Chapter 67

It had been two weeks since the collapse of Elda Fort, and Shu and Iris were walking through the streets of the imperial capital, Aldar. The sky was already tinged red, and the sun was about to set.

Today, they were heading to the Black Cat Bar for the first time in a while.

"Is it open?"

Shu said this as he opened the door. The Black Cat Bar was not very busy, with only empty seats. Occasionally, there were people sitting, but they didn't look very trustworthy. The master noticed Shu and beckoned him over.

"It's been a while. Today, we have some other pleasant guests besides you."

"Pleasant guests?"

"Yes, they're in the private room. You should go see them."

Shu and Iris exchanged glances and tilted their heads. To be honest, they didn't have many acquaintances in the imperial capital, Aldar. They only knew the staff and regular customers of the places where they worked. They certainly didn't have any acquaintances from the underworld who would visit the Black Cat Bar.

With a sense of doubt and caution, they headed to the room the master indicated. The Black Cat Bar was a place where many customers came to request jobs from the dark organization, Black Cat. In other words, it was a den of people connected to the underworld. They couldn't let their guard down.

"Don't let your guard down, Iris."

"Of course not."

With Iris, who possessed the magic armor of immortality, there was no need to worry. However, as a precaution, they remained vigilant. Iris, who was usually careless, seemed to have become accustomed to this dangerous world and was now more cautious.

Shu knocked on the door and opened it without hesitation.

"Oh?"

Inside was a man dressed suspiciously, wearing a mask and a black cloak, a suspicious figure indeed. However, Shu recognized his magic power.

"Hey, are you 'Hawk Eye'?"

"Indeed, and you must be 'Death'. Nice to see you again, Iris. It's been a while since we destroyed the Holy Knights in the Republic of Elise."

Hawk Eye, a senior member of Black Cat, was a master of information trading. He was known for manipulating information to control and sometimes even collapse entire nations. The members of Black Cat were free to cause chaos in the world as they pleased, which was the nature of the organization.

"You're in the Great Empire?"

"Same for you. Did you come early for a Black Cat meeting?"

"That's part of it, but the Holy Grinia is uncomfortable to live in. With power, the Great Empire offers more freedom. That's why I came here."

"Indeed, it seems like 'Death's' activities are easier in the Great Empire."

Shu and Iris sat in front of Hawk Eye, and Shu took out a gold coin from his pocket.

"Let's start with some interesting information."

"One gold coin. It's a bit miscellaneous... but..."

Hawk Eye's eyes darted slightly, as if he was thinking about something. It seemed he was selecting information worth one gold coin. After a short moment, he spoke.

"Let's start with the Revolutionary Army. I believe 'Death' has received several requests from them. For example, the Elda Fort you destroyed—"

"Hey, how do you know about that... and why now?"

"Right. Regarding Elda Fort, it seems the Raven Team has reclaimed it. To be precise, the Revolutionary Army's unit that was heading to reclaim the destroyed fort was annihilated."

"The Raven Team, huh? I think it was an organization formed to kill 'Death'."

"Do you want to know more?"

The team targeting Shu, 'Death', was of interest. He had bought some information from Black Cat before, but information from Hawk Eye was always exceptional.

"What about this?"

Shu showed Hawk Eye a handful of gold coins, ten in total.

"Ten gold coins? It's a tough call... but thanks to 'Death's' rampages, I have a lot of information. Let's settle for that."

Shu took out his bag of gold coins. Hawk Eye received it, counted the contents carefully, and then put them back in the bag and stored it in his pocket. Satisfied, he smiled behind his mask and began to speak.

"First, let's talk about the members of the Raven Team. The captain is Ruto Reaven, a magic armor user of 'Absolute Barrier'. She can manipulate gravity, and it's believed she has awakened... Ah, you already know about awakened magic armor users, right?"

"Yes, to some extent."

Shu had fought the Holy Knight, Selster Altrain, and understood the threat of awakened magic armor users. Of course, he could defeat them.

"It seems Ruto Reaven is the Great Empire's new awakened magic armor user. The rest are ordinary S-rank magic armor users. There's Mithra, the 'Demon Eye' with petrification abilities, Sadina, the 'Sky' who can fly, and Ike, the 'Flame Dragon' who fights with flames."

"…I don't think they have enough power to defeat me."

"Mr. Shu, it's rare for them to be insufficient..."

'Death' was the冥王 Arklight. A monster that could only be defeated by multiple S-rank magic armor users. However, with the power of death magic, which transcends the laws of nature, Shu couldn't be defeated by them.

"Hehe... The current 'Death' is renowned as the strongest. You've already defeated two S-rank magic armor users at Elda Fort, so this information might not be much of a warning."

"I don't need to hear about their combat power. It would be better to hear about the situation."

"In that case, the 'Flame Dragon' is reportedly very angry. He's upset that you killed his comrades, the 'Infinite' and 'Mirror' magic armor users. He's been destroying Revolutionary Army units all over the place."

"That's dangerous."

"Who are you to say that?"

Assassinating important figures and destroying key military bases, 'Death' was far more dangerous. Iris's comment was justified.

"What's the 'Flame Dragon' like?"

"He's the son of the former S-rank magic armor user, 'Inferno' Schmidt Aliur. He's still young and mentally unstable. He's not used to battle, but he has great potential as a magic armor user. Overall, he's weak. Do you want to know more about him?"

"…I understand why the 'Flame Dragon' has a grudge against me. It's about avenging his father and comrades."

The 'Flame Dragon' wasn't physically immature, but he was too young to understand the harshness of battle.

"Mr. Shu, are you going to be targeted again?"

"Ike doesn't even know my face. It's not a problem. If it becomes troublesome, I'll take care of it."

As an assassin, Shu knew he would be hated. It was a situation he had anticipated from the beginning. He could ignore it unless it became a real hindrance. If it did, he would act as the冥王, not 'Death'.

"So, is this all the information for ten gold coins?"

"…Do you want more?"

"If so, which side is stronger, the Great Empire or the Revolutionary Army?"

"It's a tough call, but at this stage, the Great Empire has the upper hand. There's still a significant difference in military strength. However, there's a reason they can't crush the Revolutionary Army all at once. That reason is the assassin working with the Revolutionary Army... you, 'Death'."

"Me?"

"That's how much you're feared. The nobles of the Great Empire don't want to die. Currently, the only ones actively moving are the emperor of the Great Empire and the dukes who are close to him. They have confidence in their guards."

The impact 'Death' had was significant. For Shu, whose goal was to build a reputation, this was exactly as planned.

"However, the Great Empire's confidence is gradually declining. It's because of the forbidden spell you used to destroy Elda Fort."

Being able to use forbidden spells meant he could destroy the capital at any time. Currently, it was said that no one in the world could activate a forbidden spell alone. Even Iris could only do it with Shu's help.

"I see. Forbidden spells can be a trump card."

"Exactly."

Hawk Eye's information was indeed useful. Shu reaffirmed that he should maintain a good relationship with him.

◆◆◆

The burning battlefield.

The dead bodies of Revolutionary Army soldiers.

The scorching heat that melted iron and burned the ground, recreating hell.

"..."

Behind this scene, the red lotus demon... no, the dragon, slowly advanced. Ike, who had materialized deep red flames into the shape of a dragon and wrapped himself in them, gained overwhelming combat power.

"Another annihilation. Are you satisfied?"

"..."

"You're going too far. The Revolutionary Army is a rebellion in a vassal state. If you leave no men, the vassal state will be exhausted, and another rebellion will occur."

"..."

"Hmm... There's nothing I can do."

The captain, Ruto, called out, but Ike ignored her and walked past. Recently, this had been his usual behavior, and he didn't listen to Ruto's warnings, which violated military regulations. However, Ruto didn't treat him too harshly.

(Since Elyna and Yuri were killed by 'Death'... he's been acting out.)

Ike's mental state was terrible. He emitted an intimidating aura, and now even Mithra and Sadina didn't try to talk to him. The current Ike, who resembled an exposed blade, was very difficult to approach.

Seeing Ike pass by, Mithra approached, and Sadina descended from the sky to speak to Ruto.

"Hey, captain. Ike isn't saying anything?"

"He's been like this since losing those two."

"Yes, that's true."

Ruto, Mithra, and Sadina were very powerful magic armor users and held considerable power in the Great Empire. However, counseling a troubled teenager was not their specialty.

As soon as they joined the battle against the Revolutionary Army, Ike went on a rampage with his magic armor. He mercilessly tore apart even defenseless enemy soldiers. He repeatedly launched solo attacks on the Revolutionary Army's camps, burning everything to the ground.

Because of his independent actions, he was treated as a new hero by the Great Empire and called a demon by the Revolutionary Army.

"It's not a good trend. Being consumed by revenge is dangerous."

Losing friends in battle was not uncommon. As a result, there were always young people driven by a desire for revenge. However, the end result for those consumed by revenge was tragic.

For example, charging into enemy lines in a rage and being killed by concentrated attacks. Or, unable to summon the courage to charge, turning to dangerous drugs and suffering a mental breakdown. Or, their revenge turning into a murderous impulse, leading them to become criminals.

As a high-ranking military official, Ruto had seen many such cases and was worried about Ike.

"I even try to feed him, but he ignores me."

"Emotional wounds don't heal easily."

"Mu... In that case, I'll use the Aroma Guild's breast enlargement potion to make him a nice body—"

"That's not the issue! Besides, Ike isn't looking for big breasts... and are you, Mithra, taking such suspicious drugs?"

"Mu. It's a problem only women with breasts can understand."

The natural Mithra and the serious Sadina often had such conversations. Ruto sighed, wondering how they could have such carefree conversations in the middle of a burning battlefield.

On the other hand, Ike, consumed by his desire for revenge, continued to walk towards the Great Empire's main camp.

('Death'...)

Ike's eyes were not focused on the present but on his absent target.

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