Chapter 29: Money-Making Scheme of the Shinigami
Shuu and Iris had arrived in the capital city of Alta a few months ago. They had been able to spend their time leisurely without much trouble, but they still didn't have any work.
Firstly, since they didn't have resident registration, they couldn't buy a house. They couldn't find any employment either. As a result, they had no regular income, and their expenses for accommodation kept piling up.
In other words, they were out of money.
"Alright, Iris, let's earn some money."
"Understood."
"No, you stay here."
"Eh!?"
Shuu's job was assassination. He planned to work as a "Shinigami" at a tavern from now on. Since he couldn't take Iris with him for assassinations, it was certain that she would have to stay behind.
Iris seemed to understand that to some extent and reluctantly accepted it.
"It can't be helped. I'll wait quietly."
"That's the way to go."
"Oh, in that case, I'll warm up the bed tonight too."
"I've told you before, we sleep in separate places."
"Eh..."
Ignoring Iris, who seemed a little disappointed, Shuu reached for the door of the inn. Lately, she had become more proactive in seeking attention, so he had started to expect that she might ambush him while he was off guard.
Of course, he had confidence in repelling her even if she did attack him.
"I'll finish the job tonight. You go to sleep first."
"Yes."
Opening the door, Shuu stepped out into the corridor of the inn.
Dinner time was already over, and now it was the time when the men who had finished work would drown themselves in alcohol. Taking the adorable Iris out at such a time would attract unwanted attention and cause trouble. In that sense as well, she would have to stay behind.
Tonight, after a few months' hiatus, the "Shinigami" would start moving again.
***
Heading towards the tavern that served as the Black Cat's base, Shuu found a number of men raising their cups and making a ruckus. They might be trying to forget about the exhaustion of the day. Many of them already had flushed faces, possibly due to being already drunk.
Amidst that, Shuu made his way silently towards the master.
The master, who had a scar on his head, glanced at Shuu and began wiping the cup he held.
(Do I show him this?)
Taking out the "Shinigami" coin from his pocket, Shuu placed it in front of the master. The master received it and carefully examined both sides. It seemed he was checking if it was genuine.
Then, having judged it to be real, he handed a weak alcoholic beverage to Shuu along with a small note.
"Read it...," he said softly.
Murmuring quietly, Shuu read the note. It contained the name and position of the assassination target, physical characteristics, the reward, and even the address.
He wanted to take the note with him, but that would probably be considered a breach of etiquette.
In case Shuu was captured, the note could serve as evidence against him.
Returning the note was the standard procedure.
(Thank goodness. It seems I made the right decision.)
The master received the note with a slight smile.
Thinking to start working before forgetting, Shuu drank the offered sake in one gulp. It wasn't a large amount, so he shouldn't get drunk. Although it was unclear whether demons could get drunk from sake.
Then Shuu stood up and silently left the tavern.
While walking on the street on a night with still some pedestrians, he pondered for a moment.
(It seems the target this time is also related to a politician. Moreover, the assassination target is not the politician himself, but his daughter and wife. Is the client seeking revenge? Targeting the family instead of the person himself feels malicious.)
It's a common occurrence in this country.
Sending assassins to politicians from opposing factions, causing harm or death to their families. It's not an everyday affair to send an assassin as revenge, but it's a common enough event. Of course, it's a matter among the upper echelons of politicians.
(Well, it's probably because of this national character that the dark organization can move so easily. They have many wealthy clients, and the requests never end. As long as they balance things so that one faction doesn't get completely wiped out, they can keep making profits indefinitely. The holy knights responsible for cracking down on them must have a hard time.)
Putting his own situation aside, he thought about such things.
After all, thanks to the murky political struggles among those politicians, Shuu was making a profit. He couldn't complain too much.
"Now, should I hide until midnight?"
Suppressing his magical power and presence as much as possible, he blended into the crowd, disappearing as if flowing with the people.
Even if people saw Shuu on the street, they would forget about him after a few seconds. He blended in so well.
The dark assassination play of the night would begin again.
***
Assassinations are easily carried out in this country.
Assassination because they don't like someone. Assassination because they interfere with factions. Assassination because they betrayed. Assassination because they are useless. Assassination for revenge.
The reasons are diverse, but none of them are justifiable.
However, the "Grim Reaper" Shuu doesn't empathize with such emotions. Certainly, it pains him to assassinate good people or unrelated individuals, but that's just a human affair from the perspective of Shuu, a demon. "Pity, but unavoidable," and that's the end of it.
In the end, it's someone else's problem.
"Shall we go soon?"
Tonight's targets are two people.
The wife and daughter of a certain politician. If he assassinates both of them, he will receive a promised reward of one million magi. By the way, if the assassination only succeeds for one of them, he will still receive half the reward.
In any case, he has no intention of failing.
Using magic or turning into a spirit would be detected by the magic sensors, so Shuu materialized and jumped over the mansion's wall. Although there were security guards wary of assassinations, he could infiltrate at a timing when he wouldn't be detected using his magic detection ability.
(Alright, success.)
All that's left is to briefly turn into a spirit, pass through the wall, and enter the mansion. There are guards outside the wall due to the street, but once inside the wall, there are plenty of blind spots.
The true nature of being a spirit-type monster proves useful after infiltration.
And without doing any prior investigation, Shu, who intrudes first, searches for his target in a brute-force manner...
――――He had secured a suitable servant beforehand.
"Ugh!?"
"Shh, be quiet."
Using vibration magic to seal the sound, he pulls the servant into the corridor. Then, while exerting pressure from above, he restrains the servant's body. Now he won't be able to move. It would have been fine to seal him with gravity magic, but he decided against it because it would be troublesome if the floor collapsed.
"Where is the lady of this house and her daughter?"
"Wha... what!?"
"Answer the question."
The male servant doesn't seem to hold a high position, dressed modestly. He is probably someone who performs menial tasks such as cleaning.
"I... I won't answer, you thief! Someone––––!"
"It's useless. I have properly soundproofed this place."
"Ngh!?"
While the sound is blocked, it becomes bothersome when shouted nearby. So, without mercy, Shu ruthlessly breaks the servant's left arm. After a moment of intense pain, a dull ache remains in the man's arm.
He clenches his teeth desperately, enduring the pain.
"Answer quickly. Where are the lady and her daughter's rooms?"
"W-What do you intend to do to my lady and her daughter...?"
"You don't need to know that. Just answer quickly. I'm not good at interrogations. I don't hold back."
"Gyaaa!"
The servant, with his right arm broken as well, screams in pain.
However, even his screams do not reach anyone.
"Alright, I understand! I'll tell you! Just... just stop!"
Already, his spirit seems to have broken. The servant easily gives in.
"So, where are the rooms?"
"Madam's room is on the second floor. Go up the stairs and it's the third room on the right. You should be able to tell by the embroidered rose decoration on the door! As for her daughter..."
"She is in another room... kuuh..."
The servant sheds tears of frustration.
Nevertheless, this is likely frustration over being easily neutralized and tormented. The congressman is not a nobleman but a commoner, and the servant is not so much serving as being employed. There is no loyalty, only a relationship based on money.
It's understandable that he easily spills the information.
Shu also determines that his words hold no lies.
"Very well. Sleep."
"Ku... ahh..."
Using vibration magic to shake his brain, he causes the servant to lose consciousness.
Then he moves him to the end of the corridor, hiding him in the darkest possible spot. It's midnight, so even if other servants pass by the corridor, they won't notice him immediately.
Shu first heads towards the staircase.
Since it's not an excessively large mansion, the staircase itself is quickly found. If he only needed to go upstairs, he could have passed through the ceiling using intangibility magic. However, he has been informed of the room's location based on the staircase by the servant. In that case, it would be better to search for the staircase from the beginning.
(Luckily, no other servant. Well, it's late at night, so it's to be expected.)
That servant might have been in charge of checking the locks. It's already bedtime in society, so it's probably correct.
A world without electricity.
Naturally, the activity hours align with the sun. In other words, when the sun sets, everyone goes to sleep quite early.
Thanks to that, the staircase was easily found, and Shuu silently ascended.
(First, it's the third one on the right.)
Having reached the top, Shuu turned right and counted three doors. Just as he had heard from the servant, there was a cloth decoration with rose embroidery. There should be no mistake here.
Phasing through the door, he could see a woman sleeping on a large bed.
So he used death magic.
Life force was converted into magic and taken away, accumulating within Shuu. With this, the first target was taken care of.
(Now, it's the daughter.)
Having heard that she was in the next room, Shuu decided to pass through the wall and head there.
The room itself was slightly smaller than before, but it was still quite spacious for one person. Truly fitting for the daughter of a wealthy politician. Unaware that she would be killed soon, she was soundly asleep.
(At least I'll kill her without causing her pain... 'Death Death'.)
Activating death magic, he swiftly drained her life force in a single strike.
The daughter's breathing stopped, and her quiet sleeping breath disappeared, leaving complete silence.
The request was completed.
"Time to go back."
It's late at night like this. Reporting can wait until tomorrow.
Shuu quietly left the room.
◆◆◆
"I'm back."
Returning to the inn using phasing, Shuu confirmed that Iris was sleeping on the bed. It's indeed this late. Can't be helped.
Approaching the sleeping Iris, Shuu gently stroked her hair.
"Mmm..."
"You'd be cute if you just stayed silent. Too bad about your usual self."
He unintentionally voiced such thoughts.
Shuu also acknowledges that Iris is cute. Objectively speaking, it's a fact. However, due to her childish personality, he can't see her as a woman.
Since he's receiving her kindness, not being able to return it feels uneasy.
"Well, I picked you up after all. I'll take care of you until you get tired of me."
Muttering quietly, Shuu settled onto the adjacent bed.
Being a spiritual-type monster, he doesn't need sleep, but he can sleep if he wants to. It's boring to stay awake all night, so he decided to let his consciousness fade.
After a few seconds, the sound of sleeping breath could be heard.
And at that moment, Iris opened her eyes.
"...I won't get tired of you. I was saved by you, Shuu-san. We'll always be together."
Blushing at being called cute, Iris closed her eyes once again.