Chapter 31

There was a large mansion about a hundred meters away from the royal castle. It is a rental villa for visiting nobles. A lot of money had been spent on the interior as well as the exterior. Even the aristocrats, who have a reputation for nagging, have nothing to complain about in this place.

In fact ― Robert Telgande was also relaxing here with a satisfied look on his face.

“Hmm, I don’t like the messy streets of the royal capital, but… it looks like I know where to spend my money.”

Robert said on the top floor of the mansion, looking at the furnishings nearby.

“Don’t you think so, Lauren?” Robert called out to the man standing next to him.

“I can’t answer…”

“What a bore.”

Robert said with a dissatisfied look on his face. Just then, there was a small knock on the door.

“Come in.”

“Please excuse me, I have prepared some drinks for you.”

The servant who worked in the house bowed before entering the room. On a tray in his right hand was a bottle of wine and two glasses. He walked to the table beside Robert, where he tried to pour some wine into a glass.

“Taste it.”

“Huh?”

The servant widened his eyes at Robert’s words.

“Taste it for poison.”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

The servant was surprised, but poured the wine into another glass and sipped it. His throat moved and after releasing the glass, there was a faint trace of the wine on his lips.

“Put it here.”

Robert confirmed there was no poison and gave short instructions. So the servant put down the tray and left the room, looking somewhat confused.

“Robert, …excuse me, but what on earth are you afraid of?”

“…Lauren. It’s not your job to think about anything.”

Robert said sternly, but Lauren didn’t shut up.

“Robert, I am a knight who has sworn allegiance to the Dukes of Telgande. I have a duty to protect you. If you are being targeted by someone, I would like you to tell me about it. If you do, I will definitely protect you―.”

“― if so, you think you can beat the people from the underground?” Robert said irritably.

“If you’re the leader of the Knights of Orthodox, you’ve probably heard of them. The existence of the secret agencies, and bureaus that the Kingdom of Terraria has.”

“Indeed, during the Great War, I often heard rumors…”

“During the War of Heroes and Demons, the upper echelons of the military often came into contact with those undergrounds for operational reasons. Fortunately or unfortunately, I wasn’t involved. …According to what I’ve heard, the underground soldiers kill their enemies with advanced techniques that don’t seem humanly possible. Stabbing, poisoning, strangulation, shooting are some of the methods they use. In particular, the soldier who is called the Ace among the “underground” had defeated the demon that even the hero could not defeat by himself. It’s not just one time, but countless times.”

“That’s… isn’t it hard to believe?”

“I don’t believe in it that much either. Well, I guess it is an urban legend. But they also say that ‘there is no smoke without fire’. I guess the rumors are exaggerated. Still, it seems that there are some incredibly scary killers in the world. There’s possibility for such beings to target me so I am cautious.”

Robert said with a slight tremble in his voice.

“But even though there is an ‘underground’, we are still on the side of the kingdom. As long as you don’t have any reason to believe that you are being targeted, I think you can rest assured.”

“I don’t know… You can’t trust an organization that keeps its identity a secret.”

While answering, Robert swore inwardly.

I’m in trouble and I have an idea why. But there should be no evidence left.

He killed Gaul when he found evidence of corruption. Then he killed the mercenaries who worked on killing him, every last one of them. There is no reason for me to be attacked by the underground now.

But it’s best to be on alert.

Even if he was not targeted by the “underground” of the kingdom, there might be such organizations in other countries. Robert was aware that a lot of people held a grudge against him. Therefore, be thoroughly vigilant. Be sure to taste the food and drink received from strangers before consuming it. Always have a knight by your side when you leave your territory.

He also remained vigilant while he was in this house. This room on the top floor of the mansion had two large windows. The night view of the royal city from here must have been beautiful, but as soon as Robert came to this room, he immediately covered the windows with curtains. This was to block the sight from the outside.

“Robert, please don’t worry,” Lauren said with a sincere attitude.

“Though I’m no match for the previous leader, Gaul, I am also the leader of the Knights of the Orthodox. I will definitely protect you. Even if, for some reason, you have to deal with someone from the ‘underground’, I will surely become your sword and shield.”

Lauren said with a confident look on his face.

A knight is a very useful thing, Robert thought. They never betrayed their masters unless something went wrong. He was a loyal dog that is easy to use.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Robert said, “Come in,” and the servant who had brought him a drink earlier reappeared.

“What is it now?”

“Well, it’s a gift for Master Lauren…”

“For me?”

Lauren, who was standing beside Robert, let out a cry of surprise.

“The sender seems to be a student who was observing the joint exercise the other day. A member of the Knights of Orthodox who was patrolling outside received the letter. According to the knight, the letter inside was addressed to Master Lauren. It seems that the sender claims to be a fan of Master Lauren… “

“I told you, I don’t accept that kind of thing.”

“The sender seemed to be very enthusiastic. He was so insistent on giving it so the knight had no choice but to receive it…” The servant said apologetically.

The recipient of the gift was a member of the Knights of Orthodox. The fact that he left the gift with a servant, suggested that it was not too much of a concern.

”Is that all you got?”

“Yes. Please, take it.”

The servant handed the white box to Lauren. Then, Lauren slowly opened the box.

“What!?”

A large amount of white smoke poured out of the box. Lauren pushed down his agitation and immediately drew his sword.

Raid ― Where is the enemy?

If he thought about it normally, it would be the servant who brought this box. Just before the smoke screen filled his vision, Lauren caught the shadow of the servant and grabbed his arm.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“What the hell? I don’t know! I don’t know anything!”

The servant who was grabbed by Lauren, slumped on the spot and screamed.

The attacker is not this servant.

Then, who is it?

Who did this, and for what purpose?

While keeping an eye on the servants’ movements, Lauren watched over the entrance to the room, however, no intruder entered.

“Lauren! Hey, what the hell is going on?!” Robert shouted in panic.

“Damn―I can’t see anything!! Open the window!!”

There was a sound of curtains being drawn, and then the window began to creak open. The white smoke flowed outward at once, and the conversation that had just taken place suddenly flashed through Lauren’s mind.

‘Underground’ soldiers kill their enemies with advanced techniques that are not humanly possible. There are various ways to do this.

Stabbing, poisoning, strangulation―.

―shoot-to-kill.

“Robert! Please wait―”

In next moment,

There was a beautiful hole in Robert’s brain.

◆

On the verge of death, Robert opened the window, and for some reason, he thought he could see the face of the sniper a few hundred meters away. There were rumors whispered in the upper echelons of the military. It was said that behind the heroes, there was a true hero of the war who killed many demons. This person actively dealt with opponents that the “front” people were no match for. People in the bureau or agency rarely revealed their names. Even so, a soldier who stood out too much would be known before long. By the screams of the enemy. Or by the cheers of their allies.

It was said that his name was carried by the wind, little by little.

The dark side of the Kingdom of Terraria.

The Ace of the True Soldier Special Service Agency.

“…2 8″

Apparently, this person was good at sniping.