Chapter 61

In the basement of a magic goods store in the slums of Baraila City, Lambert stood facing twelve mages.

"Too bad. You were planning to expose our underground guild, the 'Clock Tower of the Dark Night,' and infiltrate us by surprise, right? But that's not how it is. I was the one who lured you here. We heard that someone was sniffing around like a dog, didn't we?"

The oldest of the twelve mages, a man in his mid-forties, spoke to Lambert. He had distinctive tattoos on his face and cloudy, white-sclera eyes. A gold piercing adorned the tip of his tongue. His name was Nidhogg, a mage known as the Poisonous Serpent. He was the guild master of the underground guild 'Clock Tower of the Dark Night' and was wanted in the Kingdom of Legios.

"Didn't a woman come crying to you? She said her lover was killed by the 'Clock Tower of the Dark Night' and asked you to avenge her. Too bad, she was my woman. Quite a beauty, right? She fell for it so easily, it was hilarious."

As Nidhogg spoke, the other mages burst into laughter.

"You're a rat in a bag, armored guy."

"Amazing, Master Nidhogg! You immediately went on the offensive when you knew you were being chased."

"Why don't you beg for your life? If it's funny, Master Nidhogg might let you off, who knows?"

After a moment, Lambert spoke in a disappointed tone.

"I came to see, but... you're just a small fry. I wasted my time."

He slumped his shoulders, placing his hand on his helmet, looking dejected. The mages, who had formed a circle around him, began to raise their wands.

"Don't kill him. We need to find out who ordered him to investigate us!"

As if on cue, a barrage of fireballs was launched simultaneously. In the next instant, Lambert, who had been bowing his head, vanished and reappeared elsewhere.

"Huh...?"

Lambert dodged the irregularly fired fireballs with the agility of someone not wearing armor. Compared to his innate speed, the fireballs were almost stationary. He disappeared and reappeared, disappearing and reappearing. Despite being within their field of vision, Nidhogg and the others could not keep up with his movements. Lambert appeared in front of one of the mages in the circle.

"Ah...!"

The moment the mage noticed Lambert's approach, the greatsword swung and decapitated him. The torso, kicked backward, slammed into the wall. Lambert immediately leaped to the side and decapitated the next mage. He then ran to the next mage.

"Stop! Stop it!"

One of the mages pointed his wand at Lambert. Trying to fire a magic bullet with trembling hands, he unconsciously lowered his wand under the pressure of Lambert's approach. As a result, he was decapitated by Lambert, who was completely unresisting.

Lambert ran in a circle, cutting down the mages one by one. The last one was Nidhogg.

"Don't get too cocky! Come forth, poisonous serpents!"

From the tip of Nidhogg's wand, three snakes with bright red bodies were launched straight at Lambert. These were illusions created by mana, but as long as the mana lasted, they moved like living beings. They writhed irregularly in the air, pursuing even if dodged. With three of them, it was difficult to avoid them completely at close range. Moreover, a single graze from their fangs could rob the target of consciousness, and even touching their scales could paralyze the area, making it impossible to fight effectively.

They were troublesome projectiles, a spell that was Nidhogg's trademark.

Of course, they were meaningless against Lambert. Lambert swung his greatsword in a circle, deflecting the heads of the three venomous snakes. Even if left alone, they would have been crushed and destroyed by Lambert's magic metal armor, but he had a fondness for this armor, which was given only to the Four Demon Generals, and did not want it contaminated by the dirty snakes' venom.

"Wait! My back is supported by the 'Carnival of Carnage'! If you kill me, you'll be pursued by them for the rest of your life! You'll live in fear of their shadow, never having a peaceful night's sleep..."

"Unfortunately, I don't need sleep."

Lambert had recently killed one of the sub-masters of the 'Carnival of Carnage.' If he were to be targeted, it would have happened long ago. There was no point in being intimidated by such a threat now.

Lambert's thrust pierced Nidhogg's chest and pinned him to the wall. Nidhogg's body floated in the air, his limbs dangling. When the greatsword was pulled out, Nidhogg fell to the floor.

Lambert looked down at Nidhogg's dead face, shook his head, and sighed.

"...A disappointment."

Lambert had been investigating the 'Pied Piper Demon' on his own. If the 'Pied Piper Demon' was planning to attack Baraila City, they would likely already be hiding there. He was trying to gather information and find suspicious places where mages gathered, hoping to take them down before they could act.

Lambert sheathed his greatsword and left the 'Clock Tower of the Dark Night' hideout. As he walked through the slums, he noticed a beggar wrapped in dirty, patched cloth. While not unusual in the slums, he sensed a momentary aura of killing intent. When Lambert stopped, the beggar got up and ran in the opposite direction.

Watching him run, Lambert was certain. The beggar was actually the war god Robin Hood. He had been walking through Baraila City in disguise when he encountered Lambert and realized he couldn't fool him, so he decided to run.

Lambert quickly pursued Robin Hood.

"Sorry, but I'm taking this."

Robin Hood kicked a man leading a horse, mounted it, and spurred it on. The people around them hurried to clear the way to avoid being caught up.

(Somehow, I managed to escape. I can't die yet... But riding a horse on the street will make me stand out. I should get off at a suitable place...)

As he slowed the horse, a scream and cheers rose from behind him. The sound of large footsteps, like hooves, reached his ears. Sensing the killing intent, Robin Hood turned back, thinking it couldn't be.

Robin Hood turned back. In front of him, he saw a man in heavy armor running towards him at a speed that rivaled a horse.

"...You've got to be kidding me."

Robin Hood increased the horse's speed, discarded his disguise, and drew the bow hidden inside, turning his upper body to fire an arrow at the pursuing Lambert. Lambert effortlessly deflected it, showing no sign of slowing down.

Robin Hood's face turned pale. It was simply impossible, too absurd.

(Damn... If I had my beloved horse, Seraph, I could escape!)

Even as they passed through the slums, Lambert showed no sign of slowing down. His run was tireless. The crowd on the street grew even more.

Realizing there was no escape, Robin Hood kicked the horse's back, leaped up, spun in mid-air, and landed. He intended to escape through a narrow alley. He immediately ran towards a large building nearby and stopped abruptly.

"......?"

Lambert was puzzled by Robin Hood's actions. Stopping would only increase the chances of being caught. Robin Hood, who had shown such decisiveness and action, had suddenly stopped for no apparent reason.

The door of the building in front of Robin Hood was kicked open from the inside. Adventurers, exuding a killing aura, poured out.

Their eyes were white, and saliva dripped from their mouths. They moved stiffly and had strange quirks, lacking any sign of life.

(That movement... the poor precision, a large-scale necromancy spell!?)

There were few people who would use such a large-scale necromancy spell in the middle of a city. Lambert realized that the 'Pied Piper Demon' had begun to move.