The Clown's Stage
After I conveyed my acceptance of their proposal, we exchanged brief introductions and immediately dove into the operation.
“The boss of the Corbona Family is Matei Rossi.”
Primor said as she spread out a map.
“We’ve already confirmed his location. Even amid the conflict, he’s boldly staying at the family’s headquarters. It’s probably because that’s the safest place for him.”
The spot she pointed to was one of the locations the birds had mentioned to me. They had called it “a place that gives off a dangerous vibe.” It seemed they hadn’t been completely off the mark or feeding me false information.
“Besides the members of the Dark Society, mercenaries from the underworld are also tightening the net. We want to break in as quickly as possible.”
“I see. In that case, we’ll create a diversion from the front. If we fight in separate locations, we won’t have to worry about getting stabbed in the back.”
“We would be most grateful if you would do that.”
Since we were already suspected of being the Dark Society’s informants, they obviously wouldn’t entrust us with the main objective of assassinating the boss. It was better to graciously yield the main dish, draw attention appropriately, and then head over to deal with the boss later.
Honestly, it’s hard to imagine these people winning.
I sighed inwardly and spoke.
“Enough with the chatter. While my friend and I stir up chaos, I hope you’ll take care of eliminating the boss. Once things settle, we’ll join you.”
“Understood.”
The strategy meeting ended as abruptly as popcorn popping over lightning. Then Hans, the guy who had been picking fights with me, spoke up.
“Hey, yellow boy.”
“What?”
It had been a while since I’d heard that particular slur. When I gave a half-hearted reply, the bastard’s forehead vein bulged as he offered a handshake. It clearly wasn’t an apology. His expression suggested he might punch me right as our hands met.
“What do you mean, what? Let’s work well together.”
“Hmph. Just try not to die.”
CRAAAAACK…!!
The moment I accepted the handshake, Hans squeezed with all his strength, clearly trying to establish dominance.
“Don’t cross the line and just focus on your diversion,” he whispered quietly while I frowned. “Your role is to be the clown doing tricks before the stage is set. In other words, keep your face out of where we’re fighting.”
This clown is getting real pissed off hearing this.
For the sake of my junior’s pride, I pretended to get angry and poured power into my grip.
“……Ugh!!”
Hans, losing the contest of strength, strained the veins in his jaw as he resisted, but I paid his struggle no mind.
“I don’t trust you much. If it looks dangerous, I’ll come help.”
“Kgh, ugh…!!”
─Whoosh!
When I yanked my hand away, Hans, thoroughly defeated in the strength contest, staggered while clutching his arm. I let out a small chuckle.
If you’re going to challenge someone in a contest of strength, at least graduate from being a weakling first.
“Hans. Are you ready yet?”
He glared at me, about to spit out some nonsense, but Primor’s call made him shut his mouth and slink away.
“Ptooey. I also have no interest in performing in front of some stuck-up old man who acts all high and mighty just because he’s the master’s subordinate~.”
Larilura openly badmouthed him through telepathy from behind before following me.
Tap-tap─!
We had concealed our identities with robes so thoroughly that no one could tell who was who. We left our hiding spot and immediately broke into a run. A man who appeared to be a mage manipulated a magic item—probably something that blurred our appearances.
That day, the sun hung high in a clear sky. Our breaths puffed out in white clouds in the winter air. Thankfully the fur coats created by transformation magic were warm, but using the Blood Hand Demonic Art would likely make me overheat. Since it wasn’t proper armor anyway, I could just strip it off if needed.
The group’s stealthy dash ended quickly. The distance was short.
The Corbona Family’s headquarters stood right on the main street. Though it was in the entertainment district, the building was erected with shocking boldness for a criminal organization. Its architecture had that otherworldly feel, yet its height rivaled a luxury 21st-century Earth hotel.
About ten floors, huh.
Climbing that was going to be a pain.
We hid in the shadow of a nearby building and took a moment to catch our breath. But there was a variable.
The nimble female thief among Primor’s escorts, who had gone to scout beyond the alley, frowned.
“Wait. Something’s off here.”
“What is it?”
When the group looked at her, she pointed at the entrance.
“The men standing at the building entrance—they’re from the Ignis Family.”
“……What did you say?”
A startled Primor tried to peek out, but the female thief stopped her. She pushed the group further back and continued.
“It’s not just the Ignis Family. I see lunatics wearing traditional Kitai clothing too. All three major families have gathered.”
“……Isn’t this a trap?”
Hans glared at us. This son of a bitch is starting his bullshit again.
I spoke to the idiot in a deceptively gentle tone, as if soothing him.
“When did I ever say we were attacking today? And use your head a little. They obviously knew you were tightening the encirclement and would strike before it closed in. That’s why they’ve gathered in one place like this.”
“The bosses of the Dark Society, who value face so highly?” the mage asked skeptically.
Fortunately, I didn’t need to explain it to him. The female thief distorted her face and answered in my stead.
“Face? You don’t know anything. The Dark Society puts on a show of bravado so they won’t be looked down on. They’re not the type to obsess over saving face. Even if those guys are all gathered in one place, no one’s going to think the other factions are cowering in fear of us, right?”
“……It’s a ceasefire agreement between the families,” Primor murmured.
“They’ve gathered under the pretext of deciding on a compromise. In reality, it’s a cooperative stance to block our assault, but other forces will simply think they’re in negotiations.”
“Matei Rossi used his head. He must be the one who proposed the truce,” the mage clicked his tongue.
As I listened to their conversation, I pieced together Primor’s circumstances in bits and pieces. Her personal situation itself wasn’t that important, but the information flowing from it was.
─Thud.
Hans lightly punched the wall and clicked his tongue.
“Damn it. So what? You’re saying all the bosses of the three major families and their escorts are gathered in there? How the hell are we supposed to break through that by ourselves?”
“Not all of them will be there,” I said.
Even if it raised suspicion, it was better to say it here. The female thief frowned at me.
“What? Why do you think that?”
“If I were in your position, I would consider the bosses gathering in one place a golden opportunity. Slip some money to the Church and say a few words—it’s easy to request a seizure and search of that building.”
“Ch-Church?”
The female thief was slow on the uptake, but both the mage and Primor changed color. I could practically hear the gears turning in their heads.
“Those who take bribes won’t want to openly oppose the three major families, but in a city this large, there must be some upright priests who despise the Dark Society. Above all, we have the justification.”
“The underworld powers of the city have gathered in one place and are showing suspicious movements. Exactly. Even the priests who took bribes can wash their hands of it and say, ‘They caused such a commotion that I had no choice but to accept your request!’”
The mage clapped his hands in excitement only to be scolded by the female thief. She reminded him they were supposed to be hiding.
Primor, who had been adjusting her quiver, murmured.
“……The citizens have also noticed the movements of the three major families and are growing anxious. The Church would have plenty of excuses. With the right amount of money and my status, it should be possible.”
“Correct. If you block their movements like that, you’ll be able to slip out of the city at your leisure. The lord’s soldiers will be searching for you with fire in their eyes, but it won’t be a loss for you.”
What if all the bosses of the three major families were detained by the Church? It would become much easier for Primor and her subordinates to evade the security net and escape the city again. The Dark Society would be left watching with wide eyes as their target slipped away.
The quiet paladin Henry finally spoke.
“So that’s why you think not all of them are gathered in one place.”
“That’s what I believe. Probably mid-level bosses or representatives are inside the Corbona building reaching an agreement. The other bosses are likely hiding in their own headquarters, waiting to act if the Church’s enforcers storm that building.”
“But if we request cooperation from the Church, they’ll discover Madam’s identity,” said the female knight who had been beaten by me last night.
This person got excited whenever it involved the madam. Her loyalty seemed to be the highest among the escorts. Perhaps that was why she had followed the madam’s reckless actions last night as well.
And is that hasty behavior why the other escorts look at the madam unfavorably?
What a mess.
It pained me that the allies I had secured were such a dysfunctional bunch, but I didn’t let it show as I spoke.
“The master doesn’t need to go personally. It’s enough for some of you to go in her stead. Besides, I never actually said to contact the Church. The important thing is that they believe we will.”
“……I’ll check.”
The female thief muttered and took out a reagent from her bag. She sprinkled it on the ground and chanted something. It was in the Narmer-Nile tongue. At her spell, several insects crawled out from a nearby rat hole.
“Hik.”
Larilura shrieked and clung to my arm, but the female thief, being the same gender, indifferently lifted the bugs onto her hand.
“……Tsk. Because it’s winter, almost all of them are defective.”
“What were you planning to do originally?”
“She can scout through insects. The timing is rather poor right now, though……”
Primor explained on her behalf. She really was a decent lord. If her subordinates’ loyalty hadn’t been to her late husband, perhaps they would have formed an even better party.
“……Scouting. Is it impossible with those bugs?”
“In this season they can’t fly very high. If they fly straight at the building, they’ll draw suspicion.”
“In that case, I can help.”
I said, rolling my eyes. I spotted a bird perched on a nearby laundry line.
“Om·Makai Shibalama Sowaka. Domaksaramu──.”
“……What the hell are you doing?”
What do you mean what am I doing, you idiot? I’m method acting so it looks plausible. Shut up while I’m concentrating.
“Om Mani Padme Hum!”
I formed Chidori’s seal while chanting the spell.
─Whoosh.
Then I threw some jerky.
“Coo-roo-roo─! (Meat─!)”
─Flutter!
The moment I pulled jerky from my pocket and tossed it, the bird was instantly hooked and flew down in front of me. Perfect. Judging by how fast it reacted, it must be one of the ones I fed last night.
I gave it another piece of jerky and secretly carved the ᚨ (Ansuz) rune onto its belly. Since I couldn’t openly say “coo-roo-roo” in front of Primor, I was sending one-way telepathy through rune magic.
“Hey. Carry a bug on your back and scout that building for me.”
Birdbrain…… can you hear me……? I’m talking to that pea-sized brain of yours right now…….
“Coo-roo-roo, purruk? (You giving meat?)”
The bird tilted its head and asked. I nodded.
“If you succeed. So don’t peck and eat the bug on your back.”
“Guk-gu! (Okay!)”
After striking the deal with the bird, I persuaded the female thief to place the bug on its back and send it on the scouting mission. She must have been using magic to share vision with the insect, because when the reconnaissance ended, she smiled brightly.
“It’s true? Aside from Matei Rossi, there are no other bosses. Just underlings and representatives.”
“Are you sure?”
“You don’t trust me? I’ve been a scout for ten years. You think I can’t even investigate a family’s personnel properly?”
“No, I believe that. ……Good. If that’s the case, Henry and I should be able to handle it somehow.”
I had to hold back a hollow laugh at Hans’s confident declaration as he bumped his fist. Shaking my head, I asked Primor.
“Let’s proceed as planned. Head to the adjacent building.”
“Yes. I wish you good fortune.”
─Tadat.
Primor and her subordinates moved quietly. They would now shoot ropes from the windows of the neighboring building, connect them, and storm the boss’s room like airborne troops.
“Do we have to cause a commotion while climbing? That sounds exhausting.”
“No need. We’ll beat up a few guys, then ask Veronica to use spatial movement to teleport us to the floor right below those humans.”
Larilura blinked at my words before bursting into laughter.
“……Ahaha♡! Senior~? When you crushed that guy’s hand earlier, you secretly applied rune magic, didn’t you?”
“Hehe. Pain dulls one’s senses. We can’t break through all ten floors, can we?”
I gave Larilura several precautions. Though initially startled, she listened to my instructions seriously and prepared for battle.
I contacted Veronica.
Ready. Time to charge.
“Halt!”
When Larilura and I boldly approached, the mafia thug guarding the entrance swelled the veins in his neck.
“State your names! What business do you have in this building!”
“Adult product delivery.”
I held out a box created with transformation magic. The mafia guarding the entrance were caught completely off guard and stood there stunned.
“A-Adult products? For whom?”
“It says it’s addressed to the honorable Matei Rossi. Here, take it.”
─Whoosh.
The mafia member caught the package I threw. Even though my appearance was obviously suspicious, the fact that he still accepted the delivery made me realize this world had no concept of bomb terrorism.
“……It says it’s a custom-made male-use dildo from the Mage Guild?”
“You son of a bitch! Was your boss a homo? Ugh. No wonder a big shot like the boss never once showed his face at the new brothel our family opened……”
“N-No way! That can’t be true! What the hell are you talking about, you bastard!!”
The man who appeared to be from the Corbona Family grew furious and tried to open the package, but then hesitated, wondering what if it really was a dildo perfectly sized for the boss’s ass. Instead, he shouted at me as if venting his anger.
“I-I’ll take responsibility for this! Now get lost!”
“I need a signature from the recipient.”
“Fuck off! Did you bring some kind of pass?”
“I don’t have anything like that.”
I summoned a phoenix on my right arm. The blue flames of the Blood Hand Demonic Art let out a metallic roar.
“Kieeeeeeeeeeeek──!!”
KAISER PHOENIX
─KWAAAAANG!!
“Ugyaaaaaaaaah!!”
Caught off guard by the excessively unique approach for an assault, they were swept up in the explosion and sent flying. Larilura and I swiftly slipped inside during the gap.
“It’s an ambush!! Counterattack!!”
The mages stationed at the entrance began firing spells.
─Fwoobwoobwoob!
But what rushed forward ahead of me was my mist clone. Even after being turned into a honeycomb, the clone continued moving, spinning like a repulsor gun and spraying sleeping gas.
“Smoke in the hole.”
Spreading the mist into a dome shape, we headed for the stairs.