40
Chapter 40
The fallen Bron couldn't get back up.
With holes like that blown through his body, it probably would have been more terrifying if he did.
I hurried over to the collapsed Eileen.
She was hunched over, groaning for quite a while, as if she had taken a hit to a bad spot.
'Damn it, what should I do?'
"Ugh... She's not bleeding, right? Then lay her down for now and calm her down."
Kane said, plopping down onto the ground.
He didn't look so good himself.
Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped, but he seemed to have lost sight in one eye, and his shoulder was soaked red with blood.
"Mr. Kane... your eye..."
When I asked cautiously, Kane shrugged and replied as if it was no big deal.
"My eye? Well, I'll have to go see a Priest. And there's no need for you to feel sorry. It's not like you did anything wrong, and this was partly my mistake anyway. Besides... you came to make a request."
He pulled out a Piece of cloth with practiced hands and wrapped it around his eye.
After watching him quietly for a moment, I turned my gaze back to Eileen.
After groaning for a long time, she was finally starting to catch her breath.
I laid her down in a comfortable position as carefully as I could.
Only then was I able to sigh and lean back against the wall.
'Ugh, I'm dying....'
Fighting wasn't just exhausting when you got hit.
Just having an enemy in front of you made you so tense it felt like a boulder was resting on your shoulders, and just swinging a sword once drained your stamina.
Moreover, fighting a person brought a terrible feeling in itself.
I leaned my back against the wall and closed my eyes for a moment.
I frowned briefly at the smell of blood brushing the tip of my nose, but I quickly grew numb to it.
Maybe I had already gotten used to it... I don't know if that's a good thing.
...Is this why everyone tries to avoid combat.
While I took a moment to catch my breath, Eileen was thankfully able to sit up.
Pain and complex emotions were mixed on her face as she sat clutching her waist.
Whether it was from the lingering pain in her abdomen, or the frustration of not being able to do anything.
Tears were welling up slightly in the corners of her eyes.
"Anyway, is this all you guys came to do?"
Kane asked as he saw Eileen getting up.
Right, our goal wasn't to take out all of those guys.
We came to find evidence about the Killer targeting Eileen.
With Bron dead, asking him directly was out of the question, but we didn't have the luxury to do so anyway.
Just surviving was fortunate enough in this situation.
"I think we need to search the room a bit."
"Yeah? Then let's head right in."
Kane trudged into the room with one shoulder slumped.
I caught my breath and followed him inside.
"Oh..."
An exclamation of awe naturally slipped out as soon as I stepped through the entrance.
The room was surprisingly quite luxurious.
A thick Rug, a desk made of high-quality Tree. There were several expensive-looking decorations placed on the wall.
Anyone could see it was a space they had put a lot of care into.
"Wow, these guys sure decorated the place well considering how small their organization is."
Kane said as he looked around.
When I tilted my head at those words, he added.
"You didn't know? These guys are the smallest faction in this City."
I stood there blankly for a moment, unable to speak.
What? You mean there are other organizations?
Kane chuckled, seemingly reading my expression.
"Haha, you really didn't know. These guys are just a crude gang formed by gathering the surviving remnants after the last Street of Blood incident. Otherwise, do you think the three of us could have smashed them all?"
Thinking about it carefully, these guys were just neighborhood thugs extorting money from the Tent Village Residents.
A faction made by guys like that, its size would be obvious anyway.
It seems I was needlessly scared and overestimated them just because of the phrase 'City underworld'.
No wonder their name sounded childish from the start.
But... Kane knows about the Street of Blood incident.
I casually asked Kane about that incident.
"Of course I know. I was in the City for a request back then, too."
"Really? Then did you see the incident yourself?"
"I didn't see everything either."
Kane trailed off, tilting his head back slightly.
He was probably recalling the memories of that day.
"I was on my way to look at some Equipment. Then a commotion broke out on the other side of the Alley. At first, I thought it was just another fight. But you know-"
He let out a short breath like a sigh.
"The smell of blood was overwhelming even from afar. It felt like I was inhaling blood instead of breathing air."
Just hearing that description sent chills down my spine.
"I ran toward the scene, thinking someone had caused a major accident. But as I got closer... pools of blood were spread out between the Alleys. The walls were stained with splattered blood, and Corpses lay butchered-"
His tone lowered for a moment.
"In the middle of it all, a woman holding a spear was standing there."
"......Calcia?"
"Yeah. Calcia... it was a name like that. Her red Cloak was already soaked in blood, turned almost black... like a butcher who had just finished a slaughter. And yet, her face was spotless."
He paused for a moment and closed his eyes as if recalling a memory.
"But that look in her eyes... it was completely dead. Like an empty shell without a single emotion."
'An empty shell...'
"That was the first time I realized a person could give off such an aura. Really... it was an atmosphere that would suffocate anyone standing in front of her."
I looked at Kane wordlessly.
The scene he saw that day must have been more than just a simple bloodbath.
"Seeing a Gold Token Mercenary for the first time then, honestly, I felt a wall...."
"...But Mr. Kane, you're becoming a Gold Token Mercenary now, too."
Kane smiled, raising one corner of his mouth.
"Heh, yeah. I need to climb up now too."
The gaze in his remaining eye was steeped in exhaustion, but his voice was firm.
A staggering body, an eye wrapped in a Bandage, and even an injured shoulder.
Even dragging all of that, he didn't yield an inch.
We had only been together for a few hours, but I could fully sense what kind of person he was.
"Anyway, what's your name?"
Kane asked cautiously.
Come to think of it, we hadn't properly introduced ourselves yet.
"My name is... Riv."
"Riv, that's a good name. I'm Kane. It seems you're a great Magician, so I should get on your good side."
Kane said with a mischievous smile.
Honestly, it's a bit scary seeing him smile and talk with a blood-soaked face.
"If you're a Magician who uses Magic on that level, don't you have some kind of affiliation?"
"No. Not really."
"Yeah? Then you must be a Free Magician. In that case... it would be best to keep it hidden."
Those were words I had also heard from Drek before.
Hearing it again through Kane's mouth this time, it somehow felt more real.
"Is there a reason to go out of my way to hide it?"
"As you know, a Magician is a precious resource. Especially if you can use combat Magic. If such a Magician is wandering around without any affiliation... wouldn't there be plenty of guys drooling over you?"
His tone was light, but the meaning behind it was heavy.
"But... there are already thugs and Residents who saw me use Magic. Will hiding it now do any good?"
"That's true. Still, you should hide it as much as possible. It's a headache if you get tangled up with Nobles."
While pretending to be indifferent, Kane had a somewhat tired expression.
That was definitely a tone only someone who had experienced it firsthand could use.
Since I was already tangled up with a Noble, I could only show an awkward reaction.
"I found it!"
While we were focused on our conversation, Eileen, who had been rummaging through the room, found a Box in the corner.
The Box looked old and heavy, but it had a Lock on it.
"It's locked."
"Give it here."
But we had a human Key, Kane.
He fiddled with the Lock with practiced hands, and with a Click! he easily picked it.
"Oho."
When Kane opened the Box, there were a few Silver Coins and a thin stack of Documents inside.
It was too shabby to be called Treasure.
I slightly tilted my head.
Wouldn't it be normal for a Box like this to have a Gold Bar or two?
It seems they really were a small and insignificant organization.
"There's... not much here."
Kane laughed when I muttered those words.
"Told you. They were just full of bravado."
Eileen carefully took out the stack of Documents and unfolded it.
A mix of mildew and Ink smells wafted from the dusty Paper.
The surface was damp, and a faint mark of a Seal remained on the top sheet.
As if a long time had passed, only a pressed trace barely remained.
"I don't think this... is just a simple Document."
Eileen carefully turned the Paper.
The first few pages were a Slave trading Ledger that made me frown just looking at it.
It meticulously recorded who they bought, where they bought them, how much they sold them for, and who they sent them to.
Judging by the faded Paper and smudged Ink, these were probably left by the people who used this room before, rather than written by these guys.
However, since there were a few relatively recently written Ledger pages mixed in, these guys weren't entirely unrelated.
"Ugh..."
The moment Eileen frowned and turned a few pages, what we had been looking for finally revealed itself.
A single piece of Paper.
The Document, carefully pulled out, instantly gave off an extraordinary vibe.
The quality of the Paper looked better than anything else, and a faint Mana was seeped into it.
"...This is,"
I naturally approached her side and lowered my head.
"What is this Paper? It feels like there's something to it."
"Hmm, I think so too. There is definitely Mana dwelling in it."
Just as Eileen said, this wasn't a simple piece of Paper.
A Paper radiating an aura as if it was an important Document.
It was the first item imbued with Mana I had seen since coming to this world.
We simultaneously lowered our gazes.
And we started reading the contents written inside.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sender: The Third Son of the Feldric Family, Alwyn Feldric
Recipient: Black Hand Commander Bron
Contents: Payment of 20 Gold Coins upon successful elimination of the 'target' within the designated period.
Attached Condition: Proof of the target's death must be retrieved and delivered to the recipient through a third-party Deliverer.
Other Conditions:
. This Contract is unrelated to the official stance of the Feldric Family.
. If the existence of this Contract is exposed externally, the Contract will be invalidated, and all responsibility lies with the recipient.
. In case of mission failure, the existing Contract relationship will be terminated, and subsequent support is not guaranteed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The moment our eyes scanned down to the final line of the Contract, an energy spreading like a small ripple flowed out from the Paper.
"......!"
The Mana that had been faintly flowing out from between the Ink marks began to scatter into fine particles.
The aura that had been enveloping the entire Document quietly faded away, evaporating as if it had fulfilled its purpose.
Swoosh-
And soon, the Contract turned into just a normal, blank piece of Paper with nothing written on it.
A rustling Piece of a Document, no different from the stained trade Ledgers.
"......What is, this-"
Eileen muttered softly.
"Tsk, it must have been set up so that Magic would trigger if certain conditions were met."
"Such a..."
A small sigh leaked out without me realizing.
I could no longer feel any energy from my fingertips that were holding the Contract.
The evidence disappeared right before our eyes, and now all that was left was our memory.
"...There was definitely a Noble's name on it. But the Feldric Family? Have you heard of them?"
I looked at Eileen, and she slowly shook her head.
Kane answered the question instead.
"They're a famous merchant Noble Family even in Mondak. They're a family with a lot of influence in taxes and internal affairs."
"But why would they join hands with guys like this...?"
Just when I thought we had finally found a clue, there was another step left.
Furthermore, another Noble meant a huge headache.
Kane let out a hollow laugh while leaning against the wall.
"You were already tangled up with a Noble?"
"......Well, by chance."
When I scratched my head, Kane narrowed his eyes.
"Alwyn... Could it be that guy."
There was a hint in his tone as if he remembered something.
"Do you know him?"
"I don't know him personally, but I've heard some rumors. I'm not certain, but there's talk that the Noble guy frequented the Workshop Street."
"The Workshop Street?"
"Yeah. I don't know how it is lately, but in the past, they said he showed his face there almost every day."
A Noble in a place like that?
Does he have a hobby of getting Equipment custom-made himself, or... is he trying to order tailored clothes?
Whatever it was, a clue was a clue.
I think I'll need to go there at least once when I have time.
Clatter, clatter.
Just in case, we searched the room as if we were going to tear it down, but nothing else came out besides the Document Box.
Kane shook his head and casually detached an expensive decoration hanging on the wall.
"These are all money too. Pack them up."
"Uh... Is it okay to just take things like this?"
Even if they are Criminals, is it okay to take their things as we please.
I wondered if we'd be in trouble if we got caught by someone later.
Kane shrugged his shoulders and said.
"Hey, finders keepers. That's the rule in this neighborhood."
His tone was so nonchalant that I couldn't help but chuckle.
He was a Mercenary through and through.
I also pulled out a Mercenary mindset and started looking around.
Eileen, who had been needlessly self-conscious, was already crouching down and packing this and that.
Well, I guess this much can serve as compensation for self-defense.
We stuffed all the things we packed into our Bags and left the building.
The outskirts street had become completely dark at some point.
As we left the quiet path, the noisy voices of people gradually started to be heard.
"Shall we part ways here?"
Kane came to a stop.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yeah. I have some other business to attend to. We'll probably see each other again sometime."
Trailing off, Kane casually waved his hand once and turned his back with familiar steps.
We watched his retreating figure for a moment.
A light night breeze brushed past over the fading footsteps.
And, without a word, we set off on our way again.