I’m late.
The Dawn Mercenaries return from the Dungeon to the surface every few days.
Having run off with the requested family’s keepsake and incurred the wrath of the noble who commissioned them, they chose to flee into the Dungeon until things cooled down, as the item was something the noble couldn’t openly pursue. Even so, they needed to periodically return to the surface to replenish supplies and rest their bodies.
Although it was said they returned periodically, we only knew the cycle because the Guild told us. There was no guarantee they would return on any given day, but when I peeked into the Adventurer’s Guild, I found an adventurer party that seemed like them, exchanging Magic Stones for money.
A group of four, three men and one woman, around their thirties. Among them, the red-haired warrior had a Combat Strength exceeding 700, so he was probably Dagart, the Rank 4 leader of the Dawn Mercenaries.
【Dagart】【Race: Human Male】【Warrior】
【Mana Capacity: 170/170】【HP: 326/380】
【Overall Combat Strength: 733】
I used 【Appraisal】 while matching his appearance and equipment with the target’s information. I had heard that the three companions were Rank 3, but all three had considerable Combat Strength.
【Randy】【Race: Human Male】【Heavy Warrior】
【Mana Capacity: 150/150】【HP: 402/423】
【Overall Combat Strength: 442】
【Duncan】【Race: Human Male】【Scout/Hunter】
【Mana Capacity: 145/145】【HP: 270/286】
【Overall Combat Strength: 403】
【Glinda】【Race: Human Female】【Magician】
【Mana Capacity: 248/248】【HP: 179/217】
【Overall Combat Strength: 541】
The 【Simple Appraisal】 I use doesn’t read the target’s soul information, but rather estimates their strength from external information… how their muscles are built and used, their height and weight balance, the amount of vigor and Mana that can be felt, and so on.
Since I can see Mana Particles in color and my 【Detection】 Skill is now Level 3, I should be able to read their strength more accurately than anyone else here.
The reason why the three besides Dagart have higher Combat Strength than typical Rank 3s is probably because they possess multiple Skills, just like me.
Even at the same Rank, acquiring multiple Combat Skills creates a clear difference in Mana Capacity and Status. In other words, they weren’t just relying on the Rank 4 Dagart, but had trained themselves, and all had acquired the strength to be called a Rank 4 party.
It’s troublesome, but not surprising. The reason they’ve been safe until now, despite doing things that would make a client resent them, is because I thought they were either very cunning or had considerable ability.
If such people are forming a party, then for me, they are almost the first truly superior opponents I’ve faced.
In previous battles, my opponents were also superior, but by luring them into carelessness and exploiting their weaknesses, I managed to win by a hair’s breadth.
However, in a party, the members cover each other’s weaknesses and make the most of their strengths, demonstrating power beyond their individual abilities.
This battle will probably be a watershed moment.
I felt that I was standing at a crossroads, deciding whether I would become just a failed Assassin with only superficial skills, or an Adventurer with the power of an Assassin.
I blend into the surroundings with Stealth that is not unnatural enough to attract attention.
Just in case, to deceive anyone about my purpose in coming to the Adventurer’s Guild, I exchanged the Magic Stones from when I went into the Dungeon with Carla. The staff member I had spoken to before remembered me, and a kind-looking middle-aged man came to the exchange counter.
“You there, you’ve come at just the right time. The Rank 4 party we talked about before has returned. …But from the looks of it, you’ve already been into the Dungeon.”
“A kind girl gave me a free tour.”
When I said that, hiding my face with the shawl wrapped around my neck to escape the gazes of those around me who were paying attention because the staff member had spoken to me, the middle-aged man nodded with a slightly surprised but gentle smile.
“That’s good. This city has a Dungeon, so there are hardly any young Adventurers. The veteran staff and Adventurers were worried about you. So, you’ve decided to form a party with that person?”
The reason I was attracting attention was because I was a “child”… how troublesome.
“Parties other than temporary ones with nobles are impossible, right?”
When I casually answered that, the middle-aged man’s expression changed.
“That girl… didn’t she have long black hair?”
Carla seems to be considered a person of interest at this Guild. I wasn’t told the details, but they suspect her involvement in the disappearances of Adventurers that have occurred in the last few years.
As expected, Carla seems to be a daughter of a high-ranking noble, and she’s someone the Guild can’t even question about the circumstances. I was told to avoid getting involved with her as much as possible.
“This is just between us, but a pair of young Adventurers disappeared a few days ago, so please be careful. I recommend forming a party if possible.”
“I’ll think about it.”
The pair that Carla and I killed is also being blamed on Carla… She doesn’t seem like she would cover up evidence, so it can’t be helped.
Seeing the Dawn Mercenaries leave the Guild in the corner of my vision, I thanked the middle-aged man and left the Guild as well.
When I went outside, they were already gone, but the Heavy Warrior Randy and the Magician Glinda didn’t seem to have Stealth-type Skills, so I could follow their presence if they were only a short distance away.
Following them without revealing myself, they stopped by adventurer supply stores and pharmacies to replenish their consumables, and then seemed to be staying at an inn near the Dungeon.
If it’s the same as usual, they’ll probably dive into the Dungeon again after staying overnight. Since they’re buying up consumables, they must still be wary of the noble’s pursuers, so I’ll continue to keep watch with that in mind.
“…………”
Even now, I periodically feel the “discomfort” of Rada’s presence.
I thought that the reason I occasionally couldn’t even feel the discomfort was because Rada was moving from Shadow to Shadow.
Rada didn’t attack me even when I was alone. Rada must think that I killed Guy, but there must be a reason why she still hasn’t attacked.
Even if the connections between the Assassin Guild’s branches are severed, causing a major problem in another region would be a matter of face and couldn’t be done.
Besides, if Rada was so enraged by Guy’s disappearance, she would choose a location so she wouldn’t kill me easily.
Rada thinks I’ll act based on the information she gave me. If so, the attack location is… inside the Dungeon.
＊＊＊
Rada was monitoring the child called “Ash-covered” from within the Shadows.
That Ash-covered is probably the one who killed Guy. There’s no proof, and due to the nature of Assassins, who often disappear suddenly, Dino, the Guild’s leader, seems to intend to let it go, but Rada is convinced that Ash-covered is the culprit as a result of contacting that child.
There’s no proof. From her experience as an Assassin, she smelled the “scent of blood” on Ash-covered.
She used 【Appraisal】 when she first appeared at the Guild, but Ash-covered’s Combat Strength was less than 200. However, Ash-covered is a disciple of a filthy Evil Race. She must have used a dirty trick to ensnare Guy.
However, Rada couldn’t kill Ash-covered right away.
The leader, Dino, called Ash-covered a fellow disciple and acted like a guardian. He probably wants to keep her alive if possible, to use her as a pawn to manipulate her master, the Evil Race.
If a disciple dies, the Evil Race’s anger can be directed at the target. But that’s like a bomb that can only be used once.
She’s prepared to oppose Dino and the Evil Race to avenge her brother’s murder, but Rada also feels indebted to the previous Guild Master and couldn’t betray the Guild so readily.
Ash-covered is a creepy child, even from Rada’s perspective, who has been killing since she was a child.
Her appearance is that of an early teenager, but even if she’s growing with Mana, her actual age is probably around 10 years old. She easily assassinated the novice Thiefs who were hunting beginners, which she thought would fail more than half the time, and showed an abnormality that one wouldn’t expect from a child.
But the creepiest thing is probably her “atmosphere.”
Despite her appearance being only about 12 years old, she had a mysterious “charm” that made you unconsciously follow her figure with your eyes. Ash-covered herself doesn’t realize it, but the reason she attracts the attention of passersby in the city is probably because of that.
Perhaps Dino and Guy were also deceived by that “charm.” She’s still young now, but it was easy to imagine that if she grew up and became an adult, she would create a large number of people who would be deceived.
Rada felt fear more than anger at her brother’s enemy, and she was convinced that if she couldn’t kill her here, she would leave behind a source of future trouble.
Ash-covered seems to be carrying out the assassination of the target, the Dawn Mercenaries, inside the Dungeon, “as planned.”
Rada had tampered with the information given to the Ash-covered one, just enough to not arouse suspicion, and it was Rada who orchestrated the assassination attempt within the dungeon. With other contacts in the city, she wanted to avoid killing the Ash-covered one in town if possible.
Even so, she hadn’t altered the information regarding the Dawn Mercenaries. This wasn’t because she thought the Ash-covered one could assassinate them alone, but because she wanted to see the Ash-covered one’s capabilities.
Rada didn’t underestimate the Ash-covered one. Regardless of their combat strength, she believed they would use despicable methods learned from the Evil Race.
But at the same time, due to their low combat strength, Rada also believed that while she might suffer some damage if she let her guard down, the Ash-covered one didn’t have the power to kill her.
It’s said that a person can only strategically fight an opponent up to one rank higher. If the rank difference is two, it becomes easy to evade blades and resist magic.
Although she wouldn’t let her guard down, Rada hadn’t given up on killing them herself.
She would crush the Ash-covered one’s traps, and when the Ash-covered one was cornered and desperate, she would kill them herself.
As expected, the Dawn Mercenaries entered the dungeon again, and the Ash-covered one followed them in.
Rada also used Shadow Walk to infiltrate the dungeon without being seen by the soldiers guarding the entrance. While monitoring the Ash-covered one as they pursued the Dawn Mercenaries, Rada felt a slight sense of unease.
(…What is it?)
She knew that the Ash-covered one was skilled in Stealth for a child. But that was, for a human…
Scouting Skills like [Stealth], [Detection], and [Night Vision] show significant differences depending on the race. Cat Beastkin like Rada have bonuses to Stealth and Night Vision, while dog-type Beastkin have bonuses to Detection.
Humans are particularly bad at Night Vision, which affects Detection, and even Stealth is slightly inferior even at the same level.
Yet, since entering the dungeon, Rada had almost lost sight of the Ash-covered one several times.
(…The distance between the Ash-covered one and the target is strange. What’s going on?)
Rada prided herself on the invincibility of her Shadow Walk ability, but it still had drawbacks.
As a characteristic of space-based Dark Magic, the effect wouldn’t activate unless completely isolated by Mana Particles of Darkness, and while isolated, no external information could reach her.
The space isolated by Dark Magic wasn’t an environment where living beings could survive, and Rada could only maintain the isolated space for a few seconds while Shadow Walking.
Normally, she only opened a part of the isolated space to hide in the Shadow, but even then, she was isolated from information for those few seconds of movement.
The distance between the Ash-covered one and the Dawn Mercenaries was closing. How could they get so close without being detected by Rank 4 Adventurers?
Descending to the fifth floor of the dungeon, where other Adventurers were no longer visible, Rada, becoming impatient due to the unclear situation, approached them using Shadow Walk to gather information.
(…What is this?)
The moment she released the isolated Shadow space, a small black “Shadow” floated a few centimeters in front of her.
Normally, Rada would have noticed what it was. But being in the dark to hide in the Shadow, and with her mind becoming impatient, she was a moment too late in realizing its true nature.
In that instant, something shot out from that small Shadow, and before she could evade, a throwing Hidden Weapon pierced Rada’s throat.
“…(Gah)!?”
She couldn’t make a sound. Blood flowed into her trachea, and she couldn’t breathe.
Confused and not understanding what was happening, Rada left the Shadow to escape the attack, only to be met by a suddenly flying iron arrow and a [Ice Arrow] spell that pierced her defenseless torso.
As Rada fell to the ground, a small Shadow appeared on the floor again, as if to finish her off, and a Blade that shot out from it pierced Rada’s right eye.
(Is this the Ash-covered one’s Knife? Then this small Shadow is their Magic!?)
That Magic was very similar to her own Shadow Walk.
Feeling the Light of her life fading, Rada used her remaining left eye to [Appraise] the Ash-covered one standing among the Dawn Mercenaries, and realized that they(・・) had been deceived from the beginning.
[Ash-covered] [Race: Human Female] [Estimated Rank 3]
[Mana Capacity: 135/210] [HP: 141/148]
[Overall Combat Strength: 403 (Body Enhancement in progress: 473)]
Next time, Aria’s perspective on the reality of the trap.