A man and a woman watched intently from their hiding spot as the two men and one beast drew closer.
Through hearing honed as a Shadow, the man learned exactly how their location had been discovered, and his cheek twitched. To be honest, he felt like clicking his tongue in frustration, but with a Gryphon nearby, he couldn't risk it. Even the faint sound of a click might give them away.
(No, they reached this far by sense of smell alone. I should assume they already know we’re hiding in this vicinity. But what now? Since they tracked us from the attack site to here by scent, perfect concealment anywhere in this city is likely impossible. If that's the case...)
The man reached into his pocket for a Teleportation magic item.
(Teleportation is limited to two people... three at most. If I use it, I'll have to abandon the rest. ...But our primary objective is to bring back information. If the alternative is total annihilation here, the best choice is obvious.)
The man turned his gaze toward the woman who served as his lieutenant. Catching his eye, she nodded, signaling that she understood everything. Without making a sound, she spoke through lip movements alone.
"I will lead the others to draw their attention. Captain, use the Teleportation Stone in the meantime."
"...I’m sorry, but I’m counting on you. I won't tell you to come back alive. Just fulfill the mission."
The man made the bitter decision with a furrowed brow. His distress wasn't solely due to the loss of his subordinates. A first-class Shadow—a spy—required a massive investment to train. Only those raised with such funds and recognized as elite could become a Shadow. To lose nearly twenty of them was a devastating blow to the Bestia Empire. Whether the information they had gathered was worth such a price was a question he couldn't answer.
In short, everything they had done in the City of Gilm had resulted in nothing but a massive deficit.
(Damn it, all of this is because of that adventurer Rei. Now that it’s come to this, I will make sure the information I’ve gathered about him reaches the Empire.)
"Once you engage him and create an opening, I’ll use the Teleportation Stone to escape the city. I’m leaving all the men here; you take command."
"No. In an emergency, guards for the Captain are essential. Take two men with you. If you are attacked while trying to activate the stone, you might accidentally drag that Rei person to our designated base."
The man reluctantly agreed and gave brief hand signals to the subordinates lurking in the surrounding buildings. It took less than ten seconds for the unit to prepare for the ambush. Their movements were, without a doubt, those of the most elite.
(And yet we’re consuming these elites here. I wonder how this will affect the war next spring.)
With that thought, the man pulled the Teleportation Stone from his pocket, ready to seize any opening. He waited for his two skilled guards to join him.
(They’ll launch the attack, he’ll deal with it, and then the men staying behind will reveal themselves. That one moment when he’s distracted by them—I won't miss that split second to activate the stone.)
Confirming preparations were complete, the woman readied a knife and threw it toward the approaching Rei. Simultaneously, several other Shadows threw their knives as well.
However, the man watching the outcome could hardly believe his eyes. The moment Rei drew a knife from his own robe, he moved with literally invisible speed, striking down every single blade flying toward him.
"Captain, fortune be with you!"
"..."
The woman gave a final farewell to her superior and leaped outside. At her signal, the other subordinates emerged from the buildings and surrounded Rei's group.
The man didn't miss the moment Rei's gaze shifted toward the attackers. He made eye contact with his two guards, communicating their intent in an instant. He was just about to slam the mana-charged Teleportation Stone against the floor when—
"Captain! Get out of the way!"
The woman’s scream echoed through the slums, followed immediately by the sound of something shattering. An impact slammed into the man, and his consciousness vanished in an instant.
The man’s judgment would have been perfectly correct—if his opponent had been an ordinary adventurer. Had it been only the Guard Force, he would have successfully escaped at the cost of his subordinates.
But he was facing Rei, a man rumored to possess combat power on par with an A-rank adventurer. And most fatally, he was facing Seto, a Gryphon capable of perceiving magic power.
The moment the woman and her unit surrounded the group, Seto sensed a surge of magic power from the cottage the woman had just exited. It couldn't tell if it was a spell or a magic item, but it sensed that its beloved Rei might be in danger. Without hesitation, Seto kicked off the ground and flapped its wings. Using its two-meter-long body and the boost from the Bracelet of Herculean Strength, it charged headlong into the shack where it sensed the magic.
As a result...
"Seto!?"
Stunned by the sudden movement, Rei called out Seto’s name, matching the bewildered expressions of the enemies.
By the time Seto heard the voice, the effect of the Teleportation Stone was already manifesting, deploying a magic circle on the cottage floor. The Captain and his guards had been sent flying against the wall by Seto’s tackle and lay unconscious. The activated Teleportation Stone remained on the floor.
"Guruuu!?"
Seto noticed the magic circle too late. The light centered on the stone expanded, and the magic circle teleported the only being remaining inside its bounds: Seto.
"...Seto?"
Seto's presence inside the building suddenly vanished. Beside the muttering Rei, Ranga didn't know exactly what had happened, but he realized things had taken a turn for the worse. He cast a sharp, wary look at the surrounding Shadows.
The woman and her subordinates were equally bewildered. The Teleportation Stone had definitely activated, but the Gryphon had charged in right before the flash. Seto’s momentum had been so great that it hadn't merely collapsed the walls but had pierced through them, making it impossible for those outside to see the chaos within. It was a stroke of absolute misfortune for the Shadow Captain.
However, the greatest misfortune belonged to those left behind.
"Hey, you. You look like you’re the highest-ranking one left. What were they doing in that cottage? ...Answer me."
Rei, having realized that his partner—his other self—had vanished, stood before them.
It was a blessing in disguise for the Shadows that none of them possessed the ability to sense magic power. Had there been a mage capable of it present, they would have undoubtedly lost the will to fight the moment they felt the staggering, bottomless ocean of magic power gushing out of Rei.
Even without that sense, the woman could see the air around Rei shimmering. She watched as the snowflakes falling from the sky evaporated into mist before they could even touch him.
(...!?)
Hit by a wave of murderous intent backed by that enormous magic power, the woman—despite her rigorous training—gasped. Her hands and feet began to shake uncontrollably. By the time she realized the chattering sound in the air was her own teeth, she saw that her subordinates were already paralyzed with terror.
"...I said answer me, didn't I?"
Rei reached into the Misty Ring and withdrew his Death Scythe, giving it a wide, menacing swing. The sound of the great scythe cutting the air was sharp enough to convince them that he could slice through them like paper.
Step by step, Rei advanced toward the surrounding Shadows and the woman at their front. She felt that the moment she entered his reach, her life would end. Despite having no magical perception, every person there was frozen by a primal, soul-crushing fear.
At least, for those who remained standing.
"Tch!"
Sensing something slicing through the wind, Rei clicked his tongue and swung the Death Scythe.
Clang!
With a sharp metallic ring, the Death Scythe—charged with Rei's mana—sliced through a knife thrown from the ruins of the cottage without the slightest resistance.
"Honestly, no one told me there was a monster like this here."
Sighing as he stepped out of the wreckage was the man leading the Shadows.
"Ca—Cap..."
The woman tried to speak, but her voice failed her, suppressed by the weight of Rei’s murderous intent. Her eyes, however, made it clear that this man was their leader.
"...I see. You’re the boss. Looks like you were trying to run away alone."
The man didn't react to Rei's provocation, simply looking around at his paralyzed subordinates. He knew instinctively that he couldn't win, nor could he escape this killing intent.
"The fact that you’re here means Seto interrupted your teleportation item. ...Tell me. What was the destination?"
Rei leveled the Death Scythe at the man. To his credit, the Shadow Captain remained unfrozen despite taking the brunt of Rei's rage—a testament to his status.
"...If I tell you, will you let us go...?"
Zip!
Before he could finish, a Flying Slash from the Death Scythe whistled past the man’s head, neatly bisecting the remains of the building behind him.
"Do you think you’re in a position to negotiate? Answer or die. Choose one."
"...Are you sure about that? If you kill me, you’ll never find out where that Gryphon went."
Despite his bold words, the man’s back was drenched in cold sweat. Rei's presence was that overwhelming.
"If you won't talk, I’ll just ask your subordinates. Fortunately, I have a few spells that are quite effective for interrogation."
(This is bad. At this rate, we’ll be wiped out and the information will be lost. Why is there a monster like this in the frontier? ...No, perhaps it's because it's the frontier.)
The man knew victory was impossible. His only choices were to abandon his men and run, or to surrender.
(I'd never make it away. And right now, the only one who can even move is...)
He glanced at his unit. Because Rei's focus was on him, his lieutenant could move slightly, but not enough to flee. The others were even worse off.
(Surrender is the only option. Escaping this man is impossible while he's looking at us. If we resist, everyone dies. It's better to surrender and look for a chance to escape when he's not around. ...Even if the report is delayed.)
If he still had a Teleportation Stone, he would have sacrificed his men to bring the intel back. But those stones required master-level alchemy and materials from high-rank monsters like B-ranks. Even in the Empire, they couldn't be mass-produced. He had used his only one. Without it, fleeing was just a death sentence. Shadows were willing to die for the mission, but they didn't throw their lives away for nothing.
As the man hesitated, Rei began to pour more magic power into the Death Scythe.
"Rei-kun, that’s enough!"
Ranga reached out and grabbed Rei’s shoulder, halting his movement. The fact that Ranga could act while witnessing such bloodlust spoke to his skill as Captain of the Guard Force, though it helped that he wasn't the direct target. Even so, the fact that even he had been momentarily slowed by the leaking intent showed the depth of Rei’s fury.
"..."
Rei glanced at Ranga, then let out a small sigh and suppressed his aura. However, his piercing gaze remained locked on the Shadow Captain.
"Talk. Where was Seto sent?"
"...A river near the City of Gilm. Inside a cave located upstream."
As the man spoke, Rei immediately recalled the river where he had stripped materials from monsters alongside the members of Eternal Power.