A man came back from the depth of his dark and blurry consciousness, and he saw….
"Yo, finally awake?"
…a large, red-haired man—sitting on a wooden crate, looking down at him. It was Randy
The man's disoriented mind struggled to grasp the situation. He glanced around instinctively.
What he saw were his comrades, tied up and collapsed just like him.
They too seemed to be trying to grasped the situation, as they exchanging glances and scanned their surroundings.
(The riverbank… no, the edge of the port?)
There seems to be a river flowing nearby, and the sound of the water flowing echoes through the silence of the night.
(My hands and legs… can't move.)
Assessing the state of his comrades, his own condition, and the red-haired man in front of him, the man finally remembered the situation.
Gritting his teeth, he realized they had blundered very bad.
It should have been an easy job.
The order had come from the headquarters of the Dark Guild in the royal capital to their branch in the coastal city of Riverford: Monitor the two students traveling and, if possible, abduct them.
The targets were just two students. According to the intel, the boy was an unknown at his academy, and the girl didn't have much combat abilities.
Of course, he had doubts. Why would headquarters assign such a simple job to them instead of handling it themselves? Surely, if they were just students, they could be dealt within the royal capital itself.
However, according to the letter that was attached to the mail bird along with the request, the "Silver Prince" and his guards, and even the royal family's Dark Side, are currently very active in the royal capital, making it difficult for them to make a move.
Indeed, the targets were students. With even the crown prince attending the academy, the area was likely guarded by knights and the Dark Side.
Thus, in Riverford, the primary objective was monitoring, with abduction as an optional objective.
Surely, abducting them would be impossible in the royal capital… or so they thought.
But in Riverford, there were no signs of any guards accompanying these students.
On the contrary, these students blatantly shared a bed at their inn, completely defenseless.
It seemed they had no idea they were being targeted. Their naive carelessness was typical of immature kids.
During this time, the man and his comrades thoroughly scouted the area, ensuring no hidden forces were guarding them.
The conclusion: It really was an easy job.
Just abduct two students. The boy could be killed if necessary. The girl? As long as she remained alive, that was enough. That's what also written in the letter
With that in mind, they decided to have some fun because the girl was a rare beauty. Confident in their plan, they launched the attack.
But what happened next?
The man and his comrades found themselves on the ground, defeated. One of their targets was now looking down at them.
"Well then…"
Hearing the red-haired man's voice, the man's body stiffened slightly.
The situation was bad, but aside from the large man, there were no signs of other guards nearby. Fortunately, they were at the deserted outskirts of the city.
If he could use the blade hidden in his boot to cut the ropes, he might be able to escape.
After all, the red-haired man didn't seem particularly intimidating. In fact, his yawning gave the impression he wasn't taking them seriously at all.
"Who the hell are you guys?"
Randy frowned, but none of them spoke.
Of course not. They were all members of the Dark Guild. Even if they weren't directly tied to headquarters, the ironclad rules of the guild still applied.
And besides, escape was still possible. They had no reason to fear this brat.
Even as Randy's lazy voice called out again, "Hey, you guys listening?" the man's mind beginning to relax… completely unaware that he was about to realize why they had failed so miserably.
"Silent huh… Well, I figured as much. Guess I've got no choice."
The red-haired man sighed and approached one of the comrades lying at the far edge.
"Sorry about this," he said casually, as if merely brushing past someone in a crowd.
Then came the sound of bones snapping.
The noise drew the man's and his comrades' attention, their eyes locking onto the red-haired man.
For a moment, they thought torture had begun.
But what they saw was the lifeless body of their comrade, his neck twisted grotesquely in the wrong direction.
Without a word, the red-haired man grabbed the corpse by the legs and dragged it. With his left hand, he flung it effortlessly into the distance, "There we go."
A sharp whoosh of wind filled their ears, followed by a faint 'plop' in the distance, it was the sound of something hitting the water.
By the time the meaning of these sounds sank in, another one of their comrade's neck was snapped.
(Wait, what? No, wait a minute)
The man and his remaining comrades were overwhelmed with confusion.
(Shouldn't you torture him instead of going for swift kill? )
And then there was his ridiculous strength.
To throw a full-grown man so far, with such ease, it defied human limits.
The exact distance was unclear in the dark, but judging by the sound and the time it took, it was clearly beyond anything a normal person could do
As the man wrestling with these thoughts, the red-haired man was already gripping the neck of the third comrade.
"W-wait! Hold on a second-!"
But before the man's plea could finish, another crack echoed through the night.
Ignoring his words, the red-haired man dragged the third body to the river and calmly threw it in with the same motion.
Now, the man and the last remaining comrade stared at the red-haired man, their voices trembling with desperation.
"P-please, just wait a little! Let's at least talk this over. At least try negotiate something—"
The man's plea was cut short as the red-haired man snapped the last comrade's neck without a word, ignoring the cries for mercy.
(What... what is this kid?)
The look of resignation on his comrade's face as he was dragged away planted the first seeds of fear in the man's heart.
The ironclad rules, the punishments worse than death-none of it mattered here.
They had trained for this. They had steeled themselves for torture.
Through the Dark Guild's secret techniques, their bodies had been modified to endure pain and to withstand ordinary attacks.
He had confidence in his strength, and he wasn't the only one—-the other who had already died had been just as formidable.
Yet this red-haired man snapped their necks as if it were nothing.
His sheer physical superiority was undeniable.
It was also abnormal in this situation, that he didn't torture us and instead killing one by one
Those two things clicked together in the man's mind, leading him to a realization
(This guy... never considered us a threat in the first place.)
If he learned who they were, fine. If not, he'd simply kill them all.
That was likely his thought of process. And with the power to act on it, he didn't need anything more.
"Monster," the man muttered under his breath.
Standing before him now was the red-haired man, having disposed of the fourth body. He looked down at the man with cold, emotionless eyes.
(As expected.)
Those cold eyes said it all: knowing their identity didn't matter.
He would simply kill everyone who stood against him.
Still, a shred of pride forcing the man to deny that reality. The words spilled out before he could stop himself.
"Even if you kill us—"
"Yeah, yeah, I don't need that kind of talk," the red-haired man cut him off.
Grabbing the man's chin, he spoke with cold tone:
"I don't need to ask you anything. I already know enough about you."
The red-haired man snorted, and the man couldn't help but reply, "Huh?"
(He figured it out? But no one said anything... how?)
Perhaps noticing the man's confusion, Randy smirked and leaned in closer.
"Your equipment isn't uniform. Yet you guys are organized. That means you're part of an organization that works for money."
Randy gestured with his thumb toward the confiscated equipment taken from the group.
The robes, daggers, and other items were clearly prepared differently by each individuals.
For an underworld organization where members often worked independently, this lack of uniformity had now become a fatal giveaway.
"A criminal organization," Randy continued.
"Which means you've got a client. Someone paid you to target innocent people who are completely unrelated to you."
The red-haired man's face grew expressionless as he pressed on.
"And that means more of you will probably show up eventually. And those guys won't talk either."
Randy's piercing gaze bore into the man, who instinctively swallowed hard. He could already imagine what the red-haired man was going to say next, but his mind still trying to deny it, as if to avoid facing the inevitable.
However, the realization dawned upon the man.
"Torture? Interrogation? Too much of a hassle. From now on, anyone sneaking around will be killed on sight. I'll keep killing until all of you are wiped out. Over and over again. As many times as it takes. Again and again."
The casual tone with which Randy declared this made the man shudder. He was certain this red-haired man had the power to carry out every word.
"P-please! I swear we'll never target you again. I'll tell my comrades to back off-"
The grip on the man's jaw loosened slightly. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the man beg again.
"Please, I promise! We won't offend you ever again—"
"That's not going to happen."
Randy cut him off with a snort and continued.
"You took money to do dirty work. Don't think you'll get to die like an ordinary person."
Hearing this, the man slowly closed his eyes. He hadn't expected his pleas to work, but the swift rejection left him powerless
(We picked the wrong target...)
The power, the killing intent-everything about this man made it clear that his words were not a bluff. If the Dark Guild continued targeting him, they'd eventually be crushed.
Perhaps someone higher up in the organization would realize the danger and decide to stay away... or so the man hoped even if the chance was really small.
But before he could finish the thought, an unimaginable force clamped down on his neck.
(It was supposed to be such a simple mission...)
As the sound of his own bones creaking filled his ears, the man's last thoughts were cursing his superiors back at headquarters before his consciousness disappeared entirely.
☆☆☆
After disposing the assassins and tossing their bodies into the Rail River, Randy carefully erased any traces of the assassins with his Craft skills before returning to the inn.
Just like when the attackers had entered, Randy climbed back in through the window.
Ellie immediately turned toward him, raising her palm ready to attack.
"It's me," Randy said casually.
Once Ellie realized it was him, her expression softened slightly, looking pleased. "You're back."
"Did they spill anything?" she asked.
"Nope. Not a word," Randy replied with a shrug.
Ellie sighed. "Well, I expected it."
"But I did figure out a few things," Randy added.
He explained that the attackers were part of some kind of organization, likely working for money, which meant they had a client. It also implied that more attacks would follow.
"Isn't that all we already knew?," Ellie said with a frown.
"Yeah, but at least now it's confirmed," Randy retorted.
"So, what's the plan now?" Ellie asked.
"Isn't it obvious? We wipe them out if they come near," Randy replied.
"Now that's my style. Perhaps we should destroy the entire town while we're at it," Ellie said with a mischievous grin.
"Always so dramatic," Randy chuckled.
Ellie puffed out her cheeks, her face slightly red. "Shut up."
"What did you do with the attackers?" she asked. "Did you put their heads on display?"
"No way. Just dumped them in the river," Randy replied nonchalantly.
"Idiot. If they dare to oppose us, we should make an example of them by displaying their corpses," Ellie said, pouting.
Randy understood her point. He did. But now wasn't the time for such actions.
"People like that are both cowardly in a good way and prideful in a bad way," he explained.
If their mission members didn't return, the organization would likely lay low and reassess their strategy.
However, if the bodies were publicly displayed, the group might retaliate with human attack, waves after waves, day and night.
An organization motivated by money wouldn't let such humiliation remain unanswered.
While they weren't particularly formidable, having them constantly lurking around would be a nuisance.
Besides, this trip wasn't about dealing with those thugs—it was about gathering materials for the camera.
Randy couldn't care less if they decided to back off on their own.
"And if they come into the forest?" Ellie asked.
"Then we'll just build some gravestones there. A big ones," Randy replied with a casual smile.
Satisfied, Ellie nodded. "Well, I guess you got a passing grade as a servant."
"By the way, where's Liz?" Randy asked.
"Sleeping, thanks to my magic," Ellie said with a sly grin. "She's not staying up late tonight; you always nag when she does."
"Like you're any better," Randy quipped. "Anyway, you should get some rest too. I'll keep watch."
"Of course. As a servant, you should be useful," Ellie said as she laughed out loud.
"Yeah, yeah, as you wish," Randy replied, smirking as he waved a hand over his shoulder and left the room.
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