Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Blood New Moon (7)
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The commotion surrounding the hideout was confined to the immediate area, so after passing through a few alleys, the surroundings quickly fell silent once more.
Lilia navigated the pitch-black night streets with the ease of a cat with night vision. Galen simply followed quietly behind her.
It wasn't long before Lilia stopped in front of one of the many unremarkable mansions scattered along the western street.
Galen pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the gate for her.
It looked like the lights were off, but that was just an illusion created by the extremely thick curtains.
"Have you arrived?"
The house was brightly lit inside. A middle-aged man who had been waiting greeted them courteously.
It was Colin, the head of the Kalia Merchant Company's Luata branch.
This was one of the disguised mansions prepared by the Kalia Merchant Company for espionage and similar activities.
"Branch manager, is there somewhere I can set this down?"
"Th-that desk over there is quite sturdy."
Colin hadn't expected them to show up hauling an entire safe, so he was a bit flustered. But true to his experience as a seasoned merchant who had seen it all, he quickly composed himself and guided Lilia inside.
"Heave-ho."
Lilia carefully placed the safe on the desk. The table creaked slightly.
"What in the world is...?"
Colin asked cautiously.
The Black Card guests of the Kalia Merchant Company were top-tier VIPs who could meet the branch manager directly no matter when or which branch they visited.
They could even request discreet support like this, with the branch manager personally stepping in.
Since they had prepared everything in advance in Nijerte before coming to Luata, the New Moon hadn't detected any connections at all.
But Colin himself hadn't heard the details of why they needed support.
It was a highly confidential matter, so they'd only asked for quiet manpower assistance without any leaks.
No matter how much of a Black Card guest they were, they couldn't just arbitrarily mobilize the company like this.
He had simply accepted because Lilia was a high-ranking church official who backed the company, figuring there must be some circumstances.
"Didn't we get a visit from those assassins this morning?"
Galen replied nonchalantly.
"Y-yes, that's right."
"Then we returned to Luata this afternoon."
"Yes."
Colin had received the report earlier.
From his subordinates dispatched to a village a day's carriage ride from Luata.
Those subordinates had been placed there at the pair's request in the first place: 'Prepare to restrain warriors around Silver rank.'
It was as if they had anticipated an attack, and sure enough, top-class assassins had shown up. The two had subdued them and handed them over, then inexplicably returned to Luata.
And now, they had prepared twenty strong men until daybreak at their new request.
"Actually, we deliberately let one go back then and tailed him."
"Pardon?"
"The New Moon assassins, right?"
"...Pardon?"
"We wiped them all out and looted anything worthwhile on the way back."
"...Pardon?"
Even to his own ears, it sounded ridiculous, but Colin couldn't help repeating himself.
His brain couldn't process what he'd just heard.
"The New Moon... you mean the one I know?"
"The most infamous in the southeast, I hear."
"You... wiped them all out...?"
"We found their hideout and exterminated them. This is the safe we ripped from the leader's bedroom."
It was too absurd to pass off as a joke—there wasn't even material for one.
Yet he couldn't dismiss the words of these super VIPs as madness either.
Though Colin didn't know their exact skills, he knew Galen was a Gold-rank mercenary mage and Lilia a bishop.
People like that wouldn't go around spouting nonsense, but the story was so outlandish he couldn't wrap his head around it.
As if understanding Colin's confusion, Galen smiled and spoke up.
"For now, I'll tell you the hideout's location, so could you handle securing the area? There are quite a few onlookers gathering. That seems the most urgent."
"Ah, under stood."
"And grab us a bag on the way."
Whether he understood or not, he had to comply with the request. Colin noted down the address Galen gave him and hurriedly instructed his subordinate.
The Kalia Merchant Company's reputation wasn't light. Sending twenty men to cordon off the mansion would more than enough to keep the riffraff away.
He didn't forget the bag either. When he returned, Galen and Lilia were already opening the safe and pulling out its contents.
True to his merchant instincts, Colin's eyes first went to the shiny objects, but soon he spotted an unfamiliar copper plate.
"Mind if I take a quick look?"
"Go ahead."
Galen, who was transferring books into the bag, readily permitted it. Colin carefully examined the copper plate.
Upon seeing the New Moon emblem embossed with vein-like patterns, he involuntarily swallowed hard.
"Blood New Moon...!"
An assassin guild lived or died by secrecy, but it couldn't be completely invisible.
If truly no one knew of them, who would hire them?
In short, they needed to publicize just enough—the 'safe to know' parts—for business. The easiest way was a name and symbol.
The eerie New Moon, looking like it had bulging veins, was the symbol of the southeast's most notorious assassin guild.
"Where did you get this?"
"From the leader's pocket. It doubled as the safe key, conveniently."
Of course, being so famous, faking it convincingly wasn't impossible.
But the quality alone showed it wasn't some casual knockoff.
Plus, they had captured assassins alive, and dozens more died wiping out the hideout.
If investigating turned up the same name, would he still doubt it? Claiming it all a fabrication seemed a stretch.
While Colin grappled with his swirling thoughts, Galen and Lilia finished packing the bag. They'd only taken the books, leaving the rest.
"Branch manager."
"Ah, yes!"
"Handle the safe as you see fit, and could you liquidate these for cash?"
"Of course, we'd be happy to. But right now, it might take a bit..."
"Some issue?"
"No, absolutely not doubting you, Sir Galen."
Emphasizing to avoid misunderstanding, Colin continued.
"But even a rough estimate, that's no small sum, right?"
"At least a few thousand nics, I'd say."
"Yes. So we have to check the provenance... it's procedure, unavoidable."
"No problem. As I said, these came from the New Moon hideout—verify there. Handle the captured assassins too."
"Understood. Oh, and consider the Drauf family's involvement."
"Drauf?"
The unfamiliar yet vaguely recalled name made Galen tilt his head briefly, then he remembered from his sightseeing.
"The family that controls Luata?"
"Yes. One of the southeast's premier noble houses. Their main estate isn't here, but they pay close attention to this, their most prosperous city in the region. Regardless of circumstances, dozens dead inside the city walls—that's the incident, isn't it?"
"Won't be a hundred, probably."
"...Yes, well. Anyway, the city has to investigate, and with an assassin guild involved, they'll come running with eyes blazing. Your presence will come to light too."
"What can we say if they're investigating their own city? Don't hide it—cooperate fully."
"Ah, got it."
"And discreetly inform the church, of course."
Galen chuckled, glancing at Lilia as he added,
"Who’s involved in this mess. Though the church will hear automatically even without me saying."
With just the bag in tow, Galen and Lilia lightened their load and headed to the southern street.
As soon as they sent word from the prearranged inn, they were ushered straight to the annex.
"Galen! Bishop Lilia!"
Elisa's face lit up the moment she saw them, rushing out the door.
"You're both safe."
Terti followed, greeting them with a relieved expression.
To evade the New Moon's eyes as much as possible, they'd split up from Nijerte and hadn't met once even in Luata.
They'd only communicated through the Kalia Merchant Company, passing only fragmentary info to prevent leaks, so Elisa and Terti didn't know the exact progress.
They'd spent days anxiously waiting, but seeing the pair pristine meant things had gone well.
"What chance do assassins have charging head-on?"
"Catching assassins head-on isn't easy at all—that's the problem."
"Truth is, I've done something similar before. Call me experienced."
"...A mage tailing them? What kind of requests have you been taking?"
"Various... hard to discuss?"
Galen brushed it off vaguely, and Terti accepted it.
The key point was they'd obliterated not just any guild, but the southeast's strongest assassin guild.
And even more crucially...
"Mr. Terti, sorry, but could you step out for a bit? I have something urgent for the young lady."
"Evidence...?"
"Ah, yes."
"Then just say it here."
Elisa gave a wry smile.
"Lord Terti knows now too."
"Oh, really?"
"No need to hide it desperately... and he's not one to blab."
In truth, investigating 'Elisa from a prestigious water magic family' would quickly lead to Oceanis. Terti just hadn't been interested in background checks.
Of course, the current issue wasn't just her origins but the assassination tied to it... Still, since Elisa spoke first, it seemed Terti had earned solid trust. Or maybe she was mentally worn and let it slip.
Either way, Terti was a good man, and Elisa was fine with it, so Galen didn't mind.
He pulled a booklet from the bag.
"We found this in their hideout. They thoroughly investigate clients if it seems like a leverage point."
Galen flipped open the slim booklet titled 'Oceanis' in small print. Elisa took it with slightly trembling hands.
As she slowly, meticulously turned the pages, the light faded from her eyes—to the worry of Lilia and Terti, who didn't know the contents.
"..."
Finally finishing, Elisa snapped the booklet shut. Eyes closed, she stayed silent for a long while.
"...Galen, did you read this?"
"Enough to grasp the contents."
"I hoped it wasn't true. Really... why did it have to match..."
Her voice faintly wet, Elisa murmured and covered her face with her palms.
She'd been nearly certain a traitor lurked in the family and wanted material proof for confirmation.
Deep down, a tiny hope she'd misjudged—that the real culprit was elsewhere.
Even half-siblings were family, after all.
But reality was cold.
The New Moon had traced her faint leads into clear evidence. Her deductions reinforced by the very culprits' hands.
"Young lady."
Galen broke the heavy silence. Elisa opened her eyes.
"What will you do now?"
"...I don't know. If there was even a chance of another culprit, I'd blindly dream of revenge... but."
"You don't want to do that to the other young masters or ladies?"
"No. I do. I won't treat them as family anymore."
Elisa's cold words softened her expression. With a deflated voice, she countered,
"But is it possible?"
"I can keep helping."
"Fight the whole family?"
"If needed."
Galen shrugged.
"If you hadn't stopped me back then, I'd be framed for a crime and imprisoned—or assassinated right after leaving the family. I don't hold good feelings toward them either."
"...Still, I can't ask that of you."
Elisa shook her head.
"Even if you're that strong, I'd be branded a traitor for dragging in an outsider to shatter the family. They might even be hailed as heroes who fought invaders to the death. I hate that even more."
"Then shatter just them without touching the family."
"...Pardon?"
"Might sound harsh to you, but honestly, many noble pretexts only work because they're nobles."
"Crushing with force and forcing acceptance... like that?"
"Exactly."
Galen grinned.
"We just return the favor in kind."