"Listen up. Whatever you do, don't go wandering out into the city alone. We were warned this place was suspicious, and the air here is already thick with trouble. There’s no need for any of you to face it by yourself."
In the inn’s dining hall, Elk addressed everyone gathered.
Standing beside him, Daskar nodded in agreement, adding his own weight to Elk’s warning.
"Ideally, we would have bypassed this city entirely and made camp along the highway. But as a noble representing the Kingdom of Mireana, I have no desire to fuel rumors that I fled out of fear. Besides..."
Daskar paused, his eyes sweeping across the room before he continued.
"I have faith in you all. Do you understand? This isn't just professional confidence; it's trust. I trust those of you who have lived and trained with me in Gilm. Moreover, we have the A-rank party, the Axe of the Thunder God, and Rei, the adventurer known as Crimson, among us. With the knights I trust and these skilled adventurers by my side, no one—no matter who they are—will be able to lay a finger on me. As you likely felt on our way here, there are many in this city who harbor ill will. An attack is inevitable. I expect the best from each of you."
Once Daskar finished his speech, the knights were assigned their respective posts.
Fortunately, because Daskar was staying here, the inn had been chartered exclusively for his entourage. A few guests had already been staying there, but at the request of the local governor, they had been relocated to other accommodations. Some of them were even nobles of the Bestia Empire, but it appeared that Margrave Larkus, a high-ranking noble of the Kingdom of Mireana, took precedence.
Most of the knights dispersed to their stations within the building. Meanwhile, Rei was ordered to remain on standby in his own room for the duration.
As the meeting broke up and everyone moved to their positions, Rei approached Elk before heading upstairs. Daskar had already retired to the inn's most luxurious suite, escorted by Min, Rhodos, and a contingent of knights.
Only Rei, Elk, and the knights waiting for the next shift remained in the dining hall. Elk spoke first as the boy drew near.
"Rei, I'm sure you realize this, but..."
"Yeah. It seems we’re quite the celebrities, even here in the Bestia Empire."
"Naturally. Especially you. I might have some measure of fame, but within the Bestia Empire, your reputation definitely overshadows mine. Even if it is infamy."
As Elk spoke, he noticed that Rei didn't seem the least bit tense. Ordinarily, a person would show some sign of agitation upon learning they were a target—even if Daskar was the primary prize. Seeing Rei’s calm, Elk felt a mixture of admiration and conviction. He decided it was only to be expected from the boy he knew.
"If anyone does attack, try to take them alive if you can. We need to find out who's pulling the strings."
Rei nodded. Seeing this, Elk gave a satisfied grunt and left the room.
Rei watched him go, feeling a faint sense of gloom. The fact that Elk felt the need to emphasize that point made him realize just how little people trusted his ability to capture someone without killing them.
(Even I can handle a simple capture...)
Rei sighed. Then again, considering his track record, he had to admit Elk’s concern was justified.
"Kill him... kill him... kill him... I'll definitely kill him."
"That's right. To reclaim what you lost on the battlefield, you have no choice but to kill the one who took it. In fact, once you reclaim it, you will become stronger than you ever were—stronger than when you ran away. Yes, so much stronger. You’ll never have to do something so pathetic as fleeing from an enemy again."
"Right... I'm going to kill him. Definitely. No matter what... for sure."
In a building not far from the inn where Rei’s party was staying, more than ten men sat in a basement, chanting to themselves. Their voices echoed through the underground room, but each man was so focused on his own voice that none seemed to hear the others.
The only exception was the woman’s voice that drifted between them from time to time. A sweet, intoxicating incense burned in the room, slowly dulling the men's senses.
The woman paced through the basement, occasionally stroking a man’s head or whispering directly into his ear.
(I managed to finish in time... though progress was slower than I expected. Perhaps because they saw Crimson with their own eyes. Well, I suppose whatever happened back then planted quite a seed of terror in these boys. A 'Flame Tornado,' was it?)
She had heard the rumors, but she hadn't witnessed the event herself. As such, she couldn't quite grasp the sheer horror a firestorm could inflict upon those who saw it.
(Still, he’s an invited guest of the Empire now. He won't be using such large-scale attack magic in the middle of a city. I don't need to worry about that. That just leaves... the Gryphon, I suppose.)
Mura continued her work, using the incense and her magic-infused words to mold the men into the tools she required. Even if they were just pawns, they were ones she had personally refined. Her goal was to test the strength of the others besides Crimson, and that would be impossible if they were cut down too quickly.
(Yes... let's push them just a little further.)
Satisfied with her decision, she whispered into another man's ear.
"Listen to me. You are strong. You will prove that to the world. Even if you lose an arm or a leg, it won't stop you. If your right hand is gone, use your left. If your left is gone, use your legs to kick. Charge them. Bite their throats if you have to. That is how you will prove your strength. You will show everyone that the shame of fleeing the battlefield was nothing but a mistake."
Her voice seeped into the men’s minds. She was systematically dismantling the mental limiters the human body uses to prevent self-injury, numbing their sense of pain while keeping their minds functional enough to kill by any means necessary.
She made them believe this was their path to redemption.
Endlessly, she repeated the process. Surrounded by the dim lamplight, the cloying scent of the incense, and the magic in her voice, the men had their consciousnesses rewritten.
"Are you done?"
When Mura finally emerged from the basement, she was greeted by a man in his twenties. He was her associate, Shistoi, the man designated to command the upcoming raid.
"Yes, I managed to get them ready on time. I’m leaving the rest to you."
Mura smiled. Her voice was now casual and light, bearing no trace of the manipulator who had just been shattering and remolding men's spirits. This was her natural way of speaking, reserved only for those she trusted.
Shistoi handed her a cup of fruit water.
"Thanks. How are the preparations on your end?"
"I’ve gathered a decent number of men, but they’re just trash. Their only merit is their quantity."
Shistoi clearly wasn't happy with the quality of his forces; his tone was thick with dissatisfaction.
"Why are you worrying about quality now? This is just a force reconnaissance to gauge their strength. If you want quality, wait for the real operation."
"But still..."
"What?"
Shistoi started to argue, but when Mura fixed him with a sharp look that asked if he had a problem, he shook his head slightly.
"No, you're right. My apologies, Mura."
"Hmph. You worry too much, Shistoi. It’s fine to be meticulous, but don't get hung up on the wrong details."
"Urgh..."
Neither of them felt the slightest bit of guilt over brainwashing these men or using them as disposable tools. They both knew the men they sent would likely die, but after years in the underworld, such feelings had long since vanished.
"Anyway, we have nothing to do until tonight, right? Come have some tea with me."
"...Is this no good?" Shistoi asked, gesturing to the cup of fruit water.
Mura sighed in exasperation. It was late summer—or perhaps early autumn—and the midday heat was still intense. The drink might have been cold when he first poured it, but by the time she’d finished in the basement, it had inevitably turned lukewarm.
"I’d rather have hot black tea than lukewarm fruit water. It’s not like we’re in a rush. Come on."
"...Fine."
Shistoi looked at the cup, then at Mura. He looked slightly disappointed, but he drained the remaining liquid and followed her. He personally felt that as long as it was wet, lukewarm fruit water, tea, or even plain water was all the same.
(Still better than sipping muddy water, I suppose.)
He thought back to their childhood, surviving in the slum district together. Then, a sudden sensation stopped him.
(Why am I thinking about the old days? Me? Why would I dwell on something so pointless... no, this is...)
A cold shiver ran down his spine, and his brow furrowed. It was his sixth sense—the premonition that had saved his life countless times in the underworld. It was screaming at him.
"Hey, Shistoi! What are you standing there for? Let's go."
"Hm? Oh, sorry. Just got lost in thought."
He shook his head to clear the bad feeling, but the warning bells in his mind refused to be silenced. He spoke up as he caught up to Mura.
"Hey, we're really just gauging their strength tonight, right?"
"What? Of course. Why are you asking now?"
"I just... have a really bad feeling about this."
Mura frowned. "Don't say that. Your premonitions are always strangely accurate... and it's always the bad ones."
"It's not like I do it on purpose."
"...How bad is it?"
"You remember when that noble client betrayed us and had the knight order ambush us from behind? It feels worse than then."
"Ugh."
A sound escaped Mura that was entirely unbecoming of a woman in her twenties. That incident had been a nightmare. They had barely survived a desperate battle against elite knights. Of course, they had retaliated by spending several days slowly skinning the noble alive, carving his flesh and bone, and rubbing salt into the raw wounds until he died regretting he was ever born.
Recalling that grim memory, Mura’s expression clouded.
"Fine. We prioritize our own safety tonight."
"Yeah. That's the best plan."
By "safety," they meant their own lives, not the lives of their pawns.
"I knew dealing with the rumored Crimson wouldn't be easy, but this might be more trouble than I bargained for."
"That's why we were given the job. No one else wanted the headache."
"Yes, yes, I know. Well, as long as we keep our distance, we won't be found. For now, I'm going to focus on recovering my energy until nightfall."
Shistoi nodded in agreement, and the two moved off to find their tea. Behind them, the faint, sweet scent of incense drifted from the basement, only to vanish into the summer air a few moments later.