The Eternal Unresolved Question
The Blackout Guild. Among the countless assassin guilds, it was a relatively young organization, having been founded only five years ago. Yet thanks to its guild master’s exceptional leadership and talent for nurturing capable subordinates, the Blackout Guild had quickly made a name for itself. Within just five years, it had climbed into the top ten assassin guilds in existence—an achievement that spoke volumes about its strength.
Argos, the guild master, had always told himself, “One day, I’ll make my guild the greatest of them all.” He dreamed of seizing ultimate power and ruling the underworld from the shadows. He was confident. “With my ability to cultivate talent, it’s more than possible.” After all, he had already surpassed countless rivals to reach the top ten in only five years. Both his talent and his results proved that his dream could become reality.
He had prepared thoroughly. “Unlike the others, I can do this. I’ll stop at nothing to climb higher.” Argos had indeed stopped at nothing, even if it meant shaking hands with people he should never have associated with. That was how desperately he wanted his guild to stand at the very top.
Only execution remained. In five years at most—perhaps even three—he could have turned the Blackout Guild into the foremost assassin organization. And yet—
“Graaah!”
“S-Save me!”
“It’s a monster!!”
The very same guild was now being torn apart by a single man.
“M-Master! You have to run—!”
“W-We can’t beat him!!”
The assassins threw themselves at the intruder in a desperate attempt to shield their master. It was a noble sacrifice, their resolve to protect Argos at the cost of their own lives palpable. But it was futile. The moment the intruder’s fist moved, the heads of the charging assassins burst like overripe watermelons.
Pop!
The man was a monster in the truest sense. The four heavenly kings of the Blackout Guild—warriors once hailed as the guild’s strongest—had already been reduced to corpses littering the floor. Now the intruder began smashing everything in sight. Argos finally managed to speak, his voice trembling.
“N-No…!!”
“Yes.”
“S-Stop it!”
“Who gave you the right to order me around? Annoying. Guess I’ll break more.”
“P-Please stop!!”
“I said no.”
It was maddening. Argos had thrown every possible means at stopping the intruder, yet nothing worked. The overwhelming power on display was terrifying—his carefully raised assassins were dying to single punches.
“Why…?! Why are you doing this?!”
Argos cried out, voice thick with resentment. He had been so close to the summit, his dream within reach, only for everything to crumble at the hands of one man.
“Why are you doing this?!”
At the furious shout, the intruder—Albert—finally stopped. He turned his head.
“Why? Are you upset because I suddenly started wrecking your place?”
“Of course I am!!”
“Albert Legrian.”
Albert stated his name without hesitation. The moment Argos heard it, he felt as though someone had struck him across the head. How could he not know that name? Among the recent requests the guild had accepted was one to kidnap the leader of the Flower Merchant Group. The Alchemist Guild had paid a staggering two hundred thousand gold for the job, all because of Flower Soap. The woman they had abducted had mentioned that Albert Legrian was the one who created it.
“Don’t tell me…”
“Judging by your face, you finally understand why I’m here.”
Albert smiled wickedly, the corner of his mouth curling upward. He clenched his fist.
“Now that you know, it’ll hurt less, right?”
Exactly. Albert found Argos’s attitude repulsive. The master of an assassin guild acting like the victim was disgusting. That was why he had told him. “You did something that deserved this. Time to pay your dues.”
Argos ground his teeth and gathered his energy. As an assassin, his aura was dark and sinister, carrying the stench of blood from all the lives he had taken.
“Kuh… You think I’ll go down easily?! I am the Blackout Guild’s… Argh—!”
Thwack!
Before Argos could finish, Albert’s finger-flick struck his forehead like a thunderbolt.
“Guhk!”
Argos felt as though his skull had been torn open. The pain lanced through his brain, shaking it violently.
“Ugh!”
Nausea rose alongside the agony. If Albert had hit any harder, his head might have split open. Even more shocking was the realization that he hadn’t reacted at all—not to the approach, not to the attack. By the time he noticed, it was already over.
“Don’t look so surprised already. We’re just getting started.”
“Hah!”
“What’s with the ‘hah’? You didn’t seriously think that was the end, did you? Of course not.”
“S-Stop! I-I’ll—”
“Apologies can wait. First, take your beating.”
Albert ignored Argos’s pleas and struck him with mad precision. His fists moved with the meticulous care of a nurse tending to a patient—covering every inch, leaving no spot untouched. Every part of Argos’s body was methodically pounded.
“Guhk…”
Most astonishing of all was that Argos still hadn’t died. The pain remained, and unconsciousness was denied to him. He was forced to endure every single blow in full awareness.
Heh. This is what you call the refined technique of a true artisan.
Albert grabbed Argos by the collar, the man barely clinging to consciousness. His trembling eyes were filled with terror.
“S-Spare me…”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you.”
Albert had no intention of killing Argos. He still had use for him. The real reason he had crushed an entire assassin guild was to send a quiet warning to the rest of the underworld.
“From now on, it would be wise not to accept any requests involving my family or the people around me.”
“W-What do you mean…?”
“Exactly what I said. You can kill, kidnap, or sell whoever you want. Just don’t touch the people around me.”
Albert drew a clear line. Whatever atrocities the assassin guild committed elsewhere meant nothing to him. He was utterly indifferent to anything outside his own fence. “Why should I care who dies? It’s not like my concern will bring the dead back.”
“Do whatever you want, but don’t lay a hand on my circle.”
“U-Understood…”
“If I spot an assassin near me or if anyone around me is targeted, I’ll come looking for you.”
“W-What does that mean?!”
“It means exactly what I said. If another assassin comes after me, I won’t go after them—I’ll come straight to you.”
That’s right. Well, with me around, Elena or the nanny shouldn’t be in danger from assassins anyway. He had learned the hard way in his previous life that no matter how strong you were, you couldn’t do everything alone. Once, blinded by power, he had grown arrogant and failed to protect what mattered. The memory still made his blood boil. That was why he needed precautions. “If something happens where I can’t see it, I need a way to respond for sure.” If he couldn’t handle everything himself, he would simply use others.
“That’s absurd! Another guild’s assassin targeted you—why punish me for it?!”
Argos protested despite the pain wracking his body; the injustice seemed to outweigh the agony.
“You feel wronged?”
“Of course!”
“Then die. What’s the point of a useless man who can’t even die living any longer? Right?”
As Albert raised his fist, Argos hurriedly continued.
“O-Of course not! H-How could I possibly feel wronged? Ha, hahaha! I’ll do it! Please let me handle it!”
“You’re confident you can?”
“O-Of course!”
“Good. Just so you know… running or hiding won’t do you any good.”
Albert pulled Argos closer and whispered into his ear.
“I’m very experienced at catching people like you. If you don’t want to spend the rest of your life running from me… don’t make that choice.”
The threat was so heavy that Argos felt an invisible collar snap around his neck. He would never escape this man’s grasp.
“Ah, and one more thing.”
“W-What else is there…?”
“You received two hundred thousand gold as payment, didn’t you?”
“D-Don’t tell me…”
Argos’s eyes widened, his pupils shaking violently. Albert smiled brightly and clenched his fist with mock gentleness.
“Hand that over too, if you don’t want to die.”
His tone was anything but gentle.
* * *
After Albert left, a robed man stood anxiously outside the Blackout Guild’s headquarters, glancing around nervously.
“Hoo… So this is the Blackout Guild…?”
The man swallowed dryly as he looked at the assassin guild. He had hoped never to come here. But what choice did he have?
“I don’t know why Grandel from the Mage Guild treated me that way, but…”
“Albert Legrian… I will never forgive you.”
The man—Hansen—still clung to his thirst for revenge. Since the Mage Guild refused to help, he had no choice but to turn to an assassin guild. “The Blackout Guild is supposed to be one of the better assassin organizations, right?”
Its master was skilled enough to elevate the guild to the upper ranks in only five years, and the four heavenly kings under him were said to be capable of assassinating even a guild master. It might be an exaggeration, but they had clearly produced results.
“Kekeke, Albert… Your end is near.”
Once he commissioned the guild, that bastard would finally be finished. Ever since that day, Hansen had been tormented by horrific nightmares every night. He couldn’t sleep properly, and the extreme stress had even caused hair loss. He couldn’t endure it any longer. To protect his precious hair, he had to escape this nightmare. “To break free, I have to kill him! No matter what!”
Hansen clutched the money pouch in his robe and stepped inside. Ten minutes later—
“Graaah!!!”
Hansen was kicked out, beaten black and blue.
“That damn bastard! He was trying to get me killed!! Huh?! Who do you want dead?! You want to die yourself?! You must be an assassin from another guild! Otherwise there’s no way you’d say that! You bastard!! And with that pathetic amount of hair left!! How dare you!!”
The master had flown into a rage, stomping on him like a madman. When Hansen had first entered with the money, the man had greeted him with a bright smile—only to flip the moment the target’s name was mentioned. He attacked, beat, and tore at Hansen as if a switch had been flipped, the madness in his kicks palpable.
“You crazy bastard! You! I remember your face now. If you ever come back, you’ll be the one running from assassins! Take this! Ptui!! How unlucky!!”
The master spat in disgust and went back inside. Hansen, trembling from the pain of being trampled, felt a single, powerful question rise in his fading consciousness.
“Why…?”
It had been the same before. It was the same now. That question would never be answered.