The Hero Has Vanished
The hero has vanished.
"That—" When asked when she planned to reveal her affair, Serin paused for a moment before opening her mouth. Completely unaware that a cruel fate was closing in.
The hero has vanished. It was hot news that drew attention from third-rate thugs in the back alleys all the way to the children in the marketplace. The empire was finally restoring some semblance of order and preparing a festival to flaunt its national power. In the midst of that, the news that the hero—who was praised as the very symbol of order—had disappeared two weeks ago naturally gave birth to all sorts of rumors.
He had condemned Archbishop Henvil and been captured by the Holy Kingdom. In truth, the demon race was still invading, and the hero had gone alone to stop them. He had simply chosen seclusion after finishing his grueling journey to rest for a while.
Countless rumors swelled and circulated through the streets, but none were ever confirmed as the truth. That was why every organization in the capital, without exception, pricked up their ears at any word of the hero’s whereabouts. Especially the organization famous for its black market and intelligence network—Ashen Scales—which sent direct orders to the five branch leaders who divided the capital between them.
Find the hero.
There was no mention of a reward, but all five branch leaders understood immediately. If they seized this opportunity properly, they might secure a seat not just in the capital, but at the headquarters itself.
And the one who will become that protagonist is none other than me, Lucy Heart.
Branch leader of the southern outskirts branch. Self-proclaimed goddess of the alley shadows, Lucy Heart.
Branch leader at twenty-seven, and if I make it to headquarters… who knows, maybe I’ll even become the guild master someday~
With those inflated dreams, she stood in front of the mirror hanging on the office wall. Beneath her jet-black short hair were long, narrow eyes. They could easily look fierce if one wasn’t careful, but thanks to her naturally outstanding beauty, she came across as a cold beauty instead. Her lips were transparent and red, and her nose sat elegantly atop her pale skin. She possessed a level of beauty that was hard to match in the back alleys. On top of that, her face was matched by a voluptuous chest that her black bustier could barely contain. A single long strand of hair poking out above her swaying locks added a touch of cuteness to her sensuality.
Haa~ If only my background weren’t an issue, I’d be the perfect woman. No, actually, maybe that very background makes me even more attractive?
She smiled and nodded. No matter how many times she looked, she truly believed her appearance was nearly flawless. After staring at her reflection for a long while, she walked over to the chair at her office desk and sat down calmly.
In the current situation, if she wanted to complete the directive before the other branch leaders, it was wise to put all other contracts on hold for now. Lucy pushed aside the mountain of documents piled on her desk and tapped the surface twice.
"Mirna! Come in for a second!"
Mirna was the woman in charge of intelligence for the outskirts branch. She was essentially a walking encyclopedia of information who had memorized maps not only of the surrounding area but of the entire capital. She was also the only other woman among her five direct subordinates, and their personalities matched well, so Lucy always kept her close…
What? Did she go somewhere without saying anything? She usually even tells me when she’s going to the bathroom.
"Mirna! Are you there? Where the hell—"
That was when it happened. The office door flew off its hinges from a tremendous impact and came hurtling toward her.
Huh?
The iron door slicing through the air instantly filled Lucy’s entire field of vision.
Ah. And I did my makeup so nicely today, too.
That was her last thought before the door struck her square in the face.
BANG—!!
Lucy was, in her own right, a capable person. Reaching the threshold of mid-level Sword Expert at the young age of twenty-seven was enough to call her a genius. Thanks to that, in that brief instant, she managed to wrap her body in mana, catch the flying iron door, and dissipate the impact.
C-crazy. That scared the hell out of me. What the hell was that?
That didn’t mean she was completely unharmed. Blood trickled down from her forehead. The attack had happened so suddenly that her defense hadn’t been perfect. Considering she hadn’t even been holding a weapon, stopping it at all was impressive.
"What kind of bastard—have you lost your damn mind—"
She was fairly quick to assess situations. A door had flown in, a huge noise had erupted, yet none of her subordinates had come running. The thick cloud of dust blocked her view of the hallway beyond the doorway, but it was obvious her people had already been taken down.
Who is it? Is there someone strong enough to hold a grudge against Ashen Scales?
Lucy swiftly snatched the whip hanging on the wall behind her desk and shot to her feet. However, she never got the chance to swing it and enter a proper combat stance.
"Ins…ane."
As the dust slowly settled, a man walking through it came into view. He wore a hooded cloak that covered his body and a white mask that hid his face, but she could tell.
A monster. He’s a monster.
A ferocious aura radiated from his entire being. Even at a glance, she could sense mana pressure at least twice as strong as her own. If she fought, she would die. Even if she merely entertained the thought of fighting, she would die. Lucy had always been quick to judge.
"W-what brings you here?!"
She immediately vaulted over the desk and dropped to her knees right in front of the man, bowing her head low. The office was underground, so there was no escape route except through the door where he stood.
"I don’t need any contract! I’ll do whatever you ask, no matter what it is!"
He simply stared down at her in silence. Lucy felt as if that gaze alone was crushing her body to pieces. Then—
Scraaape—
The man’s old sword stabbed into the floor right beside her.
"…Hic."
As she trembled, he knelt down in front of her and lightly tapped her head with his fingers.
"You can raise your head."
Lucy hesitated. What if he was a psychotic maniac? Should she try a surprise attack right now? Or maybe slide between his legs and make a run for it? After running through several options in the blink of an eye, she slowly lifted her head. Honestly, she couldn’t think of any way to escape the overwhelming presence in his eyes.
And the moment she looked up, her narrow eyes widened in shock.
"Shh."
He removed his hood and peeled off the mask, revealing his face… and there stood a young man with white hair and golden eyes—the hero.
***
Vincent. The porter who had joined the hero’s party a little under two years ago. With his golden hair and tanned skin, he had quite a rugged appearance. Tei had insisted he looked like a thug and suggested finding someone else, but after I—the hero—persuaded them that he would be fine, he was allowed to join. He was the only one who had willingly stepped forward after the original coachman and porters fled, unable to endure the harsh conditions of the battlefield.
Of course, I had my own prejudices at first. The blond, tanned look hadn’t exactly carried a good image in my previous life. But after spending more than a year together, the opinions of me and the rest of the party gradually changed.
"Oh dear! I’ll take care of it!"
"Are you alright? I’ll bring the luggage right away!"
"I’ll prepare all the food today!"
He took on almost everything except combat and never once complained. Everyone felt grateful for his sincerity. And so, we acknowledged him—Vincent.
That was also why, even after seeing him and Serin looking at flowers together, I hadn’t stepped forward immediately.
…Leaving aside the fact that Serin betrayed me, Vincent himself hadn’t done anything wrong.
There were clear reasons I had sworn revenge on Airen, Serin, and Tei. The pain of being betrayed in love, and the way they had turned a blind eye to the people dying on the front lines while focusing only on the hero party’s affairs. But Vincent had been given no such sin. He had never been a true member of the hero party who was supposed to be fighting on the front lines. Their relationship had simply been a contractual one based on money. Still, he had been quite helpful and reliable.
…What should I do?
While I was agonizing over it, a single note gave me the push I needed. It was a message from the information group I had become connected with after being chosen as the hero. They were the same ones who had helped me investigate Archbishop Henvil’s background. The contents of the note were simple.
There were no proper records of a man named Vincent. Not only did he lack any background that could prove his identity, but the village he had claimed as his hometown when signing the employment contract two years ago—
—had disappeared thirty years ago?
What was written at the end of the note was even more shocking. The only confirmed record of a blond man named Vincent was an entry log from two years ago at the northern noble district branch of Ashen Scales in the capital. And—
Ashen Scales, northern branch, suspected of connections to a black magic organization.
Aha.
After reading the entire note, things I had never connected to Vincent suddenly came to mind. The incident where demons had suddenly invaded a peaceful village right before we were scheduled to visit. How the demons had known that children were my weakness and had either disguised themselves as children or taken real ones hostage. The incident where enemies had chased us straight to the cave where we had taken refuge after a fierce battle. Events I had overlooked at the time because I hadn’t had the leisure to examine them properly now flashed through my head, and I clutched my stomach, bursting into laughter.
Thank you, Vincent.
Thanks to you, I’m now certain you deserve to die alongside Serin.
I had immediately wanted to wipe out the northern branch of Ashen Scales, but that was realistically impossible. While Ashen Scales wasn’t exactly a force for good, it was regarded as a necessary evil that at least kept to certain lines. In fact, many commoners who lived unrelated to the underworld claimed that Ashen Scales was a hundred times better than other organizations because it acted like gentlemen in comparison.
And with all the money laundering and entertainment tied to the nobility, there are far too many eyes watching.
It was a little different from the Henvil case. Punishing an individual whose crimes were obvious could be done easily with the authority of the hero. But branding Ashen Scales as an evil organization and launching a full-scale purge was another matter entirely. Moreover, Ashen Scales had Sword Master-level experts among its ranks. While I wasn’t lacking in confidence when it came to combat, fighting a fully matured Sword Master would still be burdensome.
I don’t like it.
And if I didn’t know which branch was involved, how they were connected, or who exactly was tied to the black mages, attacking would be meaningless. My goal wasn’t simply to cause chaos. That wasn’t how I carried out my revenge.
"So I attacked."
"…Pardon?"
"I don’t like repeating myself."
"O-of course! So what you’re saying is that you want to use our branch’s help to dig up information on the northern branch, right?!"
The black-haired woman who had introduced herself as Lucy was trembling violently, yet she seemed to have listened to every word and immediately drawn her own conclusion.
She’s pretty sharp.
Sitting in the black leather chair in her office, I watched as she knelt before me and listened attentively. For a branch leader of Ashen Scales, who would normally be quite prideful, instantly adopting such a submissive attitude was rather satisfying.
"But… if you already have your own information organization, wouldn’t it be better to work with them…?"
"They aren’t people who owe me loyalty. The Henvil matter was merely them helping out of goodwill."
"I-I see. But… in that case, wouldn’t it be simpler to just kill the man named Vincent and Serin and be done with it…?"
"They might cut off the tail and hide. After sending Vincent, the black mages colluding with the demon race from behind—"
I crossed my legs and spoke calmly.
"—I have to kill them all for it to truly be called revenge."