her.
Every time I went out, I came back injured, causing her great distress.
And that wasn’t all.
During my training with the Star Child, I’d leave at dawn and return late at night.
Each time, Lilac woke up and stayed up, supporting me.
‘Someday, I’ll repay her.’
I don’t know about others, but I want Lilac to live in comfort.
‘But.’
There was a time when Lilac cried because I kept coming back injured every day.
Since then, Lilac… has been acting a bit awkward around me.
‘I need to resolve this…’
After washing up and stepping out, Nerjin, Bianca, and Savo were seated at the table, waiting for me.
“Oh, Martin, good morning.”
Nerjin greeted me with a smile.
His complexion had improved while staying here.
Was he that satisfied with this life?
“You didn’t start eating?”
“Guests can’t eat before the host.”
Technically, this building belongs to Nerjin.
The house Lilac and I used to live in was destroyed during Helaine’s terror attack.
I’m just a lodger here.
So Nerjin’s words carried another meaning.
He’s saying I’m the leader of this group.
Lifting me up.
As I sat, Lilac began serving food.
“Master, this morning I prepared meat pie and garden salad.”
“Oh.”
All of Lilac’s cooking is great, but meat pie is one of her top five dishes.
[Woof!]
“Alright. Sebastian’s portion is here too.”
Lilac finished serving Sebastian and sat down, and the meal began.
We talked about the shop or recent events.
Bianca often led the conversation, sharing rumors and urban legends from the capital.
Today, something caught my attention.
“Did you know, boss? The imperial family is collecting monsters from all over.”