Chapter 8
Chapter 8
I know exactly what that clown waving at me is.
I know he’s not a being you can divide into good and evil.
In some sense, he’s neutral. But he has clear standards.
“……Why?”
Just once. A game’s formulaic cheat that lets you erase a mid-boss if the progress is blocked, framed as a request.
The king of assassins.
Safe Clown.
The alias “Safe Clown” was given to him as the king of assassins.
The reason he has such a unique alias is simple: anyone who has seen him in any form other than that of a clown hasn’t survived.
And that means, conversely, that when he appears like this, it’s “safe.”
Yes, that is the public image the king of assassins projects.
A declaration from a madman that he has no intention of harming anyone.
However……
“Why me? What did I do?”
Why reveal yourself to me? Are we close? We just met.
It’s like walking down the street and suddenly having the CEO of the top company in the country drape an arm around your shoulder. Confusing.
“What did I even do?”
How many people would see someone they normally have no dealings with suddenly acting familiar as just simple kindness?
Even if I know this madman’s outward mask, the fact that he’s insane is terrifying enough.
The clown moves as if smiling with his whole body.
The clown, still waving, eventually disappears into the crowd.
Did I just dream that?
A strange sensation that makes me wonder if the stress over the past few days had caused me to hallucinate.
“……Huh?”
But it didn’t take long to realize it wasn’t a hallucination.
The moment the clown vanished.
A few blinks.
“No way……”
All the eyes that had been watching me began to vanish one by one.
From rooftops, alleys, atop outdoor café tables.
Thud.
People begin to collapse.
Blood pools beneath them.
The moment someone disappeared, a cluster of people died.
There was no way to deny the clear cause-and-effect.
Safe Clown.
That madman cleared out all the watchers who had been surveilling me.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Here, someone’s dead!”
Screams erupt.
Fear mixes with the chaotic crowd, amplifying the tension.
Splash!
And in the middle of that chaos.
Something falls in front of me.
The sound of something wet hitting the ground.
I look down to see a crimson-stained object with words etched onto it.
‘Present for you!’
A confirmation shot of who was behind this.
My head spins.
Everything is happening around me, and I feel like I might vomit from the pressure.
Is this what it feels like to be a top star on stage? No, probably not……
“Ugh……!”
I realize my legs are moving frantically.
I know the clown who sent me this “gift” has no malice toward me, but still, trusting a madman who makes human limbs into stationery? I can’t just stand there.
I’m terrified out of my mind.
No, I know it. I’m basically in a state of panic. But the fact that I can observe myself like this… that must mean there’s some plan, right?
“Damn, now what do I do.”
Well, no. There isn’t a plan.
Thrown into this situation with no answers, what kind of plan could exist?
Plans have to be made from now on.
Thud!
But it doesn’t take long to realize I don’t have much time left.
Someone collapses nearby.
Considering the distance, maybe ten steps away.
Is Safe Clown indiscriminately attacking citizens?
No. That clown is insane, yes, but he clearly distinguishes between good and evil.
He’s an assassin, but he doesn’t kill for money.
Yes, in some sense, Safe Clown is close to a dark hero.
Yet someone nearby has died.
That means……
“Ah……”
Those who had been keeping watch from afar will, startled by Safe Clown’s attack, change their strategy and attempt to capture or kill me.
Can Safe Clown block every threat aimed at me?
So far, it seems so.
Since people are dying without knowing why, those trying to capture me will be cautious, giving me a little time.
What’s important now is why they want to touch me.
Is killing me worth the manpower they’re investing?
In the worst case, they might throw even more people at me, thinking my death worth the cost.
A cold leader, however, might pull back forces now.
But……
Wow……
Again, a neck falls just five steps from me.
When it falls, something jingles on the floor.
A blue cross.
Fanatics, the mark of Eden.
Those willing to sacrifice their lives for a cause without hesitation.
“Damn.”
I instinctively grab the sword he was holding.
I need to prepare now.
“Damn, this is messier than I thought.”
The only way I can survive now is to run with everything I’ve got to the cradle.
Safe Clown is strong, but he can’t handle an entire group like Eden alone.
If it were a weaker group, maybe. But Eden? One of the final boss candidates. Their baseline is already on a different level.
Safe Clown alone cannot stop them.
No, I’m not even sure I can trust Safe Clown himself.
Until I understand that mad clown’s standards, I can’t blindly entrust my life.
If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t even be in this situation.
“Ugh…….”
The troll who set all this in motion.
Surely Safe Clown, but in my mind another figure appears.
The bastard who stabbed me with a knife.
Bastard. No, Dietrich.
What the hell was he saying about me that led to this?
Why is Eden after me?
No wonder I didn’t like Dietrich at first sight!
“Ahhh!”
A scream like a girl attacked by a thug. I caused this.
Someone died right in front of me. Three steps away.
They were killed while reaching toward me.
The fanatics from Eden approach closer.
At the same time, the number of dead around me grows exponentially.
It feels like I’m the eye of a storm.
I didn’t do anything! People keep dying around me!
I pick up the sword dropped by my opponent.
Preparation is everything.
“Gah?!”
And finally, someone draws a sword and charges at me.
Even though their neck falls before their blade reaches me, it’s clear the danger is real.
“Exactly, you can’t completely entrust your life to someone else.”
I grip my sword with a resolute heart.
Yes, I may seem weak.
I am, in fact.
But I am also a cradle student. I started in class B. An elite.
Anyone who underestimates me will face my merciless blade.
“Johan Damus, I’ll have to make you follow along.”
“Yes, so it’s you.”
Bang!
I stomp and swing the sword fiercely.
Clang!
Blocked.
This guy’s stronger than expected. Was he an Eden officer? Maybe that’s why he reached me despite Safe Clown’s mad assault.
“Huh… I may have underestimated you as just a regular follower of Eden.”
“……”
“But I am a faithful servant of Eden, following the guidance of God!”
Lines that sound oddly familiar, like an extra’s dialogue.
If this were anywhere else, I might have been friends with him.
But he is my enemy.
I grip my sword again with determination.
“I am one of the elites destined for Eden’s core!”
Clang!
Despite the bravado, his skill is real, and I hit the ground hard.
“Ugh!”
Damn. This much of a gap? Against a regular follower, not even an officer?
And I lost!
“Huh!”
The blue aura of his blade surges.
My sword? Flickering, fragile like a candle.
This won’t do.
My sword is already cracked. One more clash, and it’ll break.
“Phew……”
I drop it.
Grab the dagger I picked up earlier.
Having a backup weapon is smart. Preparation favors the cautious.
“Selection and focus. But still unstable.”
I can’t even cover the dagger properly with my blade aura.
Talent limits are obvious.
But the weak have their own ways.
“Stop acting all flashy with lines. Who do you think you are?”
“Huh, I’m destined to become an Eden officer……”
“Bullshit.”
I rush him with the dagger. One hand on the handle, the other layered for grip.
“You can’t even hold a dagger…….”
Yes, that’s how it looks. That’s how it seems.
But this is my method.
“Gah?!”
Can’t even hold a dagger? Of course not. What I’m holding isn’t really a dagger.
Phantom Magic [Camouflage]
“What the……?”
My opponent vomits blood.
I was holding a longsword, not a dagger. Magic made it look like a dagger.
The “dagger” appearance was just to make him perceive the correct stabbing distance.
I’m weak, inexperienced.
Unable to hold a dagger properly is normal.
And the result?
I drove the sword straight into his heart without obstruction.
“I asked you, who do you think you are?”
Even final bosses die when they underestimate someone. A mere follower acting overconfident?
“Such a foolish……”
Finally, he realizes my dagger was a longsword.
There was no blade aura on it.
Even with magic, you can’t cover the blade with aura.
Besides……
“People die even from an unenchanted blade.”
A sword is already a deadly weapon.
“Haah.”
My wrist aches.
Cold sweat drenches me.
I won a narrow victory against a regular follower of Eden.
Clapping? Only the mad clown watching from my spot.
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
He gives a thumbs-up. Surprisingly good response.
“Uh, yes……”
But why act like we’re close?