Volume 3 Chapter 17 I Want To Be Told, ＂last Night Was Fun, Wasn't It？＂
The man, coming back from a dark and heavy place in his mind, saw...
"Hey, you're awake?"
...a big red-haired guy named Randy sitting on a wooden box, looking down at him.
Feeling confused, the man took a moment to understand what was happening and looked around. He noticed his friends tied up and lying on the ground, just like him. They seemed to be trying to figure out what was going on too, and their eyes met.
(Is this... the edge of a river? Or maybe a port?)
It sounded like a river was nearby, with the gentle sound of water breaking the night's silence.
(My arms and legs... I can't move them.)
He looked at his friends and then at himself. The big red-haired guy sighed heavily in front of him. Finally remembering what had happened, the man felt a tightness in his jaw, realizing they had messed up.
This was supposed to be an easy job.
They had received a request from the dark guild headquarters in the capital city to watch 2 student travelers in the coastal city of Riverford and, if possible, kidnap them.
The targets were just 2 students. According to the info, one was a slacker and the girl wasn't much of a fighter either.
Of course, he had questions. Why didn't the headquarters handle such an easy job themselves? They could easily attack the students in the capital.
But a letter attached to the request said that the "Prince of the Silver Peaks" and his guards were in the capital, along with some dark side folks, making it hard for them to move around.
Sure, the targets were students. He heard the Crown Prince also attended that academy, and that area was probably protected by knights as well as dark side members.
So, in Riverford, their main goal was to keep an eye on the students. If they got lucky, they could kidnap them. He thought it would be impossible to kidnap them in the capital, but here, he didn't see any guards around the students.
In fact, the students were at the inn, casually sharing a bed together.
They seemed completely relaxed, not even thinking they were being targeted. Meanwhile, the man and his friends searched the area carefully, making sure there were no hidden guards.
In the end, they figured out it really was an easy job. Just kidnap the two students. They didn't care if they had to kill the guy, and as long as the girl was alive, that was fine.
So, they thought they'd have some fun. The girl was a real catch... and that's why they decided to attack. But look where they ended up. For some reason, they were the ones lying on the ground, and one of the targets was looking down at them.
"Well then..."
The big red-haired guy spoke, and the man felt a slight tension in his body. It was a bad situation, but he didn't sense any other guards around. Plus, they were in a completely deserted part of town.
If he could sneakily cut the ropes with the hidden blade in his boot, he might be able to escape.
Honestly, the big red-haired guy didn't seem that tough, especially as he stifled a yawn right in front of him.
"Who the hell are you guys?"
Randy frowned, but none of the man's friends spoke up. Of course not. They were all part of the dark guild. Even if they weren't from the headquarters, the rules were still the same.
And there was a chance to escape. They had no reason to fear this kid.
Even now, with a weak voice saying, "Hey, can you hear me?" the man felt a bit relaxed... not realizing he was about to understand why they messed up.
"Not talking, huh? Well, I figured as much. No choice then."
With a sigh, the red-haired guy walked over to one of the guys lying on the ground, who was directly opposite the man.
"Sorry about this."
His words came out casually, like he was just passing through a crowd... and then there was a loud crack.
The man and his friends looked at the red-haired guy, wondering if he was starting some kind of torture.
But what they saw was their friend's head twisted at an unnatural angle. The silent red-haired guy grabbed the dead guy's legs and dragged him... then casually tossed him aside. They heard a whoosh as the body flew through the air, and after a moment, they heard a tiny "splash" in the distance, like something small falling into the water.
As the men started to understand what was happening, another one of their friends had his neck broken.
(Huh? Wait, what──)
Both the men and their friends couldn't hide their confusion. They had asked about their group, but the response to their silence was to kill and throw them into the river. It was way too extreme.
And that ridiculous strength.
He easily tossed a big adult, and from that distance too. It was hard to tell exactly how far, but from the sounds and timing, it was clear it was way too far for a person to throw another person.
While the man was thinking about this, a hand was already reaching for the third guy's neck...
"W-wait a second──."
Without waiting for the man's plea, a cold sound echoed in the silence again.
Even though the man said to wait, the red-haired guy calmly dragged the man he had just killed and threw him into the dark river again.
As Randy approached with a blank expression, the man called out to his last remaining friend, "Please, just wait a little longer."
"C-can we at least negotiate a bit more, or maybe torture us or something──."
Next to the man who was raising his voice, the red-haired guy silently broke the neck of the friend who was shouting, "Wait, at least ask us a few more questions──"
(What the heck is wrong with this kid...)
The face of the dragged friend, filled with regret, was the first thing to instill real fear in the man.
The iron rule.
A punishment worse than death.
He had trained to endure torture, preparing for various scenarios. His body had been modified with secret techniques from the dark guild to withstand pain to some extent.
He was proud that his well-trained body could take hits without feeling much damage. This was true not just for him, but also for the 4 friends who were already dead.
But the red-haired guy in front of him seemed to break necks without caring about any of that.
There was a clear difference in their strength as living beings.
The abnormality of killing his friends without getting any information in this situation.
These 2 things connected in the man's mind to the realization that they had messed up badly.
(This guy... he never cared about us from the start.)
As long as he knows who they are, it's fine. If he doesn't, he'll just kill everyone. He probably thinks that simply. And he has the power to make that simple thought a reality.
"You monster..."
The man muttered as the red-haired guy stood in front of him after throwing the 4th one. Facing the silent giant looking down at him, the man gritted his teeth.
(So it's true.)
The cold eyes of the red-haired guy looking down at him showed that it didn't matter if he knew their identity or not. It seemed like he was saying that it wouldn't be a problem as long as he could kill everyone coming at him.
Still, a bit of pride made him say something that rejected that fact.
"Even if you kill us──."
"Yeah, yeah. I don't need to hear that."
The red-haired guy interrupted him and grabbed his chin.
"I don't want to ask you anything. I already know enough about you."
The red-haired guy snorted, and the man couldn't help but respond with a confused, "Huh?"
(You know? But no one said anything.)
Maybe he saw the man's confused thoughts, as Randy grinned and leaned in closer.
"Your gear doesn't match. Yet you guys are acting like a group. So you're an outside organization that works for money."
The red-haired guy pointed with his thumb at the gear they had taken from the men. Whether it was robes or daggers, it was clear that each person had brought their own stuff, and it wasn't standardized. Since the dark guild often operated individually, the lack of uniformity had backfired.
"An outside organization. That means there's a client involved... You guys are targeting completely unrelated people with money from some idiot."
With a blank expression, the red-haired guy continued.
"So, there will probably be more of you coming soon, and they won't talk either."
As the red-haired guy leaned in closer, the man swallowed hard. He could easily imagine what the next words would be, but it felt like his brain was refusing to think about it.
But reality was harshly crashing down on him.
"Torture. Interrogation. It's a hassle. From now on, if you're wandering around, I'll just kill everyone. Until you're all wiped out. Again and again. ...Again and again."
The red-haired guy said this casually, and the man was sure of one thing. The red-haired guy in front of him could definitely make that happen.
"P-please. We won't ever mess with you guys again. I'll tell my friends the same──."
The red-haired guy loosened his grip on the man's chin just a bit. Taking advantage of this, the man pressed on.
"Please. I promise we won't touch you again──."
"That's asking too much."
The red-haired person interrupted him with a snort and continued.
"You were getting paid to do bad things. Don't think you can die like everyone else."
Hearing this, the man slowly closed his eyes. He didn't think his words would get through, but being so easily dismissed felt almost refreshing.
(This was not someone I should have messed with.)
With that feeling and the killing intent in the air, the man had no choice but to believe the red-haired guy's words. If he kept targeting this guy, the dark guild would eventually be crushed. No, maybe someone would notice the red-haired person's craziness and stay away forever──
As the man was lost in these thoughts, an unbelievable force tightened around his neck.
(This was supposed to be an easy job.)
As he heard the sound of his bones creaking and felt a slight resentment towards the people at headquarters, the man completely lost consciousness.
* * *
After taking care of the assassin and tossing the body into the Rail River, Randy cleaned up any traces with Craft and headed back to the inn.
Just like when the men broke in, Randy entered through the window, and Ellie quickly raised her hand.
"It's me, it's me."
Once Ellie realized it was Randy, she showed a slightly happy face and said, "You're back."
"Did you get anything out of him?"
"Nope. He didn't say a word."
Randy shrugged, and Ellie sighed, "Well, that's to be expected."
"But I did learn some things."
Randy started explaining that the target was part of some organization and was likely being paid. This meant there was a client involved. And there would probably be more attacks.
"Isn't that stuff we already knew?"
Ellie frowned, and Randy pouted, "At least we confirmed it, right?"
"So what's the plan now?"
"It's simple. If they come close, we wipe them out."
"Sounds good to me. Should we just destroy the whole town while we're at it?"
"Always so eager to be bad."
Randy grinned, and Ellie blushed, puffing out her cheeks, "Shut up."
"By the way, what happened to the attackers? Did you put their heads on display?"
"Of course not. I just dumped them in the river."
"Idiot. If they go against us, we should make an example of them."
Ellie's frustration was understandable. But now wasn't the time to make that choice.
"Those kinds of people are, in a good way, cowardly, and in a bad way, have too much pride."
If the attackers didn't come back, they would probably hide to reassess their strength. But if we exposed them, they might attack Randy and the others day and night with sheer numbers.
An organization that operates for money wouldn't just back down after being publicly humiliated. They might not be a big deal, but dealing with them constantly would be a hassle.
Right now, this trip was for getting camera footage, not for playing around with them. If they wanted to stay out of the way, that would be just fine.
"But what if they come into the forest?"
"Then there will just be a big grave in the forest. A really big one."
Randy laughed casually, and Ellie nodded with satisfaction, "Well, as a servant, you're doing okay."
"By the way, where's Liz?"
"She's sleeping soundly thanks to my magic."
Ellie grinned and added, "If you stay up too late, you'll be annoying."
"That goes for you too. Just go to sleep already. I'll keep watch."
"Of course. As a servant, you should be useful for at least that much."
As Ellie laughed, Randy gave a wry smile and said, "Sure, sure. As you wish," waving goodbye as he left the room.
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