The five men encircling the door were outfitted in swords and chainmail. Each wore a matching coat embroidered with a gold-thread hawk, marking them instantly as a cohesive unit.
I recalled them now—these were the mercenaries Serge-san had hired for security. I recognized both the insignia and the man who stepped forward.
"Apologies for the wait," Serge-san said, turning to me. "I believe I have yet to introduce them, Ryoma-sama. These men belong to the Golden Wild Hawks, the mercenary troupe I have entrusted with my shop's security and my own personal protection."
"I am Yashuma, Vice-Captain of the Golden Wild Hawks," the leader said.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Ryoma Takebayashi," I replied. "We encountered one another once before in front of the Morgan Company, didn't we? Thank you for your professional courtesy that day, despite my sudden arrival."
"Our mission at the time was the security of the Morgan Company," Yashuma stated flatly. "It is only natural to avoid interfering with business more than necessary for the execution of our duties."
He didn't waste words, nor did he pry. It was a quintessentially professional response. Though the gazes of the five mercenaries felt somewhat sharp, I attributed it to their focused vigilance rather than any personal animosity.
The conversation ended there. I joined the Saionjis, Serge-san, and the five guards as we made our way toward the exit. Yashuma walked naturally beside Serge-san as the lead guard, while I took the opposite side. The remaining four mercenaries moved in a formation that boxed us in from the front, back, and sides.
As we walked, they remained unobtrusive. They didn't interrupt our talk, maintaining a silent, seamless coordination as they swept shadows and scanned every passerby. It was a display of expert teamwork that left me genuinely impressed by the caliber of a top-tier mercenary troupe.
We had just reached the entrance near the general reception area when it happened.
The atmosphere shifted.
The fresh air was suddenly tainted by the faint, cloying scent of refuse.
A prickle of static electricity crackled across my skin, like unseen insects crawling over my body. That slight yet intense wave of discomfort bypassed my conscious thought and triggered a raw instinct.
Targeted.
"On guard!"
Almost the exact moment the guard leader barked his warning, I shouted out.
"To the right!"
In the space between the decorative aquariums lining the entrance—a space that appeared empty to the naked eye—my Mana Perception caught a concentrated humanoid silhouette of mana. I saw the glint of a knife in its hand and realized it was lunging straight for Serge-san.
Reacting on instinct, I threw the Wire Slime wrapped around my left arm like a bola. The attacker lunged forward to evade the projectile, but the movement forced a faint, unnatural sound from the void.
To an ordinary person, it would have been nothing. To the Golden Wild Hawks, it was more than enough to confirm the threat's location.
"Stop him!"
Two of the guards moved instantly to form a wall between Serge-san and the intruder. They hadn't fully pinpointed the enemy's form yet, likely relying on sound or scent to guide their positioning.
The assassin, realizing the element of surprise was gone, changed tactics. The guards couldn't charge blindly without knowing exactly where the blade was, and that split-second hesitation gave the enemy the opening they needed. The attacker abandoned the approach and prepared to hurl the knife at Serge-san.
I won't let you.
Just as I reached for the Iron Slime concealed in my belt, Yashuma pivoted, positioning himself between Serge-san and the invisible threat. Once he had established the line of defense, he drew his katana and threw it in a single, fluid motion.
The sound of clashing metal rang out, followed immediately by a spray of fresh blood across the floor.
With the strike, the enemy's magic finally unraveled. The space distorted, revealing a man dressed in a form-fitting suit that clung to him like a second skin.
"Secure him!"
One of the guards lunged forward, tackling the man and dragging him into a chokehold. The assassin offered no resistance; he went limp as consciousness left him, his body slumping into the mercenary’s grip.
The clean resolution of the fight felt strangely unsettling, but my Mana Perception detected no other hostile signatures in the area.
The immediate danger had passed. Now came the aftermath.
The skirmish had been brief, but it had taken place in broad daylight in a high-traffic entrance. Predictably, the crowd was already beginning to stir in panic. Serge-san and the Saionjis were shaken, though they maintained their composure.
Yashuma turned his gaze toward me.
"Perhaps we should step back inside for a moment," I suggested, looking at the unconscious man. "We can't exactly leave him here."
Later that evening, in the reception room of a shop within the town of Gimul, two men sat in the shadows of an ominous conversation.
"Report, Wands," the first man said.
"Everything has been prepared according to your instructions," Wands replied.
"You had less than a week. Did you truly manage to complete every directive? I imagine there were those who resented us taking command."
"Naturally. Even my newest subordinates have been in this town for months, and the veterans have spent years laying the groundwork. To have our orders drastically overhauled just as we were about to act—and to have you and your people suddenly arrive to seize control—it’s only expected that some would feel slighted. However, regardless of our differing methods, we all belong to the Dark Guild. Obedience to the upper echelon is absolute. Since the orders came from the top, we will exert ourselves fully under your command."
"I see. A fair point. If the plan is ready, then I have one more question."
"Ask anything."
"Tell me everything you know about the boy, Ryoma Takebayashi."
Wands’s expression stiffened. "I believe I submitted a report on the boy already."
"I read it. This is merely a confirmation. Tell me even the most trivial details. You see, our directives from the upper echelon include the liquidation of that boy in addition to the primary operation."
Wands’s face twisted into a look of malicious delight. "Assassinating that boy? It seems a bit excessive to deploy men like you against a mere child. I almost pity him."
"We thought it excessive as well," the man admitted coldly. "But an order is an order. And from what we hear, the boy possesses magical aptitude that is difficult to credit to a child."
"He spends every morning performing snow removal with massive-scale Water Magic," Wands said. "I can't speak to his combat prowess, but his mana capacity is undeniably vast. I’ve also heard he uses physical force to keep rowdy rookie adventurers in line. Though, as an amateur in those matters, those 'adventurers' looked like a bunch of nobodies compared to you. He certainly has the arrogance to lecture me as if he were someone of importance. I imagine he has just enough talent to back up his big mouth."
"Is that truly all?"
"What do you mean?"
"Around noon today, an operative under the same orders as us went to assassinate the Chairman of the Morgan Company. He has not returned. The Chairman’s safety has been confirmed. We are treating it as a failure."
"The Chairman is deeply connected to the Duke and that boy, so it’s no surprise he was targeted," Wands replied. "But are you saying the boy stopped the hit? The Golden Wild Hawks provide the Chairman’s security. If an attempt was thwarted, surely it was their doing."
"We knew the Golden Wild Hawks were present. That is why an Invisible Blade was deployed—an operative capable of succeeding even under such high-security conditions. The attack took place at Ryoma Takebayashi’s security company. We know they were holding a luncheon. Our orders specify that the Chairman must be killed in a way that the news reaches Ryoma Takebayashi immediately—ideally, he was meant to witness it. There is a high probability the boy was present."
"If so, everything I know about his combat capability has already been said," Wands insisted. "If he did anything, it was likely magic. But as for whether a child could stop an Invisible Blade... it’s far more likely the Golden Wild Hawks, the Duke’s hidden retainers, or high-rank adventurers at the company intervened. I can tell you more about them, if you wish."
"Proceed."
Wands detailed every scrap of information he possessed, piece by piece. When he finally fell silent, his usefulness had reached its end.
"That is the extent of my knowledge," Wands finished.
"I see. You have done well."
"Wh-What are you—"
A small knife, previously concealed by the man, sank deep into Wands’s solar plexus.
"You... you were supposed to... help me escape..." Wands gasped.
"If I hadn't promised that, you would have fled before the preparations were finished," the man said, his voice devoid of emotion. "I simply squeezed the last bit of labor out of a useless pawn."
"No... someone... help..."
Wands’s final plea reached no one but his murderer. The man confirmed the death, wiped the blood from his blade onto Wands’s tunic, and opened the door.
An unremarkable man dressed as a traveling merchant was waiting outside.
"I’m finished here," the assassin said. "And your side?"
"Sir. The devices have been set throughout the shop. The manager’s office will serve as the ignition point."
"Good. We’ll move the body there. I’ll douse this room with oil myself."
"Understood. So, Wands has been liquidated."
"The fool seemed to realize he was a failure who couldn't fulfill his orders, yet he truly believed showing a bit of competence would buy him his life. Despite his talk, he provided almost no useful intelligence. I was forced to endure a lecture filled with his pathetic pride."
"He likely thought his status in the Dark Guild gave him some leverage. He failed to realize he was a replaceable pawn."
"If he had realized that, he might have been worth keeping. No matter. The Invisible Blade truly hasn't checked in?"
"No report since the last scheduled window, sir."
"Then he won't make it back in time for the antidote. We proceed without him. Mobilize the expendables. And while we must remain wary of third-party interference, heighten the surveillance on Ryoma Takebayashi. Report any movement immediately. Operation start."
"Sir."
The two men moved with clinical efficiency, carrying Wands’s corpse away. When they returned, they saturated the room with oil from overflowing jars, discarded their outer clothes, and vanished into the night.
It would be some time before the charred remains of Wands were ever discovered.