Even in Anesis, the second-largest city in the Kingdom of Mireana, it naturally grew dark when night fell.
The Duke Kerebel Mansion, which governed the city, would certainly never have wanted for light, but such places were few and far between. The vast majority of Anesis was, quite naturally, swallowed by darkness once night descended.
Through that darkness, Black Wolf ran.
True to his name, his figure melted seamlessly into the shadows as he moved. Anyone told he was a top-tier assassin would have believed it without question.
Running along roads, across rooftops, and even up walls when necessary, Black Wolf made his way toward his destination.
And yet, the fact that he held a nikuman from Rei in his hand... one could not say that wasn't very much like Black Wolf either.
Despite running across rooftops and walls, the people inside the buildings showed no sign of noticing him. Whether they were fast asleep or wide awake, working or drinking, no one detected his presence at all.
He also encountered guards patrolling the streets along the way, but none could spot him.
Precisely because he was an assassin who lived in the night, in the darkness, in death, the other residents—those who lived in the surface world—remained utterly oblivious to Black Wolf's passage.
After running through the darkness for a while, Black Wolf finally slowed his pace. Even so, he was still moving fast enough that an ordinary person would likely never have spotted him.
"..."
Black Wolf surveyed his surroundings in silence, then gazed reluctantly at the nikuman in his hand before bringing it to his mouth.
He was currently perched on the rooftop of a relatively tall building in the Slum District. Under normal circumstances, no one would even think of climbing up there, even in broad daylight. The building itself was old—so old that it would come as no surprise if it collapsed at any moment.
To remain completely unfazed in such conditions... nay, to actually enjoy the night view and the sight of the moon through the falling snow—that was something only Black Wolf could do. Had Rei been there, it would not have been unreasonable for him to complain, "Did you disappear just to go moon-viewing?!"
Amidst that nocturnal scenery, despite the falling snow, Black Wolf showed no sign of feeling the cold as he ate.
Having fled from Rei's room and run through the winter night, the nikuman was, naturally, already cold. But Black Wolf brought it to his mouth slowly, savoring it bite by bite.
A cold nikuman was, of course, not particularly delicious. Some might even declare it downright unpalatable. Even so, Black Wolf ate the nikuman in his hand as if it were something precious.
No matter how carefully he ate, it would inevitably disappear if he kept going. Black Wolf gazed sadly at the nikuman as it grew smaller in his hand, yet he did not stop. When the last bite entered his mouth, he wore an expression of sadness unlike anything he had shown in front of Rei.
For several minutes he remained there. Then, licking his now-empty hand with lingering regret, he leaped from the spot.
The place where Black Wolf had been sitting was high enough that jumping down would mean certain death for any ordinary person. Yet Black Wolf leaped without so much as a flicker of fear, landing on the ground without making a sound. The moment he touched down, he bent his knees, completely killing the impact.
It was a feat that required tremendous skill, but for Black Wolf, it was nothing difficult—something he could manage even while humming a tune. Having landed after what could only be called a waste of technique, Black Wolf began running once more.
His destination was a special place within the Slum District.
As Black Wolf dashed through the darkness, what eventually came into view was an ordinary house—one that seemed utterly out of place in the Slum District. The fact that no one was standing watch was because everyone in the area knew who lived there.
Even the residents of the Slum District would never dream of breaking into this house. They knew that doing so would mean the end of their life, plain and simple.
Black Wolf entered with no particular caution, as if it were his own home.
"Oh, welcome."
On the other side of the door stood a butler, bowing as though he had been expecting Black Wolf's arrival. The man bowed with an elegance that would not have been out of place in a noble's mansion rather than such an ordinary home. However, he noticed the scent drifting from Black Wolf and, though his expression did not change, was mildly surprised.
What drifted from Black Wolf was unmistakably the aroma of food—of cooking.
For Black Wolf, who was highly cautious and rarely ate even when invited by the master of the house, this was quite a rare occurrence. That said, the butler guided him inside without asking any further questions.
Compared to the Duke Kerebel Mansion—nay, even compared to other nobles' estates—this house was small. Under normal circumstances, anyone might have questioned whether a butler's guidance was truly necessary in such a modest home. But with this house, it was a different matter entirely.
Who lived here was common knowledge among those nearby. Which meant there were also those who would come targeting the life of its resident.
The person who lived in this house held tremendous influence in Anesis's Underground World. Those who had expanded into Anesis from other cities—especially the hot-headed ones—might just do what anyone in Anesis would absolutely never dare.
For that reason, there were areas in this house where the butler and a few others had to act together—places where, if one moved without knowing the lay of the land, lethal traps might well be triggered.
Then again, for someone of his caliber known as Black Wolf... it would be no surprise if he could casually avoid the traps in this house even after they'd been triggered.
Glancing back at Black Wolf, the butler led the way down the hallway toward the master of the house.
Since the building was not that large to begin with, they reached the room in a matter of seconds. The butler knocked.
"Excuse me, Master. Black Wolf-sama has arrived."
"Let him through."
At the voice from within, the butler opened the door. However, only Black Wolf entered; the butler departed without stepping inside.
Under normal circumstances, such behavior could rightly be called discourteous to both the master and Black Wolf himself, who had come as a guest. But within this house, there were certain rules, and following them was only natural.
Black Wolf had visited many times before, so the exchange prompted no particular reaction as he stepped into the room.
The furniture in the hallway had all been first-class items. But what filled this room was a collection of furnishings clearly a cut above the rest. These were pieces of such value that selling even one would allow an ordinary family to live in comfort for decades. If one lived modestly, the proceeds could last a lifetime.
Above all, the fact that such luxurious furniture was being used so casually spoke volumes about the standing of the person who resided here.
In truth, someone who thought nothing of it—someone who would find the value of this furniture ridiculous—might use it without a second thought. But the person living in this house used these furnishings fully aware of what they were worth.
Though, naturally, Black Wolf had no understanding whatsoever of the value of such furniture.
"Glad you came, Black Wolf."
The voice belonged to a man who appeared to be around his mid-thirties. For someone who owned this house and stood at the pinnacle of Anesis's underworld, one might say he was somewhat young. But the fact that this man had used every means available to rise to the top of Anesis's Underground World and claim the summit was an undeniable truth.
Of course, in that fierce yet silent power struggle, Black Wolf had lent his aid as well.
Black Wolf was a free assassin, not this man's subordinate. Even so, there was no doubt that he was someone who had looked after Black Wolf, and it was equally undeniable that he was the person Black Wolf trusted most in all of Anesis.
"Oh? You seem different from usual... what's the matter?"
To an outside observer, distinguishing between Black Wolf's current demeanor and his usual one would have been impossible. That the man could do so was surely a testament to how much time he had spent with Black Wolf over the years.
Black Wolf said nothing. He simply curled up on a sofa a short distance from the desk where the man had been organizing documents.
This sofa, too, was naturally an extremely expensive item, but to Black Wolf, that was of no concern whatsoever.
"Good grief..."
The man turned his gaze toward Black Wolf, who had already fallen asleep on the sofa. What sat there was not the man who ruled Anesis's underworld, but a single individual wearing an expression like someone worrying over family.
To the man—to Celestan—Black Wolf was both a useful piece on his board and a comrade, and he held feelings toward him that bordered on familial.
Had any of Celestan's subordinates been present, they would have been astonished to see him looking at Black Wolf like this. It was a demeanor utterly unlike the usual Celestan.
Still...
Celestan murmured softly, though his eyes returned to the documents before him. Today's Black Wolf was, after all, somehow different from usual. It was a suspicion born precisely from their long shared history.
At the very least, it doesn't seem as though anything bad happened... I suppose it's fine to simply leave him be.
Black Wolf, being an assassin, was acutely sensitive to others' malice. That such a man would sleep so defenselessly in front of him was, for Celestan, a deeply gratifying thing.
In any case, something happened to Black Wolf. That much is certain. If I had to guess... Crimson.
The job Black Wolf was currently undertaking was the assassination of Crimson. Though, naturally, the man who had placed that request would no longer be appearing in public.
If something had occurred while Black Wolf was on a job, the only conceivable cause was his target—Rei.
Originally, with Black Wolf's abilities, an assassination should not have taken any time at all. That even he should struggle was proof that the alias Crimson was no mere decoration.
"Even so... the client may be gone, but it was undoubtedly Black Wolf who accepted this request. As long as that remains the case, the option of aborting this job does not exist."
Speaking the words aloud, Celestan shook his head.
In reality, since Gaiska—the man who had made the request—could not pay the remaining reward, there would be no issue with aborting it here. But to do so would invite speculation that Black Wolf, the assassin, had failed.
Given his standing, Celestan had no need to entertain such foolish talk, and Black Wolf was not the type to care about others' assessments. But even so—for Celestan, who knew the man that Black Wolf was, a tarnished reputation sat poorly. It was something to be avoided if at all possible.
That was precisely why, even knowing it was somewhat unreasonable, he had Black Wolf continue targeting Rei.
It was not that Rei's existence was troublesome for Celestan. He knew full well that Rei would vanish from Anesis in a matter of days. If that was the case, there was no need for Black Wolf to go out of his way to make a move here.
Knowing all this, Celestan still had no intention of canceling the job.
Gaiska, was it? That man's bloodline undoubtedly carries that much value. An old bloodline holds worth beyond one's personal ability, it seems.
For just an instant, he wondered how Gaiska was faring underground, but Celestan immediately put the thought out of his mind and turned his gaze back toward Black Wolf, who slept on, looking utterly content.