Chapter 30

A city in the eastern part of the Republic of Elise.

The slums, still early in the day, were in an uproar. The reason was the arrival of a holy knight who should not have been there. His target, of course, was the underground organization that illegally harbored magicians.

“Gaaaaah!?”

A large man, riddled with holes in his body, collapsed on the floor. His limbs, abdomen, and chest were pierced with multiple holes. The wounds were precise, avoiding vital points, ensuring he would bleed but not die.

“Damn... why can’t I use my magic... Gyaah!?”

“Magicians must be affiliated with the Holy Knights or the military. It is not permissible for civilians to wield the power of magic granted by the El Magia deity.”

“Shit...”

S-rank Holy Knight Celster Altrain had cornered the man affiliated with the underground organization. He was avoiding vital points to extract information.

Celster had no experience with torture.

But the man was just a rogue magician. Celster believed that if he inflicted enough pain, the man would spill any information he had.

“Can you tell me about the underground organization that’s been doing well recently?”

“I don’t know. I’m part of the operational team. I don’t have that kind of information!”

“Lying is not good.”

“Gaaaaahhhhhh!”

Celster thrust his magic rapier into the man’s body. The large man writhed in pain.

As a B-rank magician, the large man could not retaliate because he could not use his magic. He was being beaten one-sidedly, and his pride was shattered.

He was just a hired hand, with no loyalty to the underground organization.

If he had any information to sell, he would sell it.

That was the large man’s true thoughts.

“Hmm... maybe you really don’t have any information?”

Celster was starting to think it would be difficult to get information from the large man.

When he pulled out his magic rapier, blood spurted out.

The large man, having lost too much blood, was now limp.

As Celster was pondering what to do, one of his subordinates, a Holy Knight, arrived.

“Commander Altrain, we have the inside information. This organization was only involved in small-scale drug trafficking. We’ve secured the cultivation sites, so it’s resolved.”

“Hmm, that was quick.”

“We know that the Republic of Elise is where the Dark Lord is likely hiding, thanks to the prophecy of the Oracle Princess. We’ve already informed all the churches and set up an information network. That’s why it was quick.”

“I see. You mentioned that before.”

The Sealed Holy Knights, led by Celster, had been gathering information in various places since they received the mission to search for and eliminate the Dark Lord Arklight. However, after several months with no results, they had inquired with their home country.

As a result, a prophecy was made by the Oracle Princess.

They received a report that the shadow of death was stirring in the Republic of Elise, so they had been cracking down on underground organizations while gathering information related to the Dark Lord.

“We’ve cracked down on a lot of underground organizations, but it’s about time we get some information on the Dark Lord, don’t you think?”

“The remaining organizations are Red Claw, Demon Lotus, Fire Grass... and Black Cat.”

“Big names, huh.”

“We’ve crushed the smaller organizations. The remaining ones are large and we haven’t been able to grasp their full extent. Especially Black Cat, whose true form is unknown.”

The subordinate Holy Knight sighed as he spoke.

They had crushed over ten underground organizations during this mission. Most were small and powerless, but some were mid-sized. The underground scene had been significantly disrupted.

However, they had only managed to catch the lower ranks of the larger organizations.

The main bodies had quickly cut their ties and escaped.

Especially Black Cat, which they couldn’t even catch a tail of.

“Black Cat is said to have a boss named ‘Black Cat’ at the top, with ten subordinates.”

“Apparently.”

“Of course, this information was sold by Black Cat’s informant, ‘Hawk Eye,’ so it’s unclear if it’s accurate.”

“Turning even their own information into money... I can’t quite understand that.”

“It’s hard to say if it’s reliable.”

Even though they had bought the information, it wasn’t the church that had bought it.

Other underground organizations had bought information about Black Cat from ‘Hawk Eye,’ and the church had obtained information about Black Cat from those organizations. It wasn’t very reliable.

“The Black Cat subordinates believed to be active in the Republic of Elise are ‘Hawk Eye’ and ‘Reaper.’ Red Claw, Demon Lotus, and Fire Grass are also becoming more active. Perhaps it’s due to Black Cat’s expansion from the west.”

“A major conflict might break out soon...”

“Yes.”

“If so, we should head there. Just the presence of Holy Knights will make it harder for underground organizations to move.”

“Where to?”

In response to the question, Celster smiled and answered.

“Of course, the capital, Alta...”

◆◆◆

Shu, having completed an assassination, visited the usual bar the next afternoon. Accompanied by Ailis, he sat at the counter and placed the ‘Reaper’ coin.

The master quickly picked it up and checked it.

After returning the coin, he handed Shu an envelope filled with cash, which Shu accepted.

“Don’t you need to count it?”

“A lump sum is enough.”

“I see.”

Honestly, counting the money was a hassle, so Shu didn’t. The master sighed lightly.

Then, he gave a warning as advice.

“I tried to test you in various ways... but the current ‘Reaper’ is too careless.”

“...Is that so?”

“Usually, assassinations are paid in advance. If the payment isn’t enough, the assassination isn’t carried out. Compared to that, you don’t complain about being paid later and don’t even count the money... you’re going to get hurt somewhere.”

“I see.”

The whispered warning resonated deeply with Shu.

Indeed, he had been quite lax in his thinking while living in the underworld. If he completed an assassination and didn’t receive payment, it would be a problem for Shu.

The client was paying to use ‘Reaper’s’ assassination skills. The bar, which served as a base for Black Cat, also benefited from the large sums of money brought in by Black Cat members.

Requiring payment in advance would be a legitimate request.

Shu realized he had been a bit too lenient.

“Is it good for the master to teach me such things?”

“Well, the current ‘Reaper’ is too talented. I thought it would be good to do a favor.”

“I’ll try to remember that favor.”

Shu nodded, and the master, perhaps feeling his favor was appreciated, smiled.

“Then, give me some light food and a low-alcohol drink.”

“I want the same.”

“Sure. Since you’ve received your payment, how about trying a more expensive drink?”

“If you give me some interesting information.”

“Deal.”

The master, hearing this, took a bottle from the shelf. After checking the contents in the lamp light, he opened it and poured it into a polished glass, placing it in front of Shu and Ailis.

“Enjoy it while you listen. There are no customers right now, so I can tell you some risky stories.”

It was still daytime.

The master’s bar was a place with a good night atmosphere, so there were rarely any customers during the day. Today, it was just Shu and Ailis.

Thus, even risky underworld topics could be discussed without fear of eavesdroppers.

The master, while frying sausages in a pan, began to speak.

“Do you know that several underground organizations have been crushed recently?”

“No.”

“I don’t know.”

“Probably not. The ones being crushed are small. It’s understandable if you don’t know. But some mid-sized organizations have also been crushed. It’s a purge by the Demon God Cult.”

Shu took a sip of the drink and pondered the master’s words.

In other words, Holy Knights were systematically crushing underground organizations. What was concerning was why they had suddenly started doing this.

Cracking down on underground organizations that illegally harbored magicians or committed crimes was not wrong from the church’s perspective, and it wasn’t unusual.

However, if they were systematically crushing them, there must be a reason.

One possible reason was suggested by Ailis.

“Was it because a prophecy revealed something ominous...?”

“Maybe. It’s said that S-rank Holy Knights are involved. Celster Altrain, who leads the Sealed Holy Knights. Have you heard of him?”

Shu didn’t recognize the name, but Ailis seemed to know.

She gasped in surprise.

“Really!? The S-rank magician Celster Altrain!?”

“Is he strong?”

“Of course. He is counted among the best Holy Knights of the Holy Grinia. There are even rumors that he has single-handedly defeated a Catastrophe-level monster.”

A Catastrophe-level monster was so powerful that it was impossible to defeat alone. Even an army would be decimated. It was a realm that required multiple S-rank magicians.

The fact that he had defeated one alone was impressive.

While the rumor might be exaggerated, it was clear that he was extremely strong.

“An S-rank Holy Knight is just crushing underground organizations...?”

Shu was skeptical.

The master, seemingly agreeing with his doubt, nodded and spoke.

“Don’t you find it suspicious?”

“I do.”

“Right?”

While saying this, he placed the cooked sausages in front of Shu and Ailis. Ailis stabbed one with a fork and took a bite. Meanwhile, Shu asked the master.

“Is Black Cat a target too?”

“Maybe. But large underground organizations remain. Besides Black Cat, there are Red Claw, Demon Lotus, and Fire Grass. All these organizations are wary of the Holy Knights. The underworld in Alta is on edge.”

If a Holy Knight caused an organization to collapse, it would be a chance to expand their influence. However, it wasn’t certain that the organization being targeted wasn’t their own. They were likely trying to figure out the church’s intentions.

Since it was related to him, Shu thought about it seriously.

He threw a sausage into his mouth and took a sip of the drink.

But just then, the master dropped a bomb.

“Maybe they’re chasing a big case? Like the destruction of the capital of the Ramza Kingdom.”

“Choke! Cough, cough!?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I, I just choked on the drink...”

It hit too close to home.

The Dark Lord Arklight and the witch Ailis were two people the Demon God Cult desperately wanted to kill. If that was the reason S-rank Holy Knights were dispatched, it made sense.

Ailis’s eyes were wide open as well.

Shu and Ailis exchanged a glance and communicated silently.

(Celster Altrain... do you think he’s targeting us?)

(It’s possible.)

(Should we leave the country soon...?)

(Yes.)

They agreed to escape through telepathy. Shu, having become a king’s monster and learned magic, believed he could defeat most opponents. However, he had no interest in fighting strong opponents unnecessarily.

Since Ailis was with him, it was better to escape if they could.

“Thank you for the interesting information, Master.”

“Sure. Favor my shop.”

Shu pulled out a bill from the payment he had just received and handed it to the master.