Prelude - 2: Eyes in the Shadows
A man stepped out from a shop selling various tools tucked between dark alleyways. He glanced around naturally before closing the door again and speaking to the man inside with a grim expression. “Be careful. The situation’s bad right now.”
“Ah, understood. I-It’ll be fine, right?”
“Of course. Just stay here and wait quietly. Don’t go down to the basement. Got it?”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
The man who emerged from the shabby shop disguised as a front firmly instructed the trembling, terrified organization members inside. Tch. He didn’t like this at all. Originally, the gap in status had been so vast that he wouldn’t have needed to give orders himself, but the war had wiped out their members like pinpoint strikes, leaving the Red Blood forces in Muller severely weakened. They could hardly even be called a force anymore. The true pure-blooded Red Blood members, including himself, numbered only a handful, while the rest were nothing more than underlings.
“Damn it all.”
How had things come to this? If this operation succeeded, he might have become a Red Blood executive. Even his superiors had died meaninglessly. Those idiots. This situation was the result of being under such incompetent people. If he had been in charge, everything would have been different.
Grumbling to himself, the man walked slowly, changed his clothes, and began heading toward the meeting place.
“……”
Someone had been watching him from the shadows. Once the man disappeared from view, the watcher slowly melted into the darkness and followed.
* * *
—Drink up! Drink up!
—Bwahaha!
—That wench’s ass looks mighty fine!
—Your thing’s no bigger than a finger, you bastard!
The tavern was filled with raucous noise. It was a gathering spot for rough laborers, so the security wasn’t great, but the cheap prices and decent cooking made it one of the popular eateries in the area.
The man who had walked all the way here let out one last sigh and adjusted his expression.
“Oh, there you are.”
“What the hell! Why’re you so late?”
“I had to finish up some work first!”
After exchanging idle chatter, he joined the prearranged gathering and drank while scanning his surroundings. Just as promised, the target hadn’t arrived yet.
“Did you hear about that Jason guy?”
“Jason? You mean the farmer Jason?”
“Yeah! He hit the jackpot this time! I heard he even received a deposit for future commissions, saying he’d be counting on him from now on!”
“Huh. He was complaining that this year’s harvest was only so-so.”
They had shared a drink together once before.
“The ritual this time was enormous. Rumor has it that next year’s definitely going to be a bumper crop with top-quality grain. It’s not just Jason—merchants from all over are flocking here trying to secure next year’s deals in advance.”
“Ah, that.”
At the man’s words, the scene from that day flashed through his mind. The sun hanging in the clear sky. That overwhelming presence that seemed to transcend humanity—had that really been a person? His face paled. The lord of Muller, now naturally called the Sun God. Golden hair and golden eyes. His striking appearance and magical power had already spread to neighboring cities, drawing more and more people to Muller just to catch a glimpse of him.
“What’s wrong? Your face doesn’t look so good.”
“Ahem. No, it’s nothing. Really, you never know what life has in store. Who would’ve thought Jason would end up like that.”
“Exactly! Bwahaha!”
He quickly changed the subject and continued the conversation, though his eyes kept drifting toward the door every time it opened. This was the first contact since the war, so he was more on edge than usual. He took a sip of beer to loosen his tense body.
Due to the organization’s structure, it operated in isolated cells with minimal connections between members. Aside from a few executives, some members didn’t even know they were part of Red Blood. In the past, it had been easy to exploit those dissatisfied with the nobility, but ever since the new lord took over, such people had become scarce. Even now, he was being extremely cautious about going out, but this matter couldn’t be helped.
—Ding!
“Boss! Beer and sausages over here!”
“Coming right up!”
He’s here. With the sound of the door opening, a man entered and casually ordered food. After confirming the prearranged clothing, order, and accessories, the watcher verified that this man was either an organization member or their errand boy.
“Speaking of which, do you know about that new brothel that just opened?”
“A brothel? If it’s the new one, you mean the Red Flower Garden, right?”
If it was newly opened, that had to be it. He hadn’t been there yet, but it was famous for its various services lately.
“Yeah! They say it’s really something else!”
“I heard it came from Franz, didn’t it?”
Surely not. He shook his head at the sudden thought. Even if they were both from Franz, one was a prostitute and the other a noble. There was no way they’d be connected…
“Especially the owner’s daughters, who were called the Red Flowers of Franz—they’re apparently managing the place now. Man, I’d give anything to spend just one night with those girls.”
“Hahaha. Even if you put up your entire fortune, it wouldn’t be enough.”
“Bwahaha! That’s true! Actually, rumor has it that no one’s ever slept with those twin sisters yet!”
“Oh?”
While chatting and pretending to go along with the conversation, he drank. The man sitting behind him was also watching, pretending to eat out of hunger, before lowering the beer mug in his hand.
“Ah, I’ve already emptied two mugs, so I’m feeling full. I’ll go relieve myself for a bit.”
“How much did you even drink? You haven’t been coming out much lately, so maybe you’ve gotten weaker?”
“Don’t even start. I finally got some breathing room and came out. Business was dead during the war—it was depressing just looking ahead.”
Chuckling, he stood up and slowly headed toward the restroom. He confirmed that the man behind him was following accordingly.
—Drip, drip, drip.
They actually urinated without saying a word to each other. They didn’t even exchange glances. It was a precaution against possible remote eavesdropping using magic. When the man in front finished first and left, a folded piece of paper fell from his pocket.
—Swish.
The watcher picked up the paper, carefully tucked it into his own clothes, and naturally returned to his original seat. The man who had been sitting behind also resumed his meal as if nothing had happened.
* * *
A lavish building where men gathered, enticed by women in glamorous attire. Beautiful music echoed through the halls. This was the place that had become the talk of Muller’s men lately—the Red Flower Garden.
A man who had sneaked in through the back of the building went straight up to the top floor, where the owner of this establishment resided. Upon reaching the door, he knocked carefully.
“Come in.”
At the voice, the man opened the door and entered, momentarily losing himself at the sight of the dazzling woman inside. Though time had passed since he began working under her, her beauty only seemed to grow more captivating with each glance, making it hard to regain his composure. Hair that sparkled like gold and eyes reminiscent of crimson jewels. Her artistic beauty was on an entirely different level compared to the other women working at the brothel.
After staring blankly for a moment, he snapped back to attention when her gaze met his and immediately knelt, bowing his head.
“I’ve confirmed that the target made contact with the rat.”
“Keep watching the rat until he leaves the city, and don’t let your guard down with the target either. Send this information to the castle immediately.”
“Understood.”
Ninya nodded at her subordinate’s report. Finding the target had been easy. The man hadn’t realized his appearance was already known. He seemed cautious, but since he was operating in his original form, he apparently hadn’t bothered with a disguise.
“Um……”
At that moment, the reporting man hesitated and looked at Ninya.
“Is there something else?”
At Ninya’s question, the man immediately bowed his head and spoke. “What if we capture the target ourselves?”
“……What do you mean?”
Ninya frowned.
“If we capture both the target and the rat before the castle sends knights or soldiers, then perhaps Lord Leoric would……”
—Thud!
Ninya set down the pen she had been using and looked at the man. Startled by her reaction, he lowered his head even further. A brief silence followed. Ninya spoke in a cold voice, her eyes fixed on him.
“One thing. Don’t misunderstand.”
“Y-Yes!”
Her piercing demeanor was different from the Ninya that Leoric knew. The cold gaze she directed at the man was proof that she, too, was a person of the back alleys.
“Just because Sasha and I receive Lord Leoric’s favor doesn’t mean you can forget this.”
—Gulp!
The man trembled under Ninya’s oppressive presence.
“It’s not that he’s fallen for us. We’re the ones clinging to him. That’s a very, very big difference.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
“Remember this. We receive more than enough glory just from his attention alone. Excessive greed will only lead to your own destruction. Don’t forget that.”
The moment humans desire something from a god, they are doomed.
“I’ll take your suggestion as being for the sake of the Red Flower Garden. I’ll let it slide this time. You may leave.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
Watching the man force strength into his trembling legs as he left the room, Ninya let out a sigh. Throughout history, the fate of foolish humans who desired, questioned, or grew greedy toward gods in myths was almost always the same. Gods did not forgive. They only punished.