Alex sat on a wooden table, breathing deeply. Next to him, various brewing equipment silently did their job, uncaring that their owner passed.
Alex looked down at his forearms, smiling wryly. 'Fucking hell.' He sighed, forcing the mana in his body to heal the various cuts.
At Alex's feet, a tall, dark-skinned man lay motionless, various stab wounds covering his body. Yet, they didn't compare to what likely killed the man, a cutthroat, stretching from ear to ear.
This was one of Alex's targets, Lorcan, either an assassin himself or someone used to assassinations. Alex spent more energy and risked more than he expected, only to take the man down.
Even compared to a Recen like Alex, Lorcan boasted similar physical prowess, making it harder for Alex to overpower the fencer. Nevertheless, since Alex held the surprise advantage, he eventually dealt enough damage to the fencer to fatally strike the latter.
The wounds on the Recen's arms healed, and Alex kicked the Lorcan's lifeless body, more due to annoyance than anything else. He used most of the mana in his body to kill the fencer, but fortunately, Lorcan possessed a mana core.
Alex used the core to catalyze more mana he absorbed into his body, replenishing his empty reserves. Now, the young man waits for his body to rest for a few minutes before he moves to his next target.
As Alex waited, he looked around the small brewery.
Soft amber light bathed the interior, illuminated by lanterns hung from wooden beams. The air was thick with the scent of brewing beer.
Besides the equipment, there was an empty writing table, which looked suspiciously out of place. Alex cocked an eyebrow and forced his unwilling body to approach the table.
A lit candle cascaded light onto the inclined wood, where a single piece of paper lay.
Alex picked up the paper and read its contents.
'Oh? That's interesting.' Folding up the paper, Alex intended to give it to Violet.
The letter wasn't finished, but Alex read enough information to know how important it was. Lorcan wrote a detailed plan to kidnap Violet, explaining the where, the what, and the how.
*...Evans was notified ahead of time, so there's a five-minute window when we can slip out of town without the guards interfering.*
This line quickly caught Alex's attention when he read the paper, raising several questions. He could only assume "Evans" was a guard, but if true, it meant the Moonmares already had access to the black market through this guard.
Alex knew this because of how the Moonmares hired their hounds. As their nickname implied, these guards weren't your average, off-the-streets people. Instead, the Moonmare nobles held several orphanages under their pay, where they brainwashed the kids to become loyal dogs to the main house.
The dogs grow up and become hounds, which in turn take care of the kids in their orphanages, turning into a perpetual loop.
This is also why the Moonmare reacts so violently when someone attacks their guards. Make no mistake, the nobles don't care about their underlings' well-being, as they take a hands-off approach as their underlings take care of future generations of guards.
If someone were to threaten this loop, you better expect the noble family to intervene.
Alex then looked around the building and nodded upon seeing a hatch leading to the basement. The Recen searched it, finding no useful objects, before he dragged Lorcan inside, leaving him to rot.
It was already late; the sun had long since set over the horizon, but this didn't stop Alex from running to the Red Light district. It was booming with customers, but the Recen ignored the bustle and headed straight for Night's Sky.
Alex quickly met with Vie, who leaned outside the building with a long, thin cigarette between her fingers. She raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here, Alex?"
"Lead me to Violet."
Although Vie was curious, she didn't ask more questions and led Alex into the building. Something about Alex's tone made her think that whatever reason Alex had, it was noteworthy.
"Have you finished your job, Alex?" Violet asked, dressed in a thin nightgown.
Alex didn't focus on her figure. Instead, he took out Lorcan's unfinished letter and handed it to Violet. "Lorcan is dead, and I disposed of his body. Now, what's important is how to deal with this," He said, pointing at the letter in Violet's hand.
The Night Sky's owner hummed thoughtfully before placing the paper on her desk. "Nothing's changed. This letter is quite interesting, but I don't think the other fencers know of this plan. That or they were in the process of finalizing the plan."
Alex nodded. "So, you're saying the rest of the fencers were waiting for Lorcan's response before they go ahead with this plan."
"Yes, I believe this would have been Lorcan's response."
"Still," Alex said, scratching his head, irritated. "This means I have to kill the rest of the fencers in a matter of hours. I cannot allow them to find out about Lorcan's death."
"That's true." Violet agreed before asking. "So, why you're here? Only to give me this letter? I appreciate the effort, but you could've done this in the morning."
Alex shook his head. "I need the locations of the other fencers. I don't have the time to plan anything anymore."
Violet nodded and looked at Vie. "Would you lead Alex?"
Vie agreed, and Lorelei addressed Alex again. "Don't worry. Vie can protect herself if something unexpected happens."
Alex wanted to doubt Violet, but time was of the essence, so he just nodded and rushed outside the building, Vie keeping up with his stride.
Although the woman looked like she struggled, Alex couldn't slow just for her. His targets were Hedda and Einar, so he knew where he was heading.
A few minutes later, Alex found himself back at Hedda's, looking up at the third floor, where his targets should be.
Vie stopped next to Alex a moment later, struggling to catch her breath.
Alex let her rest as he made his way inside, using his key to unlock the main entrance and silently approach the master room. He frowned a moment later, not hearing anything. If Einar or Hedda were asleep, he would've expected to hear them snore, but there was no sound.
It should've been impossible, but with the poor isolation of the walls coupled with his Recen-enhanced hearing, Alex could pull it off.
Alex stuck close to the wall and leaned closer to the door.
*Crash!!*
Alex's eyes widened as he hastily pulled back, unsheathing his sword in one smooth arc.
A spray of wood chips and planks exploded as the door vanished from sight.
The Recen took advantage of the chaos and swung his blade, drawing blood.