Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Chapter 32.
Meanwhile, a commotion was occurring within the surveillance team under the Night Crow support unit.
"An unexpected situation has occurred."
New recruit candidates scheduled to join the Night Crow are, without exception, placed under both protection and surveillance.
This is a measure to prevent them from being exposed to Rutien and suffering misfortune, as well as to account for the possibility of spies.
"...An unexpected situation?"
...And so, Gunter's 'trip to the gambling den' was immediately reported to the person in charge.
"New recruit candidate number 8 has gone missing in Sector 3, around the Gray Line Entertainment District."
At those words, the air in the room grew cold.
"How in the world...?"To the superior's question, the person in charge blinked awkwardly before finally answering."
"Entry into a gambling den has been confirmed, but their subsequent whereabouts are unknown. We are questioning customers from the same time period... there's a possibility they got into trouble with a gang over a rigged game."
At those words, the air in the room grew cold.
"Damn it..."
New recruit candidate number 8.
As a candidate for the execution squad, based on reports and evaluations thus far, they were undeniably the ace of this intake.
...And it had to be someone like that who disappeared while out in the entertainment district.
Furthermore, due to friction with a gang over a rigged game.
It was, to them, bewildering and disappointing.
"......"The person in charge closed their eyes for a moment, then asked again."
"Which gang? An X-type?"
A short, quiet question.
Within it, a strange hope was embedded.
The Night Crow categorizes and codes things related to Rutien.
Among these, X-type refers to factions colluding with Rutien.
Was it possible the new recruit had intentionally caused friction in the entertainment district to investigate such an organization?
That was the hope.
But the person in charge shook their head.
"That has not yet been revealed. As you know, we are currently short-handed..."
Indeed, the intelligence and support units currently had no capacity to spare for identifying small gangs that weren't even coded.
This was due to the intelligence received a few weeks prior about a large quantity of mothers being smuggled into the Border City.
While the majority of them had been quickly secured and dealt with, some remained, causing the entire unit to break out in a cold sweat.
'...It's too difficult to find them, with them being mothers of different Evil Gods.'
Their methods of offering sacrifices were all different.
Their ritual responses varied.
The city streets to be searched were maddeningly vast, and the personnel situation was desperately tight.
Therefore, the probability that the remaining few were growing somewhere was extremely high.
And their danger was truly immense.
Even if they were low-ranking, if they manifested, that area would become a sea of blood.
The despair and fear born from that death would, in turn, become the power of the Rutian Theocracy.
'Damn it, do I have to worry about a gambling-addicted new recruit when I'm this busy?'
As his thoughts reached that point, the issue of new recruit candidate 8 was deemed insignificant.
After all, how many times had a new recruit candidate that the higher-ups had pinned their hopes on turned out to be a troublemaker?
In this current climate, someone causing trouble couldn't possibly be a proper individual.
'Let's just report it and be done with it.'
He sat before the secure terminal inside the safe house and lightly typed a few characters.
[New Recruit Candidate 8 – Temporary Disappearance]
Location of Occurrence: Sector 3, Border City, Gray Line Entertainment District vicinity
Jurisdiction: Sector 3 Public Security Management Office
Reason: Clash with gang members during gambling
(Continued Below)
"...There. That's done."
If the superiors deemed the candidate valuable, they would organize search parties.
It wasn't a welcome development, especially with the ongoing personnel shortage.
"Alright, alright. Everyone, let's refocus!"
Now was the time to pour their remaining energy into more constructive tasks.
Meanwhile.
Gunter was being transported somewhere, lying in the cargo area of a carriage.
The gang members seemed confident in the efficacy of the anesthetic, as they hadn't fitted him with any restraints or assigned guards.
No blindfold, no gag.
There was only a leather strap binding his limbs, but—
[As a Pillar Servant of the Red Street, I say that the knot is pathetic, and he scoffs.]
With 'bad dexterity,' it could be undone in an instant.
Thanks to this, Gunter was transported to his destination with a considerably lighter heart.
Of course, he wasn't just lying there.
Every time the carriage jolted, he didn't miss the sounds seeping from the front cabin.
"But what are we going to do starting the day after tomorrow? Even with him, we only have four left."
"Well, the bosses will figure something out."
The faintly heard voices became quite clear when he focused his Magic Power into his ears,
allowing him to catch crucial information they carelessly let slip.
Rumble—
After a long period of this peculiar eavesdropping, the carriage stopped.
Gunter, with his eyes half-closed, quickly scanned the scene beyond the canopy.
The lower levels.
A deserted lot.
An old building.
A gang member approaching, acting as a guard.
Fortunately, their vigilance remained lax.
Instead of opening the carriage's rear door and checking on Gunter, the guard started chatting with his colleagues in the driver's seat and cabin.
It seemed the early morning shift was quite boring.
"Hey, did you break a sweat?"
"Nah? Just picked him up for free."
"You're lying. You went because a contractor showed up, right? ...The boss wasn't even there."
Gunter slowly began to move his wrists.
[Bad Dexterity is activated.]
Creak—
He bent his wrist joint as if dislocating it halfway.
Creating a gap where the leather could slip, he concentrated his strength there.
Snap— The leather strap broke.
It was a small sound, but Gunter immediately stopped moving and glanced at the front of the carriage.
"Heh, he was a total country bumpkin. So naive. He just took whatever we gave him and passed out."
"Wow, shit. That's unfair. Can you see this eye? I still haven't gotten over getting rejected by that ugly bastard the other day..."
But the gang members were still engrossed in their conversation.
'Good.'
Once his hands were free, he could untie the ankle straps in an instant.
It was going smoothly.
Moreover, the equipment he was wearing was still intact.
Rhadenbach's Steadfastness, even the Frost Ghost Robe.
They probably intended to strip him once he was confined.
"Anyway, let's finish the rest of the story after the shift change. We need to check the goods."
"Yeah, give him some more anesthetic too. So he sleeps soundly until tomorrow night."
Thump—
Approaching footsteps.
Gunter pushed himself up.
The guard's voice was now audible right by the door.
"I'm going to go beat up that ugly bastard one more time while I'm at it, after dropping this guy off."
[Heart Calming Technique is being used.]
[The 'Calm Heart' status is granted.]
The door would open within one to two seconds.
What mattered was from this point on.
Swoosh—
Gunter closed his eyes, picturing the interior of the cabin beyond the thin partition.
[Serpent's Nest Lv.1 is activated.]
One in the driver's seat.
Three in the cabin.
'The cabin first.'
One was sitting along the left wall,
and another was in the far right corner of the cabin, leaning against the wall.
Their breathing was deep and regular; they seemed to be asleep.
The last one was right beyond the partition, closest to the cargo area where Gunter was.
Given the proximity, this was the target to subdue first, along with the guard who would open the door shortly.
'Five in total.'
Creak—
And when all these calculations were complete.
The metal door opened.
"Huh?"
Gunter moved before the light even seeped in.
Thump.
His toes brushed the floor, and his body swiftly slid forward.
First.
The guard who opened the door.
Before his eyes could even register Gunter—
Slish—
The sword passed precisely through his throat.
Second.
The one leaning in the cabin beyond the partition.
At the moment he sprang up at the commotion—
CRASH—!
Gunter turned and pushed the partition like a shield, shoving himself inside.
The thin partition shattered, and fragments and dust swirled within the cabin.
"Wh-what the!"
In the chaotic cabin, Thwack—
He elbowed the face of the one struggling beneath him, and with his other hand, snatched the dagger from his waist.
Whirl—
Grasping it in reverse, he stabbed between the ribs.
In a confined space, this was far better than a long, heavy sword.
Third.
The one sitting by the left wall shouted and thrust his sword.
Gunter moved exactly as he had planned.
Instead of blocking, he threw himself back into the cargo area.
Fourth.
The one leaning against the wall, sleeping, had a dazed expression before spitting blood from his companion's sword.
The third, frozen in panic, finished him off by throwing his dagger.
Fifth.
The coachman.
He seemed to prioritize calming the agitated horses, shouting hysterically from outside.
He probably believed his companions inside would subdue Gunter.
And that belief was met with the glint of a sword emerging from behind him.
"Guh, urk."
Just 6 seconds.
Gunter rolled out of the blood-soaked carriage.
Of course, he didn't forget to pick up the key ring from the guard's corpse slumped at the cargo area entrance.
He kicked the horse's hindquarters, sending the carriage full of corpses towards the opposite alley.
Scrape-scrape—
He rubbed the soles of his shoes on the bloodstains on the ground and looked straight ahead.
"...Hoo."
There was no moonlight in the lower levels.
Cheap lighting, buildings shrouded in darkness, and their deep shadows flickered and poured towards him.
Gunter ran forward without hesitation, scanning the buildings.
'...I need to go underground.'
An entrance built into an unnaturally sloped downward path.
An exterior wall covered in mold.
Above the walls, ventilation shafts surrounded by wire mesh were excessively numerous for the building's area.
This indicated a much larger underground space than what was visible.
In this era, the lower levels were characterized by such peculiar structures.
On the surface, they appeared to be mere old warehouses or empty lots, but beneath them lay vast buried structures that defied the architectural technology of the time.
Clank—
As expected.
Among the overgrown weeds, seemingly left to rot, the handle of the underground entrance protruded.
Gunter pulled it without hesitation.
[The Addict Saintess looks at you and the dark space before you with worried eyes.]
[She adds that you don't know what kind of being might be waiting inside.]
'Yes, I don't know exactly what's there.'
But it's not a problem.
If it's a 'divine being.'
And if it's still early in the scenario.
For him, who wielded the God Slayer, it was a solvable problem.
Even if things got complicated, rescuing Eddie and escaping would be sufficiently possible.
[Frosty Stealth is activated.]
[The current temperature is low. Stealth receives a bonus.]
[Overdose Lv.1 is activated.]
[The drug's effects are maximized.]
Click—
Gunter finished his preparations.
He leaped into the underground as if flying.