Chapter 182: Purge Day
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 182: Purge Day
The Fourth Penumbra was in a bind.
The delinquents harbored grievances against the Military State. The original plan was for her to lead them in an attack on the largest military academy in District 12. While the delinquents, who had ruined their own lives, blamed the innocent school, the Fourth Penumbra planned to release her poison.
A taboo of the Military State: the Hamelin incident.
A clue to the event where 162 military academy graduates had been massacred. What better place to sow it than a school?
It was the perfect location to release the poison, a district the Shadow had been paying close attention to.
But the delinquents, deceived by someone, had charged in first. The Fourth Penumbra, just returning from a Shadow meeting, had to rush after them.
‘Surely those hot-headed delinquents haven’t already finished the job and left?’
Before she arrived, her concern wasn't for the delinquents, but for the school's durability.
Unlike other facilities, the military academy’s security was laughably weak. A housemaster in the dormitory and a few students on night watch were all they had.
She worried that the enraged delinquents might have already destroyed everything they could and moved on.
However.
“You bastards! Get on the ground, now!”
“A military academy is a military facility! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!”
The scene on the school’s training grounds stunned the Fourth Penumbra.
The delinquents who had filled the streets were all sprawled across the grounds like squid, thoroughly beaten. Standing over them were retired soldiers in warden’s uniforms, pacing back and forth with clubs in hand.
They were the retired soldiers from the Shelter.
The man who had been a Major General before retirement and became the director of the Shelter after, former Major General Frontaine.
The old soldier twirled his cane above his head and shouted.
“You green-as-grass punks! If you couldn’t become officers, you should have joined the Engineer Corps and learned a trade! If you have the time and courage to attack a school, use that energy to work hard! Work!”
“Ugh…! How did these old geezers know to come here…!”
“Silence!”
Frontaine dashed forward like lightning and swung his cane at the muttering delinquent’s rear. The incredibly precise force broke no bones, converting the impact purely into pain.
As the delinquent groaned in agony, Frontaine’s wrinkled face contorted as he yelled.
“Be grateful we’re the ones who caught you! If you had actually succeeded, you wouldn’t have gotten off with just a protection order!”
The delinquents were little more than a gang of unruly students led by recent graduates. The Shelter’s wardens, composed of retired soldiers, were too experienced, too systematic, and too powerful for a mere mob to handle.
After felling the leader in a single blow and roaring at them with a menacing glare, the delinquents just exchanged glances and fell in line one by one. Having met their match, their spirit broke, and they offered little resistance.
The Fourth Penumbra clicked her tongue.
‘…Tch. If I had been hiding among them, I could have launched a surprise attack.’
The Shadow were assassins, first and foremost. They could end a life with an unexpected strike, but they stood no chance in a direct confrontation.
Worse, their opponent was a man who had once reached the rank of general officer. He was surrounded by a host of other capable retired soldiers. Going in alone would be walking into a trap.
‘It’s no good. To complete the mission, I have no choice but to sneak into the school and release the poison…’
Just as the Fourth Penumbra was about to slip through a blind spot and move stealthily, her sensitive hearing picked up someone’s murmur.
“Goodness, what the magician said was true. We would have been in deep trouble if we hadn’t acted.”
‘Magician?’
The Fourth Penumbra strained her ears.
Even the Shadow had heard the rumors of this legendary petty criminal whose very existence was uncertain.
The magician was a mysterious figure whose identity even the Shadow couldn't uncover.
Whenever they tried to investigate the rumors, they could only skirt the edges, never getting close to the truth. It felt like chasing a ghost story with no substance.
Yet, to call it a ghost story, his actions were too clear, and there were too many witnesses. Countless children claimed to have watched the magician’s performance on the street. The only ones who had never seen the magician were the Shadow.
It was a mystery, and at the same time, a slight blow to their pride. That was precisely how a member of the Shadow felt whenever they thought of the magician.
‘Is he saying the magician interfered with our plans?’
Curiosity piqued, the Fourth Penumbra was about to take another step closer.
A sharp sense stopped her in her tracks. Instinctively feeling a gaze upon her, she flinched and scanned her surroundings.
She felt a sense of unease from the one-armed instructor standing in the distance. Unlike the others, he was deliberately avoiding looking in her direction.
That meant his attention was focused right here. He had clearly sensed her.
‘The story about the magician was bait! These retired soldiers are no pushovers!’
The Fourth Penumbra cleanly abandoned her lingering thoughts and immediately retreated. A shadow slipped into a dark gap between buildings….
Sensing the presence had vanished, the one-armed instructor lowered his head with a grim look.
“My apologies, Director. I revealed my awareness.”
“Tsk, tsk. Looks like your senses have dulled without any real combat….”
His words weren't limited to just the one-armed instructor. They were soldiers who knew nothing but fighting. They could beat down delinquents charging at them head-on, but they lacked the ability to find a shadow hiding in the darkness.
Moreover, they were retired soldiers, years removed from the battlefield. It was difficult to track the presence of a skilled assassin in the dark school.
“My night vision is getting dim these days… I can’t see faint things like that very well. Just like that note the magician sent….”
Frontaine leaned on his cane and let out a weary sigh.
The magician had sent a single card and a note to the Shelter.
The information stated that the Shadow was planning to lead delinquents in an attack on the school, and that the group included children who were still students.
Startled as if he'd been burned, Frontaine had immediately gathered every retired soldier he could contact. Only about ten had been reachable at this time of night, but each was a veteran soldier skilled in Qi Arts. It was more than enough to beat down a disorderly mob of delinquents.
“Tsk, tsk. In the old days, I would’ve chased them to the ends of the earth. I don’t have the stamina for that anymore…. I really don’t like it, but I suppose we’ll have to leave it to the magician.”
It was impossible for them to catch a shadow hiding in the darkness, but that wasn't their job in the first place.
The Shelter’s role was to protect children. Defeating the enemies of the Military State was the Military State’s duty.
If only they would defeat only the enemy.
Frontaine gazed into the pitch-black darkness in the distance.
“Magician… I don’t much care for being swayed by your intentions. But for the sake of the children, I’ll be your puppet.”
Hamelin.
At first, the Military State suspected black mages… but at some point, they incinerated all information and classified the incident.
A secret so confidential that not even a general officer dared to access it.
The magician’s note had subtly alluded to that story. That was why Frontaine, despite his old age, had moved so quickly.
If the story of Hamelin got out, this disturbance would not end as a simple riot.
“There might be a purge….”
His heart heavy, Frontaine turned around.
“I don’t see any of our kids, do I? Right, all our kids are good kids….”
“Director, our kids are gathered over there.”
“Hey! You lot! We clothed you, fed you, and taught you well before sending you out! What more could you want that you’d get your hands dirty with this nonsense! You’re all getting a week in solitary!”
*
By the time the Third Penumbra arrived at the Market, its members had already subdued the Transportation Union. The union members, who had been gleefully storming the warehouse to plunder it, were ambushed by the Market, beaten to a pulp, and neutralized.
The warehouse was the Market's fortress.
The space, the tools—everything was made for the merchants. The Transportation Union members were no match for the Market, which used its resources without restraint.
Despite having the situation under control, with the union members tied up and shoved into a corner of the warehouse, the Market did not let down its guard. The merchants turned on every light and searchlight in the warehouse, keeping watch in all directions.
Store Manager Klin shouted.
“More light! Don’t let there be any shadows!”
This put the Third Penumbra in an awkward position.
He needed to cause chaos and release the poison. But simply scattering it wasn't enough.
A venomous snake has fangs that tear the skin, and a poisonous plant must be ingested to take effect. Unless poison enters the body, it is as harmless and docile as any beast.
Naturally, it would be most effective to get inside the warehouse and hide the traces. But.
“Don’t let anyone in! We’re pulling an all-nighter! We’ll do business tomorrow in our sleep!”
‘Security is tight. It would have been best to slip in during the chaos….’
No matter how formidable the Shadow’s stealth arts were, he couldn't hide his form in bright light. Even if he used the Black Shadow Qi Arts to conceal his form, a floating black mass would surely arouse suspicion.
The Third Penumbra habitually gripped the hilt of his dagger and rubbed it against his chin. His eyes took in the interior of the massive warehouse, cluttered with all sorts of goods.
‘Hmm. Somehow. If I can just get in there, I think I could hunt them down one by one.’
Was it because they had brought out all the lights? The inside of the warehouse wasn't that bright, and the clutter of goods cast a chaotic web of shadows. There was no better place to hide.
‘The Market is just a collection of merchants and warehouse keepers. Hmm. Should I force my way through?’
But he couldn't just kill them all with his blade. Poison needed to spread through a living body. Killing them all here would be like cutting out only the infected area.
Infiltration was best.
What to do? He was pondering his options when he saw it.
A luxurious carriage approached the Market. It was too dark to see clearly, but the fact that it was drawn by a horse was already unusual.
‘A horse-drawn carriage? A luxury item. Are they with the Transportation Union?’
In the Military State, only two kinds of people could afford to keep their own horse: the very rich, or those who used them for their livelihood.
A good idea struck him. Unlike automaton carriages, a real horse would run wild with a slap on the rump. The Market would have to create an opening to stop the rampaging horse and carriage.
‘I’ll borrow that.’
The Third Penumbra launched himself forward.
The carriage, seemingly on its way to the Market, turned into an alley leading to it.
The horse sensed something before the man and dug in its front hooves. Screech! The large carriage came to a near-abrupt halt.
“A perceptive horse.”
Srrng.
A diagonally sliced streetlight toppled onto the road. The lamp, which had been emitting light, crashed to the ground, scattering luminous fragments in all directions. Moments later, the fragments’ mana depleted, and they went dark.
The Third Penumbra, who had been hiding in its shadow, slowly walked out.
“Leave the carriage and get lost. Do that, and I’ll spare your lives.”
The driver looked back with a troubled expression. Then, a young woman’s voice came from inside.
“Peto. You could have just kept going. This carriage isn’t going to be dented by a mere streetlight.”
The driver replied to the person inside.
“Oh, come on, miss. That would have spooked the horse.”
“That’s not my problem. It’s your job, isn’t it?”
“Being a coachman wasn’t in the job description….”
“Oh? Do you want to quit?”
“No, no. I must do whatever it takes to repay the kindness of the young lady who took me in when I was unemployed.”
Peto shook his head and unfastened the reins from the carriage. Freed from the harness, the Lion Horse snorted in welcome.
“Right. Being a CEO’s secretary is better than being a knight’s squire. Anything’s better than that, really.”
Muttering to himself, Peto mounted the horse. There were no stirrups or anything, but Peto expertly guided the horse to stand before the Third Penumbra.
The Third Penumbra murmured.
“A squire. Judging by his passable riding skills, he might not be lying.”
“Ah, don’t even mention that word. It brings back bad memories.”
Some knights who were fond of their squires would often teach them how to use a weapon or ride a horse. Peto, favored by his knight, had received personal instruction from a young age.
Not that Peto had wanted it.
‘Still, just a squire. Not even a knight, so there’s no need to worry. I see no armor, no weapon.’
His calculations complete, the Third Penumbra warned Peto.
“I’ll warn you now, squire. Put your young lady on that horse and flee. Then you will be safe.”
‘A luxurious horse and carriage, rare in the Military State. Whoever they are, they must be of a high social class. If I let them go, the high command of the Military State will surely take notice of this incident.’
Having made his own calculations, he radiated killing intent, but Peto, whether he felt it or not, nonchalantly scratched his head.
“A head of a household has his burdens. If I get on the boss’s bad side, my whole family will be out on the street. I have to fight you, even if it kills me.”
“So you choose to drink poison….”
‘Can’t be helped. I’ll finish this here.’
The Third Penumbra slid into the darkness. On the street where the streetlight had been destroyed, he cloaked himself in the Black Shadow Qi Arts, his movements becoming like those of a ghost.
He had destroyed the streetlight beforehand in preparation for a possible fight. In this darkness, unless one had senses as keen as a beast’s, they wouldn't even be able to track his movements.
“Oh, and be careful. This horse is called a Lion Horse.”
Right. Unless it was a beast.
The Lion Horse’s mane stood on end. The mane, which had been fluttering in the wind, suddenly stopped, pointing precisely in the Third Penumbra’s direction.
A moment later, the thoroughly angered horse snorted and charged toward him.
‘What?’
The Black Shadow Qi Arts was a technique that concealed not only one’s form but also sound and heat within the shadows. When perfected, this art blurred one’s form as if it were submerged in darkness.
Moreover, horses were notoriously poor-sighted. How could it have spotted him so directly?
And for that matter, why was a timid horse charging like a mad bull?
“It’s because he resembles a lion in both looks and personality. Taming him was a real pain.”
Hee-hee-hing!
As if responding to Peto’s murmur, the Lion Horse let out a wild cry and charged. It closed the distance in just two strides and reared its front legs.