Chapter 83

As soon as dawn broke, the Adventurers' Guild posted information about the Night Stalker sightings on various bulletin boards and signposts.

At the same time, the murder by the White Mask that Rio and his companions had witnessed was also made public, and it wasn't until after noon that they were allowed to go out.

In the guild's cafeteria, Rio was sipping a poorly made soup that still had a strong smell of meat. He stood up, leaving the unfinished soup.

"I'm worried about the luggage I left at the inn, so I'll go get it."

When he spoke, Shiraha also stood up. The meal on the table was mostly untouched.

The cafeteria was crowded with adventurers who had responded to the emergency call last night, and the cooks were so busy handling orders that the taste of the food was secondary.

Shiraha's meal, like Rio's, apparently tasted terrible.

"Anyway, are you okay with this?"

"I don't need it."

Without even glancing at the unfinished meal, Shiraha grabbed his sword and left the cafeteria.

Rio called a waiter to clear the table and followed Shiraha.

Looking around the street outside the guild, the evacuation of residents was complete, and guards and adventurers were running around searching for the Night Stalker.

Groups of adventurers with menacing looks were also patrolling their territories. They avoided bumping into guards or other adventurers, and even when they met, they ignored each other without a word, showing no intention of cooperation.

"I can understand why they'd draw their swords at the sight of outsiders like us."

There were just too many potential enemies.

They tried to stick to the main streets, but with so few people around, it didn't make much difference. The advantage of good visibility on the main streets was lost due to the winding roads.

They walked cautiously, and even the people from the underground organizations were wary of them.

Feeling frustrated by the tense atmosphere while walking on the main street, Shiraha slightly distanced himself from Rio.

Noticing that he had moved to a position where he wouldn't get in the way during combat, Rio increased his vigilance and asked with a glance.

Shiraha looked at Rio sideways with a troubled expression.

"Someone is following us."

"Is it the Night Stalker?"

"A different presence."

The presence of the Night Stalker was unique. Rio couldn't sense whoever was following them, but if Shiraha, who had excellent senses, said it was a different presence, it must be true.

Rio tried to listen carefully but couldn't hear any footsteps.

This was a town teeming with underground organizations. There were plenty of people skilled in tracking. Rio, who had experience hunting beasts in the mountains but not being pursued by humans, couldn't rely on his senses.

"Should we run?"

"Where to?"

"To the inn."

At the inn, the scene of the White Mask murder by the Night Stalker was being investigated, and several guards were still stationed there to preserve the scene.

It was unclear how skilled the guards were, but more manpower was better.

Shiraha and Rio nodded to each other and simultaneously activated their body enhancement, sprinting straight down the winding main street. The speed at which they ran, without deviating from the winding road, made the underlings of the underground organizations do a double take.

Keeping an eye out for ambushes and ready to draw their swords, Rio glanced over his shoulder.

Some underlings had come out to see what was happening, but there was no sign of a pursuer. A stray dog, intrigued by their movements, wagged its tail and followed them for a while.

Shiraha called out to Rio, who had returned his gaze to the front.

"Someone is following us."

"How far behind?"

"...They're closing in."

"Are they faster than us?"

Rio and Shiraha, both raised in the mountains and with well-trained legs, could run fast enough to impress the knights of the Rosiz family. If someone could close the distance without showing themselves, they must be highly skilled.

It was strange that such a skilled person hadn't attacked yet.

"Once we started running, they must have realized we noticed them. If they're still chasing us, they must have a purpose."

"Talk?"

"Probably not now. I won't talk to someone who won't show themselves."

They could try to shake off the pursuer by running at full speed, but that might provoke the surrounding organizations.

In any case, their destination, the inn, was just ahead.

Shiraha nodded, as if reading Rio's thoughts.

"We can make it."

"Then let's go."

While remaining vigilant for ambushes, Rio and Shiraha turned a gentle curve and stopped in front of the inn.

—They had no choice but to stop.

A vast amount of blood stained the road. Shattered White Masks, severed arms, and legs were scattered everywhere. Seven bodies were discarded like trash, and two guards were trembling uncontrollably at the side of the road.

In the middle of this gruesome scene stood an old man. He exuded a unique aura that darkened the surroundings, holding a red-lacquered sheath in his left hand and a short, single-edged straight sword in his right. He was kicking a freshly created corpse with his right foot to check its face.

The moment Rio and Shiraha instinctively reached for their swords, the old man turned his head and their eyes met.

They were frozen in place.

If they showed any hostile intent, they would be killed without hesitation. That was the feeling they had.

The old man slowly turned to face them, glaring at Shiraha.

"...What are you?"

The old man slightly pulled back his shoulder. A subtle movement that would go unnoticed if not closely observed. A sign of an impending attack that only someone with experience would recognize.

Rio immediately grabbed Shiraha's clothes and pulled him back, putting distance between them and the old man.

The old man paused his attack and looked at Rio.

"...You're strange. Despite using body enhancement, you're only this level, yet you have the awareness. Why?"

The old man, looking puzzled, slowly sheathed his sword in his right hand.

This would normally be interpreted as a lack of intent to fight.

However, Rio had recognized the true nature of the old man's sword.

"Jump!"

While warning Shiraha, Rio leaped and placed his foot on a rain gutter of a nearby house.

The old man narrowed his eyes and glared at Rio.

Ignoring the old man's reaction, Rio climbed onto the window ledge of the house and looked down at the old man.

"Is that the Divine Sword Obhufus?"

"Fame can be a double-edged sword."

The old man, implicitly confirming it, carried the sheathed sword on his shoulder.

"Don't think you can escape."