Those Who Lost Their Souls (1)

"Kenveli? You mean right now?"

"Yes."

Haaah...

I swallowed a sigh as Montblanc beamed at me and nodded. I'd been planning to rest for a while, then hit a dungeon to farm some Growth Stones. Instead this rotten boss of mine—no, this woman—was telling me to go to Kenveli this instant and kill someone.

What kind of secret organization has this many spies? Is this the Black Organization from Detective Conan?

The mission was to eliminate a man who had hidden his identity, infiltrated Palos's Bird, and been operating as a spy. Every instinct I had wanted to refuse an order to kill a spy. But I didn't have a choice. If Montblanc pointed somewhere, I went. If she told me to kill someone, I killed them. That was where I stood right now.

A second test, then?

Palos's Bird had no shortage of powerful people besides me. There was no real reason to send me after a runaway spy. And yet she'd given me the order anyway. This was a test—an evaluation of what I could do.

"Understood. I'll leave as soon as I've made my preparations."

"No. That won't be necessary."

"Pardon?"

"I've already taken care of everything, you see. So Alan, you can go to Kenveli right this instant. Oh, and I'll send someone to inform your party members separately, so don't you worry."

"Wait, what do you mean, I don't—huh?"

A searing rush of white light erupted around me. A staff had appeared in Montblanc's hand—I hadn't even seen her draw it.

What the hell is this...! Ugh!

Just like that time at the black market, a light so fierce it threatened to blind me slammed into my face. I squeezed my eyes shut.

I felt the radiance that had swallowed me fade, and slowly opened my eyes.

...You've got to be kidding me.

I couldn't keep the disbelief off my face as I took in the unfamiliar room. It hadn't even been a full day since I'd returned to Littleberry. A day? Hell, it hadn't even been thirty minutes. I'd reached Littleberry's castle gates, followed the servant waiting there straight to Montblanc—and she had teleported me here on the spot.

Does this bitch Montblanc have it out for me? You really can't stand me, can you?

Couldn't she have at least given me a single day to rest? Getting thrown out the door without a moment to catch my breath was just absurd.

Was this guy so urgent he had to be dealt with immediately? And if he was that urgent, she could've sent someone else, right?

No matter how I turned it over, this wasn't the kind of move Montblanc would make—not the woman who always carried herself like she had all the time in the world. There had to be some backstory to this mission that I didn't know about.

"Tsk."

I could think until my head split and it wouldn't matter. With zero information, there was no way to figure out what that backstory was. I wasn't Sherlock Holmes or Detective Conan. I wasn't going to magically deduce it.

Just get the job done fast.

I didn't know who I was supposed to catch, but the faster I put him in the ground, the faster I could get back to Littleberry. Information on my target was sitting on the desk. I picked it up and read.

"...Is our dear Miss Montblanc trying to get me killed?"

The moment I finished reading the file on this mission's target, Kant Kepri, I started to wonder if Montblanc was just throwing me away. I was level 80. This target was a powerhouse sitting at level 110 or higher.

You could try to comfort yourself by noting that he held an advanced class in the Healer line, which was typically helpless in a melee. One look at the line underneath that entry and you'd realize how stupid that comfort ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was. His primary weapons were a mace and a flail. Those were not weapons any ordinary Healer would ever touch.

I knew nearly every class that existed in Fairy Masters. The instant I saw those weapons, I knew exactly what he was.

A typical Healer sat in the back line, tucked behind allies, and poured out heals. But among the Healer line's advanced classes, there was one that had no business being called a Healer at all.

The Battle Monk (Rare).

A Battle Monk fought the way a Warrior or a Swordsman did—up front, weapons colliding with the enemy. Their tools of the trade were exactly what the file listed: maces and flails. What made them such a miserable matchup was their combat style. The moment they took a wound, they healed themselves. Their healing output ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠took a sharp cut in exchange, but their combat power rose to match. Back when Fairy Masters first launched, all-Battle-Monk party compositions had actually been a popular strategy for a while.

Of course, no class in this world was invincible. The Battle Monk was a strong class, but it came with a fatal weakness: skills that applied a healing reduction. Their self-heals were already pitiful. Land an anti-heal on them and they could pump healing into themselves all day and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference.

"Fuck."

I scowled and spat the word out. The weakness was clear as day. The problem was that I didn't have a single skill with a healing-reduction effect. As long as I had enough gems I could revive infinitely, so I'd win eventually—but it was going to be a brutal fight. That much was certain.

"Ugh. What a pain."

I set the target file down and checked the bag sitting beside the desk. Spare rations and water, a modest sum of gold, and a few healing potions. I ransacked the rest of the room on the off chance there was something else worth taking, but there wasn't. I slung the bag over my shoulder and went outside.

The city where my assassination target had last been spotted, Kenveli, was a mid-sized city about ten days by carriage from Littleberry. The one who ruled it was a fire mage known as the Red Flame Queen.

For the record, the place I'd been dumped was a small cabin in a forest just outside Kenveli. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I left the cabin and headed into the city. Kant Kepri had last been seen near the west gate, so I figured I'd start by sweeping that area.

At least the target has dark skin. Tracking him shouldn't take long.

People with dark skin were rare in this world. A feature that striking meant plenty of people would remember seeing him. What I actually had to worry about was how to put him down quietly. If I picked a fight with him in the middle of the city, I'd be fucked too.

If the Red Flame Queen belonged to Palos's Bird, I might have been able to ask for her cooperation. Unfortunately, she was aligned with the Empire. Getting arrested here would be a serious problem.

All right, let's see...

I started working my way through the streets, checking faces. Most of the people here were pale-skinned. If he was inside the city, I'd spot him in no time.

"Thank you again for today."

"Oh, not at all. I'm the one who should be thanking you."

"I'll be heading in, then."

"Yes, take care, Mr. Kant!"

"...Huh?"

I'd just reached the west gate when I stopped and stared at the man finishing a conversation with a shopkeeper and turning to leave. Dark skin. A face carved up with scars. It was Kant. My assassination target, standing right there in front of me.

What the fuck? Is this some kind ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of setup?

I had never imagined I'd find him this easily. I'd figured tracking him would take days at the very least. And this supposed spy was just strolling down the street in broad daylight? I was starting to wonder if the whole thing was a trap.

"...Ah, screw it."

Kant, a heavy sack slung over his shoulder, was walking unhurriedly out through the west gate. Trap or not, I had to follow him. I slipped out after him.

There were villages outside the city as well. Too many people, and only so many the city itself could hold—settlements forming around the walls was inevitable. Kant left Kenveli and walked into one of the villages clustered near the west gate. His footsteps finally stopped at a building on the village's outer edge.

The moment Kant stepped into the yard, a beautiful woman came out to greet him.

"You've returned, Mr. Kant?"

"Yes, Miss Aila. I trust nothing happened while I was away?"

"Well..."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Rina tried to kill herself again."

"Miss Rina did? Is she all right?"

"Fortunately we found her in time. She wasn't badly hurt."

"Good heavens... I should go see Miss Rina at once."

Kant went inside with her.

"...What is this?"

Hidden behind a tree, watching them, I tilted my head. Something about the way those two related to each other was off. I'd pulled up her status window. The woman was a Fairy. But she was not Kant's Fairy.

That was Kant's status window. He was a little stronger than what Palos's Bird had on file—a genuine powerhouse with solid stats and high skill levels.

When Aila had come out to greet Kant the moment he arrived, I'd assumed she was his Fairy. The status window said otherwise. So I'd wondered if Kant simply had a companion traveling with him... but the line written in Aila's window shut that idea down cold.

Race: Fairy (Female / Gix Hio (Deceased)).

The man listed as Aila's Master, Gix Hio, was no longer of this world.

"...Hmph."

Just what kind of secret was this place sitting on?

First things first. I needed to ask around the village about Kant, about the Fairy named Aila, and about the house they were living in. I had a feeling something very interesting was about to happen.