Chapter 198
"Fwaaah... Thanks to that handsome priest, I'm starting to sober up. I think I can go bar-hopping again."
She was the drunk woman who had parted ways with Clael... but she hadn't learned her lesson at all.
She began scanning the surrounding shops, looking for a suitable place to start drinking again.
"Well then, I got totally drunk on spicy liquor earlier, so this time let's go light with something sweet. The priest told me not to drink too much, after all?"
"Would you please stop? We have work to do now, you know?"
"Hmm?"
A voice called out from behind, and the drunk woman turned around.
Standing behind her before she realized it was a woman wearing an apron.
"If you want something sweet, here you go."
"Mmm... Is this a maritozzo?"
"It's a Maritozzo, Miss Yumemi."
The one who called out to the drunk woman—Yumemi—was the female vendor who had been selling Maritozzo at a food stall earlier that day.
"That's right. You shouldn't be drinking before work."
Then, another man joined the conversation.
The one who joined the conversation between the two women was a middle-aged man holding a long, knife-like blade.
He was the same kebab vendor who had been working at the food stall earlier that day.
"Heheh, being a little tipsy might actually be better. If you're too tense, you can't pull off a good kill."
And then... emerging from the alley was a clown juggling knives.
He was one of the performers who had been doing acrobatics in the park during the day.
By coincidence, they had narrowly missed running into Clael and the others... but in truth, they were not ordinary people.
The four of them were what you'd call underworld contractors—infamously known as the 'Phantom Circus'.
They were professionals who carried out every kind of dark deed—thievery, murder, kidnapping, espionage.
"Hmm... Well, if it's work, it can't be helped. I guess the booze will have to wait until after we're done."
Before they knew it, the alley the four of them stood in had become deserted.
As if by some unspoken agreement... or as if people had sensed the presence of an unknown monster and fled.
"Umm... What was our job in this country again?"
"Infiltrate the royal castle, steal national laws and classified intel. Assassinate the prince. And then..."
"Kidnap the Saint, heehee!"
The kebab vendor and the clown explained to the puzzled Yumemi.
Each task was difficult... but they had carried out similar missions countless times before.
They were beloved by death. Battlefields were second nature to them.
"Alright then, let's go... So we can enjoy some delicious booze, let's have the people of this country make a little sacrifice."
Shrugging her shoulders, Yumemi began walking through the dark streets of the royal capital.
The Maritozzo, the Kebab, and the Clown followed behind her.
The 'Phantom Circus' was on the move. In a different place than usual, committing their usual misdeeds.
No matter how much blood was shed as a result of their actions, they didn't care.
Whether people cried or the country fell into chaos... they continued to carry out their job without hesitation.
"They're really here! The assassins!"
"Catch them! Don't let them escape!"
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!?"
Though the four had made a bold entrance with an air of strength... they were captured by soldiers waiting for them shortly after infiltrating the castle.
Why did they know we were coming...? With that question in mind, the group was thrown into the dungeon.
The four members of the 'Phantom Circus' had no idea.
That the reason they were caught was the tip-off information Clael had sent.
That the good-natured young man they had narrowly missed was the cause of their failure.
Though it was partly out of caution and partly mischief, the soldiers who had been watching them made sure... that every last one of these professional villains was apprehended.