Chapter 36

I'm sorry. I was half-asleep and posted it as a draft (crying).

While the four were having a discussion, Cecilia was walking down the hallway. Occasionally, people passed by, but by walking confidently and silently, she surprisingly did not attract much attention. The larger the organization, the less intense the personal connections seemed to be.

(Armory, armory...)

She proceeded while checking her surroundings to avoid arousing suspicion.

(That looks like it.)

On the first floor of the old castle, at the very back, was the room. It looked more like a warehouse than a room, and its decoration was clearly simpler than the surroundings.

Cecilia approached it cautiously. Fortunately, the door was not locked.

Slipping inside, she lit the lantern hanging from the ceiling, revealing the interior of the room.

"Bingo!"

Inside were weapons. Several swords hung on the walls, and below them were shields. There were also abundant daggers, crossbows, and firearms.

Armor and cannons didn't seem fitting for an organization of assassins, so they were probably left by the former lord.

The long room was so wide that the end was not visible.

The back part seemed unused, and portable items were lined up at the front. Cecilia picked up one of the daggers.

"I haven't handled real ones much, but I guess it's okay."

In training, she always used imitation weapons. Even though they were similar in size and weight, using them for real would be different. Still, she couldn't bring an imitation weapon...

She attached the dagger, holder and all, to her belt when suddenly the door behind her opened, and a familiar face appeared.

"You are..."

It was Merlin. As the leader, she seemed to know all her subordinates' faces, and she looked surprised to see Cecilia.

Cecilia instinctively stepped back. Not knowing what to do, she touched the dagger she had just attached to her belt, and Merlin closed the door behind her without calling for anyone else.

Then she let out a voice filled with exasperation.

"I didn't expect you to escape from that cell on your own."

Seeing that Cecilia was not showing any hostile intentions, she took a step back but released the dagger.

"I thought you were a more refined young lady, being a duke's daughter."

Seeing Merlin sit on an empty box nearby, Cecilia was puzzled.

"... Aren't you going to arrest me?"

"What would I do with you? I was planning to let you escape quietly in the morning, anyway."

"Huh?"

"What's the point of picking a fight with the duke's family? I still value my life, you know."

Saying this casually, Merlin dangled her legs.

"But just now..."

"That was just for show. The organization has grown too big, and there are a lot of troublesome people. 'We should take revenge on anyone who leaves the organization!' 'We should do anything to make money!' Some of them are even pretending to be bandits. I had to deal with three of them last time."

Merlin chuckled, shrugging her shoulders.

She seemed like a completely different person from a moment ago.

"Growing too big is not good. We started as assassins who only killed evil people, aiming to be righteous bandits, but now we've become an organization that will kill anyone for money."

Cecilia listened to Merlin's story without saying a word.

It seemed that while she did bad things, she wasn't inherently a bad person.

"That's why Dante's departure was a good opportunity. He was our top earner. Besides, if we wish for his happiness, we shouldn't keep him here."

Her face looked like that of an older sister worried about her younger brother.

They might actually be related. The game didn't detail it, but it seemed odd for someone like Dante to stay under someone else without a reason.

"So, just as I was thinking of disbanding the organization, you came."

"Me?"

"Yes. The foolish leaders have been talking about kidnapping nobles for ransom. Combined with the revenge on Dante, it led to this incident. Well, it also had the meaning of a forceful opposition to me, who was against the ransom business."

It seemed that Hymerth was not a monolithic organization. From Merlin's words, it sounded like there were people opposing her.

Merlin stood up from the empty box, patted her butt, and turned to Cecilia.

"Well, I was planning to let you go from the beginning. I didn't expect you to escape on your own. I came to the armory to choose weapons for you for tomorrow. I thought you might need them since being unarmed would be inconvenient."

"Is that so?"

She nodded hesitantly. She didn't fully trust her, but there was no reason for Merlin to lie.

Merlin looked at the dagger on Cecilia's belt.

"Well, since you've already chosen, that's good. ... Follow me. I'll take you to the academy."

"Okay."

Merlin took the lead and reached for the door. But—

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"The door won't open."

She jiggled the doorknob several times.

As she did, gray smoke slowly seeped through the gap in the door, which felt slightly warm to the touch.

"We've been had."

Merlin's voice was tense, and sweat trickled down her face.

She bit her lower lip in frustration and shouted at Cecilia.

"Move out of the way!"

Cecilia moved to the side as instructed. The next moment, Merlin rammed the door.

With a loud noise, the door came off its hinges and fell outward.

"It seems we've been set up."

The hallway was filled with fire and smoke. The bright flames were spreading to the curtains and wooden parts.

Cecilia's spine froze.

"What is this!?"

"This is more like arson. They probably want to dispose of us all at once."

"......So?"

Merlin pinched Cecilia's nose, as if she didn't understand.

"You were kidnapped by mistake, and they got scared, so they decided to get rid of you along with me."

"Wh-What!?"

Cecilia let out a shocked cry.

"If I die with you here, they can pin all the blame on me and take over the organization. It's the kind of thing a fool would think of."

"Leader!"

From the other side of the flames, a man who seemed to be one of her subordinates shouted. He seemed to want to help but was blocked by the flames and smoke.

Merlin pointed towards the exit.

"You guys go first! I'll follow you!"

"But—"

"Quickly!"

"......Okay! Stay safe!"

"You too!"

Merlin must be a good leader. They passed by with regretful expressions.

"Now what? They set the fire to roast us. It seems the armory is also on fire."

She seemed genuinely worried.

The stairs leading to the second floor and the hallway in front of them were also on fire. The windows were behind the flames, so escaping through them was impossible.

Going to the back of the armory might allow them to escape the fire, but it was a dead end. It would only buy them some time.

"Are you okay? Your face is pale."

Only then did she realize she was shaking. Being in danger of death was naturally scary, but her fear seemed to come from somewhere else.

Her teeth chattered, and her body stiffened. Cold sweat poured from her entire body.

Cecilia managed to nod.

"......I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. Well, this way still seems passable, so let's go together."

"Okay."

Just as Cecilia was about to follow Merlin, a pillar fell from above with a loud noise.